scholarly journals Risk factors for cancer-associated thrombosis in patients undergoing treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1200-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosuke Ando ◽  
Takahiro Hayashi ◽  
Reiko Sugimoto ◽  
Seira Nishibe ◽  
Kaori Ito ◽  
...  

SummaryPurpose Anticancer agents are known to increase cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) onset. CAT onset rate is reported to be 1.92% in cisplatin-based therapy, 6.1% in paclitaxel plus ramucirumab combination therapy, and 11.9% in bevacizumab monotherapy. Because immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) cause a sudden increase in T cell number, an association between administration of these drugs and increase in CAT incidence is likely. However, the extent to which ICI administration affects CAT incidence remains unclear. Further, risk factors for CAT incidence have not yet been identified. The present study investigated CAT incidence and associated risk factors in patients receiving ICI. Methods Patients administered nivolumab or pembrolizumab at Fujita Health University Hospital from April 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled. We collected retrospective data regarding age, sex, cancer type, BMI, medical history, laboratory data at treatment initiation, medications, and computed tomography (CT) interpretations from electronic medical records. Results We identified 122 eligible participants from 135 patients receiving nivolumab or pembrolizumab. Ten patients (8.2%) developed CAT. A history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) or arterial thromboembolism (ATE) was a risk factor for CAT incidence (odds ratio: 6.36, P = 0.039). A history of heart disease may be a risk factor for CAT incidence (odds ratio 6.56, P = 0.052). Significantly higher usage of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy was noted in patients who developed CAT (60%) than in those who did not (13.4%, p < 0.01). Conclusion High (8.2%) CAT incidence during ICI administration suggested that ICI is not associated with a lower blood clot risk than other anticancer agents investigated in previous studies. For patients with VTE, ATE, or heart disease history, it is crucial to consider the possibility of CAT even with antiplatelet therapy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. e236357
Author(s):  
Mary Sessums ◽  
Siva Yarrarapu ◽  
Pramod K Guru ◽  
Devang K Sanghavi

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionised cancer therapy in the past decade. Although they have been indicated to treat a diverse range of malignant neoplasms, they are also associated with various immune-related adverse effects. We report the case of a 74-year-old man with a history of urothelial carcinoma who had atezolizumab-induced myocarditis and myositis resulting in acute hypercapnic respiratory failure, despite the discontinuation of atezolizumab and aggressive treatment with corticosteroids. This case highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for early diagnosis and treatment of immune-related adverse events. Physicians must be aware of the risks associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and have a basic knowledge regarding their management.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4606
Author(s):  
Tzu-Fei Wang ◽  
Alok A. Khorana ◽  
Marc Carrier

Thromboembolism is a common complication in patients with cancer and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Anticancer treatment is a known risk factor of cancer-associated thrombosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a mainstay of treatment in various cancers. Both venous and arterial thrombosis have been increasingly reported as adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in recent studies, with a cumulative incidence of venous thrombosis to be 5–8% at 6 months and over 10% at 12 months. Additionally, rates of approximately 1–5% for arterial thrombosis were reported at 12 months. Data also showed an association of thromboembolism with adverse survival. Many pertinent clinical questions in this population deserve further investigation, including the risks of thrombosis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors as compared to those with traditional systemic therapy, associated risk factors, and the optimal prevention and treatment strategies. In this review, we synthesize data from available literature, provide relevant information for clinicians and potential future directions for research.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Tarun ◽  
Brian P Bostick ◽  
Deepa Baswaraj ◽  
Nishchayjit Basra ◽  
Meeshal Khan ◽  
...  

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have emerged as a promising, novel therapy for multiple malignancies. Immune-related adverse reactions pose a serious concern with use of these agents and reportedly involve multiple organ systems, notably cardiotoxicity. Early identification and management of these adverse events is essential in the prevention of morbidity and mortality. Hypothesis: Immune checkpoint inhibitors cause multiple cardiotoxic effects, and patients with prior cardiac history have a higher likelihood of cardiotoxicity. Methods: 1. A retrospective analysis of 150 patients was performed who had received immunotherapy with either the cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen 4 inhibitors (CTLA4) or with the programmed cell death inhibitors (PD1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors for a period of two years at a Tertiary health Care from 7/1/2016-6/30/2018. 2. Patients' cardiac diagnoses prior to the initiation of therapy were noted and included, including history of heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and sudden cardiac arrest. 3. Patients’ clinic visits and hospitalizations with admitting and discharge diagnosis, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, troponin T, and NT-proBNP were reviewed. Results: 6% of patients had new onset heart failure (both preserved and reduced), 1.3% had evidence of myocardial infarction, 2% had new atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate, and 0.6% had fulminant myocarditis. Of patients with new cardiac events, 60% had a history of cardiac disease, which was significantly higher than in patients without (p< 0.05). There were no age or sex differences between the groups with and without cardiotoxicity. Conclusion: Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors have broadened the horizon for treatment of multiple solid and hematological malignancies. Nonetheless, new adverse effects on multiple organ systems, specifically cardiac involvement, occur with these therapies, which are important and potentially detrimental toxicities. Patients with a history of prior cardiovascular disease have higher likelihood to develop cardiotoxicity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swarna Nalluru ◽  
Paramrajan Piranavan ◽  
Anvesh Narimiti ◽  
Ahmad D. Siddiqui ◽  
George M. Abraham

