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Senescence markers: Predictive for response to checkpoint inhibitors
Author(s) -
Moreira Alvaro,
Gross Stefanie,
Kirchberger Michael Constantin,
Erdmann Michael,
Schuler Gerold,
Heinzerling Lucie
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.31763
Subject(s) - immunosenescence , immune checkpoint , senescence , melanoma , nivolumab , medicine , blockade , immunology , cancer research , immune system , oncology , immunotherapy , receptor
Recent studies suggest that the age‐related remodeling of the immune system, known as immunosenescence, could impact the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in leukemia or nonsmall cell lung cancer. We investigated whether senescence markers can predict response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy in melanoma patients. The peripheral blood of patients with newly diagnosed, untreated metastatic melanoma was analyzed by flow cytometry to correlate the frequency of senescence markers with clinical response as measured by RECIST after 12 weeks of treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The loss of surface markers CD27 and CD28 or the expression of Tim‐3 and CD57 on T cells was associated with resistance to checkpoint inhibitor blockade, presenting these phenotypes as possible predictive biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Immunosenescence seems to impact on the response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy in melanoma patients. Thus, lymphocyte phenotyping for senescence markers, with the introduction of immunosenescence panels, could be predictive for checkpoint inhibitor response.