Sarcopenia is characterised by progressive and extensive skeletal muscle degeneration and is associated with functional decline. Sarcopenia has primary and secondary aetiology, arising as a result of the ageing process or through chronic cytokine-mediated inflammation (associated with health conditions including cancer), respectively. Diagnosis of sarcopenia is dependent upon detection of reduced skeletal muscle strength, mass and performance. A combination of non-radiological and radiological methods can be used to assess each of these in turn to accurately diagnose sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is known to adversely affect outcomes of patients with various forms of cancer. Early identification of sarcopenia is imperative in improving patient care and overall prognosis. Various interventions, such as resistance exercise, nutritional support, and amino acid and vitamin supplementation have shown promise in the management of sarcopenia. However, further insight into novel interventions and indeed, assessment of the benefits of management of sarcopenia in terms of survival, are required to better support cancer patients.

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Introduction Ageing is a risk factor for bladder cancer, with a median age at diagnosis of 71 years. In addition, sarcopenia shows promise as a prognostic biomarker for bladder cancer. This study evaluates sarcopenia as a predictor of overall survival (OS) for older patients treated with chemoradiotherapy for bladder cancer. Methods 185 bladder cancer patients treated (from 2010–2017) with chemoradiotherapy were available for analysis. Pre-therapeutic computed tomography scans were identified and single slices at the L3 level were identified. Machine learning software was used to segment skeletal muscle and obtain its cross-sectional area. This was normalised against height squared to calculate a skeletal muscle index for each patient. Sarcopenia was defined using international consensus definitions (<39 cm2/m2 in females and < 55 cm2/m2 in males). Differences in survival function between patients ≤75 and > 75 years were visualised using Kaplan–Meier curves. Age distribution between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients was also explored. Finally, a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was conducted to investigate interactions between sarcopenia and increased age with respect to OS. Results Of 185 patients, 114 (61.6%) were sarcopenic and 71 (38.4%) were non-sarcopenic; 101 (54.6%) and 84 (45.4%) patients were ≤ 75 and > 75 years old respectively. No differences in OS were observed between the two age groups (p = 0.50). There was no interaction between sarcopenia and age as a continuous variable was observed with respect to OS (p = 0.682); however, when age was categorised an interaction was seen (p = 0.058). Nevertheless, after adjusting for performance status, T-stage, hydronephrosis, albumin, haemoglobin, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, the interactions between age and sarcopenia were no longer observed (age continuous, p = 0.474; age categorized, p = 0.765). Conclusions Patients with bladder cancer over 75 years of age have a modest increase in probability of developing sarcopenia but this does not impact on OS.