Get a grip! - Baseline Handgrip Strength and Sarcopenia as Predictors of Survival in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Low handgrip strength (HGS) and sarcopenia are common in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This study aimed to explore associations between baseline HGS, fat-free mass index (FFMI), nutritional indices, and survival. METHODS: ). Chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox analyses were used. RESULTS: Low HGS was observed in 16%, low FFMI in 46%, and sarcopenia in 12%. Patients with low HGS had lower body weight, BMI, and FFMI, alongside more malnutrition, elevated CRP, and heavy smoking. Low HGS and sarcopenia were associated with shorter overall survival (HR 3.7, [95% CI 1.5-9.1] and 5.5, [2.2-14.5], respectively); FFMI was not. Adjustment removed significance. Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small, all-male cohort size. CONCLUSION: In this small exploratory cohort HGS may serve as a simple screening surrogate for sarcopenia and survival. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, identifier NCT02159508.