Flow cytometry has evolved over the past 30 y from a niche laboratory technique to a routine tool used by clinical pathologists and immunologists for diagnosis and monitoring of patients with cancer ...and immune deficiencies. Identification of novel patterns of expressed Ags has led to the recognition of cancers with unique pathophysiologies and treatment strategies. FACS had permitted the isolation of tumor-free populations of hematopoietic stem cells for cancer patients undergoing stem cell transplantation. Adaptation of flow cytometry to the analysis of multiplex arrays of fluorescent beads that selectively capture proteins and specific DNA sequences has produced highly sensitive and rapid methods for high through-put analysis of cytokines, Abs, and HLA genotypes. Automated data analysis has contributed to the development of a "cytomics" field that integrates cellular physiology, genomics, and proteomics. In this article, we review the impact of the flow cytometer in these areas of medical practice.
Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) inhibits Abl1, c-Kit, and related protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and serves as a therapeutic for chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. ...Imatinib also has efficacy against various pathogens, including pathogenic mycobacteria, where it decreases bacterial load in mice, albeit at doses below those used for treating cancer. We report that imatinib at such low doses unexpectedly induces differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors in the bone marrow, augments myelopoiesis but not lymphopoiesis, and increases numbers of myeloid cells in blood and spleen. Whereas progenitor differentiation relies on partial inhibition of c-Kit by imatinib, lineage commitment depends upon inhibition of other PTKs. Thus, imatinib mimics "emergency hematopoiesis," a physiological innate immune response to infection. Increasing neutrophil numbers by adoptive transfer sufficed to reduce mycobacterial load, and imatinib reduced bacterial load of Franciscella spp., which do not utilize imatinib-sensitive PTKs for pathogenesis. Thus, potentiation of the immune response by imatinib at low doses may facilitate clearance of diverse microbial pathogens.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Post-stroke systemic inflammation, due to the injury itself and exacerbated by in-hospital infections, can increase morbidity and mortality in stroke patients. In this study, we examined the ...immunomodulatory effects of progesterone (P4) alone and in combination with vitamin D hormone (VDH) on acute phase post-stroke peripheral immune dysfunction and functional/behavioral deficits. Adult rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (tMCAO) and delayed systemic inflammation was induced by injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) beginning 24 h post-stroke. Animals were tested for behavioral outcomes and immune function at day 4 post-stroke. We also measured infarction volume and markers of neuronal inflammation (GFAP, IL-6) and apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3) in brain post-stroke. We observed the worst stroke outcomes in the stroke + systemic inflammation group compared to the stroke-alone group. Flow cytometric analysis of different subsets of immune cells in blood, spleen and thymus revealed peripheral immune dysfunction which was restored by both P4 and VDH monotherapy. P4 monotherapy reduced infarction volume, behavioral/functional deficits, peripheral immune dysfunction, neuronal inflammation, and apoptosis induced by post-stroke systemic inflammation. Combination treatment with P4+VDH improved outcomes better than monotherapy. Our findings can be taken to suggest that the current standard of care for stroke and post-stroke infection can be substantially improved by P4 and VDH combination therapy.
•Post-stroke systemic inflammation worsens behavioral deficits.•Post-stroke systemic inflammation alters peripheral immune cell populations.•Post-stroke systemic inflammation worsens brain inflammation and apoptosis.•Progesterone and vitamin D hormone synergistically exert immunomodulatory effects.
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GEOZS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To characterize relationships between specific immune cell subsets in bone marrow (BM) or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) stem cells collected from unrelated ...donors and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing transplantation in BMTCTN 0201.
Fresh aliquots of 161 BM and 147 PB stem-cell allografts from North American donors randomly assigned to donate BM or PB stem cells and numbers of transplanted cells were correlated with overall survival (OS), relapse, and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).
