sIL-2R- an Immuno-biomarker for Prediction of Metastases in Uveal Melanoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. High serum levels of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) have been reported in acute inflammations and metastatic cancers. This study evaluated the potential of high/increasing sIL-2R levels in predicting metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included a total of 1,546 sera samples of subjects from three groups: 119 healthy controls (73 subjects), 566 UM 10 year (10y) disease-free (DF) (220 patients), 861 metastatic UM (268 patients). Patients were followed-up biannually with liver ultrasound and liver function tests for the presence of metastases (Mets). Blood samples to measure the levels of sIL-2R were obtained at the time of primary diagnosis, soon after initial treatment (enucleation, brachytherapy), every 6 months, 10 years from diagnosis, at Mets confirmation by CT, and after additional treatments. RESULTS: Significantly higher sIL-2R levels were detected in the Mets patients compared to healthy controls and 10y DF patients. Compared to the upper limit of the normal levels of sIL-2R, 1,000 U/ml, its levels in metastatic UM were 61%, 25% in 10y DF UM, and 6.25% in the controls. High levels of sIL-2R in metastatic patients, decreased significantly post treatments. Individual kinetics of markers, indicated similar trends of sIL-2R compared to osteopontin and S-Protein 100, predicting metastases, which were confirmed on liver imaging. CONCLUSION: Significantly higher sIL-2R levels were evident in all UM patients with Mets. Significant increases in sIL-2R levels on serial evaluations indicated and predicted UM Mets, enabling earlier treatment of Mets, to improve survival.

Predictive impact of the inflammation-based indices in uveal melanoma liver metastases treated with transarterial hepatic chemoperfusion.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate pretreatment inflammatory markers as prognostic factors in patients with unresectable uveal melanoma liver metastases treated with transarterial hepatic chemoperfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 54 patients (44% male, median age: 61 years) were retrospectively assessed. A median of 3 (range: 1-11) treatment sessions were performed with melphalan (92%) or fotemustin (8%). Inflammatory indices were calculated as follows: neutrophils/nl to lymphocytes/nl ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index ([platelets/nl × neutrophils/nl]/[lymphocytes/nl]; SII), and platelets/nl to lymphocytes/nl ratio (PLR). The cut-off for dichotomization purposes was set at the median (inflammatory indices, hepatic tumor burden) or the upper level of normal. Kaplan Meier analysis was performed for median overall survival (OS) in months, and Cox proportional hazard model for uni(UVA) and multivariate (MVA) hazard ratio (HR, 95%CI) analyses were performed. RESULTS: Median OS of the study cohort was 7.7 (6.3-10.9) months. In UVA OS was prolonged for low C reactive protein (CRP) (13.5 vs. 5.2; p = 0.0005), low SII (10.8 vs. 5.6; p = 0.0005), low NLR (11.1 vs. 6.3; p = 0.0045), low aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (11.5 vs. 5.6; p = 0.015), alanine aminotransferases (ALT) (11.5 vs. 5.6; p = 0.01), and tumor burden ≦ 50% (8.2 vs. 4.8; p = 0.007). MVA confirmed low CRP (HR: 0.29, 0.11-0.7; p = 0.005), low SII (HR: 0.19, 0.11-0.7; p = 0.008), and low ALT (HR: 0.13, 0.02-0.63; p = 0.011) as independent predictors for prolonged OS. Patients with ≦ 1, 2, 3 elevated significant MVA-factors survived a median of 14.9, 7.7, and 3.9 months, respectively (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment inflammatory markers (CRP, SII) and AST were independent prognostic survival markers in patients with uveal melanoma liver metastases treated with transarterial hepatic chemoperfusion. A combination of factors may help to identify patients potentially benefitting from treatment.

Inflammatory markers in autoimmunity induced by checkpoint inhibitors.

