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CompletedNCT07761481Updated Aug 12, 2026

CT-Determined Sarcopenia and Mortality in Critically Ill Cancer Patients

An observational study in Sarcopenia, Cancer and Critical Illness, sponsored by Hospital H+ Queretaro. Completed at 1 site in Mexico. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-12.

Sponsored by Hospital H+ Queretaro · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
23
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the association between computed tomography-determined sarcopenia and muscle quality impairment with 28-day mortality in adult patients (aged 18 and older) with solid or hematologic malignancies admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The main question it aims to answer is: Is lower psoas muscle quality, calculated using the Hounsfield Unit Average Calculation (HUAC), associated with increased 28-day mortality in critically ill cancer patients? Researchers will compare patients who survived at 28 days with those who died to evaluate whether tomographic muscle measurements (HUAC and total psoas area) and clinical nutritional scores (mNUTRIC) differ between groups and predict mortality.

Participants' records will be evaluated through:

  • A retrospective review of electronic medical records to collect demographic, clinical, oncologic, laboratory, and disease severity scores (APACHE II, SOFA, mNUTRIC).
  • Quantitative tomographic assessment of the right and left psoas muscle area and radiation attenuation density (in Hounsfield Units) using existing computed tomography (CT) scans performed during routine clinical care.
  • Follow-up of 28-day vital status (alive or deceased) after ICU admission.
02

Conditions studied

  • Sarcopenia
  • Cancer
  • Critical Illness
  • Malnutrition

Keywords

  • Sarcopenia
  • Critically ill cancer patient
  • Computed tomography
  • Mortality
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Critically ill adult cancer patients (with solid or hematological malignancies) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Hospital H+ Querétaro between January 2022 and December 2025 who underwent abdominal CT scans during routine clinical management

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patients aged 18 years or older.
  • Confirmed diagnosis of solid or hematological malignancy.
  • Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2025.
  • Availability of an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan performed during routine clinical care at the time of or prior to ICU admission.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Missing or incomplete clinical, laboratory, or outcome data in the electronic medical record.
  • Non-evaluable abdominal CT scans due to motion artifacts, metal artifacts, or lack of cross-sectional visibility of the bilateral psoas muscles.
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
23 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Survivors

    Critically ill cancer patients admitted to the ICU who survived at 28 days post-admission.

    Other: Computed Tomography Muscle Assessment (HUAC)

  • Non survivors

    Critically ill cancer patients admitted to the ICU who died within 28 days post-admission

    Other: Computed Tomography Muscle Assessment (HUAC)

Interventions

  • OtherComputed Tomography Muscle Assessment (HUAC)

    Quantitative measurement of cross-sectional area and radiological density (Hounsfield Units) of the bilateral psoas muscles on abdominal CT scans obtained during routine care to calculate the Hounsfield Unit Average Calculation (HUAC).

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. 28-Day All-Cause Mortality

    Vital status (alive or deceased) of critically ill cancer patients evaluated at 28 days following their admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The association with muscle quality metrics, specifically the Hounsfield Unit Average Calculation (HUAC) of the psoas muscles obtained via computed tomography (CT) scan, will be assessed.

    Time frame: At 28 days post-ICU admission

Secondary outcomes

  1. Nutritional Risk Assessment via mNUTRIC Score

    Evaluation of nutritional risk upon ICU admission using the modified Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) score. The score ranges from 0 to 9 points, where 0 represents the lowest nutritional risk and 9 represents the highest nutritional risk (higher scores indicate a worse outcome/higher nutritional risk; a score \> 5 indicates high nutritional risk).

    Time frame: Baseline (at ICU admission)

  2. Total Psoas Muscle Cross-Sectional Area

    Quantitative measurement of the total cross-sectional area of the right and left psoas muscles combined (mm\^2 or cm\^2) derived from abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans to assess muscle mass quantity.

    Time frame: Baseline (CT scans performed within routine care prior to or at ICU admission)

  3. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) Score

    Assessment of clinical disease severity at ICU admission using the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score. The score ranges from 0 to 71 points, where 0 indicates no physiological impairment and 71 represents the most severe degree of illness (higher scores indicate greater disease severity and a higher risk of mortality).

    Time frame: At ICU admission (Baseline)

  4. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score

    Assessment of organ dysfunction at ICU admission using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. The score ranges from 0 to 24 points, where 0 indicates normal organ function and 24 represents severe multi-organ failure (higher scores indicate greater organ dysfunction and worse prognosis).

    Time frame: Baseline (at ICU admission)

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Hospital H+ Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro
    Querétaro City, Querétaro 76030, Mexico
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07761481
Lead sponsor
Hospital H+ Queretaro
Responsible party
Jose J Zaragoza, MD MSc (Principal Investigator, Hospital H+ Queretaro) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 12, 2026
Start date
Jul 10, 2026
Primary completion
Aug 5, 2026
Completion
Aug 5, 2026
Last update
Aug 12, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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