Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39118894›Full record

ArticleTranslational lung cancer research2024

Association between thymus density loss and efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Yi Li, Bingxin Gong, Jie Lou, Yusheng Guo, Bo Liang, Weiwei Liu, Ziang You, Chao Chen, Bin Chai, Shanshan Jiang and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational lung cancer research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

14 authors.

Yi Li *Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Bingxin Gong *Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Jie Lou *Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China.
Yusheng GuoDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Bo LiangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Weiwei LiuDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Ziang YouDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Chao ChenDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Bin ChaiDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Shanshan JiangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Hongyong ZhangDepartment of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Feng PanDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Lian YangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Guofeng ZhouDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Although the thymus undergoes degeneration with the advancement of age, recent studies have continuously revealed that the thymus possesses the potential for regeneration and may reverse this aging trend. Furthermore, an increasing number of studies indicate an association between thymus function and immunotherapy. Considering that lung cancer patients typically undergo chest computed tomography (CT) scans during treatment, this provides convenient conditions for us to observe thymic remodeling through imaging data. Therefore, exploring the changes in the thymus on CT images is of great significance for understanding its relationship with the efficacy of immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This study investigated the CT imaging characteristics of thymic density changes in patients with advanced NSCLC after immunotherapy. The primary objective was to determine whether changes in thymic density are predictors of response to immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC. Methods: A total of 412 patients with advanced NSCLC who underwent immunotherapy were included. Thymic density measurements were taken initially and after immunotherapy, with the annualized change calculated. Comprehensive analysis, including disease progression, survival, and subgroup assessments, was conducted. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Results: The annual change in density of the thymic region ranged from -108 to 108 HU after the initiation of ICIs. Patients were categorized into "loss" or "non-loss" groups (210 Conclusions: Thymic density changes were observed in nearly all NSCLC patients undergoing immunotherapy, with decreased density associated with longer OS. These findings suggest a potential association between thymic density changes and immune efficacy in NSCLC immunotherapy.

Indexed as

computed tomography (CT)immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)immunotherapynon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)Thymus

Identifiers

PMID39118894
PMCPMC11304139

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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.