A simple blood draw to measure serum protein - predicts outcome for melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1????

So this is interesting:

A Serum Protein Signature Associated with Outcome After Anti-PD1 Therapy in Metastatic Melanoma. Sznol, Sullivan, Blackmon...Ascierto...Weber.  Cancer Immunol Res. 2017 Dec 5.

A mass spectrometry analysis was performed using serum from patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors to define baseline protein signatures associated with outcome in metastatic melanoma. Pre-treatment serum was obtained from a development set of 119 melanoma patients on a trial of nivolumab with or without a multi-peptide vaccine and from patients receiving pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab, or both nivolumab and ipilimumab. Spectra were obtained using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. These data combined with clinical data identified patients with better or worse outcomes. The test was applied to five independent patient cohorts treated with checkpoint inhibitors and its biology investigated using enrichment analyses. A signature consisting of 209 proteins or peptides was associated with progression-free and overall survival in a multivariate analysis. Test performance across validation cohorts was consistent with the development set results. A pooled analysis, stratified by set, demonstrated a significantly better overall survival for 'sensitive' relative to 'resistant' patients. The test was associated with survival in a cohort of ipilimumab-treated patients. Test classification was associated with acute phase reactant, complement and wound healing pathways. We conclude that a pre-treatment signature of proteins, defined by mass spectrometry analysis and machine learning, predicted survival in patients receiving PD-1 blocking antibodies. This signature of proteins was associated with acute phase reactants and elements of wound healing and the complement cascade. This signature merits further study to determine if it identifies patients who would benefit from PD-1 blockade.

In line with my last post....researchers keep looking for a biomarker via a simple blood draw that will predict response to a particular treatment, indicate tumor burden, note disease progression or regression, etc.  Here, researchers looked at proteins in the blood of 119 "melanoma patients on a trial of nivo with or without multi-peptide vaccine and from patients [in other immunotherapy studies]". 

Hmmmm.....anybody know ratties who took nivo with peptide vaccines???????  C'est moi!!! Results from the 33 ratties in my Nivolumb/Opdivo trial...published!  Damn!!!  The places my blood has gone with nobody telling me NOTHING about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANYWAY!!!!!  In this report, researchers found that a certain set of proteins, found in the blood of patients with melanoma BEFORE treatment, "predicted survival in patients receiving PD-1 blocking antibodies."

This could be very important for folks making a decision about what treatment is best for them.  Melanoma is not kind to those who waste time.  A way to know which treatment to spend your time taking could be life saving.

Wonder what THIS rattie's proteins showed?  Seriously, how is it that clinical trials use ratties and fail to  inform them of the results of their OWN tests?  How is this okay?  WHY wouldn't you let the folks who put their lives, dollars, families, blood, protein, EVERYTHING on the line - yes, for themselves...but also for the reputations (and CV's) of researchers and facilities as well as the monetary/stock value of Big Pharma - the results determined from their literal blood, sweat and tears?  Just asking!  Sadly....not expecting answers.  Can only hope that these results will benefit melanoma peeps in the future!!!  - c