Evaluation of clinicopathological factors in PD-1 response: derivation and validation of a prediction scale for response to PD-1 monotherapy

BackgroundAnti-PD-1 therapy has shown significant clinical activity in advanced melanoma. We developed and validated a clinical prediction scale for response to anti- PD-1 monotherapy.MethodsA total of 315 patients with advanced melanoma treated with pembrolizumab (2 or 10 mg kg-1 Q2W or Q3W) or nivolumab (3 mg kg-1 Q2W) at four cancer centres between 2011 to 2013 served as the setting for the present cohort study. Variables with significant association to response on a univariate analysis were entered into a forward stepwise logistic regression model and were given a score based on ORs to calculate a clinical prediction scale.ResultsThe developed clinical prediction scale included elevated LDH (1 point), age