Temporal muscle thickness and the survival of patients with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma: a meta-analysis
- 1Department of Clinical Medicine, The First Clinical College of Anhui Medical University
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine
Abstract
Background: Temporal muscle thickness (TMT), an imaging-based surrogate of skeletal muscle mass and sarcopenia, has emerged as a potential prognostic marker in glioblastoma. However, its prognostic value in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDH-wt) glioblastoma remains uncertain. This meta-analysis evaluated the association between baseline TMT and survival outcomes in this population.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to June 9, 2026. Cohort studies evaluating baseline TMT in relation to overall survival (OS) and/or progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed IDH-wt glioblastoma were included. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models accounting for the influence of potential heterogeneity.
Results: Twelve retrospective cohort studies involving 2,762 patients were included. Low baseline TMT was significantly associated with poorer OS (12 studies; HR, 1.81; 95% CI: 1.38 to 2.37; p < 0.001; I² = 81%) and PFS (4 studies; HR, 1.65; 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.99; p < 0.001; I² = 15%). The association with poorer OS remained significant across subgroups defined by geographic region, mean age, TMT cutoff method and value, follow-up duration, analytic model, MGMT methylation adjustment, and study quality, with no significant between-subgroup differences. Meta-regression identified mean age as a significant moderator (coefficient, −0.064; 95% CI, −0.122 to −0.006; p =0.03) for the association between low TMT and poor OS.
Conclusions: Low baseline TMT is associated with poorer OS and PFS in patients with newly diagnosed IDH-wt glioblastoma, although substantial between-study heterogeneity for OS warrants cautious interpretation. TMT may serve as a complementary prognostic marker, but further prospective studies are needed to establish its independent prognostic and clinical utility.
Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ , identifier CRD420261455834.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026temporal,
title = {{Temporal muscle thickness and the survival of patients with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma: a meta-analysis}},
author = {Xiaxuan Zhang and Quanbin Zhang and Yi Xu},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1944073},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1944073/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Temporal muscle thickness and the survival of patients with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma: a meta-analysis
AU - Xiaxuan Zhang
AU - Quanbin Zhang
AU - Yi Xu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1944073
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1944073/full
AB - Background: Temporal muscle thickness (TMT), an imaging-based surrogate of skeletal muscle mass and sarcopenia, has emerged as a potential prognostic marker in glioblastoma. However, its prognostic value in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDH-wt) glioblastoma remains uncertain. This meta-analysis evaluated the association between baseline TMT and survival outcomes in this population. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to June 9, 2026. Cohort studies evaluating baseline TMT in relation to overall survival (OS) and/or progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed IDH-wt glioblastoma were included. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models accounting for the influence of potential heterogeneity. Results: Twelve retrospective cohort studies involving 2,762 patients were included. Low baseline TMT was significantly associated with poorer OS (12 studies; HR, 1.81; 95% CI: 1.38 to 2.37; p < 0.001; I² = 81%) and PFS (4 studies; HR, 1.65; 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.99; p < 0.001; I² = 15%). The association with poorer OS remained significant across subgroups defined by geographic region, mean age, TMT cutoff method and value, follow-up duration, analytic model, MGMT methylation adjustment, and study quality, with no significant between-subgroup differences. Meta-regression identified mean age as a significant moderator (coefficient, −0.064; 95% CI, −0.122 to −0.006; p =0.03) for the association between low TMT and poor OS. Conclusions: Low baseline TMT is associated with poorer OS and PFS in patients with newly diagnosed IDH-wt glioblastoma, although substantial between-study heterogeneity for OS warrants cautious interpretation. TMT may serve as a complementary prognostic marker, but further prospective studies are needed to establish its independent prognostic and clinical utility. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ , identifier CRD420261455834.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -