Prognostic significance of psoas muscle index in male hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug;19(2):2258567. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2258567. Epub 2023 Sep 20.

Abstract

Currently, the relationship between nutritional indices and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the prognostic value of psoas muscle index (PMI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), body mass index (BMI), and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in HCC patients treated with ICIs combined with TKIs. A total of 124 male patients with HCC were included in this study. PNI, PMI, BMI, and GNRI were calculated at the beginning of treatment. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the effect of various variables. In the univariate analysis, PMI, PNI, GNRI, and ALB were found to impact the outcomes of the patients at different follow-up times. However, the predictive value of these nutritional indices was eliminated when established risk factors were considered. In the multivariate analysis that only included nutrition-related indicators, PMI emerged as an independent prognostic factor for 1-year treatment outcomes. The group with low PMI (≤5.5409 cm2/m2) was found to have a higher risk of death at one year and at the end of the follow-up period.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05635279.

Keywords: Psoas muscle index; hepatocellular carcinoma; immune checkpoint inhibitors; nutrition; tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Liver Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Male
  • Prognosis
  • Psoas Muscles / diagnostic imaging
  • Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Substances

  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
  • Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05635279

Grants and funding

This research was funded by General Project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation [cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0015], Future Medical Youth Innovation Team of Chongqing Medical University [W0027] and Remarkable Innovation-Clinical Research Project, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and The First batch of key Disciplines on Public Health in Chongqing, Health Commission of Chongqing, China.