Agreement and Reliability of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Scans to Assess Skeletal Muscle Mass During Radiotherapy in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Monitoring skeletal muscle mass (SMM) during radiotherapy (RT) is important, as SMM loss is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Cone-beam CT (CBCT), acquired before each RT fraction, offers the potential to track the lumbar skeletal muscle index (LSMI) over time. However, CBCT has lower image quality than conventional CT. This study assessed the agreement between CT and CBCT and evaluated the reliability of LSMI measurements in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Patients who underwent both CT and CBCT on the same day during RT were included. The cross-sectional muscle area at C3 was measured, converted to L3, and used to calculate the LSMI. Two researchers analyzed all scans, with one repeating the measurements. Agreement and reliability were quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and visualized with Bland–Altman plots. Results: LSMI measurements showed excellent agreement between CBCT and CT (ICC: 0.97–0.99; 95% CI: 0.95–0.99). The intrarater (ICC: 0.99; 95% CI 0.98–0.99) and interrater reliability (ICC: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.66–0.99) were high. Bland–Altman plots, however, revealed wide limits of agreement. Conclusion: CBCT provides reliable LSMI measurements and agrees well with CT, but the observed variability suggests cautious interpretation. When both modalities are available, CT remains the preferred standard for SMM assessment.