Impact of sarcopenia on the prognosis of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with antiangiogenic therapy: A propensity score matching analysis.

Background: Limited information is available regarding the impact of sarcopenia on the prognosis of antiangiogenic therapy in individuals with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study primarily sought to examine the prognostic significance of sarcopenia in individuals with advanced NSCLC undergoing antiangiogenic therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled all patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria from 2019 to 2021 at Nantong University Hospital. Patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of sarcopenia. After propensity score matching (PSM), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse event rates were compared between the two groups. Factors associated with prognosis were screened using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: A total of 267 patients were included, with a total of 201 matched at baseline after PSM (77 in the sarcopenia group and 124 in the non-sarcopenia group). The sarcopenia group had lower PFS (p = 0.043) and OS (p = 0.011) than the non-sarcopenia group and a higher incidence of adverse events (p = 0.044). Multivariate analysis suggested that sarcopenia is an independent prognostic risk factor for OS in advanced NSCLC patients receiving antiangiogenic therapies (p = 0.009). Results of subgroup analyses showed some differences in the impact of sarcopenia on survival prognosis in populations with different characteristics.

Conclusion: Patients with advanced NSCLC with comorbid sarcopenia exhibit a worse prognosis when treated with antiangiogenic therapy, and preventing and ameliorating sarcopenia may lead to better survival outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC.