Table_1_Biological Predictors of De Novo Tumors in Solid Organ Transplanted Patients During Oncological Surveillance: Potential Role of Circulating TE.docx (29.87 kB)

Table_1_Biological Predictors of De Novo Tumors in Solid Organ Transplanted Patients During Oncological Surveillance: Potential Role of Circulating TERT mRNA.docx

dataset

posted on 2021-10-21, 05:11 authored by Michela Cangemi, Stefania Zanussi, Enrica Rampazzo, Ettore Bidoli, Silvia Giunco, Rosamaria Tedeschi, Chiara Pratesi, Debora Martorelli, Mariateresa Casarotto, Ferdinando Martellotta, Ornella Schioppa, Diego Serraino, Agostino Steffan, Anita De Rossi, Riccardo Dolcetti, Emanuela Vaccher

Background

De novo tumors are a major cause of morbidity and mortality after long-term solid organ transplantation. Chronic immunosuppression strongly affects solid organ transplanted (SOT) patients’ immune system by promoting immune evasion strategies and reactivations of viruses with oncogenic potential, ultimately leading to cancer onset. In this scenario, an oncological Surveillance Protocol integrated with biobanking of peripheral blood samples and evaluation of immunovirological and molecular parameters was activated for SOT patients at CRO-IRCCS Aviano, with the aim of identifying suitable biomarkers of cancer development.

Methods

An exploratory longitudinal study was designed based on two serial peripheral blood samples collected at least three months apart. Forty nine SOT patients were selected and stratified by tumor onset during follow-up. Spontaneous T-cell responses to EBV, CMV and tumor associated antigens, EBV-DNA and CMV-DNA loads, and circulating TERT mRNA levels were investigated.

Results

Significantly higher levels of circulating TERT mRNA were observed 3.5-23.5 months before and close to the diagnosis of cancer as compared to tumor-free patients. Plasmatic TERT mRNA levels >97.73 copies/mL at baseline were significantly associated with the risk of developing de novo tumors (HR=4.0, 95%C.I. = 1.4-11.5, p=0.01). In particular, the risk significantly increased by 4% with every ten-unit increment in TERT mRNA (HR=1.04, 95%C.I. = 1.01-1.07, p=0.01).

Conclusions

Although obtained in an exploratory study, our data support the importance of identifying early biomarkers of tumor onset in SOT patients useful to modulate the pace of surveillance visits.