Anti-programmed Cell Death-1 Monoclonal Antibody Research Articles

Biomarkers for Predicting Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Antibody Treatment Effects in Head and Neck Cancer.

In recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-HNSCC), survival outcomes are significantly better in patients who receive anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody therapy than in those who receive standard therapy. However, there is no established biomarker that can predict the anti-PD-1 antibody treatment effect and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in these patients. This study investigated the inflammatory and nutritional status in 42 patients with R/M-HNSCC and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) polymorphisms (rs4143815 and rs2282055) in 35 of the 42 patients. The 1- and 2-year overall survival was 59.5% and 28.6%, respectively; the 1- and 2-year first progression-free survival was 19.0% and 9.5%, respectively, and the respective second progression-free survival was 50% and 27.8%. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status (assessed by the geriatric nutritional risk index, modified Glasgow prognostic score, and prognostic nutritional index) were identified as significant indicators of survival outcomes in multivariate analysis. Patients with ancestral alleles in PD-L1 polymorphisms had less frequent irAEs. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status before treatment were closely related to survival outcomes after PD-1 therapy. These indicators can be calculated using routine laboratory data. PD-L1 polymorphisms may be biomarkers for predicting irAEs in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapy.

First-in-human phase 1/2 study of ubamatamab, a MUC16xCD3 bispecific antibody, administered alone or in combination with cemiplimab in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

TPS5624 Background: Mucin-16 is a cell surface glycoprotein that is overexpressed in epithelial ovarian cancer (OC). Ubamatamab (REGN4018) is a mucin-16 x cluster of differentiation 3 (MUC16xCD3) bispecific antibody that promotes T cell–mediated cytotoxicity by facilitating contact between cancer cells and T cells. In mouse model studies, ubamatamab demonstrated dose-dependent antitumor activity against MUC16-expressing OC tumor cells.1 Cemiplimab is an anti–programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody. In a Phase 1 study (NCT03564340) in patients with recurrent OC, ubamatamab monotherapy demonstrated an acceptable safety profile, durable clinical activity across a range of doses between 20 mg and 800 mg intravenous (IV) weekly (as measured by RECIST and cancer antigen 125 [CA-125] response rates), and linear pharmacokinetics up to 800 mg IV weekly.2 These clinical data support further evaluation of a once every 3-week (Q3W) regimen of ubamatamab alone and in combination with cemiplimab. The study is currently recruiting patients to combination dose escalation, monotherapy dose expansion, and the randomized Phase 2 cohort. Methods: In Phase 2, up to 150 patients with advanced platinum-resistant OC and elevated serum cancer antigen-125 will be randomized to three arms (1:1:1) to receive ubamatamab 250 mg IV Q3W or 800 mg IV Q3W as monotherapy, or ubamatamab 250 mg IV Q3W in combination with cemiplimab 350 mg Q3W. All arms will include weekly step-up dosing of ubamatamab (1 mg week 1, 20 mg week 2, and full dose weeks 3 and 4) to limit risk of cytokine release syndrome prior to proceeding to Q3W dosing. Expansion cohorts will use a Simon 2-stage study design, with an interim analysis after the first 20 patients. Any arm with ≥3 objective responses will be expanded to 50 patients. The primary objective of the dose expansion phase is to assess the preliminary efficacy of ubamatamab as monotherapy or in combination with cemiplimab, separately by cohort. Secondary objectives include characterization of the safety profile by cohort, and the pharmacokinetics of ubamatamab alone or in combination with cemiplimab, as well as patient-reported outcomes for all cohorts. In this dose expansion phase the primary endpoint will be the objective response rate for each arm as defined by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Secondary endpoints include evaluation of duration of response and progression-free survival as well as further evaluation of safety and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory endpoints include evaluation of baseline tumor MUC16 immunohistochemistry expression and other biomarkers as predictors of response. The impact of ubamatamab on quality of life and physical functioning will also be assessed.

