Antibodies against PD-1, such as
nivolumab and
pembrolizumab, are widely used in the treatment of various
cancers including advanced
melanoma. The anti-PD-1 Ab significantly prolongs survival in patients with metastatic
melanoma, and its administration in combination with local or systemic
therapy may also lead to improved outcomes. Although anti-PD-1 Ab-based combined
therapy might be effective for the treatment of advanced
melanoma, the associated risk of irAEs is an important consideration. Therefore, being able to predict irAEs is of great interest to oncologists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of using serum levels of sCD163 and CXCL5 to predict irAEs in patients with advanced
melanoma who were administered
nivolumab. To this end, we analyzed these serum levels in 46 cases of advanced
melanoma treated with
nivolumab. In addition, the
tumor stroma was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. We measured the serum levels of sCD163 and CXCL5 on day 0 (immediately before
nivolumab administration) and day 42. The serum absolute levels of sCD163 were significantly increased in patients who developed AEs (p = 0.0018). Although there was no significant difference in serum levels of CXCL5, the absolute value of CXCL5 could at least be a supportive marker for the increased absolute levels of serum sCD163. This study suggests that sCD163 and CXCL5 may serve as possible prognostic
biomarkers for irAEs in patients with advanced
melanoma treated with
nivolumab.