Can Weight Gain Improve Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Advanced NSCLC?

By: Justine Landin, PhD
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2022

Weight gain may improve the clinical prognosis for many patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are being treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy, according to the results of a post hoc analysis of data obtained from several phase III trials. In fact, the risk of death was significantly decreased for patients who had gained weight during and/or after chemotherapy, regardless of sex. These findings were presented by Eric J. Roeland, MD, FAAHPM, of Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute Clinic, Portland, and colleagues during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022 (Abstract 1263O).

Data were collected and pooled from three phase III trials (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT00254891, NCT00254904, NCT00596830) comprising patients with stage IIIb/IV NSCLC who had been treated with first-line chemotherapy (n = 1,030). Patients were weighed prior to treatment, on day 1 of each 3-week cycle (up to six cycles), and after treatment (up to 4.5 months). The amount of weight gained was categorized as being greater than 0%, 2.5%, or 5% from the initial weight to the final measurement.

Most patients were men (70.5%), and the median patient age was about 60 years for both men and women. The average body mass index was 24.5 kg/m² for women and 24.8 kg/m² for men. For male patients, 46.1%, 29.6%, and 17.2% exhibited weight gain from baseline that was greater than 0%, 2.5%, and 5%, respectively. Female patients exhibited a similar pattern, with 49.7%, 27.6%, and 12.8% gaining weight of more than 0%, 2.5%, and 5% compared with baseline, respectively. For both sexes, weight gain was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of death.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit cslide.ctimeetingtech.com.

ESMO Congress 2022