Patients with evaluable grafts were similar to all BMTCTN 0201 patients. The numbers of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and naïve T cells (Tns) in BM allografts were independently associated with OS in multivariable analyses including recipient and donor characteristics, such as human leukocyte antigen mismatch, age, and use of antithymocyte globulin. BM recipients of > median number of pDCs, naïve CD8(+) T cells (CD8Tns), or naïve CD4(+) T cells (CD4Tns) had better 3-year OS (pDCs, 56% v 35%; P = .025; CD8Tns, 56% v 37%; P = .012; CD4Tns, 55% v 37%; P = .009). Transplantation of more BM Tns was associated with less grade 3 to 4 acute GvHD but similar rates of relapse. Transplantation of more BM pDCs was associated with fewer deaths resulting from GvHD or from graft rejection. Analysis of PB grafts did not identify a donor cell subset significantly associated with OS, relapse, or GvHD.
Donor immune cells in BM but not PB stem-cell grafts were associated with survival after unrelated-donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The biologic activity of donor immune cells in allogeneic transplantation varied between graft sources. Donor grafts with more BM-derived Tns and pDCs favorably regulated post-transplantation immunity in allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.
The bulk of the literature on kidney cancer in African Americans comes from population-based studies of incidence and survival over varying periods of time using databases from the Surveillance, ...Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on racial disparities in clinical outcome in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with the objective of identifying any biomarkers that might point to a biological explanation for these differences. Special attention is given to biomarkers of systemic inflammation and their potential utility for kinetic risk assessment. In addition, arguments are presented as to why the study of ethnic and racial disparities is a promising strategy for accelerating the pace of biomarker development for all patients with RCC.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Biomarkers to guide treatment in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (mRCC) are lacking. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts prognosis for mRCC patients receiving targeted therapy. After ...retrospective chart review of 38 patients with mRCC treated with nivolumab, we found that pretreatment NLR ≤ 5.5 is associated with superior progression-free survival and overall survival, supporting the notion that NLR is a prognostic biomarker for mRCC.
Biomarkers to guide treatment in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (mRCC) are lacking. We aimed to investigate the association between pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and outcome of patients with mRCC receiving nivolumab.
Through retrospective chart review, we identified 38 patients with mRCC treated with standard-of-care nivolumab between 2015 and 2016 at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. NLR was determined from complete blood count collected before starting treatment, and imaging was performed to assess progression. The NLR cutoff value of 5.5 was determined by log-rank test, and the univariate association with overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed by the Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan-Meier method.
The 38 patients had a median age of 69 years. The PFS and OS for all patients at 12 months was 54% and 69%, respectively. The median PFS was 2.6 months in the high NLR group but not reached in the low NLR group. Low NLR was strongly associated with increased PFS with hazard ratio of 0.20 (95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.64; P = .006). The median OS was 2.7 months in the high NLR group but not reached in the low NLR group. Low NLR was significantly associated with a prolonged OS with hazard ratio of 0.06 (95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.55; P = .012).
Pretreatment NLR < 5.5 is associated with superior PFS and OS. NLR is a biomarker that can inform prognosis for patients with mRCC and should be further validated in larger cohorts and in prospective studies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Background
The International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria are the gold standard for risk‐stratifying patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC). We ...developed a novel risk scoring system for patients with mRCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis of 100 ICI‐treated patients with mRCC at Winship Cancer Institute from 2015 to 2018. Several baseline variables were collected, including markers of inflammation, body mass index (BMI), and sites of metastatic disease, and all were considered for inclusion in our risk scoring system. Upon variable selection in multivariable model, monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR), BMI, and number and sites of metastases at baseline were used for risk score calculation. Patients were categorized using four‐level risk groups as good (risk score = 0), intermediate (risk score = 1), poor (risk score = 2), or very poor (risk score = 3–4). Cox's proportional hazard model and the Kaplan‐Meier method were implemented for survival outcomes.
