Fat Loss in Patients with Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of fat loss after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Data from 60 patients treated with ICI therapy for metastatic ccRCC were retrospectively analyzed. Changes in cross-sectional areas of subcutaneous fat (SF) between the pre-treatment and post-treatment abdominal computed tomography (CT) images were expressed as percentages and were divided by the interval between the CT scans to calculate ΔSF (%/month). SF loss was defined as ΔSF p p p = 0.020) and PFS (adjusted HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.17–2.12; p = 0.003), with a 5%/month decrease in SF increasing the risk of death and progression by 49% and 57%, respectively. In conclusion, Loss of SF after treatment initiation is a significant and independent poor prognostic factor for OS and PFS in patients with metastatic ccRCC who receive ICI therapy