Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42279345›Full record

ArticleCancers2026

Prognostic Circulating Cytokine Panels for Metronomic Chemotherapy in Metastatic Gastrointestinal Cancer: Exploratory Pharmacodynamic Biomarker Analysis of the Phase II COMET Trial.

Maria Laura Manca, Paola Orlandi, Giacomo Allegrini, Marta Banchi, Arianna Bandini, Robert A Kirken, Guido Bocci

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Maria Laura MancaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9274-2313
Paola OrlandiDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Giacomo AllegriniDivision of Medical Oncology, Leghorn Hospital, 57124 Leghorn, Italy.
Marta BanchiDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0672-2066
Arianna BandiniDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0009-0002-8966-7604
Robert A KirkenDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Guido BocciDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7120-9141

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesMetronomic chemotherapy offers a well-tolerated option for heavily pretreated metastatic gastrointestinal cancer patients, but reliable prognostic biomarkers for patient selection are lacking. This study aimed to identify exploratory circulating cytokine signatures associated with outcomes in patients treated with metronomic chemotherapy.

methodsWe analyzed plasma samples from 34 patients enrolled in the COMET trial (EudraCT 2007-000065-38), a phase II study of metronomic UFT, cyclophosphamide, and celecoxib. An 88-cytokine Luminex

resultsTwenty-one patients (61.8%) experienced progressive disease and 13 (38.2%) achieved stable disease. Six biomarkers showed significant discriminative power: IL-16, MCP-4, THBS-2, Eotaxin-1, PDGF-AB/BB, and TRAIL. Three 3-cytokine panels achieved statistically significant risk stratification (all

conclusionsThis exploratory pharmacodynamic biomarker analysis identifies three 3-cytokine panels associated with prognostic risk stratification in metronomic chemotherapy for metastatic gastrointestinal cancer. As this single-arm trial cannot distinguish prognostic from predictive value, findings are hypothesis-generating. Prospective external validation is required before clinical translation, and exploration in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors is warranted.

Indexed as

biomarkersgastrointestinal cancerIL-16MCP-4metronomic chemotherapyprecision medicineTHBS-2

Identifiers

PMID42279345
PMCPMC13255639

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.