Abstract BACKGROUNDAlong with antitumor effects, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICPI) have shown great potential in treating chronic infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B and malaria, in ex-vivo studies. However, several case reports and case series have suggested an increased infection risk in cancer patients. The purpose of our study was to assess the risk of infections in cancer patients receiving ICPI. We also attempted to evaluate the role of a multidisciplinary approach (Oncology and Infectious disease specialists) and the cost associated with treatment. METHODS:Records on all cancer patients over age ≥18 years old who had received at least one dose of ICPI between 2015 to 2018 at a major community teaching hospital in the central Massachusetts region were reviewed. Several risk factors associated with infection were identified. A two-tailed, unpaired t-test was used to analyze the association between risk factors and infection. We calculated the cumulative length of stay (LOS) and cost per admission with a multidisciplinary vs. non-multidisciplinary approach. The calculated total average cost per admission was compared to a matched population (without an oncologic diagnosis) admitted with infections similar to that in our study, to compare the economic burden. RESULTSRetrospective chart review of 169 cancer patients receiving ICPI showed sixty-two episodes of infection in thirty-seven (21.8%) patients and a mortality rate of 3.5% due to associated complications. Risk factors like COPD, prior chemotherapy and steroid use were significantly associated (P<0.05) with infections. Further sub-group analysis showed increase in cumulative LOS from 5.9 to 8.1 days but approximately similar average cost per admission ($52,047 vs. $54,510) with non-multidisciplinary vs. multidisciplinary approach. The calculated total cost per admission during an episode of infection in this cohort of patients was $35,484; three-fold higher when matched to similar infections in a general non-oncologic population ($11,527). CONCLUSIONSA significant incidence of infections and associated health care resource utilization continues to prevail in cancer patients despite the utility of ICPI. A multidisciplinary approach to manage the infections and associated complications in cancer patients receiving ICPI increased the cumulative LOS but not the average cost per admission.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107815522097026
Author(s):  
Jeff Kamta ◽  
Bren Magruder ◽  
Lisa Hymel

Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are novel oncolytic therapies associated with various immune related adverse events (irAEs) affecting multiple organ systems, which may have a delayed presentation. Identification of irAEs and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment represents a challenge to clinicians. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacy consult service in identification and management of irAEs. Methodology: This was a single center, retrospective study. Patients included were: ≥18 years old, admitted as inpatients, and reported a history of cancer treatment within the last year. A pharmacy consult was developed and implemented for patients who reported a history of ICI therapy within the last year. Education regarding the consult service was provided to select physicians, nurses, and all pharmacists. Primary outcome: percent of admitted patients reporting ICI therapy within the last year, who required pharmacist intervention for an irAE. Secondary outcomes: types of interventions performed, percentage of recommendation acceptance, pharmacist time spent. Results Fifty-one patients received a pharmacy immunotherapy consult. Seventeen patients (33%) met the primary outcome. Thirty-three separate recommendations were made by pharmacists for these 17 patients. The secondary outcomes of interventions made and percentage accepted (n; % accepted): Initiation/adjustment of steroid therapy (20; 40%), placement of a consult for oncology or other specialist (10; 70%), other therapeutic interventions (3; 67%). Average time spent by pharmacist on initial consultations (SD): 29 minutes (15). Conclusion A pharmacy consult service may help to increase identification of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and initiate timely interventions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15100-e15100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prantesh Jain ◽  
Jahir Gutierrez Bugarin ◽  
Avirup Guha ◽  
Chhavi Jain ◽  
Tingke Shen ◽  
...  

e15100 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can cause unique, high-grade immune-related adverse events. Although rare, ICI related myocarditis has the highest fatality rate (~50%). Cardiovascular monitoring is not routinely performed in patients on ICI treatment, thus risk factors remain unknown. Characterizing rare but fatal cardiac toxicities requires integration of real-world data. Methods: U.S claims data (IBM MarketScan) of over 30 million commercially insured individuals was leveraged to identify 2,687,301 cancer patients between 2011-2018. Patients ≥18 years of age treated with ICIs (targeting CTLA4 (ipilimumab) and/or the PD1 (nivolumab, pembrolizumab)/PDL1 (atezolizumab, avelumab, durvalumab) alone or in combination with ICI and/or chemotherapy were identified and followed until disenrollment. Myocarditis, comorbidities, and treatment details were identified using diagnosis and billing codes. Analyses included descriptive statistics and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: 16,541 ICI treated cancer patients were included (median age 60; 58% male). Myocarditis was identified in 252 (1.5%) patients, majority (90%) ≥50 years old (median 63) with 12,040 person-years of follow up. 62% received anti-PD1 monotherapy, 12% anti-CTLA4, and 15% received combination treatment with other ICIs and/or chemotherapy. Most common cancer types were lung (48%), melanoma (25%), and renal cancer (14%). Cumulative incidence of myocarditis at 1 year was 2.06%; 95% CI (1.78-2.37), median onset of 80.5 days, 42% occurring within 60 days of treatment. By univariate analyses, age, cancer type, diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN), kidney, liver disease, atrial fibrillation (AF) were related to myocarditis. Risk was lower in patients who received anti-CTLA4 monotherapy (HR: 0.490; 95% CI: 0.26-0.92; p = 0.0251). On multivariable regression analyses only age, cancer type (renal, lung cancer), comorbidities DM and liver disease were significantly associated with myocarditis (Table). Conclusions: This is the largest real-world longitudinal study for ICI associated myocarditis showing higher than reported incidence and identifiable risk factors. [Table: see text]


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nida Waheed ◽  
Michael G. Fradley ◽  
David DeRemer ◽  
Ahmad Mahmoud ◽  
Chintan P. Shah ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a novel class of anticancer agents that have demonstrated clinical response for both solid and hematological malignancies. ICIs are associated with development of immune-related adverse events including cardiotoxicity. We estimated the incidence of ICI-related cardiotoxicity in patients treated with ICIs at a large, tertiary care center. Methods All patients with a cancer diagnosis who received any ICI treatment in the University of Florida’s Integrated Data Repository from 2011-2017 were included. Cardiotoxicity was defined as a new ICD diagnosis code for cardiomyopathy, heart failure, arrhythmia, heart block, pericardial disease, or myocarditis after initiation of ICI treatment. Results Of 102,701 patients with a diagnosis of malignancy, 424 patients received at least one ICI. Sixty-two (14.6%) patients were diagnosed with at least one possible form of cardiotoxicity after initiation of ICI therapy. Of the 374 patients receiving one ICI, 21 (5.6%) developed heart failure. Of the 49 patients who received two ICIs sequentially, three (6.1%) developed heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy. Cardiotoxicity was diagnosed at a median of 63 days after initial ICI exposure. One patient developed myocarditis 28 days after receiving nivolumab. Mortality in those who developed ICI-attributable cardiotoxicity was higher compared to those who did not (66.1% vs. 41.4%, odds ratio=2.77, 1.55-4.95, p=0.0006). Conclusions This study suggests that the incidence of ICI-related cardiotoxicity may be higher than previously reported.


2023 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Muzaffar ◽  
M. A. Khan ◽  
M. H. Mushtaq ◽  
M. Nasir ◽  
A. Khan ◽  
...  

Abstract The present study was designed to evaluate the strength of association of raised plasma homocysteine concentration as a risk factor for coronary heart disease independent of conventional risk factor. It was a case control study conducted at Punjab Institute of Cardiology Lahore. A total of 210 subjects aged 25 to 60 years comprising of 105 newly admitted patients of CHD as cases and 105 age and sex matched healthy individuals with no history of CHD as control were recruited for the study. Fasting blood samples were obtained from cases and controls. Plasma homocysteine was analyzed by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) method on automated immunoassay analyzer (Abbott IMX). Total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol were analyzed using calorimetric kit methods. The concentration of LDL cholesterol was calculated using Friedewald formula. The patients were also assessed for traditional risk factors such as age, sex, family history of CVD, hypertension, smoking and physical activity, and were compared with control subjects. The collected data was entered in SPSS version 24 for analysis and interpretation.The mean age in controls and experimental groups were 43.00± 8.42 years and 44.72± 8.59 years with statistically same distribution (p- value= 0.144). The mean plasma homocysteine for cases was 22.33± 9.22 µmol/L where as it was 12.59±3.73 µmol/L in control group. Highly significant difference was seen between the mean plasma level of homocysteine in cases and controls (p˂0.001).Simple logistic regression indicates a strong association of coronary heart disease with hyperhomocysteinemia (OR 7.45), which remained significantly associated with coronary heart disease by multivariate logistic regression (OR 7.10, 95%C1 3.12-12.83, p=0.000). The present study concludes that elevated levels of Plasma homocysteine is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease independent of conventional risk factors and can be used as an indicator for predicting the future possibility for the onset of CVD.


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