The following is a summary of “CT-defined body composition as a prognostic factor in multiple myeloma,” published in the March 2023 issue of Hematology by Surov, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to investigate the association of body composition parameters with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients.

They retrospectively analyzed 123 MM patients treated with autologous stem-cell therapy between 2009 and 2019. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) was used to assess body composition parameters, including skeletal muscle mass (SMM), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). The presence of sarcopenia and visceral obesity was defined as SMM and VAT below the 25th percentile of a healthy reference population. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the presence of both conditions.

Of the 123 patients, 22 (17.9%) died during the follow-up period. Sarcopenia was present in 40 patients (32.5%), visceral obesity in 79 patients (64.2%), and sarcopenic obesity in 18 patients (14.6%). None of the body composition parameters had a significant impact on OS: sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.3, 95% CI 0.50–3.34, p = .59), visceral obesity (HR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.70–3.76, P = .26), and sarcopenic obesity (HR = 2.3, 95% CI 0.90–5.63, P = 0.08). However, patients with infectious complications had significantly higher VAT values.

The study suggested that body composition parameters, as assessed by CT, have limited prognostic value for survival in MM patients undergoing autologous stem-cell therapy. However, VAT may serve as a predictor of infectious complications. The findings supported previous smaller studies and provide insight into the role of body composition in MM patients.

Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2023.2191075