Peripheral blood-based model to predict response of metastatic cancers to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Less than half of unselected metastatic cancer patients benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. There is a need for identifying patients with likelihood of response. A retrospective study at the University of Eastern Finland found that among patients with various types of metastatic cancers, a score based on six pretreatment peripheral blood-based parameters was able to predict response to ICI (ORR 30.3% in the high-risk group versus 53.9% in the low-risk group; p=0.023) as well as progression-free and overall survival. In multivariate analysis, the risk group remained a significant prognostic factor for both PFS (high-risk versus low risk HR 1.79; p=0.035) and OS (3.04; p<0.001).