PURPOSE: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are highly effective in several cancer entities, but also invoke a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAE). These are mostly reversible, but can be life-threatening or even fatal. Currently, the pathogenesis is not fully understood, but crucial for effective treatment. Prediction and early detection of irAE could be facilitated and treatment optimized if relevant biomarkers and effector mechanisms were better characterized. METHODS: This study included a total of 45 irAE in patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with ICI. All patients underwent a complete work-up with exclusion of other causes. Longitudinal blood samples were analyzed for a panel of soluble markers and compared to baseline and to patients who did not experience any irAE. Measurements included LDH, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, IL-17, C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha as well as tumor markers S100 and melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA). RESULTS: During the early onset of irAE increases in serum IL-6 (from mean 24.4 pg/ml at baseline to 51.0 pg/ml; p = 0.003) and CRP (from mean 7.0 mg/l at baseline to 17.7 mg/l; p = 0.001) and a decrease in MIA (from mean 5.4 pg/ml at baseline to 4.8 pg/ml; p = 0.035) were detected. No changes in IL-17 were noted. These effects were observed for irAE of different organ systems. CONCLUSION: Increases of a combination of IL-6 and CRP serum levels can be used for the early detection of irAE and tailored management. Interestingly, changes in MIA serum levels also correlate with irAE onset.

Detection of Uveal Melanoma by Multiplex Immunoassays of Serum Biomarkers.

Multiplex immunoassays simultaneously measure multiple analytes in a single sample providing quantitative data via parallel analyses, which is especially suitable for serum biomarker verification and validation. Multiplex immunoassays demonstrate several advantages over traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays such as increasing productivity, conserving critical reagents and samples, and delivering results quickly. Here we describe the detection of uveal melanoma by magnetic bead-based multiplex immunoassays of serum biomarkers. The biomarker panels evaluated by multiplex immunoassays with high analytical performance demonstrated potential complementary values in detection of uveal melanoma.

Circulating exosomes in ophthalmic disease: novel carriers of biological information circulating exosomes in ophthalmic disease.

Exosomes, small membrane vesicles with a diameter of 30-100 nm, transport lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA. Exosomes originate from endocytic vessels and are processed and released through exocytosis. They can be taken up by target cells and mediate intercellular communication. Initially, exosomes were thought to be waste products excreted by cells. However, with more research, they have been found to play important roles in physiological and pathological processes. Therefore, they are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of disease conditions, including fundus diseases, ocular surface diseases, retinal diseases, tumors, ocular trauma, and light damage. In this review, we discuss the history, biogenesis, release, isolation, characterization, and biological functions of exosomes, as well as their future application prospects in ophthalmic diseases.

Ipilimumab plus nivolumab for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma: a multicenter, retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults. In contrast to cutaneous melanoma (CM), there is no standard therapy, and the efficacy and safety of dual checkpoint blockade with nivolumab and ipilimumab is not well defined. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic UM (mUM) who received treatment with ipilimumab plus nivolumab across 14 academic medical centers. Toxicity was graded using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events V.5.0. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier methodology. RESULTS: 89 eligible patients were identified. 45% had received prior therapy, which included liver directed therapy (29%), immunotherapy (21%), targeted therapy (10%) and radiation (16%). Patients received a median 3 cycles of ipilimumab plus nivolumab. The median follow-up time was 9.2 months. Overall response rate was 11.6%. One patient achieved complete response (1%), 9 patients had partial response (10%), 21 patients had stable disease (24%) and 55 patients had progressive disease (62%). Median OS from treatment initiation was 15 months and median PFS was 2.7 months. Overall, 82 (92%) of patients discontinued treatment, 34 due to toxicity and 27 due to progressive disease. Common immune-related adverse events were colitis/diarrhea (32%), fatigue (23%), rash (21%) and transaminitis (21%). CONCLUSIONS: Dual checkpoint inhibition yielded higher response rates than previous reports of single-agent immunotherapy in patients with mUM, but the efficacy is lower than in metastatic CM. The median OS of 15 months suggests that the rate of clinical benefit may be larger than the modest response rate.

Artificial Intelligence Estimates the Importance of Baseline Factors in Predicting Response to Anti-PD1 in Metastatic Melanoma.