Results
Most patients were male (66%) with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (72%). The majority (71%) received anti–programmed cell death protein‐1 monotherapy. Our risk scoring criteria had higher Uno's concordance statistics than IMDC in predicting overall survival (OS; 0.71 vs. 0.57) and progression‐free survival (0.61 vs. 0.58). Setting good risk (MLR <0.93, BMI ≥24, and D_Met = 0) as the reference, the OS hazard ratios were 29.5 (95% confidence interval CI, 3.64–238.9), 6.58 (95% CI, 0.84–51.68), and 3.75 (95% CI, 0.49–28.57) for very poor, poor, and intermediate risk groups, respectively.
Conclusion
Risk scoring using MLR, BMI, and number and sites of metastases may be an effective way to predict survival in patients with mRCC receiving ICI. These results should be validated in a larger, prospective study.
Implications for Practice
A risk scoring system was created for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The results of this study have significant implications for practicing oncologists in the community and academic setting. Importantly, these results identify readily available risk factors that can be used clinically to risk‐stratify patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who are treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Considering the increasing number of treatment options for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, it is becoming more important to identify factors that increase the likelihood of responses to systemic therapy. This article describes a novel risk scoring system for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with ICI, focusing on risk from systemic inflammation, number and sites of metastatic disease, and body composition.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an important treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). These agents may cause immune‐related adverse events (irAEs), and the ...relationship between irAEs and outcomes is poorly understood. We investigated the association between irAEs and clinical outcomes in patients with mRCC treated with ICIs.
Methods
We performed a retrospective study of 200 patients with mRCC treated with ICIs at Winship Cancer Institute from 2015 to 2020. Data on irAEs were collected from clinic notes and laboratory values and grades were determined using Common Terminology Criteria in Adverse Events version 5.0. The association with overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) was modeled by Cox proportional hazards model. Logistic regression models were used to define odds ratios (ORs) for clinical benefit (CB). Landmark analysis and extended Cox models were used to mitigate lead‐time bias by treating irAEs as a time‐varying covariate.
Results
Most patients (71.0%) were male, and one‐third of patients (33.0%) experienced at least one irAE, most commonly involving the endocrine glands (13.0%), gastrointestinal tract (10.5%), or skin (10.0%). Patients who experienced irAEs had significantly longer OS (hazard ratio HR, 0.52; p = .013), higher chance of CB (OR, 2.10; p = .023) and showed a trend toward longer PFS (HR, 0.71; p = .065) in multivariate analysis. Patients who had endocrine irAEs, particularly thyroid irAEs, had significantly longer OS and PFS and higher chance of CB. In a 14‐week landmark analysis, irAEs were significantly associated with prolonged OS (p = .045). Patients who experienced irAEs had significantly longer median OS (44.5 vs. 18.2 months, p = .005) and PFS (7.5 vs. 3.6 months, p = .003) without landmark compared with patients who did not.
Conclusion
We found that patients with mRCC treated with ICIs who experienced irAEs, particularly thyroid irAEs, had significantly improved clinical outcomes compared with patients who did not have irAEs. This suggests that irAEs may be effective clinical biomarkers in patients with mRCC treated with ICIs. Future prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings.
Implications for Practice
This study found that early onset immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) are associated with significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In this site‐specific irAE analysis, endocrine irAEs, particularly thyroid irAEs, were significantly associated with improved clinical outcomes. These results have implications for practicing medical oncologists given the increasing use of ICIs for the treatment of mRCC. Importantly, these results suggest that early irAEs and thyroid irAEs at any time on treatment with ICIs may be clinical biomarkers of clinical outcomes in patients with mRCC treated with ICIs.
This study investigated the association between immune‐related adverse events and clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), a clinical tool that incorporates albumin and C‐reactive protein, has proven useful in the prognostication of multiple cancers. Several immune ...checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been approved for the treatment of metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma (mUC), but a prognostic biomarker is needed. We investigated the impact of mGPS on survival outcomes in patients with mUC receiving ICIs.