Pembrolizumab induced-C3 glomerulonephritis and RBC cast nephropathy: a case report

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly being used in the treatment of several cancers. Pembrolizumab is an anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) monoclonal antibody that is approved for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pembrolizumab-associated renal toxicity is relatively rare, even in pembrolizumab-associated glomerulonephritis. In this study, we report a rare case of pembrolizumab-induced C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) and RBC cast nephropathy.Case presentationA 68-year-old man with NSCLC was receiving treatment with pembrolizumab. After 19 cycles of pembrolizumab therapy, he presented with gross hematuria, severe lower-limb edema and oliguria. Laboratory tests revealed hypoalbuminemia, increased serum creatinine and low serum C3 level. Renal biopsy revealed a typical membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis accompanied by remarkable RBC casts in tubular cavities and tubulointerstitial infiltration of CD8-positive lymphocytes. Based on C3-only immunofluorescence deposit on glomeruli, a diagnosis of C3GN was made. Pembrolizumab was considered the cause of C3GN. Pembrolizumab was discontinued immediately, and 60 mg/day of prednisone was initiated. One dose of cyclophosphamide (400 mg, IV) was also administered. Upon treatment, his symptoms improved rapidly and serum creatinine decreased a lot. However, the patient became dialysis dependent eventually.ConclusionThis is the first case of C3GN with RBC cast nephropathy caused by ICIs. This rare case caused by the prolonged use of pembrolizumab further strengthens the relationship between ICIs and C3GN. Thus, periodic evaluation of urine and renal function is recommended in patients receiving pembrolizumab and other ICIs.

Abstract 6330: Countering antidrug antibodies to programmed cell death-1 blockade in mouse Pten-null prostate cancer

Abstract Therapeutic biologics have the potential to elicit immune responses that results in the development anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). ADAs that develop after immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) limit their therapeutic efficacy and increase the risk of adverse events. Mitigating ADAs would improve the efficacy of antibody-based therapeutics and identifying reliable biomarkers would allow for rational, evidence-based criteria for tailoring treatments. However, detecting ADAs is challenging and data regarding their biology and means to counter this phenomenon are limited. Here, we examined the development of ADAs to anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibodies in a mouse model Pten/Trp53-null (DKO) prostate cancer and countered their negative effect with systemic administration of a JAK1/2 inhibitor. Like human prostate cancer, adding PD-L1 ICB to androgen deprivation therapy has failed to produce a therapeutic effect in DKO cancer model. Our analysis showed that tumor-bearing DKO mice have increased levels of peripheral dendritic cells (pDC) of which >80% exhibited high levels of PD-L1. Given this finding, we developed a system to monitor the development of ADAs against two murine anti-PD-L1 (aPD-L1) monoclonal antibodies clone 80 and 10F9.G2. Pharmacodynamic studies showed that a single-dose administration of the blocking antibodies effectively neutralized PD-L1 in pDC that lasted for four days. Chronic (twice/week) dosing of the aPD-L1 antibodies strongly neutralized PD-L1 in pDCs, but the efficacy waned after 22 days. Using crossover approach, consisting of clone 10F9.G2 dosing for two weeks followed by clone 80, extended PD-L1 blockade in pDCs to 36 days, but did not improve antitumor activity. Blocking STAT3 signaling with the JAK1/2 inhibitor AZD1480 restored PD-L1 blockade in pDCs and was associated with improved reduction of tumor burden. Further analysis showed improved neutralization of PD-L1 in cancer cells and tumor infiltrating immune cells in mice treated with AZD1480. These effects were associated with greater T and NK cell reactivity in tumors. Our study shows that the presence of ADAs is associated with lack of antitumor responses to ant-PD-L1 blockade in a preclinical model of prostate cancer and provides additional data that will improve our understanding of ADAs against immune checkpoint inhibitors. This study also offers an approach to monitor ADA development and a platform to investigate novel approaches to target ADAs. Citation Format: Marco A. De Velasco, Yurie Kura, Noriko Sako, Naomi Ando, Kazutoshi Fujita, Mitsuhisa Nishimoto, Kazuko Sakai, Kazuhiro Yoshimura, Masahiro Nozawa, Scott A. Hammond, Simon J. Dovedi, Barry R. Davies, Kazuto Nishio, Hirotsugu Uemura. Countering antidrug antibodies to programmed cell death-1 blockade in mouse Pten-null prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6330.

197TiP First-in-human (FIH) phase I/II study of ubamatamab, a MUC16xCD3 bispecific antibody, administered alone or in combination with cemiplimab in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer (OC)

Mucin-16 is a cell surface glycoprotein that is overexpressed in epithelial OC. Ubamatamab (REGN4018) is a mucin-16 x cluster of differentiation 3 (MUC16xCD3) bispecific antibody that promotes T cell–mediated cytotoxicity by facilitating contact between cancer cells and T cells. Cemiplimab is an anti–programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody. The phase 1 study in patients with recurrent OC found ubamatamab monotherapy had an acceptable safety profile, durable clinical activity across a range of doses (as measured by RECIST and cancer antigen 125 [CA-125] response rates), and linear pharmacokinetics up to 800 mg weekly intravenous (IV)1.

Anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody therapy before or after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for classic Hodgkin lymphoma: a literature review.

Approximately 10-30% of patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) have relapsed or refractory (r/r) disease after standard first-line therapy. Clinical trials have shown an acceptable safety profile and high response rate for anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibodies (anti-PD-1 mAbs) in patients with r/r cHL. Although anti-PD-1 mAbs have significantly increased treatment options for r/r cHL, most patients eventually relapse. In the current era, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is still a clinical option for r/r cHL. Anti-PD-1 mAbs have been explored as bridging therapy to allo-HCT and salvage therapy for relapse after allo-HCT. Although early reports showed increased risks of severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients who received anti-PD-1 mAb before or allo-HCT, survival outcomes were favorable, suggesting the feasibility of PD-1 blockade around the time of allo-HCT. Based on clinical and biological data, posttransplant cyclophosphamide-based GVHD prophylaxis is a promising strategy to reduce GVHD and improve survival after allo-HCT following PD-1 blockade. Close monitoring and early intervention are needed for treatment-emergent GVHD following PD-1 blockade after allo-HCT. Further studies with a larger cohort and extended follow-up will provide insights into better patient selection, optimal dosing, and strategies to manage complications of PD-1 blockade in the context of allo-HCT.

Improvement in recurring nivolumab-induced pneumonitis with repetitive administration of infliximab in a patient with head and neck cancer: A case report

Severe pneumonitis induced by nivolumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody, is a rare but potentially fatal immune-related adverse event. In cases of steroid-refractory pneumonitis, an appropriate therapeutic strategy using anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antibody has not been established. A 59-year-old female was diagnosed with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Previous therapies including chemoradiotherapy and throat laryngectomy were performed, but metastatic recurrence appeared in the intrapulmonary and mediastinal lymph nodes. The patient was administered nivolumab. On the 14th day of nivolumab administration, the patient experienced dyspnea and computed tomography of the chest showed multiple consolidations in the right lung. She was diagnosed with nivolumab-induced pneumonitis. Because the pneumonitis was refractory to steroid therapy, she was administered infliximab, and the pneumonitis improved. On the 72nd and 101st days of nivolumab administration, nivolumab-induced pneumonitis re-appeared with an elevated serum TNF-α concentration. In each occurrence of pneumonitis, repetitive administration of infliximab improved the pneumonitis. Repetitive administration of infliximab may be effective for treating recurrent nivolumab-induced pneumonitis that is associated with an increased serum TNF-α concentration.

PD-1 Blockade for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Research and Future Prospects.

