Abstract
Sarcopenia is the generalized loss of muscle strength, mass, and function. The aim was to investigate whether pretherapeutic sarcopenia, as determined by the psoas muscles, affects therapy-mediated toxicity in patients with malignant melanoma undergoing immunotherapy. Measurement of psoas musculature was performed pretherapeutically using computed tomography at the level of the third lumbar vertebra in the axial plane in 75patients between January 2011 and December 2020. Sarcopenia was defined using the psoas muscle index (PMI). Immune-related toxicity was retrospectively assessed. Treatment-related toxicity was recorded in 33of the 75patients (44%). Of these, 16patients (36.2%) experienced dose-limiting severe events (DLT). Pretherapeutic sarcopenia was identified in 25patients (33.3%). Comparative analysis showed that the patients with aDLT had lower PMI values compared with the patient group without aDLT (4.65 ± 1.33 vs.5.79 ± 1.67 cm2m-2, p = 0.015) (odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.40-0.92, p = 0.02). Pretherapeutic sarcopenia measured based on the psoas muscle is not asignificant predictor of immune-mediated toxicity in patients with malignant melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Patients with DLT have lower values for the psoas muscle parameters PMI compared to the group of patients without DLT.
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