[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] A study has found that sarcopenia may be an important indicator for predicting the prognosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a leading treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, but outcomes vary from patient to patient. This has created a steady need to identify new markers that can help predict treatment response.
To address this, a joint research team led by Professors Choi Joo-hwan and Lee Seung-ryong of the Department of Pulmonology and Allergy at Korea University Guro Hospital, along with Dr. Park Ji-eun and Professor Shin Young-ki of the College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, analyzed whether patients had sarcopenia and examined blood markers related to immunity and inflammation in 74 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line treatment. The team measured muscle mass to determine sarcopenia and also analyzed inflammatory responses and changes in immune cells in the blood.
The results showed that patients with sarcopenia experienced faster cancer progression and had a shorter period during which the immune checkpoint inhibitor remained effective than those without sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was also identified as an independent marker that could predict a poor prognosis in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
The researchers said that inflammatory responses in the body were more active in patients with sarcopenia, and that expression of TIGIT, a protein linked to reduced immune cell function, was also higher. In particular, patients who had both sarcopenia and high TIGIT expression showed the worst treatment outcomes.
Professor Choi Joo-hwan said, "This study confirms that sarcopenia can be an important marker for predicting the prognosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer." He added, "In the future, evaluating sarcopenia together with blood biomarkers is expected to help establish personalized treatment strategies for each patient."
Meanwhile, the findings were recently published in the international journal Scientific Reports under the title, "The Impact of Sarcopenia and Blood Biomarkers on Prognosis in Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With First-Line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
