Body Composition and Melanoma Outcomes in Patients on Immunotherapy or Targeted Therapy: An Analysis from Canadian Melanoma Research Network.

Mohammad Biglari, Sanji Ali, Thiago Muniz, Marcus Butler, Marguerite Ennis, Scott Ernst, Ana Elisa Lohmann

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Mohammad BiglariDepartment of Medical Oncology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7858-1330

Sanji AliMedical Oncologist, BC Cancer Abbotsford Center, Abbotsford, BC V2S 1J8, Canada.

Thiago MunizPrincess Margaret Cancer Center, Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada.

Marcus ButlerPrincess Margaret Cancer Center, Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9840-7057

Marguerite EnnisApplied Statistician, Markham, ON L3R 6H9, Canada.

Scott ErnstDepartment of Medical Oncology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.

Ana Elisa LohmannDepartment of Medical Oncology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.

Funding

London Regional Cancer Program's Catalyst Grants Program, Keith Samitt Translational Research LRCP Fall 2020 Catalyst Grant

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Melanoma remains a major global health burden, though immunotherapy and targeted therapy have markedly improved survival. Obesity has paradoxically been associated with favorable outcomes in melanoma, yet body mass index (BMI) alone fails to capture its influence on treatment response. To address this gap, we conducted a multi-site cohort study within the Canadian Melanoma Research Network, including patients with advanced melanoma treated with immunotherapy or targeted therapy. Body composition was quantified using computerized tomography (CT) imaging to assess visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), skeletal muscle (SM) mass and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), and associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. No overall association was seen for BMI, SAT, VAT, IMAT or SM with PFS or OS. In the targeted therapy subset, higher BMI, SAT, VAT and SM were associated with better OS (hazard ratios 0.56 to 0.65), while no effect was seen in the immunotherapy group. IMAT emerged as a novel prognostic marker, with elevated levels associated with lower OS in males and better OS in females. Our findings show that CT-based body composition is not associated with survival outcomes in patients with advanced melanoma receiving immunotherapy.

Indexed as

Body CompositionImmunotherapyMelanomaMolecular Targeted TherapyAdultAgedCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Agedbody compositionimmunotherapymelanomaobesitytargeted therapy

Identifiers

PMID42505205

DOI10.3390/curroncol33070403

PMCPMC13407559

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Read underepoch 390

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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.