Investigation of the impact of serum electrolytes on the efficacy of immune-checkpoint blockade for solid cancer

Some studies have shown that salt (sodium) can affect the immune system. Recently, two studies found that high salt levels impact CD8+ T-cells, a type of immune cell that helps fight infections and cancer. A high-salt diet has also been shown to slow tumor growth in mice by changing certain immune cells.

In our recent work on bladder and kidney cancer, we found that sodium levels in the blood can predict how well patients respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICB), a cancer treatment that helps the immune system attack cancer cells. Since sodium is easy and cheap to measure, this could be important because there aren’t many good ways to predict ICB effectiveness.

In our project, we will study how different electrolytes (like sodium) in the blood affect ICB treatment. We’ll look at how these levels might predict overall survival, how long cancer stays under control, and how well patients respond to treatment. We’ll also explore if combining different electrolyte (essential minerals found in the blood, like sodium, calcium and potassium which are vital to many key functions in the body) levels can help us predict outcomes even better and test this across different trials.