LAUSR

460Background: Reports regarding sarcopenia as a prognostic factor in advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) are rare. Furthermore, no study has investigated the dynamics of body weight with body muscle mass as a prognostic factor in advanced BTC patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy. Hence, we investigated whether sarcopenia affects survival in patients with BTC, with a co-analysis of body weight loss and body mass index (BMI). Methods: We consecutively enrolled patients with advanced BTC who received palliative chemotherapy between 2003 and 2013. Total muscle cross-sectional area (cm2) at the L3 level assessed by computed tomography was analyzed. We defined sarcopenia as a skeletal muscle index (SMI) < 48.5 cm2/m2 (men) and < 39.5 cm2/m2(women) using ROC curves. Results: The proportion of patients with sarcopenia upon diagnosis was 52.4% and 42.2% for men and women, respectively. By multivariate analysis, sarcopenia at diagnosis and decreased SMI during chemotherapy (P = 0.008 and P < 0.001, respecti...