CT shows that terminal lung cancer patients with sarcopenia -- a manifestation of loss of muscle mass and strength due to cancer progression -- develop depression, a team of Chinese researchers has found.
"Patients with sarcopenia have more than four times the risk of suffering from depression than patients without sarcopenia," wrote a group led by Dr. Dinglong Xue of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital in Harbin, China. The study results were published October 6 in Support Care Cancer.
Patients with terminal cancer often develop cachexia, a progressive decrease in muscle mass and strength, and sarcopenia is a manifestation of this condition. Xue's group sought to explore any connections between sarcopenia and depression in this patient population.
To do so, the investigators conducted a study that included 104 patients hospitalized with advanced lung cancer who completed the Hamilton Depression Scale and underwent CT imaging of the psoas muscle for evaluation of sarcopenia.
Of the study participants, 31.7% had depression and 61.5% had sarcopenia. There were no statistical differences between depressed and nondepressed individuals regarding age, smoking, and gender.
Identifying sarcopenia in terminally ill lung cancer patients could help caregivers offer better end-of-life care, according to Xue and colleagues.
"The correlation between sarcopenia and depression underscores the need for early intervention by our clinicians," they concluded.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
