Personalized biomarkers to monitor disease progression in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with icotinib

Abstract： Disease-specific humoral immune response-related protein complexes in blood are associated with disease progression. 31 patients with stage IIIB and IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were administered with oral dose of icotinib hydrochloride (150 mg bid or 125 mg tid) for a 28-continuous-day cycle until diseases progressed or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The levels of immunoinflammation-related protein complexes (IIRPCs) in a series of plasma samples from 31 NSCLC patients treated with icotinib hydrochloride were determined by an optimized native-PAGE gel. Our results indicate that the time length of humoral immune and inflammation response (TLHIIR) was closely associated with disease progression, and the median TLHIIR was 22.0 weeks, 95% confidence interval (CI): 16.2 to 33.0 weeks, with a lead time of median 11 weeks related to clinical imaging evidence confirmed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (the median of progression-free survival, 34.0 weeks, 95% CI: 27.9 to 49.0 weeks). Our findings suggest the existence of a complex relationship between humoral immune response, acquired resistance, and disease progression. Personalized IIRPCs could be an excellent indicator to monitor the disease progression.