Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42139225›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Analysis of Torquetenovirus DNA levels in NSCLC patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Lilia Cinti, Lucrezia Tuosto, Piergiorgio Roberto, Roberta Campagna, Aurelia Rughetti, Chiara Napoletano, Alain J Gelibter, Daniele Santini, Guido Antonelli, Ombretta Turriziani

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In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lilia CintiDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Sapienza University o f Rome, Rome, Italy.
Lucrezia TuostoDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Cell Therapies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Piergiorgio RobertoDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Sapienza University o f Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9170-3654
Roberta CampagnaDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Sapienza University o f Rome, Rome, Italy.
Aurelia RughettiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Cell Therapies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Chiara NapoletanoDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Cell Therapies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Alain J GelibterDivision of Oncology, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Daniele SantiniDepartment of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Guido AntonelliDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Sapienza University o f Rome, Rome, Italy.
Ombretta TurrizianiDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Sapienza University o f Rome, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In recent years, Torquetenovirus (TTV) load has emerged as a potential biomarker of immune competence across various clinical contexts, albeit its significance in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the level of TTV viral load in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). A total of 64 NSCLC patients were enrolled. Serum TTV DNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR at baseline (T0) and after three months of ICI therapy (T1). As control, TTV levels were also measured in a cohort of healthy donors at a single time point. Statistical analyses were performed to compare TTV copy numbers across groups and time points. At baseline, cancer patients exhibited significantly higher TTV viral loads than healthy donors, consistent with an immunocompromised status. Following ICI treatment, a significant decline in TTV levels was observed in the oncologic cohort, reaching values comparable to those of healthy individuals, with a more pronounced decrease observed in patients responsive to therapy. This study provides the first evidence that TTV viral load decreases following immunotherapy in NSCLC patients, potentially reflecting a restoration of immune competence. These findings support the hypothesis that TTV monitoring could serve as a surrogate marker of immune function during ICI treatment. Further large-scale, longitudinal studies are warranted to validate its clinical meaning in oncologic settings.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungDNA, ViralImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsLung NeoplasmsTorque teno virusAgedBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesViral LoadBiomarkersDNA, ViralImmune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID42139225
PMCPMC13178919

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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.