At present the onset of most cancers is hidden and the diagnosis is mostly in the middle and late stage. The treatment means are very limited and complex. Therefore it is particularly important to identify and control the risk factors for cancer to prevent the occurrence of cancer. As for the risk factors of cancer in addition to the well - known ionizing radiation tobacco alcohol consumption bacterial and viral infections some factors closely related to sarcopenia such as reduced physical activity and metabolic syndrome have also been considered to be related to the development of cancer. Sarcopenia is mainly related to inflammation oxidative stress injury immune dysfunction metabolic syndrome and dysregulation of muscle regulators. In recent years it has been found that the immune dysregulation insulin resistance and chronic inflammation caused by sarcopenia are directly or indirectly related to the occurrence of some cancers. However at present there is a lack of relevant research involving fewer types of cancer and there is no systematic description and summary of the mechanism of cancer secondary to sarcopenia. Therefore this article will review the relationship between sarcopenia and the risk of different types of cancer and the possible mechanism of sarcopenia leading to cancer so as to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention of sarcopenia-related cancer.