Outcome markers of ART-treated HIV+ patients with early stage Kaposi's sarcoma

Owen Ngalamika, For Yue Tso, Salum Lidenge, Sody Munsaka, Danielle Shea, Charles Wood, John West

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

HIV-associated/epidemic Kaposi's sarcoma (EpKS) is an AIDS-defining angio-proliferative malignancy. It can be treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) alone or with ART plus cytotoxic chemotherapy. ART-treated EpKS can either respond or worsen upon treatment. This study aimed at identifying immunological markers of ART-treatment response. We compared responders (those with clinical EpKS tumor regression) versus poor responders (those with progressive or non-responsive EpKS). We measured plasma cytokine and chemokine levels using cytometric bead assays. Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses were also quantified to test associations with treatment outcome. Interleukin (IL)-5 levels were significantly elevated in responders versus poorresponders at baseline (0.76pg/ml vs. 0.37pg/ml; p<0.01) and follow-up (0.56pg/ml vs. 0.37pg/ml; p<0.01); IL-6 was lower in responders than poor-responders at follow-up (600fg/ml vs. 4272fg/ml; p<0.05). IP-10/CxCL-10 was significantly lower at follow-up in responders versus poor-responders (187pg/ml vs. 528pg/ml; p<0.01). KSHV nAb were not significantly differential between responders and poor-responders. In conclusion, high plasma IL-5 at baseline could be a marker for ART-treated KS tumor regression, whereas increased proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, and the chemokine IP-10, associate with KS tumor progression.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere0235865
JournalPloS one
Volume15
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Outcome markers of ART-treated HIV+ patients with early stage Kaposi's sarcoma'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this