The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Obesity (BMI ≥ 30) predicts improved survival after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy only in male patients, with parallel benefit seen in diet-induced obesity male tumor-bearing mice.
- Why it matters: Sex differences may explain why obesity sometimes correlates with better immunotherapy outcomes, but the mechanisms and which patient subgroups are affected remain unclear.
- What they did: The study combined a pan-cancer sex- and BMI-stratified patient analysis with diet-induced obesity mouse models, tumor microenvironment profiling, ovariectomy, and sex-specific metabolomics.
- The result: In DIO mice, females showed increased tumor-associated macrophages skewed toward an M2 phenotype, and ovariectomy reduced M2 polarization and increased tumor-infiltrating T cells after ICI; metabolomics and patient re-stratification linked the obesity paradox to post-menopausal women (age ≥ 55).
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
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