Evaluation of potential circulating biomarkers for prediction of response to chemoradiation in patients with glioblastoma

• Published in: Journal of neuro-oncology Vol. 129; no. 2; pp. 221 - 230
• Main Authors: van Linde, Myra E., van der Mijn, Johannes C., Pham, Thang V., Knol, Jaco C., Wedekind, Laurine E., Hovinga, Koos E., Aliaga, Esther Sanchez, Buter, Jan, Jimenez, Connie R., Reijneveld, Jaap C., Verheul, Henk M. W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - blood; Adult; Aged; alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein - metabolism; Blood Platelets - pathology; Brain Neoplasms - blood; Brain Neoplasms - therapy; Chemoradiotherapy - methods; Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1 - blood; Cohort Studies; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Glioblastoma - blood; Glioblastoma - therapy; Haptoglobins - metabolism; Humans; Laboratory Investigation; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurology; Oncology; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Proteomics; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; First-line treatment; Biomarker; Glioblastoma multiforme; Proteomics
• ISSN: 0167-594X; 1573-7373
• DOI: 10.1007/s11060-016-2178-x

Surgery followed by chemoradiation and adjuvant chemotherapy is standard of care for patients with a glioblastoma (GBM). Due to its limited benefit, an upfront method to predict dismal outcome would prevent unnecessary toxic treatment. We searched for a predictive blood derived biomarker in a cohort of 55 patients with GBM. Increasing age (HR 1.03, 95 % CI 1.01–1.06), and postoperative tumor residue (HR 1.07, 95 % CI 1.02–1.15) were independently associated with unfavourable progression free survival (PFS) in these patients. Corticosteroid use before start of chemoradiaton was strongly predictive for outcome (HR 3.26, 95 % CI 1.67–6.39) with a mean PFS and OS in patients using corticosteroids of 7.3 and 14.6 months, versus 16.1 and 21.6 months in patients not using corticosteroids (p = 0.0005, p < 0.0067 respectively). Despite earlier reports, blood concentrations of YKL-40, Fetuin-a and haptoglobin were not predictive for response. In addition, serum peptide profiles, determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy, were not predictive as well. In conclusion, further biomarker discovery studies are needed to predict treatment outcome for patients with GBM in the near future.