Bloodborne Cytokines for Predicting Clinical Benefits and Immune-Related Adverse Events in Advanced Non-Small Cell...

Programmed cell death ligand 1 is a biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for treating advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we evaluated serum proteins from patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs to determine their potential as noninvasive predictive biomarkers for efficacy and immune-related adverse events (irAEs).

Patients with advanced NSCLC who received nivolumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity were integrated with previously reported nivolumab-treated patients. Blood samples were collected serially from baseline until the disease progressed. Serum protein levels were quantified using the Luminex assay. Associations of clinical benefit (CB) and onset of irAEs with serum protein levels were evaluated.

Sixty-three patients with advanced NSCLC were studied, and we used 63 and 47 paired serum samples at baseline and the second sampling point, respectively, for efficacy analysis. Baseline growth-regulated oncogene 1 (GRO-1) levels were significantly lower in durable CB (DCB) patients than in non-DCB patients (P < .05). Changes in monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) levels significantly decreased between baseline and the second sampling point (P < .05). Patients with the low GRO-1/decreased MCP-1 subtype showed significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than the high GRO-1/increased MCP-1 subgroup did (median PFS, not reached vs. 47 days, P < .0001; median OS, 985 days vs. 148 days, P = .0002, respectively). Elevated GRO-1 levels were associated with immune-related adverse event onset.

Serum GRO-1 and MCP-1 levels can identify patients with advanced NSCLC who are likely to benefit from ICI treatment. Time-course tracing of these protein levels might be valuable in ICI treatment.