Immunotherapy use in kidney transplant recipients: Immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-170
Author(s):  
Claude Bassil ◽  
Farhad Khimani

Cancer immunotherapy including the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T) are showing a promising role as part of cancer therapy and slowly replacing conventional chemotherapy. However, the use of ICI and CAR-T in organ transplant recipients with malignancies could be complicated with acute rejection and graft loss. Many proposed immunosuppressive (IS) regimens showed a probable role in preventing acute rejection related to ICI, including the use of a single ICI rather than double ICI, concomitant use of glucocorticoids (GC), converting tacrolimus to mTor inhibitors (m-TorI) and avoid close sequencing of ICI agents. Furthermore, low dose prednisone (LDP) before CAR-T infusion in patients with stable allograft kidney function could favor the regulatory T cells (T-regs), actively regulating alloimmune responses, and maintaining self-tolerance of the renal transplant. Further prospective trials will be needed to examine the long-term effect of these regimens in renal transplant recipients undergoing CAR-T or receiving ICI as curative therapies for their refractory cancers.

Author(s):  
Demis N. Lipe ◽  
Eva Rajha ◽  
Adriana H. Wechsler ◽  
Susan Gaeta ◽  
Nicolas L. Palaskas ◽  
...  

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 840
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Schepisi ◽  
Chiara Casadei ◽  
Ilaria Toma ◽  
Giulia Poti ◽  
Maria Laura Iaia ◽  
...  

Gynecological tumors are malignancies with both high morbidity and mortality. To date, only a few chemotherapeutic agents have shown efficacy against these cancer types (only ovarian cancer responds to several agents, especially platinum-based combinations). Within this context, the discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors has led to numerous clinical studies being carried out that have also demonstrated their activity in these cancer types. More recently, following the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy in hematological malignancies, this strategy was also tested in solid tumors, including gynecological cancers. In this article, we focus on the molecular basis of gynecological tumors that makes them potential candidates for immunotherapy. We also provide an overview of the main immunotherapy studies divided by tumor type and report on CAR technology and the studies currently underway in the area of gynecological malignancies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-77
Author(s):  
A. G. Kedrova

Immunotherapy, also known as therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, has shown good results in the treatment of both solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Patients with diseases that were considered incurable earlier now have an opportunity for long-term disease stabilization and high frequency of clinical remissions. This review focuses on clinical benefits and toxicity profiles of immune checkpoint inhibitors used for cervical cancer, as well as on the ways to improve prognosis and indications for immunotherapy. Correct choice of biomarkers for predicting the response to immunotherapy will ensure more precise selection of patients. This review of immunotherapy methods aims to help clinicians with the indications for this relatively new treatment which has revolutionized treatment standards. Immunotherapy has many forms, including oncolytic virus therapy, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR), cancer vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapy, in particular, immune checkpoint inhibitors, first generation of which includes monoclonal antibodies against PD-1 (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and cemiplimab), against PD-L1 (atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab), and against CTLA-4 protein (ipilimumab).


2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitwadee Inthagard ◽  
Joanne Edwards ◽  
Antonia K. Roseweir

Abstract Cancer treatments often reach a refractory period leading to treatment failure and patients developing disease recurrence. This can be due to tumour cells escaping the immune response and creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment enhancing cancer progression. Immunotherapy has become a promising tool for cancer treatment as it restores the anti-tumour response of the patient’s immune system. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most widely studied immunotherapies worldwide and are now approved for multiple cancers. However, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has also shown promise by targeting T lymphocytes that are genetically modified ex vivo to express CARs and this is now approved to treat some haematological cancers. Although immunotherapy has shown successful treatment outcomes in multiple cancers, some patients do not respond to this treatment. Therefore, approaches to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies are likely to be the key to improve their effectiveness. Therefore, combination therapies of checkpoint inhibitors +/− chemotherapy are at the forefront of current research. Furthermore, biomarkers that predict treatment response are now beginning to emerge. Additionally, utilising nanoparticles as a newly targeted drug delivery system to enhance CAR-T cell therapy may enhance the efficacy of the cells when re-infused within the patient. Even if efficacy is enhanced, severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) occur that are life-threatening and could lead to therapy being stopped. Therefore, predictive biomarkers for toxicity are also needed to improve both the patient’s quality of life and treatment outcomes. This review will look at the current immunotherapies in clinical trials and discuss how to enhance their efficacy.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Poggio ◽  
Justus Duyster ◽  
Anna Illert

T cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (T-NHL) is a rare and heterogeneous group of neoplasms of the lymphoid system. With the exception of a few relatively indolent entities, T-NHL is typically aggressive, treatment resistant, and associated with poor prognosis. Relatively few options with proven clinical benefit are available for patients with relapsed or refractory disease. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for the management of patients with hematological malignancies. The identification of tumor antigens has provided a large number of potential targets. Therefore, several monoclonal antibodies (alemtuzumab, SGN-30, brentuximab vedotin, and mogamulizumab), directed against tumor antigens, have been investigated in different subtypes of T-NHL. In addition to targeting antigens involved in cancer cell physiology, antibodies can stimulate immune effector functions or counteract immunosuppressive mechanisms. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells directed against CD30 and immune checkpoint inhibitors are currently being investigated in clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the currently available clinical evidence for immunotherapy in T-NHL, focusing on the results of clinical trials using first generation monoclonal antibodies, new immunotherapeutic agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and CAR-T cell therapies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 8902
Author(s):  
Vanessa Innao ◽  
Andrea Gaetano Allegra ◽  
Caterina Musolino ◽  
Alessandro Allegra

Microbiota is considered an independent organ with the capability to modulate tumor growth and response to therapies. In the chemo-free era, the use of new immunotherapies, more selective and effective and less toxic, led to the extension of overall survival of patients, subject to their ability to not stop treatment. This has focused scientists’ attention to optimize responses by understanding and changing microbiota composition. While we have obtained abundant data from studies in oncologic and hematologic patients receiving conventional chemotherapy, we have less data about alterations in intestinal flora in those undergoing immunotherapy, especially based on Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cells. Actually, we know that the efficacy of Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1), PD-1 ligand, and Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) is improved by probiotics rich in Bifidobacterium spp., while compounds of Bacteroidales and Burkholderiales protect from the development of the anti-CTLA-4-induced colitis in mouse models. CAR T-cell therapy seems to not be interfering with microbiota; however, the numerous previous therapies may have caused permanent damage, thus obscuring the data we might have obtained. Therefore, this review opens a new chapter to transfer known acquisitions to a typology of patients destined to grow.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18541-e18541
Author(s):  
Devika R. Jutagir ◽  
Adriana Espinosa ◽  
Melissa Lopez ◽  
Burha Rasool ◽  
Taisha Gomez ◽  
...  

e18541 Background: With increasing numbers of newly approved cancer immunotherapy regimens, research is needed to understand whether these costly treatments are equally used by all patients who could benefit from them. The aim of this systematic review was to identify variables linked to whether patients diagnosed with cancer were treated with checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Methods: Using the PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework, we conducted a systematic review searching Medline (New PubMed), Embase.com, and the Cochrane Library (Wiley) for papers published in English between January 1, 1997 and July 27, 2020. Inclusion criteria were: 1) primary, peer-reviewed research article; and 2) article reported variables associated with whether patients were treated with checkpoint inhibitors or CAR T-cell therapy. Seven coders independently reviewed titles, abstracts, full texts, and extracted data. The systematic review adhered to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Results: In total, 5958 titles and abstracts and 134 full texts were screened. Sixteen studies were included in final analyses. All were conducted in the United States using data from national databases (N = 15) or electronic medical records (N = 1). Eleven were cross-sectional, and 5 were cohort studies. Studies looked at melanoma (N = 10), non-small cell lung cancer (N = 3), renal cell carcinoma (N = 2), colorectal cancer (N = 1), prostate cancer (N = 1), and hepatobiliary cancer (N = 1). Studies looked at nivolumab (N = 1), pembrolizumab (N = 1), ipilimumab (N = 1), and sipuleucel-T, (N = 1), and 12 studies did not specify medication names. Treatment facility characteristics (N = 9), geographic location within the United States (N = 1), locale classification (N = 2), distance to treatment facility (N = 2), insurance type (N = 9), age (N = 7), race (N = 5), sex (N = 1), income (N = 4), neighborhood educational attainment (N = 2), comorbidities (N = 6), disease stage (N = 1), metastases (N = 3), clinical trial participation (N = 1), recency of diagnosis (N = 2), other treatments received (N = 3), and lesion characteristics (N = 1) were reported to be associated with whether patients were treated with checkpoint inhibitors or CAR T-cell therapy. Other studies found that insurance type (N = 1), race (N = 3), sex (N = 1), other treatments received (N = 1), and lesion characteristics (N = 1) were not associated with receiving checkpoint inhibitors or CAR T-cell therapy. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence of disparate access to checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy. More studies are necessary to thoroughly understand how the factors highlighted in our findings intersect to create and maintain disparities in cancer treatment. This level of information is necessary to create interventions that promote equitable access to novel cancer immunotherapies.


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