The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has witnessed radical changes over the last few years, with the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in clinical practice, namely the combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab as the standard of care for first-line treatment of advanced HCC. The immunosuppressive microenvironment of the chronically inflamed liver makes HCC a fertile ground for the use of ICI. This review focuses on anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAb), which have been extensively studied, as monotherapy, in combination with other ICI or with antiangiogenic agents. Currently, anti-PD-1 agents are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for second-line treatment in advanced HCC: nivolumab, alone or in combination with ipilimumab, and pembrolizumab. Lack of demonstration of survival benefit in first and second line led to the investigation of PD-1 agents in combination with multi-kinase inhibitors, with a number of first-line treatment regimens being actively investigated. Mounting evidence suggests a potential role of PD-1 blockade as adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapies. A key challenge remains the identification of biomarkers of response, since only a minority of patients appear to benefit from ICI.

Characterization of Immune Infiltration and Construction of a Prediction Model for Overall Survival in Melanoma Patients.

Reports indicate that the use of anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and death ligand-1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of patients diagnosed with melanoma has demonstrated promising efficacy. Nonetheless, this therapy is limited by the resistance induced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). As such, understanding the complexity of the TME is vital in enhancing the efficiency of immunotherapy. This study used four different methods to estimate the infiltrating level of immune cells. Besides, we analyzed their infiltration pattern in primary and metastatic melanoma obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. As a consequence, we discovered a significantly higher infiltration of immune cells in metastatic melanoma compared to primary tumor. Consensus clustering identified four clusters in melanoma with different immune infiltration and clusters with higher immune infiltration demonstrated a better overall survival. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of immune cell infiltration, the four clusters were subdivided into two subtypes denoted as hot and cold tumors based on immune infiltration and predicted immune response. Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed different transcriptome alterations in two types of tumors. Additionally, we found tyrosinase-related protein1 (TYRP1) was negatively correlated with CD8A expression. In vitro experiments showed that knockdown TYRP1 promoted the expression of HLA-A, B, and C. Eventually, we constructed a prediction model which was validated in our external cohort. Notably, this model also performed effectively in predicting the survival of patients under immunotherapy. In summary, this work provides a deeper understanding of the state of immune infiltration in melanoma and a prediction model that might guide the clinical treatment of patients with melanoma.

Hepatic encephalopathy induced by Lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 mAb in a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

Previous studies have reported that the combinational therapy of Lenvatinib and anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) produced a longer overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The current case report presented a a patient with HCC who had hepatic encephalopathy (HE) following treatment with Lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 mAb. The 42-year-old patient was diagnosed with stage IVa HCC accompanied with cirrhosis and Child-Pugh C. Computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed collateral circulation of the portal vein, causing significant varicose veins in the gastric fundus, mesenteric varices and colon edema. The patient was administered 12 mg Lenvatinib once daily combined with 240 mg anti-PD-1 mAb. After 3 days of treatment, he presented with a disorder of psychoneurosis and blood ammonia (248 µg/dl; normal levels, 40-80 µg/dl). A cranial CT scan exhibited no significant abnormalities. The patient rapidly progressed from grade 1 to grade 3 HE. Lenvatinib treatment was discontinued. After admission to the intensive care unit, the patient's blood ammonia level dropped to 132 µg/dl, after which he was discharged. It was concluded that the portal vein collateral circulation in the patient with HCC may have caused HE development whilst receiving Lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 mAb combinational therapy.

Mechanisms of Pharmaceutical Therapy and Drug Resistance in Esophageal Cancer.

