PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - TOMONORI HIRASHIMA
AU  - TOMOHIRO KANAI
AU  - HIDEKAZU SUZUKI
AU  - HIROKO YOSHIDA
AU  - AKANE MATSUSHITA
AU  - HIROMI KAWASUMI
AU  - YUMIKO SAMEJIMA
AU  - YOSHIMI NODA
AU  - SHINGO NASU
AU  - AYAKO TANAKA
AU  - NAOKO MORISHITA
AU  - SHOJI HASHIMOTO
AU  - KUNIMITSU KAWAHARA
AU  - YOSHITAKA TAMURA
AU  - NORIO OKAMOTO
AU  - TOSHIO TANAKA
TI  - The Levels of Interferon-gamma Release as a Biomarker for Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.13832
DP  - 2019 Nov 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 6231--6240
VI  - 39
IP  - 11
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/11/6231.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/11/6231.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2019 Nov 01; 39
AB  - Background/Aim: The present study aimed to prospectively examine the usefulness of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release (IGR) as a biomarker in non-small-cell lung cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment (ICI-Tx). Patients and Methods: IGR was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at four time points: within 14 days before ICI-Tx (T1), and 8±3 (T2), 22±7 (T3), and 43±7 (T4) days after ICI-Tx. Results: Twenty-nine patients were divided into three groups based on IFN-γ levels in the IGR-positive control: Group-1 (n=8) with <10 IU/ml at T1, Group-2 (n=12) with a decrease in IFN-γ levels to <10 IU/ml at T3 and/or T4, and Group-3 (n=9) without changes in IFN-γ levels. Early progression and ICI-induced interstitial pneumonitis were frequently observed in Group-1 and Group-2, respectively. Group-3 exhibited more treatment cycles than the other groups. All three groups showed clear differences in clinical outcomes. Conclusion: IFN-γ levels could be a biomarker for ICI-Tx.