OBJECTIVE: Prognosis of patients with metastatic melanoma has dramatically improved over recent years because of the advent of antibodies targeting programmed cell death protein-1 (PD1). However, the response rate is ~40% and baseline biomarkers for the outcome are yet to be identified. Here, we aimed to determine whether artificial intelligence might be useful in weighting the importance of baseline variables in predicting response to anti-PD1. METHODS: This is a retrospective study evaluating 173 patients receiving anti-PD1 for melanoma. Using an artificial neuronal network analysis, the importance of different variables was estimated and used in predicting response rate and overall survival. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 12.8 (±11.9) months, disease control rate was 51%. Using artificial neuronal network, we observed that 3 factors predicted response to anti-PD1: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (importance: 0.195), presence of ≥3 metastatic sites (importance: 0.156), and baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) > upper limit of normal (importance: 0.154). Looking at connections between different covariates and overall survival, the most important variables influencing survival were: presence of ≥3 metastatic sites (importance: 0.202), age (importance: 0.189), NLR (importance: 0.164), site of primary melanoma (cutaneous vs. noncutaneous) (importance: 0.112), and LDH > upper limit of normal (importance: 0.108). CONCLUSIONS: NLR, presence of ≥3 metastatic sites, LDH levels, age, and site of primary melanoma are important baseline factors influencing response and survival. Further studies are warranted to estimate a model to drive the choice to administered anti-PD1 treatments in patients with melanoma.

Meta-analysis in metastatic uveal melanoma to determine progression free and overall survival benchmarks: an international rare cancers initiative (IRCI) ocular melanoma study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the completion of numerous phase II studies, a standard of care treatment has yet to be defined for metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM). To determine benchmarks of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), we carried out a meta-analysis using individual patient level trial data. METHODS: Individual patient variables and survival outcomes were requested from 29 trials published from 2000 to 2016. Univariable and multivariable analysis were carried out for prognostic factors. The variability between trial arms and between therapeutic agents on PFS and OS was investigated. RESULTS: OS data were available for 912 patients. The median PFS was 3.3 months (95% CI 2.9-3.6) and 6-month PFS rate was 27% (95% CI 24-30). Univariable analysis showed male sex, elevated (i.e. > versus ≤ upper limit of normal) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and diameter of the largest liver metastasis (≥3 cm versus <3 cm) to be substantially associated with shorter PFS. Multivariable analysis showed male sex, elevated LDH and elevated ALP were substantially associated with shorter PFS. The most substantial factors associated with 6-month PFS rate, on both univariable and multivariable analysis were elevated LDH and ALP. The median OS was 10.2 months (95% CI 9.5-11.0) and 1 year OS was 43% (95% CI 40-47). The most substantial prognostic factors for shorter OS by univariable and multivariable analysis were elevated LDH and elevated ALP. Patients treated with liver directed treatments had statistically significant longer PFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Benchmarks of 6-month PFS and 1-year OS rates were determined accounting for prognostic factors. These may be used to facilitate future trial design and stratification in mUM.

High prevalence of serum IgG antibodies reacting to specific mimotopes of BK polyomavirus, a human oncogenic polyomavirus, in patients affected by uveal melanoma.

The uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common human intraocular tumor. The BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a small DNA tumor virus whose footprints have been detected in different human cancers. BKPyV has oncogenic potential. Indeed, BKPyV, when inoculated into experimental animals, induces tumors of different histotypes, whereas in vitro, it transforms mammalian cells, including human cells from distinct tissues. In this investigation, the association between UM and BKPyV was studied employing indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using synthetic peptides that mimic BKPyV viral capsid 1 (VP1) antigens. Indirect ELISAs were used to detect serum IgG antibodies against this polyomavirus with oncogenic potential in samples from patients with UM and controls, represented by healthy subjects (HS). It was found that serum samples from patients with UM had a higher prevalence of BKPyV antibodies, 85% (51/60), compared with that detected in HS1, 62% (54/87), and HS2, 57% (68/120). The different prevalence of BKPyV antibodies detected in UM versus the two control groups, HS1 and HS2, is statistically significant (p < 0.005). Our immunologic data suggest a significantly higher prevalence of antibodies against BKPyV VP1 epitopes in serum samples from patients with UM compared with HS. These results indicate an association between UM and BKPyV, suggesting that this small DNA tumor virus may be a cofactor in the UM onset or progression.