Pharmaceutical therapies are essential for esophageal cancer (EC). For the advanced EC, the neoadjuvant therapy regimen, including chemotherapy plus radiotherapy and/or immunotherapy, is effective to achieve clinical benefit, even pathological complete response. For the unresectable, recurrent, and metastatic EC, the pharmaceutical therapy is the limited effective regimen to alleviate the disease and prolong the progression-free survival and overall survival. In this review, we focus on the pharmaceutical applications in EC treatment including cytotoxic agents, molecular targeted antibodies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The chemotherapy regimen is based on cytotoxic agents such as platinum-based complexes, fluorinated pyrimidines and taxenes. Although the cytotoxic agents have been developed in past decades, the standard chemotherapy regimen is still the cisplatin and 5-FU or paclitaxel because the derived drugs have no significant advantages of overcoming the shortcomings of side effects and drug resistance. The targeted molecular therapy is an essential supplement for chemotherapy; however, there are only a few targeted therapies available in clinical practice. Trastuzumab and ramucirumab are the only two molecular therapy drugs which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced and/or metastatic EC. Although the targeted therapy usually achieves effective benefits in the early stage therapy of EC, the patients will always develop drug resistance during treatment. ICIs have had a significant impact on routine clinical practice in cancer treatment. The anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibodies pembrolizumab and nivolumab, as the ICIs, are recommended for advanced EC by several clinical trials. However, the significant issues of pharmaceutical treatment are still the dose-limiting side effects and primary or secondary drug resistance. These defects of pharmaceutical therapy restrain the clinical application and diminish the effectiveness of treatment.

Safety and efficacy of anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibodies before and after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: a multicenter retrospective study.

We conducted a multicenter study on anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibodies (anti-PD-1 mAbs) before/after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) for Hodgkin lymphoma. Anti-PD-1 mAbs were administered to 25 patients before allo-HCT and to 20 after allo-HCT. In pre-allo-HCT setting, the median interval from the last administration to allo-HCT was 59days. After allo-HCT, 12 patients developed non-infectious febrile syndrome requiring high-dose corticosteroid. The cumulative incidences of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) were 47.1%. Eight patients who had GvHD prophylaxis with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) had less frequent aGvHD (grade II-IV, 14.6% versus 58.8%; P = 0.086). The 1year overall survival (OS), relapse/progression, and non-relapse mortality rates were 81.3%, 27.9%, and 8.4%. In post-allo-HCT setting, the median interval from allo-HCT to the first administration was 589days. The overall and complete response rates were 75% and 40%. At 100days after anti-PD-1 therapy, the cumulative incidences of grade II-IV aGvHD, moderate-to-severe chronic GvHD, and grade 3-4 immune-related toxicity were 15.0%, 30.0%, and 30.0%. While the 1year relapse/progression rate was 47.4%, the 1year OS probability was 89.7%. In conclusion, immune-related complications were frequent despite modifications of GvHD prophylaxis or anti-PD-1 mAb dosing. In anti-PD-1-mAb-pretreated patients, PTCy-based GvHD prophylaxis may be effective.

Stability of nivolumab in its original vials after opening and handing in normal saline bag for intravenous infusion

ObjectivesNivolumab is an anti–programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody, approved for numerous indications in oncohaematological cancers. It is available as solution for infusion at 10 mg/ml. In accordance with the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPCs), the product is stable for 24 h at 2–8 °C after dilution. However, to anticipate the needs and constraints related to the handling of the product, the aim was to obtain additional information that will contribute to the risk assessment in case of deviation. Potential changes in the stability of Opdivo® leftovers (10 mg/ml) and diluted nivolumab in normal saline solution (2 mg/ml) over a period exceeding 24 h, at different temperatures and after freezing/thawing cycles were studied. MethodsTurbidimetry, Ultraviolet (UV)-spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and chromatography were used to evaluate physicochemical stability. Potential pharmacological variations were monitored in vitro by a functional binding inhibition method. ResultsNo change was detected after 1 month of storage at 2–8 °C neither after 7 days at 40 °C. Although slight changes were detected only after 3 months under 2–8 °C, major changes were found for the same period of time at 40 °C (variants in the distribution profile, slight increase in oligomers and fragments and UV spectral modifications). Physical instability was observed upon 3 freeze/thaw cycles, with the appearance of a new protein population associated with an increase in polydispersity index. ConclusionIn conclusion, our results provide additional rationale to the SmPCs, regarding the use of leftovers, reassignment of bags, pre-preparation or breaking the cold chain for Nivolumab.

PD-1 blockade inhibits osteoclast formation and murine bone cancer pain.

Emerging immune therapy, such as with the anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) monoclonal antibody nivolumab, has shown efficacy in tumor suppression. Patients with terminal cancer suffer from cancer pain as a result of bone metastasis and bone destruction, but how PD-1 blockade affects bone cancer pain remains unknown. Here, we report that mice lacking Pdcd1 (Pd1-/-) demonstrated remarkable protection against bone destruction induced by femoral inoculation of Lewis lung cancer cells. Compared with WT mice, Pd1-/- mice exhibited increased baseline pain sensitivity, but the development of bone cancer pain was compromised in Pd1-/- mice. Consistently, these beneficial effects in Pd1-/- mice were recapitulated by repeated i.v. applications of nivolumab in WT mice, even though nivolumab initially increased mechanical and thermal pain. Notably, PD-1 deficiency or nivolumab treatment inhibited osteoclastogenesis without altering tumor burden. PD-L1 and CCL2 are upregulated within the local tumor microenvironment, and PD-L1 promoted RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis through JNK activation and CCL2 secretion. Bone cancer upregulated CCR2 in primary sensory neurons, and CCR2 antagonism effectively reduced bone cancer pain. Our findings suggest that, despite a transient increase in pain sensitivity following each treatment, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy could produce long-term benefits in preventing bone destruction and alleviating bone cancer pain by suppressing osteoclastogenesis.

Correlation of immunity-related adverse events with survival and response to anti-PD-1 treatment in patients with metastatic melanoma.

e15164 Background: Immunotherapy has become a standard treatment option for metastatic melanoma patients, and the use of anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibodies (anti-PD-1) has significantly improved the outcomes of this group of patients. Immune related adverse events (irAEs) during anti-PD-1 treatment may present a significant problem. However, irAEs' relationship with overall survival although suggested in single studies was not confirmed in real world data. Methods: Consecutive patients starting treatment between March 2016 and April 2019 with fist line anti-PD-1 (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) for unresectable or metastatic melanoma in 6 comprehensive cancer centers in Poland were enrolled in the study. Baseline patients characteristics and irAEs development during treatment were evaluated to identify predictors of progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival in Cox model. PFS and OS were assessed using Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Overall, 410 patients were included in the present analysis and 107 patients experienced irAEs. Response rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 36% (148 pts) and 65% (267 pts) respectively. Median PFS and OS were 7.6 (2.8–21.6) and 21.6 (6.7–38.2) months, respectively. In univariate analysis normal LDH level, no brain metastases, ECOG 0 or 1, ≤ 2 number of metastases locations were positive prognostic factors for both OS and PFS. At the same time irAEs occurrence was correlated with longer PFS, OS, RR and DCR (all p < 0.001); moreover high LDH level correlated with irAEs (p = 0.027) development. There was no correlation between irAEs and the number of cycles of anti-PD-1 patients received. Conclusions: Our study showed an association between irAEs and longer survival on anti-PD1 therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma. An association with irAEs and response to therapy has also been demonstrated.

Pembrolizumab-induced hypothyroidism caused reversible increased serum creatinine levels: a case report

BackgroundThe advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with advanced malignancies. On the other hand, these drugs might cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including endocrinopathies and nephropathies. Thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common irAEs. For ICIs-induced nephropathies, most cases are due to tubulointerstitial nephritis, which might require steroid treatment. Here, we report a patient with non-small cell lung cancer treated with ICI who developed increased serum creatinine (s-Cr) levels due to ICIs-induced hypothyroidism.Case presentationA 57-year-old Asian man with refractory non-small cell lung cancer under ICIs therapy (pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody) developed increased s-Cr levels 5 months after the pembrolizumab initiation. His laboratory data, renal biopsy, and Gallium-67 scintigraphy findings denied pembrolizumab-induced tubulointerstitial nephritis. His renal function was correlated with thyroid function. Despite the increase of s-Cr levels, serum cystatin C levels were normal, which could be explained by the hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment improved renal function as well as thyroid function. Then pembrolizumab was resumed, and both his thyroid and renal function remained normal level. Ultimately, we concluded that the increased s-Cr levels were caused by pembrolizumab-induced hypothyroidism.ConclusionAll clinicians involved in ICI treatment need to recognize the possible increase in s-Cr levels caused by ICIs-induced hypothyroidism, and we propose monitoring serum cystatin C levels to differentiate ICIs-induced hypothyroidism from tubulointerstitial nephritis before invasive renal biopsies or steroid treatment, which are recommended by the prescribing information for pembrolizumab, are performed.

The daily practice reality of PD-L1 (CD274) evaluation in non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study.

Treatment with pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PDCD-1) monoclonal antibody for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) requires prior immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of the expression of the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) (also known as CD274 molecule) which is a heterogeneous and complex marker. The present study aimed to investigate how pathological and technical factors (such as tumor location and sampling type, respectively) may affect the PD-L1 evaluation in patients with NSCLC in the daily practice of pathology laboratories. The current study was retrospective, and included 454 patients with NSCLC, for whom PD-L1 expression analysis by IHC was prospectively performed between November 2016 and January 2018. The association between PD-L1 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients was statistically investigated using either the χ2 and Fisher exact tests or the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, depending on whether PD-L1 expression was assessed in three large categories (<1, 1–49, ≥50%) or in more precise percentages. Furthermore, the same statistical methodology was used to analyze the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression according to its sampling type (cytology, biopsy or surgical specimen) and its location (primary tumor, lymph node or distant metastasis). Intra- and inter-observer discrepancies were also studied using double-blind evaluation and concordance analyses based on the weighted κ coefficient. The results demonstrated a significant association between PD-L1 expression and sample location (P=0.005), histological type (P=0.026), total number of mutations (P=0.004) and KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase mutations (P=0.024). In addition, sampling type did not influence PD-L1 expression. The inter- and intra-observer discrepancies were 15% and between 16 and 17.5%, respectively. The present study confirmed that evaluation of PD-L1 expression by IHC can be performed on all types of samples. In addition, the results from the current study highlighted the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression among the different types of sample location. In complex cases, a second evaluation of PD-L1 expression by IHC would be performed due to intra- and inter-observer discrepancies.

Pembrolizumab and concurrent hypo-fractionated radiotherapy for advanced non-resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most frequent non-melanoma skin cancer. Treatment options for inoperable advanced cSCC cases are limited. The efficacy of anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAb) has been reported recently in some patients with cSCC. To evaluate the efficacy of anti-PD-1 mAb in a case series of inoperable advanced cSCC and to analyse the efficacy of concurrent radiotherapy. We retrospectively analysed the files of all patients with advanced inoperable cSCC treated with anti-PD-1 mAb and concurrent radiotherapy outside clinical trials in our skin cancer centre before December 31, 2017. A total of four patients with locally or regionally advanced cSCC were identified. All patients received pembrolizumab at 2mg/kg every three weeks and concurrent radiotherapy. Two patients who received pembrolizumab as first-line therapy with concurrent radiotherapy (one with skull and leptomeningeal invasion and one with rapidly progressing regional cSCC) had a complete response, allowing treatment discontinuation, without recurrence after a median of 11 months off treatment. All other patients experienced progressive disease. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 14.4 and 15.6 months, respectively. No toxicity was observed. There appears to be a place for pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for unresectable or advanced cSCC. Further studies are needed to evaluate concomitant radiotherapy with anti-PD1 antibodies.

961P - First results of safety profile of nivolumab (NIVO) in combination with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in II and III line of patients (pts) with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in NIVES study

BackgroundNIVO is an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody; it might work even better when combined with SBRT improving clinical outcomes with a phenomenon known as abscopal effect. To date there are limited data on safety profile of combined SBRT and NIVO in mRCC. We report for the first time the toxicities occurred in phase II NIVES Study. MethodsThis is a phase II, single arm, multicentre study in pts with mRCC with progression disease after≤2 prior anti-angiogenic therapies and with measurable non-brain metastatic sites, at least one of which potentially suitable for SBRT. The pts included received hypofractionated radiation in one lesion at dose of 10Gy/3 fractions after 7 days from the first infusion of NIVO. NIVO will be given as flat dose of 240mg on day 1 every 14 days for 6 months, then switch to 480mg q4-weekly in responding pts until PD or unacceptable toxicity. Descriptive statistics are reported for patient/tumor/treatment characteristics and observed severe Adverse Events (AEs) graded by CTCAE v. 4.03. ResultsSixty-nine pts were enrolled from July 2017 to March 2019 in 11 Italian centers. 79.7% of pts had clear cell histology, median age was 67 years (range 43-85), 82.6% were male. ECOG PS was 0 in 57 pts (82.6%), only 18.8% pts had received 2 previous lines of therapy. The most frequent sites of SBRT were lung (39.4% of pts), lymphonodes (16.7%) and bone (10.6%). Toxicities of grade (G) 3-4 related to NIVO were experienced in 13 pts (18.8%); all G3-4 toxicities were outside of the irradiated area. The most frequently observed G3-4 treatment-related AEs included diarrhea (5.8%), fatigue (4.3%), anemia (2.9%) and increase of amylase/lipase (2.9%). To date no G3-4 pneumonitis were observed. Six pts (8.7%) were hospitalized due to treatment-related SAEs. Overall, 5 of 69 treated pts (7.2%) discontinued therapy because of G3-4 AEs. At the time of this analysis 32/69 pts (46%) are still on treatment. ConclusionsConcurrent NIVO plus SBRT is generally well tolerated, without increased rates of common severe toxicity. Definitive data of toxicities and efficacy of the combination of immunotherapy and radiotherapy are not yet mature. Clinical trial identificationNCT03469713. Legal entity responsible for the studyGOIRC. FundingGOIRC. DisclosureC. Masini: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS, Janssen, Astellas, Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi. U.F.F. De Giorgi: Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca, Roche, Sanofi; Advisory / Consultancy: Astellas, Bayer, BMS, Ipsen, Janssen, Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS, Ipsen, Janssen, Pfizer. S. Buti: Advisory / Consultancy: BMS, Pfizer, MSD. M. Milella: Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, EUSA Pharma. M.G. Vitale: Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Astellas, Ipsen, Janssen, Pierre Fabre, BMS, Pfizer, Novartis; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Astellas, Pfizer, Ipsen, Janssen, BMS, Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: Janssen, BMS. G. Procopio: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Bayer, BMS, Ipsen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer. F. Nole: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS, Ipsen, Pfizer, Bayer, Novartis, MSD. G. Pappagallo: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Ipsen, BMS, Astellas, Janssen, Bayer, Pfizer, Novartis. C. Pinto: Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche, BMS, MSD, Janssen, Pfizer, Novartis, Ipsen, Lilly, Bayer. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

18F-FDG uptake in PET/CT is a potential predictive biomarker of response to anti-PD-1 antibody therapy in non-small cell lung cancer

To examine the association between 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and the response to anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, 89 patients with advanced or recurrent NSCLC were retrospectively analysed. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in 18F-FDG PET/CT and the response to anti-PD-1 antibodies were recorded. A cut-off value of SUVmax was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for patient stratification. Among the 89 patients evaluated, 24 were classified as responders (all partial response), and 65 as non-responders. The average SUVmax of the responders was 15.60 (range, 6.44–51.10), which was significantly higher than that of the non-responders (11.61; range, 2.13–32.75; P = 0.0168, Student’s t-test). The cut-off SUVmax value selected for stratification was 11.16 (sensitivity and specificity, 0.792 and 0.585, respectively). The response rate of patients with SUVmax value ≥ 11.16 (41.3% [19/46]) was significantly higher than that of patients with SUVmax < 11.16 (11.6% [5/43], P = 0.0012, Chi-squared test). The SUVmax in 18F-FDG PET/CT is a potential predictive marker of response to anti-PD-1 antibody therapy in NSCLC patients. Further prospective studies of large populations are necessary to validate these results.