A potential inflammatory biomarker for advanced endometrial cancer treated with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab

Introduction

To identify prognostic biomarkers that could predict how well patients will respond to lenvatinib/pembrolizumab (LEN/PEM). The utility of certain inflammatory biomarkers in endometrial liquid-based cytology (LBC) or peripheral blood samples, such as neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were explored.

Methods

The study included 25 patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer who had received LEN/PEM between August 2018 and March 2024. Predictors for overall response (OR), disease control, and progression-free survival, based on neutrophil/lymphocyte counts, NLR scores of the endometrial LBC prior to initial treatment, and peripheral blood prior to initial treatment and prior to LEM/PEM treatment were compared using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Significant predictors were evaluated using the log-rank test, and multivariate analysis.

Results

Although neutrophil counts and NLR score in endometrial LBC prior to initial treatment were better effective predictors for OR, the most accurate predictor of a progression-free status was NLR score in peripheral blood prior to LEM/PEM (0.722, 95% CI: 0.45–0.99, sensitivity: 57.1%, specificity: 94.4%). In peripheral blood prior to LEN/PEM, the lower NLR (NLR <5.39) group had a significantly longer PFS than the higher NLR (5.39 ≤ NLR) group (p = 0.023, median survival: 13.5 vs. 3.0 months), and tended to be independently correlated with PFS (hazard ratio = 2.571; 95% CI = 0.857–7.719; p = 0.092).

Conclusion

Inflammatory biomarkers in endometrial LBC failed to predict the efficacy of LEN/PEM, while peripheral blood NLR score sampled prior to LEN/PEM potentially could be a significant predictor.