Lack of utility of plasma TNF-α level in predicting therapeutic efficacy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

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• 作者：Sachin Kumar ; R ; eep Guleria ; Vikas Singh ; Anant Mohan ; Alok C. Bharti ; Bhudev C. Das
• 关键词：Biomarker ; Chemotherapy ; Response ; Sensitivity ; Specificity
• 刊名：Cytokine
• 出版年：2010
• 出版时间：September 2010
• 年：2010
• 卷：51
• 期：3
• 页码：245-248
• 全文大小：167 K

文摘

Background

Accumulating evidence suggests a change in cytokine profile after cytotoxic therapies. We hypothesized that change in plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) during the course of chemotherapy in lung cancer may predict therapeutic efficacy at an early stage.

Methods

Plasma TNF-α levels were quantified before first, second, and third cycle of chemotherapy in 42 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and correlated with response to therapy as assessed by computed tomography after the third chemotherapy cycle.

Results

Plasma levels of TNF-α measured before various treatment cycles could not differentiate among patients with remission, no change, and progression. For predicting inadequate therapeutic response, a sensitivity of 11.5 % and 23.1 % was achieved at 100 % specificity using plasma TNF-α levels measured before first and second therapy cycle, respectively. Prediction of disease progression was achieved with a sensitivity of 14.3 % at 100 % specificity for plasma TNF-α levels measured before second therapy cycle. Plasma levels of TNF-α measured before various treatment cycles was not correlated with survival.

Conclusions

Measurement of plasma TNF-α may not prove to be a good biomarker for predicting therapeutic efficacy at an early stage in NSCLC. Additional, more specific, and more sensitive blood-based biomarkers will be required to further improve the diagnostic power of current imaging tools for indicating early therapeutic efficacy.