Impact of baseline body mass index on the long-term prognosis of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immunotherapy

BACKGROUND Primary liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide,with hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC)being the most prevalent form.Despite the current availability of multiple immune or immune combination treatment options,the prognosis is still poor,so how to identify a more suitable population is extremely important.AIM To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of combining lenvatinib with camrelizumab for patients with hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related HCC in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC)stages B/C,considering various body mass index(BMI)in diffe-rent categories.METHODS Retrospective data were collected from 126 HCC patients treated with lenvatinib plus camrelizumab.Patients were divided into two groups based on BMI:The non-overweight group(BMI<25 kg/m2,n=51)and the overweight/obese group(BMI≥25 kg/m2,n=75).Short-term prognosis was evaluated using mRECIST criteria,with subgroup analyses for non-overweight(BMI:18.5-24.9 kg/m2),overweight(BMI:25-30 kg/m2),and obese(BMI≥30 kg/m2)patients.A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified independent prognostic factors for overall survival(OS),leading to the development of a column-line graph model.with subgroup analyses for non-overweight(BMI:18.5-24.9 kg/m2),overweight(BMI:25-30 kg/m2),and obese(BMI≥30 kg/m2)patients.A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified independent prognostic factors for overall survival(OS),leading to the development of a column-line graph model.RESULTS Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the obese/overweight group compared to the non-overweight group.Similarly,the median OS was significantly prolonged in the obese/overweight group than in the non-overweight group.The objective remission rate and disease control rate for the two groups of patients were,respectively,objective remission rate(5.88%vs 28.00%)and disease control rate(39.22%vs 62.67%).Fatigue was more prevalent in the obese/overweight group,while other adverse effects showed no statistically significant differences(P>0.05).Subgroup analysis based on BMI showed that obese and overweight patients had better progression-free survival and OS than non-overweight patients,with obese patients showing the best outcomes.Multifactorial regression analysis identified BCLC grade,alpha-fetoprotein level,portal vein tumor thrombosis,and BMI as independent prognostic factors for OS.The column-line graph model highlighted the importance of BMI as a major predictor of patient prognosis,followed by alpha-fetoprotein level,BCLC classification,and portal vein tumor thrombosis.CONCLUSION BMI is a long-term predictor of the efficacy of lenvatinib plus camrelizumab,and obese/overweight patients have a better prognosis.