Materials and Methods
We retrospectively reviewed patients with mUC treated with ICIs (programmed cell death protein 1 or programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitors) at Winship Cancer Institute from 2015 to 2018. Overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) were measured from the start date of ICI until death or clinical or radiographic progression, respectively. mGPS was defined as a summary score with one point given for C‐reactive protein >10 mg/L and/or albumin <3.5 g/dL. Univariate (UVA) and multivariate (MVA) analyses were carried out using Cox proportional hazard model. These outcomes were also assessed by Kaplan‐Meier analysis.
Results
A total of 53 patients were included with a median follow‐up 27.1 months. The median age was 70 years, with 84.9% male and 20.8% Black. Baseline mGPS was 0 in 43.4%, 1 in 28.3% and 2 in 28.3%. Increased mGPS at the time of ICI initiation was associated with poorer OS and PFS in UVA, MVA, and Kaplan‐Meier analyses.
Conclusion
The mGPS may be a useful prognostic tool in patients with mUC when treatment with ICI is under consideration. These results warrant a larger study for validation.
Implications for Practice
The ideal prognostic tool for use in a busy clinical practice is easy‐to‐use, cost‐effective, and capable of accurately predicting clinical outcomes. There is currently no universally accepted risk score in metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma (mUC), particularly in the immunotherapy era. The modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) incorporates albumin and C‐reactive protein and may reflect underlying chronic inflammation, a known risk factor for resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). This study found that baseline mGPS is associated with survival outcomes in patients with mUC treated with ICIs and may help clinicians to prognosticate for their patients beginning immunotherapy.
Several immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma, but a prognostic biomarker is needed. This article reports on the effect of the Glasgow prognostic score on survival outcomes in patients with metastatic urothelial cell carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Several immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC). There are limited biomarkers for ICI‐treated patients with UC. We ...investigated the association between body composition and clinical outcomes in ICI‐treated UC patients.
Materials and Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 70 ICI‐treated patients with advanced UC at Winship Cancer Institute from 2015 to 2020. Baseline computed tomography images within 2 months of ICI initiation were collected at mid‐L3 and muscle and fat compartments (subcutaneous, intermuscular, and visceral) were segmented using SliceOMatic v5.0 (TomoVision, Magog, Canada). A prognostic body composition risk score (high: 0–1, intermediate: 2–3, or low‐risk: 4) was created based on the β coefficient from the multivariate Cox model (MVA) following best‐subset variable selection. Our body composition risk score was skeletal muscle index (SMI) + 2 × attenuated skeletal muscle (SM) mean + visceral fat index (VFI). Concordance statistics (C‐statistics) were used to quantify the discriminatory magnitude of the predictive model.
Results
Most patients (70%) were men and the majority received ICIs in the second‐ (46%) or third‐line (21%) setting. High‐risk patients had significantly shorter overall survival (OS; hazard ratio HR, 6.72; p < .001), progression‐free survival (HR, 5.82; p < .001), and lower chance of clinical benefit (odds ratio OR, 0.02; p = .003) compared with the low‐risk group in MVA. The C‐statistics for our body composition risk group and myosteatosis analyses were higher than body mass index for all clinical outcomes.
Conclusion
Body composition variables such as SMI, SM mean, and VFI may be prognostic and predictive of clinical outcomes in ICI‐treated patients with UC. Larger, prospective studies are warranted to validate this hypothesis‐generating data.
Implications for Practice
This study developed a prognostic body composition risk scoring system using radiographic biomarkers for patients with bladder cancer treated with immunotherapy. The study found that the high‐risk patients had significantly worse clinical outcomes. Notably, the study's model was better at predicting outcomes than body mass index. Importantly, these results suggest that radiographic measures of body composition should be considered for inclusion in updated prognostic models for patients with urothelial carcinoma treated with immunotherapy. These findings are useful for practicing oncologists in the academic or community setting, particularly given that baseline imaging is routine for patients starting on treatment with immunotherapy.
This article reports on the association between body composition and clinical outcomes in patients with urothelial carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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