Is sarcopenia a useful prognostic indicator in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis?

426Background: Sarcopenia is a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and is a quantifiable marker of frailty associated with poor oncological outcomes. Currently there are no studies using sarcopenia as a prognostic indicator for patients with penile cancer. This study investigated the association of sarcopenia with mortality and morbidity outcomes in penile cancer patients in a specialist centre. Methods: A retrospective case-controlled study was performed. Patient cohort comprised 50 patients with metastatic penile cancer ( u003e pN2 disease) and 50 patients with non-metastatic disease (N0) ; minimum follow-up period of 2 years. Sarcopenia was classified as a skeletal muscle index u003c 55cm2/m2 and was measured using software and CT imaging. Results: Sarcopenia was present in 31% of our cohort (n = 100). A univariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between the following parameters and patient mortality; sarcopenia (p = 0.005), metastatic disease (p = 0.001), tumour stage (p = 0.001), sarcoma...