Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39593063›Full record

ArticleImmunity & ageing : I & A2024

Blood based immune biomarkers associated with clinical frailty scale in older patients with melanoma receiving checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy.

Estelle Tran Van Hoi, Saskia J Santegoets, Simon P Mooijaart, Diana Van Heemst, Asli Özkan, Elizabeth M E Verdegaal, Marije Slingerland, Ellen Kapiteijn, Sjoerd H van der Burg, Johanneke E A Portielje and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Immunity & ageing : I & A, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Cutaneous Melanoma in the Context of Aging.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Review
  6. Ageing, immune fitness and cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Estelle Tran Van Hoi *Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Saskia J Santegoets *Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Simon P MooijaartDepartment of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Diana Van HeemstDepartment of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Asli ÖzkanDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Elizabeth M E VerdegaalDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Marije SlingerlandDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ellen KapiteijnDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Sjoerd H van der BurgDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Johanneke E A PortieljeDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Marij J P Welters *Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Nienke A de Glas *Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. N.A.de_Glas@lumc.nl.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionImmunotherapy with checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is increasingly prescribed to older patients with cancer. High age, especially in combination with frailty, has been associated to immune senescence, which is the age-related decline in immune function, thereby possibly hindering ICI effectiveness. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess whether blood cell immune senescence markers are associated with age, frailty and response to anti-PD-1 treatment in older patients with metastatic melanoma.

methodsIn a prospective observational study, sixty patients with stage IIIC or IV melanoma undergoing anti-PD1 treatment were categorized into young (< 65 years; n = 22), old (> 65 years) without frailty (n = 19), and old with frailty (n = 19). In-depth immune cell phenotyping was performed in baseline blood samples (prior to treatment) using multispectral flow cytometry and compared between groups and with immunotherapy treatment response. Antigen-presenting cell capacity was evaluated using mixed lymphocyte reaction and T cell proliferative potential was assessed using PHA proliferation assay.

resultsNo significant differences in treatment response rates were observed across age groups. Older patients, irrespective of frailty, showed lower levels of naïve CD8 + T cells, with the old and frail group also exhibiting reduced tissue-resident effector memory CD8 + T cells and CD8 + mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. These differences were not associated with treatment outcomes. T cell proliferation and antigen-presenting cell capacities did not differ across groups.

conclusionSeveral ageing and frailty associated changes were detected among circulating immune cells in blood but were not associated with response to immunotherapy in our study. While these findings suggest that the level of frailty and ageing may not necessarily preclude the efficacy of ICI therapy, further investigation is needed to fully understand the impact of frailty and ageing on immunotherapy.

Indexed as

FrailtyImmune biomarkersImmunotherapy by checkpoint inhibitionMelanoma cancer

Identifiers

PMID39593063
PMCPMC11600645

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.