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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1430301

Prognostic Role of Serum Cytokines Level in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Anti-PD-1 and Chemotherapy Combined Treatment

Provisionally accepted
Hongyu Liu Hongyu Liu Chao Zhou Chao Zhou Haohua Jiang Haohua Jiang Tianqing Chu Tianqing Chu Runbo Zhong Runbo Zhong Xueyan Zhang Xueyan Zhang Yinchen Shen Yinchen Shen *Baohui Han Baohui Han *
  • Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment has revolutionized the standard of care for patients with NSCLC. However, the benefit is not universal, highlighting the need for precise prediction factors. Given their relationship with the immune system and non-invasive nature, serum cytokines are potential candidates for predicting the clinical effects of chemoimmunotherapy. Our study aims to evaluate the association of serum cytokines with the prognosis of patients with NSCLC treated with chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: Levels of 10 serum cytokines were detected in 60 NSCLC patients receiving chemotherapy plus PD-1 inhibitor-based treatment. Of these, dynamic samples from 19 patients were collected at baseline and after two treatment cycles. Their association with patients’ clinicopathological characteristics, PFS and OS was described and investigated using survival analysis, cox regression and time-dependent ROC analysis. Preliminary evaluation of changes in cytokine levels associated with treatment response was conducted. Results: Patients with lower baseline levels of serum IL-6, IL-5, IL-8, TNF-α and IL-10 had longer PFS, while patients with higher levels of IL-4 had longer PFS. Patients with lower levels of serum IL-6, IL-8, IL-22, TNF-α and IL-10 had longer OS, while patients with higher levels of IL-4 had longer OS. Multivariate analysis suggested that higher IL-6 and IL-5 levels were associated with poorer PFS, and higher IL-6 levels were associated with dismal OS. Additionally, changes in serum cytokine levels could be associated with treatment response. Conclusion: Our study suggests that serum cytokines, specifically IL-6, IL-5, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-4, are potential prognostic factors for patients with NSCLC receiving chemotherapy plus PD-1 inhibitor treatment.

    Keywords: NSCLC, Checkpoint inhibitor, chemotherapy, cytokine, Biomarker 1. Introduction

    Received: 09 May 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Zhou, Jiang, Chu, Zhong, Zhang, Shen and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yinchen Shen, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
    Baohui Han, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.