Treatment Strategies and Metabolic Pathway Regulation in Urothelial Cell Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Review

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has long been viewed as the first-line chemotherapy for advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). However, many patients with UC have been classified as “cisplatin-ineligible patient”, which requires alternative chemotherapy due to their poor responses. In fact, vast majority of those who initially responded to cisplatin-based chemotherapy eventually progressed. Understanding of UC tumor immunology provided an immunopathogenic bases for immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4, to treat cisplatin ineligible metastatic UC and patients with platinum-refractory metastatic UC. In 2020, data from the trail further showed that PD-L1 inhibitors benefit prolonged survival and progression-free survival as maintenance therapy. Besides immune-targeting therapies, manipulation of tumor microenvironment via metabolic pathways alternation, such as inhibiting tumor glycolysis, lactate accumulation and exogenous glutamine uptake, has been investigated in the past few years. In this comprehensive review, we started by introducing traditional chemotherapy of UC, and summarized current evidences supporting the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and highlighted ongoing clinical trials. Lastly, we reviewed the tumor metabolic characteristic and the anti-tumor treatments targeting metabolic pathways.

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Treatment Strategies and Metabolic Pathway Regulation in Urothelial Cell Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Review

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21238993 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (23) ◽

pp. 8993

Author(s):

Huang-Yu Yang ◽

Chao-Yi Wu ◽

Jia-Jin Chen ◽

Tao-Han Lee

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Metabolic Pathways ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Objective Response ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Line Treatment ◽

First Line ◽

Comprehensive Review

For a long time, cisplatin-based chemotherapy had been viewed as first-line chemotherapy for advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). However, many patients with UC had been classified as cisplatin-ineligible who can only receive alternative chemotherapy with poor treatment response, and the vast majority of the cisplatin-eligible patients eventually progressed, even those with objective response with cisplatin-based chemotherapy initially. By understanding tumor immunology in UC, immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting on programmed death 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) pathways, had been proven as first-line treatment for cisplatin-ineligible metastatic UC and as second-line treatment for patients with platinum-refractory metastatic UC by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2020, JAVEIN bladder 100 further reported that PD-L1 inhibitors showed benefits on prolonged survival and progression-free survival as maintenance therapy. Besides targeting on immune checkpoint, manipulation of the tumor microenvironment by metabolic pathways intervention, including inhibition on tumor glycolysis, lactate accumulation and exogenous glutamine uptake, had been investigated in the past few years. In this comprehensive review, we start by introducing traditional chemotherapy of UC, and then we summarize current evidences supporting the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and highlight ongoing clinical trials. Lastly, we reviewed the tumor metabolic characteristic and the anti-tumor treatments targeting on metabolic pathways.

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Real-world outcomes of regorafenib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced or metastatic microsatellite stable colorectal cancer: A multicenter study

Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy ◽

10.1007/s00262-021-03083-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kaili Yang ◽

Lu Han ◽

Shikai Wu ◽

Xiujuan Qu ◽

Qin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Liver Metastasis ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Objective Response ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Best Response

Abstract Background Treatment strategies are limited for patients with chemotherapy refractory microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with regorafenib in this population in routine clinical practice. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer who received at least one dose of ICIs combined with regorafenib in 14 Chinese medical centers. The primary outcome was objective response rate (ORR). This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on February 2020 (NCT04771715). Results Eighty-four patients received ICIs combined with regorafenib from January 2019 to January 2021. Most patients (91%) received two or more systemic treatment lines before the study treatment. Seventy-six patients (90%) had confirmed MSS status. At a median follow-up of 5.5 months, four patients achieved partial response (5%) and 37 patients achieved stable disease (45%) as the best response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.1 months, and the median overall survival was 17.3 months. Eleven patients (13%) remained progression-free for more than 6 months. Baseline liver metastasis (HR 1.98, 95%CI 1.07–3.69, P = 0.03) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of ≥ 1.5 (HR 2.83, 95%CI 1.00–7.98, P = 0.05) were associated with shorter PFS in multivariate analysis. Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 16 patients (19%). Conclusion The combination of ICIs with regorafenib can be a valuable treatment option for a proportion of patients with chemotherapy refractory MSS colorectal cancer. Patients with no liver metastasis and a low NLR at baseline may derive most benefit from this strategy.

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The Role of Cytokines in Predicting the Response and Adverse Events Related to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.670391 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Min Wang ◽

Xiaoyang Zhai ◽

Ji Li ◽

Jingyuan Guan ◽

Shuhui Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adverse Events ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Wide Range

Recently, the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with advanced cancer has been significantly improved due to the application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Low response rate and high occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) make urgently need for ideal predictive biomarkers to identity efficient population and guide treatment strategies. Cytokines are small soluble proteins with a wide range of biological activity that are secreted by activated immune cells or tumor cells and act as a bridge between innate immunity, infection, inflammation and cancer. Cytokines can be detected in peripheral blood and suitable for dynamic detection. During the era of ICIs, many studies investigated the role of cytokines in prediction of the efficiency and toxicity of ICIs. Herein, we review the relevant studies on TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β and other cytokines as biomarkers for predicting ICI-related reactions and adverse events, and explore the immunomodulatory mechanisms. Finally, the most important purpose of this review is to help identify predictors of ICI to screen patients who are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy.

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The Relationship of Diabetes Mellitus to Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Oncology ◽

10.1159/000516671 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Oded Jacobi ◽

Yosef Landman ◽

Daniel Reinhorn ◽

Oded Icht ◽

Michal Sternschuss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Diabetic Patients

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are the new standard therapy in patients with metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC). Metformin, previously associated with improved chemotherapy efficacy in diabetic and nondiabetic cancer patients, was recently associated with increased ICI efficacy. In this study, we aimed to explore the correlations between diabetes mellitus (DM), metformin use, and benefit from ICI in mNSCLC patients. Methods: All mNSCLC patients treated with ICI in our center between February 2015 and April 2018 were identified. Demographic and clinical data were extracted retrospectively. Cox proportional hazards regression, t tests, and χ2 tests were employed to evaluate associations of progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR), with DM status, metformin use, and HbA1c levels, as appropriate. Results: Of 249 mNSCLC patients treated with ICI, 57 (22.8%) had DM. Thirty-seven (64.9% of all diabetic patients) patients were treated with metformin. A significant negative correlation of DM with PFS and OS was demonstrated (HR 1.5 [1.01–2.06], p = 0.011, and HR 1.5 [1.08–2.08], p = 0.017, respectively). Metformin exposure had no significant correlation with PFS or OS in diabetic mNSCLC patients (HR 1.08 [0.61–1.93], p = 0.79, and HR 1.29 [0.69–2.39], p = 0.42, respectively). There were no differences between groups with respect to ORR and DCR. Conclusion: Our data show a potential negative relationship between DM and ICI efficacy in mNSCLC patients. In contrast to reports with chemotherapy, we found no positive relationship between metformin use and ICI therapy in diabetic patients with mNSCLC. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of metformin in nondiabetic mNSCLC patients.

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The association between albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) and survival in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Cancer Biomarkers ◽

10.3233/cbm-210349 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Deniz Can Guven ◽

Oktay Halit Aktepe ◽

Melek Seren Aksun ◽

Taha Koray Sahin ◽

Gozde Kavgaci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Free Survival ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Early Progression ◽

Term Benefit

BACKGROUND: The albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) could be a prognostic biomarker in patients with cancer, although the data is limited in patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the association between AGR and survival in ICI-treated patients. METHODS: The data of 212 advanced-stage patients were retrospectively evaluated in this cohort study. The association between AGR with overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated with multivariate analyses. Additionally, receptor operating curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the AGR’s predictive power in the very early progression (progression within two months) and long-term benefit (more than twelve months survival). RESULTS: The median AGR was calculated as 1.21, and patients were classified into AGR-low and high subgroups according to the median. In the multivariate analyses, patients with lower AGR (< 1.21) had decreased OS (HR: 1.530, 95% CI: 1.100–2.127, p= 0.011) and PFS (HR: 1.390, 95% CI: 1.020–1.895, p= 0.037). The area under curve of AGR to detect early progression and long-term benefit were 0.654 (95% CI: 0.562–0.747, p= 0.001) and 0.671 (95% CI: 0.598–0.744, p< 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, survival with ICIs was impaired in patients with lower AGR. Additionally, the AGR values could detect the very early progression and long-term benefit ICIs.

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Thrombotic Complications Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13184606 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 4606

Author(s):

Tzu-Fei Wang ◽

Alok A. Khorana ◽

Marc Carrier

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Arterial Thrombosis ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Anticancer Treatment ◽

Thrombotic Complications ◽

Associated Risk Factors ◽

Cancer Associated Thrombosis

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.

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Immune-checkpoint inhibitors versus other systemic therapies in advanced head and neck cancer: a network meta-analysis

Immunotherapy ◽

10.2217/imt-2020-0070 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 541-555

Author(s):

Lingrong Tang ◽

Tingting Liu ◽

Jun Chen ◽

Jun Dang ◽

Guang Li

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Systemic Therapies

Aim: We assessed the efficiency of immune checkpoint inhibitors relative to other systemic therapies in previously treated recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer. Materials & methods: Relative treatment effects were assessed from eligible randomized controlled trials using Bayesian network meta-analyses. Results: Among 15 trials evaluating 14 treatments, nivolumab achieved the best overall survival (OS) benefit; zalutumumab and buparlisib + paclitaxel provided the best progression-free survival benefit and objective response rate. Buparlisib + paclitaxel and zalutumumab were associated with the best OS rate at 6 and 12 months, respectively; nivolumab yielded the best OS rate at 18–24 months. Conclusion: Nivolumab was the most favorable treatment. Zalutumumab and buparlisib + paclitaxel had better efficiency, and might be a better selection for patients with programmed death-ligand 1-low/negative tumors than other treatments.

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Cancer Immunotherapy-Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery ◽

10.2174/1574892816666210212145107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Author(s):

Jing Bai ◽

Ping Liang ◽

Qian Li ◽

Rui Feng ◽

Jiang Liu

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Death ◽

Programmed Cell Death ◽

Cancer Immunotherapy ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Locoregional Therapy ◽

Incidence And Mortality

: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies, the incidence and mortality of which are increasing worldwide. Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment in recent years. In particular, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) as new therapeutic tools have demonstrated encouraging antitumor activity and manageable tolerability in HCC. Immunologic checkpoint blockade with antibodies targeting Programmed cell Death-1 (PD-1), Programmed cell Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1), and Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-Associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) strengthens tumor immunity by restoring exhausted T cells. Although the efficacy of combination treatment strategies using ICIs combined with other ICIs, molecular targeted agents, systemic therapy, or locoregional therapy has been well documented in numerous preclinical and clinical studies on several types of cancers, most HCC patients do not benefit from ICI treatment. This review highlights recent developments and potential opportunities related to ICIs and their combination in the management of HCC. The present article also includes recent patent review coverage on this topic.

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Comparative Analysis of Durable Responses on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Versus Other Systemic Therapies: A Pooled Analysis of Phase III Trials

JCO Precision Oncology ◽

10.1200/po.18.00114 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Elvire Pons-Tostivint ◽

Aurélien Latouche ◽

Pauline Vaflard ◽

Francesco Ricci ◽

Delphine Loirat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Durable Response ◽

Free Survival ◽

Drug Classes ◽

Metastatic Setting ◽

The Mean

PURPOSE Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been demonstrated to improve overall survival (OS) in several tumor types. Durable responses have been reported with these agents in patients with melanoma and lung cancer. We aimed to quantify the proportion of patients who experience durable responses on ICIs and to compare it with other drug classes. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrieved published phase III randomized trials that included at least one ICI arm in the recurrent and/or metastatic setting. A durable response to treatment was defined as a progression-free survival that exceeded three times the median progression-free survival of the whole population. The proportion of patients who experienced an OS that exceeded two times the median OS of the whole patient population also was estimated. RESULTS Nineteen studies involving 11,640 patients treated in 42 treatment arms (26 ICI and 16 non-ICI arms) were included. The mean proportion of patients who experienced a durable response was 2.3 times higher in those treated with an ICI compared with those treated in the control arms (25% v 11%). Durable responses were more frequent in patients treated with anti–PD-1/PD-L1 agents than in patients treated with anti–CTLA-4 agents (28% v 18%). The mean proportion of patients who had an OS that exceeded two times the median OS was also higher in those treated with ICIs than in those treated in the control arms (30% v 23%). In multivariable analysis, the effects of treatment with anti–PD-1/PD-L1 agents and of first-line treatment were statistically associated with a higher mean proportion of durable responses. CONCLUSION Durable responses were more frequent in patients treated with ICIs, although they also occurred in patients treated with other drug classes.

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Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Is There a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers11081078 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1078 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Amit Mahipal ◽

Sri Harsha Tella ◽

Anuhya Kommalapati ◽

Alexander Lim ◽

Richard Kim

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Primary Liver Cancer ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

The United States ◽

Hepatic Reserve ◽

Dismal Prognosis ◽

United States Food

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer with dismal prognosis when diagnosed at advanced stages. Surgical resection of the primary tumor or orthotropic liver transplantation serves as a potential curative option. However, this approach is highly dependent on the hepatic reserve and baseline functional status of the patient. Liver directed therapies such as portal vein embolization (PVE), trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and systemic chemotherapy are employed in non-surgical candidates. Sorafenib was the only approved systemic therapeutic agent for almost a decade until the recent approval of lenvatinib by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an alternate first-line agent. Regorafenib, nivolumab, pembrolizumab and cabozantinib are approved by the FDA as second-line agents in patients who failed or could not tolerate sorafenib. Ramucirumab was recently FDA approved for the subset of patients that have high alfa-fetoprotein levels (>400 ng/mL). A better understanding of tumorigenesis and encouraging clinical trial results that evaluated immune-checkpoint inhibitors opened doors for immunotherapy in HCC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated a prolonged median overall and progression-free survival in a subset of patients with HCC. On-going translational and clinical research will hopefully provide us with a better understanding of tumor markers, genetic aberrations and other factors that determine the immunotherapy response in HCC. In this review, we sought to summarize the potential role and future directions of immunotherapy in the management of HCC.

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