Prognostic significance of hematological indices in malignant melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Source: MDLinx, September 2019

In this retrospective review, researchers examined 120 malignant melanoma patients who had received any immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) from 2011 until December 2017, to assess the prognostic importance of inflammatory cells, their ratios, and a change in these indices while patients are taking ICIs. Better overall survival and progression-free survival was observed in patients with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio < 5 and derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) < 3. Patients with absolute neutrophil count < 5 and dNLR < 3 at baseline had a significantly higher objective response rate. The response to ICIs and prognosis in malignant melanoma could be predicted by hematological indices. Furthermore, the prediction of an earlier response even prior to a radiographic assessment could also be enabled by the real-time monitoring of the changes in these indices from their baseline values. However, to be applicable for use in routine clinical practices, these models require to be tested in prospective and validation studies.