Inflammatory Cytokines and ctDNA Are Biomarkers for Progression in Advanced-Stage Melanoma Patients Receiving Checkpoint Inhibitors.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, 40-60% of patients do not respond to therapy, emphasizing the need for better predictive biomarkers for treatment response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Prorammed death-ligand 1(PD-L1) expression in tumor cells is currently used as a predictive biomarker; however, it lacks specificity. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to identify other novel biomarkers that can predict treatment outcome.

Experimental design

We studied a small cohort of 16 patients with advanced-stage melanoma treated with first-line checkpoint inhibitors. Plasma samples were collected prior to treatment initiation and continuously during the first year of treatment. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) level

SUBMITTER: Pedersen JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7353055 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature