Spondyloarthropathies
Abstract #1115: New Biomarkers in Monitoring Disease Activity in Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Treated with TNF-a Inhibitors
Authors: Pedersen, et. al.
Purpose: This study is to assess whether different laboratory studies may help to determine the ongoing activity of spondyloarthritis and the response to therapy.
Methods: 36 patients were studied (24 with AS, 12 with PsA) to evaluate clinical assessments and levels of specific biomarkers obtained over one year before and after the introduction of TNF inhibitors. These biomarkers were plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (pVEGF), and serum human cartilage glycoprotein-39 (sYKL).
Results: At baseline, 36 patients had elevation in all three biomarkers compared to healthy controls. IL-6 was higher at baseline in responders compared to non-responders. With treatment, IL-6 levels and pVEGF levels decreased significantly in the 20 patients who were responders. There was no significant change seen in the 10 non-responders to IL-6, pVEGF, and sYKL levels with treatment.
Comment: There is greater and greater interest in the role of biomarkers in not only determining disease activity, but also in offering some prognostic indication of which patients may respond. As these studies are further conducted and evaluated, it is hoped that we will have better tools for such decision making in determining when to start biologic therapy as well as how aggressively we should treat these diseases.