Prognostic Factors and Decision Tree for Long-Term Survival in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the existence of a bimodal survival pattern in metastatic uveal melanoma. Secondary aims were to identify the characteristics and prognostic factors associated with long-term survival and to develop a clinical decision tree. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 99 metastatic uveal melanoma patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified as either short (≤ 12 months) or long-term survivors (> 12 months) based on a graphical interpretation of the survival curve after diagnosis of the first metastatic lesion. Ophthalmic and oncological characteristicswere assessed in both groups. RESULTS: Of the 99 patients, 62 (62.6%) were classified as short-term survivors, and 37 (37.4%) as long-term survivors. The multivariate analysis identified the following predictors of long-term survival: age ≤ 65 years (p=0.012) and unaltered serum lactate dehydrogenase levels (p=0.018); additionally, the size (smaller vs. larger) of the largest liver metastasis showed a trend towards significance (p=0.063). Based on the variables significantly associated with long-term survival, we developed a decision tree to facilitate clinical decision-making. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate the existence of a bimodal survival pattern in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. The presence of certain clinical characteristics at diagnosis of distant disease is associated with long-term survival. A decision tree was developed to facilitate clinical decision-making and to counsel patients about the expected course of disease.

Trends in hepatocyte growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and leptin expression levels in uveal melanoma patient serum and tumor tissues: correlation to disease progression.

This exploratory study was carried out to determine the expression levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), insulin-like growth factor 1, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and leptin in serum and tumor samples from patients with uveal melanoma and to investigate the potential association of these expression levels with disease progression and patient survival. Seventeen patients, including nine nonmetastatic and eight metastatic, were included in the study. Eighteen healthy individuals served as controls. The levels of these four proteins in serum and tissue samples were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Associations between protein levels and survival, disease progression, and other clinicopathological factors were analyzed statistically. Serum levels of HGF were significantly higher and TSH levels were lower in uveal melanoma patients than in healthy individuals, but the level of neither protein differed significantly between metastatic and nonmetastatic groups. Of the four proteins tested, only serum TSH was significantly associated with patient survival. No correlation was observed between the tissue and serum levels of each protein. The levels of HGF in serum may be markers of uveal melanoma development. The prognostic and predictive values of these potential markers need to be determined in a larger cohort.

Association of tumor and plasma microRNA expression with tumor monosomy-3 in patients with uveal melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic events mediated by methylation and histone modifications have been associated with the development of metastasis in patients with uveal melanoma. The role of epigenetic events mediated by microRNA (miR) is less clear. Tumor and plasma miR expression was examined in patients with primary uveal melanoma with tumor monosomy-3, a predictor of metastasis. RESULTS: miR profiling of tumors by microarray found six miRs over-expressed and 19 under-expressed in 33 tumors with monosomy-3 compared to 22 without. None of the miRs differentially expressed in tumors with and without monosomy-3 was differentially expressed in tumors with and without tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Tumors manifesting monosomy-3 were also characterized by higher levels of TARBP2 and DDX17 and by lower levels of XPO5 and HIWI, miR biogenesis factors. miR profiling of plasma by a quantitative nuclease protection assay found elevated levels of 11 miRs and reduction in four in patients with tumor monosomy-3. Only three miRs differentially expressed in the tumor arrays were detectable in plasma. miRs implicated in uveal melanoma development were not differentially expressed. Elevated plasma levels in patients with tumor monosomy-3 of miR-92b, identified in the tumor array, and of miR-199-5p and miR-223, identified in the plasma array, were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Levels were also higher in patients compared to normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results support a role for epigenetic mechanisms in the development of metastasis in patients with uveal melanoma and the analysis of miRs as biomarkers of metastatic risk. They also suggest that potentially useful blood miRs may be derived from the host response as well as the tumor.

Analysis of monosomy-3 in immunomagnetically isolated circulating melanoma cells in uveal melanoma patients.

Monosomy-3 in primary uveal melanoma (UM) is associated with a high risk of metastasis and mortality. Although circulating melanoma cells (CMC) can be found in most UM patients, only approximately 50% of the patients develop metastases. We utilized a novel immuno-FISH assay to detect chromosome-3 in intact CMC isolated by dual immunomagnetic enrichment. Circulating melanoma cells were detected in 91% of the patients (n = 44) with primary non-metastatic UM, of which 58% were positive for monosomy-3. The monosomy-3 status of CMC corresponded to the monosomy-3 status of the primary tumor in 10 of the 11 patients where this could be tested. Monosomy-3 in the CMC was associated with an advanced tumor stage (P = 0.046) and was detected in all four patients who developed metastasis within the follow-up period of 4 yr. This non-invasive technique may enable the identification of UM patients at risk for metastasis particularly when a primary tumor specimen is unavailable.

