Abstract
AB031. Clinical outcome and serum cytokinome profile in patients with thymic epithelial tumors
Rocco Morra1,2, Michele Francesco Di Tolla3, Erica Pietroluongo1, Pietro De Placido1, Margaret Ottaviano2,3,4, Antonio D’Ambrosio1, Aldo Caltavituro1, Vitoantonio Del Deo5, Marianna Tortora4, Anna Maria Malfitano3, Vittoria D’Esposito3, Sara Pellegrino6, Maria Rosaria Saponaro1, Angelo Luciano1, Sabino De Placido1,2,3,4, Roberto Bianco1, Pietro Formisano2, Alberto Servetto1, Mario Giuliano1,2,3,4, Giovannella Palmieri4
1Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy;
2Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy;
3Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy;
4Rare Tumors Coordinating Center of Campania Region (CRCTR), Naples, Italy;
5Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Federico II di Napoli, Naples, Italy;
6Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Correspondence to: Rocco Morra, MD, PhD. Experimental Clinical Abdominal Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, via Mariano Semmola 52, Naples 80131, Italy; Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II, via Sergio Pansini 5, Naples 80131, Italy. Email: rocco.mor4@gmail.com.
Background: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare and complex diseases. Although tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and Masaoka-Koga classification are recognized prognostic factors in TETs, there are no published data regarding the correlation between immunological signature and long-term outcome in patients with TETs. This study aims to evaluate the association between serum cytokinome profile and overall survival (OS) in TETs patients.
Methods: From May 2019 to March 2024, consecutive TETs patients were recruited at Rare Tumors Coordinating Center of Campania Region. Serological levels of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, from peripheral blood were evaluated, one time in each patient, at various time points during disease course, using pre-formed Kits by Bioplex multiplex. Based on the optimal cut-off values calculated by the survival cut-point algorithm, patients were classified into low and high score, to identify those achieving a better OS. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Among the 45 patients enrolled, 20 (44.4%) were male; 35 (77.8%) had thymoma and 10 (22.2%) thymic carcinomas. Autoimmune disorders were detected in 32 TET patients (71.1%). At the time of analysis, 28 (66.2%) were alive and 17 (37.8%) patients deceased. In the univariate Cox analysis, higher levels of interleukin (IL)-1ra [hazard ratio (HR) =0.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.041–0.792; P=0.02], IL-2 (HR =0.25; 95% CI: 0.071–0.865; P=0.03), IL-4 (HR =0.367; 95% CI: 0.141–0.954; P=0.04), IL-7 (HR =0.229; 95% CI: 0.074–0.708; P=0.01), eotaxin (HR =0.333; 95% CI: 0.127–0.877; P=0.03), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) (HR =0233; 0.085–0.635; P=0.004), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (HR =0.326; 95% CI: 0.120–0.891; P=0.03), interferon gamma (INF-γ) (HR =0.284; 95% CI: 0.103–0.781; P=0.01), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (HR =0.186; 0.0–0.494; P=7.28e−04), regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) (HR =0.232; 95% CI: 0.066–0.808; P=0.02) significantly predicts better OS. Adjusting for age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), histology, stage and presence of autoimmune diseases, we found in the multivariate Cox analysis that high levels IL-1ra (HR =0.141; 95% CI: 0.025–0.784; P=0.02), IL-4 (HR =0.213; 95% CI: 0.056–0.808; P=0.02), IL-7 (HR =0.312; 95% CI: 0.08–0.783; P=0.04), PDGF (HR =0.105; 95% CI: 0.027–0.404; P=0.001) and eotaxin (HR =0.145; 95% CI: 0.037–0.566; P=0.005) were an independent predictor of better OS.
Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest that serum cytokinome profile assessment may be a useful method to identify TET patients who have worse clinical outcomes. These findings may be potentially important in the decision making by selecting patients who could benefit the most from a more intensive therapeutic approach as well as of a strict follow-up.
Keywords: Prognostic factors; cytokinome profiles; thymic epithelial tumors (TETs)
Acknowledgments
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://med.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/med-24-ab031/coif). M.O. reported speakers fee and travel accommodation from MSD, Novartis, BMS, Sanofi Regeneron, Amgen. S.D.P. reported consulting fees from Astrazeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Daiichi Sankyo, Lilly, Clovis, Seagen, GSK, MSD, and payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Astrazeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Daiichi Sankyo, Lilly, Clovis, Seagen, GSK, MSD. S.D.P. also reported support for attending meeting/ travelling from MSD, Novartis, BMS, Sanofi Regeneron, Amgen. M.G. reported consulting fees from Lilly, Celgene, Novartis, Pfizer, and payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Lilly, Celgene, Novartis, Pfizer, Istituto Gentili, Eisai Europe Ltd., Roche. M.G. also reported support for attending meetings and/or travel from Novartis, Pfizer, Roche. A.S. reported payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Lilly, Gilead, MSD, Roche, Exact Sciences, Novartis, and support for attending meetings/travel from Gilead, Lilly, Istituto Gentili, MSD. R.B. reported payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Roche, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Lilly, BMS, MSD, Pfizer, and participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board in Roche, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Lilly BMS, MSD, Pfizer. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee of University of Naples Federico II (protocol #201/20), and individual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/med-24-ab031
Cite this abstract as: Morra R, Di Tolla MF, Pietroluongo E, De Placido P, Ottaviano M, D’Ambrosio A, Caltavituro A, Del Deo V, Tortora M, Malfitano AM, D’Esposito V, Pellegrino S, Saponaro MR, Luciano A, De Placido S, Bianco R, Formisano P, Servetto A, Giuliano M, Palmieri G. AB031. Clinical outcome and serum cytokinome profile in patients with thymic epithelial tumors. Mediastinum 2024;8:AB031.
