Tubulitis in a patient treated with nivolumab: Case report and literature review

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 107-112
Author(s):  
Viral Vakil ◽  
Mark Birkenbach ◽  
Katti Woerner ◽  
Lihong Bu

Kidney injury associated with use of immune checkpoint inhibitors that target the programmed death-1 molecule commonly manifests as acute tubulointerstitial nephritis on kidney biopsy. We present a case of a 66-year-old man who developed acute kidney injury at 6 months after initiation of treatment with anti-programmed death-1 antibody, nivolumab, for treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma. A renal biopsy showed focal moderate-to-severe lymphocytic tubulitis with minimal interstitial inflammation. Programmed death ligand-1 immunopositivity was detected only in tubules exhibiting lymphocytic tubulitis. The patient’s renal function improved to baseline with conservative management consisting of discontinuation of nivolumab followed by prednisone treatment.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. e231211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexis Gordon ◽  
Pouneh Dokouhaki ◽  
Kimberly Hagel ◽  
Bhanu Prasad

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are novel oncological medications, current classes of which include monoclonal antibodies that target inhibitory receptors cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death 1 protein (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1. While they are novel in their ability to treat cancer, they also have a unique spectrum of immune-related adverse events. Renal-related immune adverse events, though rare, are an increasingly recognised clinical entity. We present the case of a 67-year-old man with acute kidney injury (AKI) after the second cycle of combination anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies for metastatic cutaneous melanoma. He presented with vomiting and diarrhoea, and AKI secondary to dehydration was treated with aggressive rehydration. After failing to recover biochemically, a renal biopsy was performed, which demonstrated severe acute interstitial nephritis. The culprit medications were held and he was treated with steroids. With immunosuppression, creatinine improved to pretreatment values.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Jessica Cruz-Whitley ◽  
Nolan Giehl ◽  
Kuang-Yu Jen ◽  
Brian Young

Nivolumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets programmed death-1 on T cells and is designed to amplify an immunologic reaction against cancer cells. However, upregulation of the immune system with checkpoint inhibition is nonspecific, and it can be associated with certain renal side effects, the best documented of which is acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. We present a unique case of a patient with acute kidney injury associated with nephrotic syndrome shortly after starting nivolumab therapy for metastatic anal carcinoma. Subsequent renal biopsy revealed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). We believe this represents the first reported direct case of nivolumab-associated MPGN. As immunotherapy becomes more widely used in cancer treatment, particular attention must be paid to possible consequences of immune checkpoint inhibitors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 205435812110147
Author(s):  
Dimitry Buyansky ◽  
Catherine Fallaha ◽  
François Gougeon ◽  
Marie-Noëlle Pépin ◽  
Jean-François Cailhier ◽  
...  

Rationale: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are monoclonal antibodies used in the treatment of various types of cancers. The downside of using such molecules is the potential risk of developing immune-related adverse events. Factors that trigger these autoimmune side effects are yet to be elucidated. Although any organ can potentially be affected, kidney involvement is usually rare. In this case report, we describe the first known instance of a patient being treated with an inhibitor of programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1, a checkpoint inhibitor) who develops acute tubulointerstitial nephritis after contracting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Presenting concerns of the patient: A 62-year-old patient, on immunotherapy treatment for stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma, presents to the emergency department with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection. Severe acute kidney injury is discovered with electrolyte imbalances requiring urgent dialysis initiation. Further testing reveals that the patient has contracted the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Diagnosis: A kidney biopsy was performed and was compatible with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Interventions: The patient was treated with high dose corticosteroid therapy followed by progressive tapering. Outcomes: Rapid and sustained normalization of kidney function was achieved after completion of the steroid course. Novel findings: We hypothesize that the viral infection along with checkpoint inhibitor use has created a proinflammatory environment which led to a loss of self-tolerance to renal parenchyma. Viruses may play a more important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity in this patient population than was previously thought.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1388-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy M. O'Connor ◽  
Kathi Seidl‐Rathkopf ◽  
Aracelis Z. Torres ◽  
Paul You ◽  
Kenneth R. Carson ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1449-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingzhi Hong ◽  
Marcelo V. Negrao ◽  
Seyedeh S. Dibaj ◽  
Runzhe Chen ◽  
Alexandre Reuben ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (21) ◽  
pp. 2627-2642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty Ross ◽  
Rob J. Jones

The immune system has long been known to play a critical role in the body’s defence against cancer, and there have been multiple attempts to harness it for therapeutic gain. Renal cancer was, historically, one of a small number of tumour types where immune manipulation had been shown to be effective. The current generation of immune checkpoint inhibitors are rapidly entering into routine clinical practice in the management of a number of tumour types, including renal cancer, where one drug, nivolumab, an anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody (mAb), is licensed for patients who have progressed on prior systemic treatment. Ongoing trials aim to maximize the benefits that can be gained from this new class of drug by exploring optimal timing in the natural course of the disease as well as combinations with other checkpoint inhibitors and drugs from different classes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 342-348
Author(s):  
Jin Won Kim

Immuno-oncological treatment approaches, particularly with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors such as antiprogrammed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 antibody or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 antibody, have become the standard treatment for gastrointestinal cancers. However, gastrointestinal cancers show an overall modest tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Nevertheless, subgroups such as tumors that are DNA mismatch repair-deficient or have high microsatellite instability particularly benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Even in the first-line setting for colorectal cancer, the clinical efficacy of pembrolizumab, an anti–PD-1 antibody, was superior to that of chemotherapy. Recently, a combination of atezolizumab, an anti-programmed death ligand 1 antibody, and bevacizumab was approved as the first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and was reported as superior to sorafenib. Nivolumab, an anti–PD-1 antibody that is added to chemotherapy as the first-line treatment for gastric cancer, resulted in longer survival compared with chemotherapy alone. Further studies are ongoing to investigate additional immune checkpoint inhibitors for other gastrointestinal cancers. This review aims to provide an overview of the results of clinical trials for immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and biliary tract cancer.


2021 ◽  
pp. 239936932110563
Author(s):  
Thomas Paul Scherer ◽  
Karim Alexander Saba ◽  
Raeto Thomas Strebel ◽  
Ariana Gaspert ◽  
Richard Cathomas ◽  
...  

Background: With the expanding indications and thus broader use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, clinicians are faced with a new kind of immune-related adverse events. Because of their immune modulating effects, immune checkpoint inhibitors have the potential to worsen autoimmunity in general. Paraneoplastic syndromes can be caused by tumor-induced autoimmune mechanisms. The use of immune-activating substances such as checkpoint inhibitors might lead to exacerbation of paraneoplastic syndromes causing premature discontinuation of the immunotherapy. Case presentation: We report on a 64-year-old patient with metastasized renal cell carcinoma who developed acute kidney failure after cytoreductive nephrectomy. Work-up revealed a paraneoplastic syndrome that caused tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN). Glucocorticoid therapy successfully reversed the acute kidney injury. However, adjuvant therapy with Nivolumab provoked a flare-up of the paraneoplastic syndrome on two occasions, eventually leading to a treatment discontinuation. Conclusions: Many cases of Nivolumab-induced TIN have been described lately. However, our case demonstrates therapy failure due to a flare-up of a pre-existing paraneoplastic syndrome of the renal cancer. Against this background, it can only be speculated that some of the TIN cases discussed in prior literature might also have been flare-ups of subclinical autoimmunity.


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