Baseline IL-6 independently predicts severe immune-related toxicity and poor survival in advanced gastric cancer treated with immunotherapy.
High baseline inflammation predicts both severe side effects and poor survival in gastric cancer patients receiving immunotherapy.
In 244 advanced gastric cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, baseline IL-6 independently predicted both severe (grade 3–4) immune-related adverse events (OR=2.74) and inferior overall survival, with the associations confirmed after propensity score matching. Mediation analysis showed that irAEs did not mediate the IL-6–survival relationship, suggesting IL-6 reflects an adverse inflammatory baseline state rather than a beneficial predictive biomarker.
What the study was
- Study design
- retrospective cohort with propensity score matching and mediation analysis (n=244)
- Category
- Treatment Innovation
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Gastric Cancer
Why it surfaced
Identifies IL-6 as a dual prognostic-toxicity biomarker for gastric cancer immunotherapy, with rigorous statistical validation; directly actionable for T6 immunotherapy watchlist and ICI patient risk stratification.
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