Temporal changes in tongue color during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: a prospective observational study using digital tongue diagnosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tongue diagnosis (TD), a key component of traditional East Asian medicine, employs a unique pattern-based diagnostic system. Digital TD enables quantitative assessment of tongue characteristics, like body and coating color, enhancing objectivity and reproducibility. While abnormal tongue features (including dark red, bluish, or pale appearance) have been documented in patients with cancer, the relationship between longitudinal changes in tongue characteristics and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment response or survival outcomes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains underexplored. This multicenter, prospective, observational study investigated whether longitudinal tongue changes differ by ICI response and predict survival in patients with NSCLC.

Method

SUBMITTER: Cho E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722973 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature