Combining nutrition checks and muscle measurements to predict outcomes after lung cancer surgery

Prognostic Value of Multimodal Nutritional Status and Sarcopenia Assessment for Postoperative Risk Stratification in Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

This project will test whether combining nutrition tests and muscle scans can predict recovery, complications, and short-term outcomes in adults having lung cancer surgery.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 142 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Ondokuz Mayıs University (other)
• Drugs / interventions: chemotherapy, immunotherapy
• Locations: 1 site (Samsun, Samsun)
• Trial ID: NCT07500376 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a prospective, single-center observational cohort of adults undergoing anatomical lung resection for primary non-small cell lung cancer. Nutritional status will be measured with serum biomarkers, inflammatory indices, and validated clinical nutrition scores, plus dietitian-led bioimpedance and functional testing. Sarcopenia will be measured from preoperative thoracic CT (muscle area and density) and ultrasound muscle thickness, with international consensus criteria applied. These multimodal measures will be related to postoperative complications, ICU need, length of stay, and short-term mortality.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults aged 18 or older scheduled for anatomical lung resection (lobectomy or segmentectomy) for primary lung cancer with a preoperative thoracic CT within 30 days and able to complete nutritional and ultrasound measurements are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients with neoadjuvant therapy, emergency procedures, pneumonectomy, advanced/metastatic disease, or those lacking evaluable imaging or unable to complete measurements are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could identify higher-risk patients so clinicians can target preoperative nutrition and muscle-strengthening interventions to reduce complications and shorten recovery.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked either sarcopenia or malnutrition to worse postoperative outcomes after thoracic surgery, but comprehensive multimodal combinations like this are relatively novel and not yet widely validated.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥18 years
* Patients undergoing anatomical lung resection (lobectomy or segmentectomy) for primary lung cancer
* Availability of preoperative thoracic computed tomography (CT) within 30 days before surgery
* Completion of preoperative nutritional assessment and ultrasonographic muscle measurements
* Ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy
* Emergency surgery
* Pneumonectomy
* Combined resection of another organ during the same procedure
* Inadequate or non-evaluable imaging or measurement data
* Immunosuppressive therapy or presence of advanced/metastatic disease
* Significant thoracic deformity or prior conditions interfering with muscle measurements
* Refusal or inability to provide informed consent

Where this trial is running

Samsun, Samsun

• Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery — Samsun, Samsun, Turkey (Türkiye) (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Caner İşevi, MD

Conditions: Lung Cancer, Sarcopenia, Malnutrition Severe, lung cancer surgery, sarcopenia, nutritional status, malnutrition, risk stratification