Niklas Klümper, Danijel Sikic, Jonas Saal, Thomas Büttner, Franziska Goldschmidt, Jonas Jarczyk, Philippe Becker, Philip Zeuschner, Maximilian Weinke, Charis Kalogirou, Johannes Breyer, Maximilian Burger, Philipp Nuhn, Karl Tully, Florian Roghmann, Christian Bolenz, Friedemann Zengerling, Ralph M Wirtz, Michael Muders, Glen Kristiansen, Tobias Bald, Jörg Ellinger, Bernd Wullich, Michael Hölzel, Arndt Hartmann, Philipp Erben, Manuel Ritter, Markus Eckstein
PURPOSE: Robust biomarkers to predict response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) are still in demand. Recently, early C-reactive protein (CRP) kinetics and especially the novel CRP flare-response phenomenon has been associated with immunotherapy response. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre observational study comprising 154 patients with mUC treated with ICB to evaluate the predictive value of a previously described on-treatment CRP kinetics: CRP flare responders (at least doubling of baseline CRP within the first month after initiation of ICB followed by a decline below baseline within three months), CRP responders (decline in baseline CRP by ≥ 30% within three months without a prior flare) and the remaining patients as CRP non-responders...
March 30, 2022: European Journal of Cancer