Serum adiponectin, insulin resistance, and uveal melanoma: clinicopathological correlations.

To investigate the status of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and serum adiponectin levels in patients with uveal melanoma and choroidal nevus were investigated. Our study included 86 patients with uveal melanoma, 38 patients with choroidal nevus, and 86 controls. Uveal melanomas were classified as small, medium, and large on the basis of Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) criteria. Patients with uveal melanoma had significantly higher homeostatic model assessment scores compared with patients with choroidal nevus (P<0.001). Patients with uveal melanoma and choroidal nevus had significantly lower levels of serum adiponectin compared with controls (P<0.001). Patients with uveal melanoma who developed systemic metastases had significantly lower levels of serum adiponectin levels compared with patients with nonmetastases during follow-up (P=0.018). When the largest tumors (COMS III) were compared, ciliary body melanomas were associated with significantly lower levels of serum adiponectin than choroidal melanomas. In patients who were treated with enucleation, epitheloid predominant and mixed cell-type tumors were associated with lower levels of serum adiponectin compared with tumors with spindle cell type, but this did not reach statistical significance. By providing an antiapoptotic and proangiogenic environment, low serum adiponectin levels and insulin resistance may play a role in promoting the growth of uveal melanocytic tumors and may contribute toward a more aggressive clinical course, adversely affecting the prognosis.

ME20-S as a Potential Biomarker for the Evaluation of Uveal Melanoma.

PURPOSE: We previously identified the presence of the melanocyte-specific secreted (ME20-S) glycoprotein in secretomes of uveal melanoma (UM) cultures. The aim of this study was to test for the presence and levels of ME20-S in the serum of patients with choroidal nevi and UM and correlate these levels with individual clinical data. METHODS: Serum ME20-S levels were determined by ELISA in 111 patients distributed into four categories (53 choroidal nevi, 30 untreated UM, 11 10-year disease-free [DF] UM, 17 hepatic metastatic UM) and 32 age- and sex-matched controls. ME20-S levels were correlated with individual clinical data. RESULTS: The UM and the metastatic groups showed significantly higher levels of serum ME20-S than the other groups (P < 0.001). ME20-S levels in the DF patients did not differ from those in the control group. In addition, log-transformed serum ME20-S levels showed a positive correlation with the thickness of the lesion mass in UM patients (regression coefficient 0.0689, 95% confidence interval 0.0689-0.1123, R2 = 27.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated ME20-S serum levels are associated with tumor size and advanced stages of UM while low levels are characteristic of DF patients. ME20-S might be a promising serum marker for UM and useful for monitoring metastatic disease.

Potential Role of Soluble c-Met as a New Candidate Biomarker of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

IMPORTANCE: Conventional melanoma serum biomarkers (S100 and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]) perform poorly in patients with uveal melanoma, and the search for new biomarkers is needed. A high expression of the oncoprotein c-Met in primary uveal melanoma is associated with metastatic progression, and c-Met is released as a soluble ectodomain through ADAM10- and ADAM17-mediated cleavage, suggesting a possible role as biomarker. OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential role of soluble c-Met (sc-Met) as a biomarker of uveal melanoma progression in comparison with S100 and LDH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Soluble c-Met was studied in the conditioned medium of 9 uveal melanoma cell lines and in the blood serum samples of 24 mice with uveal melanoma xenografts, 57 patients with uveal melanoma (17 patients whose tumors metastasized and 40 patients whose tumors did not metastasize), and 37 healthy donors. We collected blood samples for as long as 5 years after treatment of the primary tumor. The concentration of sc-Met was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate sensitivity and specificity in the identification of metastatic uveal melanoma. The study began on May 2, 2011, and the last samples were collected in January 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Levels of sc-Met in uveal melanoma cell cultures and in the blood serum samples of xenotransplanted mice, of healthy donors, and of patients with uveal melanoma during follow-up. RESULTS: The conditioned medium of uveal melanoma cell lines and the blood serum samples of mice with uveal melanoma xenografts contained significant levels of sc-Met. Patients with metastatic disease had significantly higher serum levels of sc-Met (median level, 590 ng/mL [range, 246-12,856 ng/mL]) than did patients without metastatic disease (median level, 296 ng/mL [range, 201-469 ng/mL]) (P < .001) and healthy donors (median level, 285 ng/mL [range, 65-463 ng/mL]) (P < .001). Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves for sc-Met levels in patients with nonmetastatic uveal melanoma vs patients with metastatic uveal melanoma yielded an area under the curve of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.68-0.95) (P < .001), which was superior to the areas under the curve achieved with S100 or LDH markers. Patients with progressive metastatic disease showed further increases in sc-Met level, whereas stable patients did not. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The present pilot study suggests that sc-Met should be further exploited as a biomarker for monitoring of uveal melanoma.

miRNA profiling in vitreous humor, vitreal exosomes and serum from uveal melanoma patients: Pathological and diagnostic implications.

Uveal melanoma (UM) represents approximately 5-6% of all melanoma diagnoses and up to 50% of patients succumb to their disease. Although several methods are available, accurate diagnosis is not always easily feasible because of potential accidents (e.g., intraocular hemorrhage). Based on the assumption that the profile of circulating miRNAs is often altered in human cancers, we verified whether UM patients showed different vitreous humor (VH) or serum miRNA profiles with respect to healthy controls. By using TaqMan Low Density Arrays, we analyzed 754 miRNAs from VH, vitreal exosomes, and serum of 6 UM patients and 6 healthy donors: our data demonstrated that the UM VH profile was unique and only partially overlapping with that from serum of the same patients. Whereas, 90% of miRNAs were shared between VH and vitreal exosomes, and their alterations in UM were statistically overlapped with those of VH and vitreal exosomes, suggesting that VH alterations could result from exosomal dysregulation. We report 32 miRNAs differentially expressed in UM patients in at least 2 different types of samples analyzed. We validated these data on an independent cohort of 12 UM patients. Most alterations were common to VH and vitreal exosomes (e.g., upregulation of miR-21,-34 a,-146a). Interestingly, miR-146a was upregulated in the serum of UM patients, as well as in serum exosomes. Upregulation of miR-21 and miR-146a was also detected in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded UM, suggesting that VH or serum alterations in UM could be the consequence of disregulation arising from tumoral cells. Our findings suggest the possibility to detect in VH and serum of UM patients "diagnostic" miRNAs released by the affected eye: based on this, miR-146a could be considered a potential circulating marker of UM.

DJ-1: a promising marker in metastatic uveal melanoma.

PURPOSE: Overexpression of DJ-1 was associated with metastatic uveal melanoma (UM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of serum DJ-1 as a biomarker for metastasis of uveal melanoma. METHODS: Serum DJ-1 levels were determined by ELISA assays in 27 patients with metastatic UM metastatic uveal melanoma and in 76 patients who were disease free for at least 10 years and 30 age- and sex-matched controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the feasibility of DJ-1 in detection of metastatic uveal melanoma. RESULTS: Serum DJ-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with metastatic UM compared with patients who were disease free for at least 10 years (P < 0.001) or with controls (P < 0.001). ROC curve for DJ-1 revealed an area under the curve of 86.3%, and when 3.350 ng/mL was used as the cutoff value, a sensitivity of 74.1% and a specificity of 94.3% were achieved. Comparison of DJ-1 and liver function tests (LFTs) ROC curves indicated that DJ-1 was superior to LFTs in detection of metastatic UM. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that DJ-1 might be a promising serum marker for monitoring metastatic uveal melanoma.

Antibodies reacting with Simian Virus 40 capsid protein mimotopes in serum samples from patients affected by uveal melanoma.

The uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common human intraocular tumour. Simian Virus 40 (SV-40) is a small DNA tumor virus detected in some malignancies, including the cutaneous melanoma. In this study an indirect ELISA using synthetic peptides that mimic SV-40 antigens, was employed to detect antibodies against SV-40 in serum samples from UM patients. Our report indicates a significant higher prevalence of antibodies against SV-40 capsid protein antigens in serum samples from UM patients compared to controls. Our data suggest an association between UM and SV-40, indicating that patients affected by uveal melanoma tested SV-40-positive could be treated by innovative therapies.