Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37139149›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2023

Body mass index and baseline platelet count as predictive factors in Merkel cell carcinoma patients treated with avelumab.

Lorena Incorvaia, Alessandra Dimino, Laura Algeri, Chiara Brando, Luigi Magrin, Ida De Luca, Erika Pedone, Alessandro Perez, Roberta Sciacchitano, Annalisa Bonasera and 14 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Lorena IncorvaiaDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Alessandra DiminoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Laura AlgeriDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Chiara BrandoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Luigi MagrinDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Ida De LucaDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Erika PedoneDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Alessandro PerezDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Roberta SciacchitanoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Annalisa BonaseraDepartment of Oncology, Istituto Oncologico del Mediterraneo, Catania, Italy.
Tancredi Didier Bazan RussoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Federica Li PomiDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Dermatology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Marta PeriDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Valerio GristinaDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonio GalvanoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Dario GiuffridaDepartment of Oncology, Istituto Oncologico del Mediterraneo, Catania, Italy.
Ivan FazioRadiotherapy Unit, Clinica Macchiarella, Palermo, Italy.
Francesca ToiaDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Adriana CordovaDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Ada Maria FlorenaPathologic Anatomy Unit, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonio GiordanoSbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Viviana BazanDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bind.), Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonio RussoDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giuseppe BadalamentiDepartment of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
University of Palermo · ITIstituto Oncologico Veneto · ITTemple University · USUniversity of Messina · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive skin cancer, associated with a worse prognosis. The Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) avelumab and pembrolizumab have been recently approved as first-line treatment in metastatic MCC (mMCC). The clinical observation of improved outcomes in obese patients following treatment with ICIs, known as the "obesity paradox", has been studied across many types of tumors. Probably due to the rarity of this tumor, data on mMMC patients are lacking. Patients and methods: This is an observational, hospital-based, study to investigate the role of Body Mass Index (BMI) as predictive biomarker of ICI response in mMCC patients treated with avelumab as first-line treatment. The study population included the patients treated from February 2019 to October 2022 in an Italian referral center for rare tumors. Clinico-pathological characteristics, BMI, laboratory parameters (NLR and platelet count), and response to avelumab were analyzed from a MCC System database prospectively collected. Results: Thirty-two (32) patients were included. Notably, the presence of pre-treatment BMI ≥ 30 was significantly associated with longer PFS [BMI < 30 Group: median PFS, 4 months (95% CI: 2.5-5.4); BMI ≥ 30 Group: median PFS, not reached; p<0.001)[. Additionally, the median PFS was significantly higher in patients with higher PLT (median PFS: 10 months in the "low PLT" Group (95% CI: 4.9, 16.1) vs 33 months (95% CI: 24.3, 43.2) in the "high PLT" Group (p=0.006). The multivariable Cox regression model confirmed these results. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the predictive role of BMI in MCC patients. Our data were consistent with the clinical observation of improved outcomes in obese patients across other tumor types. Thus, advanced age, a weakened immune system, and the obesity-associated "inflammaging", are key factors that could impact the cancer immune responses of mMCC patients.

Indexed as

avelumabbody mass index - BMIimmunotherapyMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC)predictive factorsskin cancer non melanoma

Identifiers

PMID37139149
PMCPMC10149939
OpenAlexW4366208946

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.