Decrease Of Serum Tarc Levels As Predictive Biomarkers Of Response To Targeted Therapy With Kinase Inhibitors In Refractory/Relapsed Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients

INTRODUCTION: Identification of predictive biomarkers of response to new agents represents a challenging issue. Thymus and Activation-Regulated Chemokine (TARC) is a protein highly expressed by Reed-Sternberg cells in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and has been demonstrated to be a prognostic biomarker in HL patients treated with chemotherapy. We investigated the correlation between clinical response and early variation of serum TARC levels in patients with refractory/relapsed HL treated with kinase inhibitors. Patients were enrolled in two consecutive phase II trials evaluating activity and safety of the multikinase inhibitor Sorafenib (Nexavar®, Bayer) used as single agent, or in combination with the AKT inhibitor Perifosine (Æterna Zentaris GmBH, Germany).