Analysis of inflammatory biomarkers as predictors of treatment efficacy in patients with soft tissue sarcoma treated with trabectedin

Background: Trabectedin is used as a treatment for advanced-stage soft tissue sarcomas (STSs), particularly liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. Aside from its direct effect on tumor cells, trabectedin can affect the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to evaluate whether inflammatory biomarkers predict trabectedin efficacy in STSs. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features and outcomes of patients with STS treated with trabectedin at our institution between 2016 and 2020. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI = neutrophil × monocyte/lymphocyte) were calculated based on the blood samples obtained prior to trabectedin treatment initiation. Analyses of the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were performed according to various factors. Results: Of the 101 patients identified, 54 had L-sarcoma (leiomyosarcoma: 30; liposarcoma: 24), and 47 had other types of STSs. Elevated SIRI, NLR, PLR, LMR, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with worse PFS (P < 0.001, P = 0.008, P = 0.027, P = 0.013, and P < 0.001, respectively) according to the results of the univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated SIRI, other histology, and CRP were associated with poor PFS (P = 0.007, P = 0.008, and P = 0.029, respectively). In addition, the multivariate analysis of OS showed that SIRI was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio: 2.16, P = 0.006). Conclusion: Pretreatment SIRI can be considered a biomarker for the prognostic prediction of patients with STS treated with trabectedin.