Novel body component score predicts long‐term survival in patients with stage I–III colorectal cancer following radical resection

Abstract Background In gastrointestinal cancer, the relationship among skeletal muscle, subcutaneous and visceral fat mass, and prognosis is gaining attention. Herein, we developed a body component score (BCS) to comprehensively evaluate total body composition in patients with stage I–III colorectal cancer (CRC) and examined its relationship with long‐term prognosis. Methods This retrospective study included 300 patients with CRC who underwent curative colorectal resection in 2010–2019. The BCS included skeletal muscle index (SMI), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), visceral fat area (VFA), fatty liver, and pancreatic fatty replacement, measured by preoperative computed tomography. The BCS was calculated as the sum of each score from 0 to 5; patients were grouped into low (score 0–1), medium (score 2–3), and high (score 4–5) BCS. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models assessed disease‐free (DFS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) in these patients. Results Multivariate analysis showed that T3 or T4 tumors ( p = 0.038), pathological stage III ( p < 0.001), and low BCS [ p = 0.016; hazard ratio (HR), 1.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–3.35] were independently associated with DFS, whereas pathological stage III ( p < 0.001) and low BCS ( p = 0.001; HR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.57–6.27) were independent prognostic factors for CSS. Patients with a low BCS had significantly worse DFS ( p < 0.001) and CSS ( p < 0.001), according to the log‐rank test for trends. Conclusions The BCS may effectively predict prognosis in patients with CRC.