Is visceral fat thickness related to outcomes in cancer patients with pulmonary embolism?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between visceral fat thickness measurements obtained via computed tomography and clinical outcomes in order to predict the outcomes of oncology patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism at the emergency department.

METHODS

This study was conducted retrospectively by examining 75 cancer patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism at the emergency department between 2019 and 2022. Visceral fat thickness was evaluated using the axial sections of computed tomography pulmonary angiography taken at the level of the first lumbar vertebra at the time of diagnosis. Clinical scores, hemodynamic status, laboratory and radiological parameters, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital and 90-day mortality were assessed.

RESULTS

Notably, 20% of the patients included in the study were hemodynamically unstable at the time of presentation. In-hospital mortality occurred in 25% of the patients with breast cancer, while 90-day mortality was observed in 30% of those with lung cancer. The median visceral fat thickness obtained from computed tomography pulmonary angiography was 113 cm2. The patients' visceral fat thickness values statistically significantly differed according to the presence of 90-day late-period mortality (p=0.025).

CONCLUSION

Muscle and fat tissue areas obtained from imaging modalities used in the diagnosis of critical conditions, such as pulmonary embolism and cancer, have emerged as significant biomarkers for mortality in the literature. In light of our findings, we consider that visceral fat thickness can predict late-period mortality in oncological patients with pulmonary embolism.