Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40478347›Full record

ArticleEuropean radiology2025

Beyond nodules: body composition as a biomarker for future lung cancer.

Jing Wang, Joseph K Leader, Xin Meng, Tong Yu, Renwei Wang, Jian-Min Yuan, David Wilson, Jiantao Pu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European radiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Risk prediction for lung cancer screening: a systematic review and meta-regression.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jing WangDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Joseph K LeaderDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Xin MengDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Tong YuDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Renwei WangCancer Epidemiology and Prevention Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jian-Min YuanCancer Epidemiology and Prevention Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
David WilsonCancer Epidemiology and Prevention Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jiantao PuDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. jip13@pitt.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2127-5313

Funding

VECTOR CORE FACILITYP30CA047904 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Dan Paul Zandberg · 1988 to 2026
$158.0M
Clinical Validation Center for Lung Cancer Early DetectionU01CA271888 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI HANASH, SAMIR M · 2022 to 2025
$4.9M
Macro-vasculature: A Novel Image Biomarker of Lung CancerR01CA237277 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI PU, JIANTAO · 2020 to 2024
$2.8M
An Automated Frailty Scoring System for Lung Transplantation Based on Bio-Geo-CompositionR01HL174570 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Chadi Antonios Hage, Jiantao Pu · 2024 to 2026
$1.3M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA047904NCI NIH HHS R01 CA237277NCI NIH HHS U01 CA271888NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL174570NIH HHS P30CA047904NIH HHS R01CA237277NIH HHS U01CA271888
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo investigate if body composition can serve as a biomarker for assessing the risk of developing lung cancer. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe conducted a retrospective study using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans from the Pittsburgh lung screening study (PLuSS) (n = 3635, 22 follow-up years) and the NLST-ACRIN (n = 16,360, 8 follow-up years) cohort. Five types of body tissues, including subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), skeletal muscle (SM), and bone, were automatically segmented by our previously developed algorithms. Volume and density metrics were computed. Cause-specific Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to assess hazard ratios (HRs). Time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) was used to evaluate model performance. The cumulative incidence function was estimated for different risk groups.

resultsThe final composite models were formed by age (HR = 1.30 (95% CI: 1.17-1.43)), current smoking status (HR = 1.85 (1.49-2.28)), bone volume (HR = 1.38 (1.25-1.52)), bone density (HR = 0.80 (0.71-0.89)), SM density (HR = 0.62 (0.58-0.66)), IMAT ratio (HR = 0.65 (0.58-0.73)), and SAT volume (HR = 0.76 (0.67-0.87)). The model trained on the PLuSS cohort achieved a mean AUC of 0.77 (0.75-0.79) over 21 years and 0.71 (0.68-0.74) over the first 7 years for lung cancer prediction. External validation on the NLST cohort yielded AUC values ranging from 0.63 to 0.66 over a 7-year follow-up period. The model trained on a combined dataset of PLuSS and NLST achieved a mean AUC of 0.71 (0.7-0.72) over 21 years.

conclusionThree-dimensional body composition metrics assessed through LDCT are a significant predictor of lung cancer risk. KEY POINTS: Question Is body composition a biomarker for lung cancer risk assessment? Findings Body composition metrics derived from low-dose CT scans, including volumes and densities of fat, bone, and muscle, are strong predictors of lung cancer risk. Clinical relevance Lung cancer risk stratification can be improved by body composition features, providing guidance for personalized lung cancer screening strategies.

Indexed as

Body CompositionLung NeoplasmsTomography, X-Ray ComputedAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsBody compositionEarly detection of cancerLung neoplasmsRisk assessment

Identifiers

PMID40478347
PMCPMC12918146

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.