C-reactive protein as a biomarker for immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the adjuvant setting

2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Lauwyck ◽  
Aline Beckwée ◽  
Arno Santens ◽  
Julia Katharina Schwarze ◽  
Gil Awada ◽  
...  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Karhapää ◽  
Siru Mäkelä ◽  
Hanna Laurén ◽  
Marjut Jaakkola ◽  
Camilla Schalin-Jäntti ◽  
...  

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) can cause endocrine adverse events. However, endocrine AEs could be related to better treatment outcomes. Our aim was to investigate whether this holds true in a real-world setting of metastatic melanoma patients. Design: A retrospective single-institution study. Methods: We included 140 consecutive metastatic melanoma patients treated with ICI between January 2012 and May 2019. We assessed endocrine toxicity and best possible treatment outcomes from electronic patient records, including laboratory parameters, and radiological images. Results: Of the treated patients, 21 patients (15%) were treated with ipilimumab, 46 (33%) with nivolumab, 67 (48%) with pembrolizumab, and six (4%) with combination therapy (ipilimumab + nivolumab). Endocrine AEs appeared in 29% (41/140) patients. Three patients had two different endocrine AEs. Thyroid disorders were the most common: 26% (36/140), followed by hypophysitis: 4% (5/140). Three subjects (2%, 3/140) were diagnosed with autoimmune diabetes. Three patients had to terminate treatment due to endocrine toxicity. Radiological manifestations of endocrine AEs were found in 16 patients (39%, 16/41). Endocrine toxicity was associated with significantly better treatment outcomes. Median progression-free survival (8.1 months, range 5.1 – 11.1 months vs. 2.7 months, range 2.4 – 3.0 months, P < 0.001), and median overall survival (47.5 months, range 15.5 – 79.5 months vs. 23.7 months, range 15.3 – 32.1 months, P = 0.035) were longer for patients experiencing endocrine AEs. Conclusions: The higher number of endocrine AEs suggest regular laboratory monitoring aids in AE detection. Endocrine AEs in metastatic melanoma may correlate with better treatment outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A31-A31
Author(s):  
Abdul Rafeh Naqash ◽  
Alessio Cortellini ◽  
Emma Mi ◽  
Sanna Livanainen ◽  
Daria Gramenitskaya ◽  
...  

BackgroundCRP is an acute-phase protein produced primarily in response to interleukin IL-6 via transcriptional activation of the STAT3. Recent data have provided mechanistic insights into the immune suppressive role of elevated CRP by elucidating its influence on effector T-cell function and antigen presentation.1 Furthermore, melanoma patients in Checkmate-064 and 067 with high baseline and on-treatment CRP were seen to have a lower response rate and shorter survival to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).2 Given these observations, we sought to evaluate the role of CRP as a prognostic biomarker in advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs from a multi-center international cohort.MethodsBetween 2015–2019, 420 adult patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs alone or with concurrent chemotherapy (Chemo-ICI) were identified at four (1 US and 3 European) academic centers. CRP level in peripheral blood samples collected up to 2 weeks before starting ICI based treatments was considered as baseline. Based on previously validated data, a CRP cutoff of 10 mg/l was used to define CRP-normal (CRP-N) and CRP-high (CRP-H). Association of baseline CRP with median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate proportional hazards regression adjusted for multiple variables.ResultsBaseline CRP value was available in 75.5% of patients, with 66% having CRP-H. The median CRP was 21.0 mg/l. Single-agent nivolumab (44%) and Chemo-ICI (33.3%) were the two most common therapies. CRP-H showed a trend for stronger association with squamous histology (73.7% vs 63.3%; p= 0.063) and female sex (70.8 vs 60.0%; p=0.062) but did not show an association with PD-L1 status (0%, 1–49%, or ≥50%). Patients with CRP-H had a lower objective response rate compared with patients with CRP-N (26.9% vs. 47.6% PR; p=0.029). Compared to those with CRP-N (figure 1), patients with CRP-H had a significantly shorter median PFS [3.9 vs. 6.6 months, HR 1.41 95% CI: (1.07–1.86); p=0.0138] and OS (8.6 vs. 14.8 months, HR 1.55 95% CI [1.13- 2.14]; p=0.0060). In Cox regression analysis, CRP-H was again found to be independently associated with shorter median PFS and OS.ConclusionsThis is the largest international real-world dataset demonstrating significantly inferior outcomes associated with CRP > 10 mg/l in NSCLC patients treated with ICI based therapies. The potential influence of the immune suppressive effects of elevated CRP and IL-6 on the anti-tumor efficacy of ICIs needs prospective evaluation and could potentially be exploited as a therapeutic avenue in NSCLC.Abstract 32 Figure 1Kaplan-Meier Curves with 95% CI for PFS and OSSignificantly inferior median PFS and OS were seen for patients with CRP-H vs. CRP-N.AcknowledgementsSusan Eubanks and Sue-Ann Joyner at the ECU IRB for their help and support.Ethics ApprovalThe primary IRB approval for this study was conducted under an ECU (P-MAIT- UMCIRB-15-001400). Individual approval was also obtained from the respective IRB of each participating institution.ReferencesYoshida T, Ichikawa J, Giuroiu I, et al. C reactive protein impairs adaptive immunity in immune cells of patients with melanoma. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2020.Weber, et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology37, no. 15_suppl (May 20, 2019) 100–100


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2931
Author(s):  
Florentia Dimitriou ◽  
Ramon Staeger ◽  
Melike Ak ◽  
Matias Maissen ◽  
Ken Kudura ◽  
...  

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can induce immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which may result in treatment discontinuation. We sought to describe the onset, frequency, and kinetics of irAEs in melanoma patients in a real-life setting and to further investigate the prognostic role of irAEs in treatment outcomes. In this retrospective single-center cohort study, we included 249 melanoma patients. Onset, grade, and resolution of irAEs and their treatment were analyzed. A total of 191 (74.6%) patients in the non-adjuvant and 65 (25.3%) in the adjuvant treatment setting were identified. In the non-adjuvant setting, 29 patients (59.2%) with anti-CTLA4, 43 (58.1%) with anti-PD1, and 54 (79.4%) with anti-PD1/anti-CTLA4 experienced some grade of irAE and these had an improved outcome. In the adjuvant setting, the frequency of irAEs was 84.6% in anti-CTLA4 and 63.5% in anti-PD1, but no correlation with disease relapse was observed. Patients with underlying autoimmune conditions have a risk of disease exacerbation. Immunomodulatory agents had no impact on treatment efficacy. IrAEs are correlated with increased treatment efficacy in the non-adjuvant setting. Application of steroids and immunomodulatory agents, such as anti-TNF-alpha or anti-IL6, did not affect ICI efficacy. These data support irAEs as possible prognostic markers for ICI treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chipman RG Stroud ◽  
Aparna Hegde ◽  
Cynthia Cherry ◽  
Abdul R Naqash ◽  
Nitika Sharma ◽  
...  

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors are poised to revolutionize the management of a growing number of malignancies. Unfortunately, the management of steroid-refractory immune mediated adverse events is based on a paucity of randomized data and limited to single center experiences. Our initial experience with the IL-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab showed clinical improvement in a wide variety of irAEs. As a result, we adopted the use of tocilizumab for the management of steroid refractory irAEs. Methods The character and clinical course of irAEs were abstracted from the medical record and analyzed. The dose of tocilizumab was 4 mg/kg given IV over one hour. C-reactive protein was drawn at first nivolumab infusion and at q two weeks (and with irAEs) thereafter. Clinical improvement was defined as either: documentation of resolution of symptoms or hospital discharge within seven days. Results Of the initial 87 patients that were treated with nivolumab, 34 required tocilizumab (39.1%). All patients were on corticosteroids. The majority (88.2%) were lung cancer patients. The index grade 3/4 irAE was pneumonitis in 35.3%, serum sickness/SIRS in 35.3%, cerebritis in 14.7% and one case each of hypophysitis, colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis and immune mediated coagulopathy. Median time between first nivolumab and initiation of tocilizumab was 76 days (range 1–429). There was a statistically significant increase in C-reactive protein from a median of 23 mg/L (range 0.1–238.5) at baseline to 109.3 mg/L (21.5–350.4) at the time of index irAE, followed by a decrease to 19.2 mg/L (0.25–149) after tocilizumab ( p < 0.00001). Clinical improvement was noted in 27/34 patients (79.4%). Some patients (52.9%) required a single dose, while 38.2% required two, 8.8% required three and 1 patient required four doses. Twenty-seven doses were given in the inpatient setting (49.1%). Median time to discharge was four days (range 1–27). Seventy-four percent of patients were discharged home. For the 53 doses of tocilizumab that were delivered when infliximab was an option, there was a cost savings of $141,048.72 (WAC) during the 18 month study period. Conclusions Tocilizumab may be a therapeutic option for the management of steroid refractory irAEs secondary to immune checkpoint blockade. However, randomized trials are needed to better elucidate the relative efficacy and safety of these agents.


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