The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify the predictive biomarkers of response to pretreatment for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with nivolumab.

The subjects were 54 patients treated with nivolumab for mRCC with a clear cell component (mccRCC) between September 2016 and February 2018. We analyzed the impact of serum biomarkers (lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein) on patients treated with nivolumab. We adopted the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium prognostic model using six clinical factors (0=favorable, 1 or 2=intermediate, 3 to 6=poor risk groups, respectively).

The prognostic risk classification (non-poor vs. poor) and serum LDH levels were correlated with the objective response of nivolumab treatment for mccRCC. Elevated serum LDH levels at baseline were an independent biomarker for progression-free survival (PFS) of mccRCC patients receiving nivolumab [HR=2.268 (95%CI=1.014-5.051), p=0.046]. Notably, high LDH levels were associated with a poorer PFS for patients in the favorable-risk group.

Serum LDH levels at baseline before nivolumab treatment were associated with the objective response and clinical outcome of nivolumab treatment.

Anticancer research. 2019 Aug [Epub]

Suguru Shirotake, Kimiharu Takamatsu, Ryuichi Mizuno, G O Kaneko, Koshiro Nishimoto, Mototsugu Oya, Masafumi Oyama

Department of Uro-Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan ., Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan., Department of Uro-Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan.

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