Research of biomarker for immunotherapy using PET/CT imaging

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K09676
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56030:Urology-related
• Research Institution: Yokohama City University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAIGAWA Noboru 横浜市立大学, 医学研究科, 客員教授 (00237207)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 矢尾 正祐 横浜市立大学, 医学研究科, 客員教授 (00260787) ; 近藤 慶一 横浜市立大学, 医学研究科, 客員准教授 (80363836)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 腎細胞癌 / 免疫チェックポイント阻害剤 / 腫瘍マーカー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In progressive renal cancer lesions in which changes in FDG accumulation were observed in PET/CT evaluation one month after administration of the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab, the tumor size tended to decrease in CT evaluation four months later. FDG PET/CT is expected to be useful as a method for monitoring immunotherapy.We obtained findings suggesting that progression-free survival with nivolumab therapy can be predicted by measuring CRP before and one month after the start of treatment, and that blood concentrations of MMP1, IL-1b, sNTFR-1, and IL-6 before the start of treatment are effective in predicting the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Free Research Field

泌尿器科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

FDG PET/CTや我々が同定した血液バイオマーカーによって免疫チェックポイント阻害剤の進行性腎細胞癌に対する効果をリアルタイムに判定できればそれぞれの症例において治療継続すべきか変更すべきか適切な判断が可能になり、進行性腎細胞癌患者さんの生命予後の延長が期待できるだけでなく、無効な治療を継続することで生じる生活の質の低下や医療費の高騰を防ぐことにも繋がると考えられた。