Impact of BMI on Survival Outcomes of Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review

Growing research has focused on obesity as a prognostic factor during therapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The role of body-mass index (BMI) in predicting response and toxicity to ICIs is not clear, as studies have shown inconsistent results and significant interpretation biases. We per...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2021-03, Vol.22 (5), p.2628
Main Authors: Indini, Alice, Rijavec, Erika, Ghidini, Michele, Tomasello, Gianluca, Cattaneo, Monica, Barbin, Francesca, Bareggi, Claudia, Galassi, Barbara, Gambini, Donatella, Grossi, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body Mass Index
Cancer
Clinical trials
Disease control
Disease-Free Survival
Female
Heterogeneity
Humans
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Immune system
Immunotherapy
Male
Melanoma
Neoplasms - mortality
Neoplasms - therapy
Obesity
Review
Solid tumors
Survival
Survival Rate
Systematic review
Toxicity
Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
Tumors
Weight control
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Growing research has focused on obesity as a prognostic factor during therapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The role of body-mass index (BMI) in predicting response and toxicity to ICIs is not clear, as studies have shown inconsistent results and significant interpretation biases. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the relationship between BMI and survival outcomes during ICIs, with a side focus on the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). A total of 17 studies were included in this systematic review. Altogether, the current evidence does not support a clearly positive association of BMI with survival outcomes. Regarding toxicities, available studies confirm a superimposable rate of irAEs among obese and normal weight patients. Intrinsic limitations of the analyzed studies include the retrospective nature, the heterogeneity of patients' cohorts, and differences in BMI categorization for obese patients across different studies. These factors might explain the heterogeneity of available results, and the subsequent absence of a well-established role of baseline BMI on the efficacy of ICIs among cancer patients. Further prospective studies are needed, in order to clarify the role of obesity in cancer patients treated with immunotherapy.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms22052628