While being overweight raises the risk of diseases, there is an “obesity paradox,” where some cancer therapies show a lower death risk for obese patients. However, this may not apply to all treatments.
An Osaka Metropolitan University team studied over 500,000 lung cancer patients to see how body mass index (BMI) affects death risk during immunotherapy and chemotherapy, as reported in JAMA Network Open.
Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University
The team found that in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, higher BMI lowered death risk in both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Still, around a BMI of 24, the trend reversed. For patients with a BMI under 28, immunotherapy had a lower risk than chemotherapy.
However, immunotherapy increased risk for those with a BMI of 28 or higher. The study suggests considering chemotherapy for obese patients.
The study concluded that the link between BMI and cancer therapy death risk is complex. While higher BMI can reduce the risk in some treatments like chemotherapy, it may increase the risk during immunotherapy for patients with a BMI of 28 or higher.
This shows that BMI affects cancer therapy outcomes differently, and both treatment options should be carefully considered for obese patients.
Journal reference:
- Yasutaka Ihara, Pharm, Kenji Sawa et al., Immunotherapy and Overall Survival Among Patients With Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer and Obesity. JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.25363.
