Abstract
BackgroundGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common primary malignant brain tumor, rarely disseminates beyond the central nervous system and has a very bad prognosis. The current study aimed at the analysis of immunological control in individual patients with GBM.MethodsImmune phenotypes and plasma biomarkers of GBM patients were determined at the time of diagnosis using flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively.ResultsUsing descriptive statistics, we found that immune anomalies were distinct in individual patients. Defined marker profiles proved highly relevant for survival. A remarkable relation between activated NK cells and improved survival in GBM patients was in contrast to increased CD39 and IL-10 in patients with a detrimental course and very short survival. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) and Cox proportional hazards models substantiated the relevance of absolute numbers of CD8 cells and low numbers of CD39 cells for better survival.ConclusionsDefined alterations of the immune system may guide the course of disease in patients with GBM and may be prognostically valuable for longitudinal studies or can be applied for immune intervention.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13045-016-0272-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common primary malignant brain tumor, rarely disseminates beyond the central nervous system and has a very bad prognosis
In addition to the abovementioned IL-10 and ferritin associated with GBM, we found that the relative amounts of activated natural killer (NK) cells in addition to T cell receptor (TCR) α/β-positive and CD8-positive lymphocytes display a strong correlation with increased survival in GBM in bivariate analysis
The median values of IL-10 and ferritin were significantly elevated in the GBM patients (Fig. 1)
Summary
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common primary malignant brain tumor, rarely disseminates beyond the central nervous system and has a very bad prognosis. Cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-10 and ferritin, secreted by tumor-infiltrating immune cells and by the tumor itself are members of a larger scenario of a tumorassociated proteome [12]. They may play an important role in downregulating major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-class I and natural killer (NK)-ligands [13]. When using multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis, the Karnofsky Performance status Scale (KPS), the isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH-1) mutation status, and high CD8 and low CD39 cells are most relevant for better survival
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