The impact of cachexia and sarcopenia in bladder cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bladder cancer disproportionately affects older adults and is characterized by recurrent disease and cumulative treatment exposure, resulting in a population with limited physiologic reserve and increased susceptibility to muscle and metabolic decline. Understanding the role of sarcopenia and cachexia in shaping treatment tolerance, functional recovery, and outcomes is, therefore, increasingly important. RECENT FINDINGS: Sarcopenia and cancer cachexia are prevalent across the bladder cancer continuum and are consistently associated with treatment toxicity, impaired recovery, and decreased survival. These syndromes evolve with both disease progression and cumulative treatment exposures, including surgery and contemporary systemic therapies. Advances in CT-based body composition analysis, circulating biomarkers of neuromuscular integrity and inflammation, and integration with geriatric assessment frameworks have improved the ability to characterize patient vulnerability. Emerging evidence supports multimodal strategies, including exercise-based prehabilitation, nutritional optimization, and targeted metabolic therapies, to mitigate muscle and metabolic decline. SUMMARY: Sarcopenia and cachexia are clinically meaningful and potentially modifiable drivers of adverse outcomes in bladder cancer. Incorporating a structured assessment of muscle and metabolic health into routine care may improve risk stratification, inform treatment planning, and support more individualized, function-preserving management.