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 hepatocellular 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 different 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/m(2), n = 51) and the overweight/obese group (BMI >= 25 kg/m(2), n = 75). Short-term prognosis was evaluated using mRECIST criteria, with subgroup analyses for non-overweight (BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI: 25-30 kg/m(2)), and obese (BMI >= 30 kg/m(2)) 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.