Correlation Between Body Mass Index and Clinical Outcomes in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study investigated the correlation between body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 113 patients with advanced RCC, treated with first-line ipilimumab and nivolumab were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on their BMI at treatment initiation: the high BMI (BMI ≥25) and the low BMI group (BMI <25). The objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and duration of response (DOR) were analyzed to compare the two groups. RESULTS: Patient characteristics for the high BMI (n=30) and the low BMI (n=83) were as follows: median age at treatment initiation (70 years for both groups), percentage of male patients (77% vs. 82%), International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) poor-risk category (23% vs. 33%), the presence of liver metastasis (7% vs. 8%). The ORR was 53% (16/30) in the high BMI and 37% (29/77) in the low BMI (p=0.01). The median OS was not estimated in the high BMI and 33 months in the low BMI (p=0.049). Multivariable analysis identified IMDC poor-risk status with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.31 and the presence of liver metastasis with an HR of 4.83 as independent factors affecting OS. CONCLUSION: A higher ORR for the combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab was observed in patients with high BMI compared to those with low BMI. IMDC poor risk and the presence of liver metastasis significantly influenced the prognosis of patients with advanced RCC treated with the combination.