Exploring the Relationship Between Anorexia and Therapeutic Efficacy in Advanced Lung Cancer Treatment: A Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Chemotherapy-induced anorexia is frequently observed in patients with advanced lung cancer who are receiving chemotherapy. This study explored the relationship between chemotherapy-induced anorexia and therapeutic outcomes in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 106 patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors between January 2019 and October 2022. The incidence of weight loss and its association with treatment efficacy was assessed in the chemotherapy-induced anorexia group. Chemotherapy-induced anorexia and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting were evaluated using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Progression-free and overall survival were used to measure treatment efficacy. Results Chemotherapy-induced anorexia was observed in 13.2% of patients. Patients with chemotherapy-induced anorexia showed significant weight loss at 6 and 9 weeks after treatment initiation compared to those in the non-chemotherapy-induced anorexia group. Progression-free and overall survival were shorter in the chemotherapy-induced anorexia group than in the non-chemotherapy-induced anorexia group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Chemotherapy-induced anorexia was associated with significant weight loss and reduced treatment efficacy in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. These findings suggest the need for aggressive supportive therapy for chemotherapy-induced anorexia to prevent weight loss and maintain therapeutic efficacy during platinum-based chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors.