Adequate Immunogenicity And Low Rate of Severe Adverse Events After SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-Based Vaccination In Patients With Solid Malignancies On Active Treatment Starts To Decline 3 Months After Complete Primary Course of Vaccination

Author(s):  
Urska Janzic ◽  
Urska Bidovec-Stojkovic ◽  
Katja Mohorcic ◽  
Loredana Mrak ◽  
Nina Fokter Dovnik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in cancer patients is crucial since they are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease course, but data on efficacy and safety of vaccination are scarce.Methods: We performed a prospective observational study of patients with solid cancers on active anticancer treatment (chemotherapy, immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or targeted therapy) that received mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at two institutions in Slovenia. The immunogenicity was assessed by the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 IgG antibodies in serum; patients were sampled before, 2-3 weeks after the first dose, 2-3 weeks after the second dose, and 3 months after the complete primary course of vaccination. The results were also compared to controls, sampled at similar time points.Results: Between March and July 2021 112 patients were included in the analysis. The seroconversion rate in patients without prior COVID-19 infection was 96% after the complete primary course of vaccination with 2 doses, compared to 100% for healthy controls. The seroconversion rate after vaccination for patients on chemotherapy, ICI, and targeted therapy was 100%, 91%, and 97%, respectively. All controls and the majority of patients on chemotherapy and targeted therapy, but only 83% for patients on ICI were adequate responders (anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 IgG ≥ 880 ng/ml). Three months after the vaccination, a significant drop in antibody levels was observed in patients receiving ICI compared to controls (P < 0.001). Adverse events were mostly mild and predictable, none of the patients experienced serious adverse events after vaccination.Conclusions: Immunogenicity after mRNA-based vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients is only slightly impaired, but influenced by the type of anticancer therapy received. Patients on ICI have the slightest and gradual antibody production. Since antibody levels decline after three months, a third vaccination dose is reasonable to provide adequate protection against severe COVID-19 disease course.The study was approved by the National Ethics Committee (No. 0120-39/2021/6)

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14140-e14140
Author(s):  
David Andrew Bender ◽  
Catherine Spina ◽  
Samuel P. Heilbroner ◽  
Eric Xanthopoulos ◽  
Tony J. C. Wang ◽  
...  

e14140 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are known to cause immune-related adverse events. Patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) were excluded from most ICI clinical trials due to the potentially high risk of adverse effects. Data on the safety of ICIs in patients with a diagnosis of AID is therefore limited. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a de-identified large oncology health care and pharmacy claims database with data from March 2010 until April 2017. Patients analyzed had a diagnosis of either melanoma or lung cancer and were treated with either of the anti-PD-1 inhibitors nivolumab or pembrolizumab. We assessed whether patients with AID compared with no AID were more likely to require medical interventions within 180 days of ICI therapy. We determined the percentage of patients receiving oral prednisone, IV methylprednisolone, or were hospitalized, which may represent responses to ICI toxicity. Results: 16.7% (16/96) of patients with either melanoma or lung cancer and AID received oral prednisone treatment within 180 days of ICI treatment, while 8.3% (131/1573) of patients without AID received oral prednisone during the same period. 8.4% (16/190) of patients with AID received IV methylprednisolone compared to 3.6% (79/2190) of patients without AID. Among melanoma patients, 24.1% (13/54) of patients with AID were hospitalized following ICI treatment, compared to 5.8% (28/480) of patients without ICI. Among lung cancer patients, 38.2% (52/136) of patients with AID were hospitalized compared to 31.6% (541/1711) of patients without AID. All comparisons are significant at p < 0.05 except hospitalizations in lung cancer patients. Conclusions: Patients with AID were more likely to receive interventions after ICI treatment that may represent responses to immune-related adverse events, suggesting that patients with AID are at increased risk for toxicity when being treated with ICIs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Liu ◽  
Zhongke Qin ◽  
Xueqiang Xu ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Yifei Ge ◽  
...  

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have brought a paradigm shift to cancer treatment. However, little is known about the risk of renal adverse events (RAEs) of ICI-based regimens, especially ICI combination therapy.MethodsWe carried out a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the risk of RAEs between ICI-based regimens and traditional cancer therapy, including chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on tumor types.ResultsNinety-five eligible RCTs involving 40,552 participants were included. The overall incidence of RAEs, grade 3–5 RAEs, acute kidney injury (AKI), and grade 3–5 AKI was 4.3%, 1.2%, 1.3%, and 0.8%, respectively. Both ICI-based treatment regimens and traditional cancer therapy showed significantly higher risk of RAEs and AKI than the placebo. Among ICI monotherapy, anti-PD-1 (RR: 0.51, 95%CI: 0.29–0.91) was significantly safer than anti-CTLA-4 in terms of RAEs. Anti-CTLA-4 showed significantly higher toxicity than anti-PD-1 (RR: 0.33, 95%CI: 0.14-0.77), anti-PD-L1 (RR: 0.38, 95%CI:0.16-0.91), and anti-PD-1 plus anti-CTLA-4 (RR: 0.32, 95%CI: 0.12-0.87) in terms of grade 3-5 RAEs. The difference was not significant between ICI monotherapy and traditional cancer therapy, except that targeted therapy seemed the least toxic therapy in terms of the incidence of AKI. Anti-CTLA-4 plus anti-PD-1 were associated with higher risk of RAEs than anti-PD-1 (RR: 1.61, 95%CI: 1.02–2.56). The difference was not significant between other dual ICI regimens and ICI monotherapy in terms of RAEs and AKI. ICI plus chemotherapy showed increased risk of both RAEs and AKI compared with ICI monotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. The overall results remained robust in the meta-regression and sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsAmong ICI monotherapy, anti-CTLA-4 appeared to be associated with increased toxicity, especially in terms of grade 3–5 RAEs. Anti-CTLA-4 plus anti-PD-1 were associated with higher risk of RAEs than anti-PD-1. However, the difference was not significant between other dual ICI regimens and ICI monotherapy in terms of RAEs and AKI. ICIs plus chemotherapy seemed to be the most toxic treatment regimen in terms of RAEs, AKI, and grade 3–5 AKI.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42020197039.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110120
Author(s):  
Deniz C Guven ◽  
Gozde Kavgaci ◽  
Oktay H Aktepe ◽  
Hasan C Yildirim ◽  
Taha K Sahin ◽  
...  

Introduction Polypharmacy is a common problem in older cancer patients, although the data about polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate prescription practices is limited in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the polypharmacy frequency and drug-drug interactions in older cancer patients (≥65 years) treated with ICIs. Methods A total of 70 geriatric patients with advanced cancer were included. The polypharmacy was defined as regular use of 5 or more drugs. The START/STOPP Criteria Version 2 was used for the potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and potential prescription omissions (PPO). The Medscape Drug Interaction Checker was used for potential drug-drug interactions. Results The patients had a median of 6 regular drugs, and polypharmacy was present in 77.1%. The polypharmacy risk was significantly increased in patients over 75 years of age (p = 0.028) and with opioid use (p = 0.048). The 50% of patients had category D or X interactions. Patients with higher Charlson Comorbidity Index had significantly increased risk for drug interactions (CCI ≤10 vs. >10, p = 0.017). The PIMs were present in 44.3% and the PPOs in 68.6% of the patients. While the overall survival and immune related adverse events were similar according to polypharmacy, in patients using seven or more drugs, the acute kidney injury risk was increased (HR: 4.667, p = 0.038). Conclusion In this study, we observed a high rate of polypharmacy and inappropriate prescription practices in ICI-treated patients. These issues pointed out the need for improved general medical care and attention for better comedication management in ICI-treated patients.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Maria Griewing ◽  
Claudia Schweizer ◽  
Philipp Schubert ◽  
Sandra Rutzner ◽  
Markus Eckstein ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become standard treatment in different tumor entities. However, safe treatment with ICI targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis requires early detection of immune-related adverse events (irAE). There exist different questionnaires of drug manufacturers for the detection of irAE that have not been validated so far. Methods The prospective non-interventional ST-ICI trial studied treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 ICI alone or combined with radiotherapy. In the current analysis, the detection rate of self-reported irAE with a patient questionnaire containing 41 different questions was compared to clinician-reported irAE. Results Between April 2017 and August 2019, a total of 104 patients were prospectively enrolled. NSCLC (44%) and HNSCC (42%) were the most frequent tumor entities. A total of 784 questionnaires were collected. A total of 29 irAE were reported by clinicians. The most frequent irAE was hypothyroidism (9%), followed by skin reactions (5%), hepatitis (4%), diarrhea (3%), and pneumonitis (3%). Questions that became significantly more often positive at time points of clinician-reported irAE were “weight change”, “difficulty to grip things”, “bloody or mucous stool” and “insomnia”. Self-reported organ-specific questions detected at least 50% of clinician-reported irAE of gastrointestinal, lung, endocrine, and skin irAE. It was not possible to detect hepatic irAE with the questionnaire. Conclusion Questionnaires can help to detect gastrointestinal, lung, endocrine, or skin irAE, but not hepatic irAE. Questions on “weight change” and “insomnia” may help to increase the detection rate of irAE, besides organ-specific questions. These results are a valuable contribution to the future development of a specific and practicable questionnaire for early self-reported detection of irAE during ICI therapy in cancer patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03453892. Registered on 05 March 2018.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
Liliana P. Ferreira ◽  
Núria Santos ◽  
Nuno Fernandes ◽  
Carla Ferreira

Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and it is associated with increased mortality. The use of antipsychotics is common among the elderly, especially in those with dementia. Evidence suggests an increased risk of mortality associated with antipsychotic use. Despite the short-term benefit of antipsychotic treatment to reduce the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, it increases the risk of mortality in patients with AD. Our aim is to discuss the findings from the literature about risk of mortality associated with the use of antipsychotics in AD.Methods: We searched Internet databases indexed at MEDLINE using following MeSH terms: "Antipsychotic Agents" AND "Alzheimer Disease" OR "Dementia" AND "Mortality" and selected articles published in the last 5 years.Results: Antipsychotics are widely used in the pharmacological treatment of agitation and aggression in elderly patients with AD, but their benefit is limited. Serious adverse events associated with antipsychotics include increased risk of death. The risk of mortality is associated with both typical and atypical antipsychotics. Antipsychotic polypharmacy is associated with a higher mortality risk than monotherapy and should be avoided. The mortality risk increases after the first few days of treatment, gradually reducing but continues to increase after two years of treatment. Haloperidol is associated with a higher mortality risk and quetiapine with a lower risk than risperidone.Conclusions: If the use of antipsychotics is considered necessary, the lowest effective dose should be chosen and the duration should be limited because the mortality risk remains high with long-term use. The risk / benefit should be considered when choosing the antipsychotic. Further studies on the efficacy and risk of adverse events with antipsychotics are needed for a better choice of treatment and adequate monitoring with risk reduction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i7-i11
Author(s):  
P Hanlon ◽  
E Butterly ◽  
J Lewsey ◽  
S Siebert ◽  
F S Mair ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Frailty is common in clinical practice, but trials rarely report on participant frailty. Consequently, clinicians and guideline-developers assume frailty is largely absent from trials and have questioned the relevance of trial findings to frail people. Therefore, we examined frailty in phase 3/4 industry-sponsored clinical trials of pharmacological interventions for three exemplar conditions: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We constructed a 40-item frailty index (FI) in 19 clinical trials (7 T2DM, 8 RA, 4 COPD, mean age 42–65 years) using individual-level participant data. Participants with a FI &gt;0.24 were considered “frail”. Baseline disease severity was assessed using HbA1c for T2DM, Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) for RA, and % predicted FEV1 for COPD. Using generalised gamma regression, we modelled FI on age, sex and disease severity. In negative binomial regression we modelled serious adverse event rates on FI, and combined results for each index condition in a random-effects meta-analysis. Results All trials included frail participants: prevalence 7–21% in T2DM trials, 33–73% in RA trials, and 15–22% in COPD trials. Increased disease severity and female sex were associated with higher FI in all trials. Frailty was associated with age in T2DM and RA trials, but not in COPD. Across all trials, and after adjusting for age, sex, and disease severity, higher FI predicted increased risk of serious adverse events; the pooled incidence rate ratios (per 0.1-point increase in FI scale) were 1.46 (95% CI 1.21–1.75), 1.45 (1.13–1.87) and 1.99 (1.43–2.76) for T2DM, RA and COPD, respectively. Conclusion Frailty is identifiable and prevalent among middle aged and older participants in phase 3/4 drug trials and has clinically important safety implications. Trial data may be harnessed to better understand chronic disease management in people living with frailty.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2548-2548
Author(s):  
Vincent Chung ◽  
Komal L. Jhaveri ◽  
Daniel D. Von Hoff ◽  
Xin-Yun Huang ◽  
Edward Graeme Garmey ◽  
...  

2548 Background: Fascin inhibitors block tumor metastasis and increase antigen uptake in intra-tumoral dendritic cells. Filopodia, finger-like protrusions on cell surfaces, are necessary for migration of metastatic tumor cells and intra-tumoral dendritic cells. Fascin is the primary actin cross-linker in filopodia and elevated levels correlate with increased risk of metastasis, disease progression and mortality. NP-G2-044 is a novel small molecule that inhibits function of fascin. Pre-clinical data demonstrate drug-associated reductions in tumor growth and metastasis, enhanced immune response and survival in treated animals, and drug-drug synergism when combined with anti-PD-1 antibodies. Methods: This multicenter phase 1A clinical trial was designed to evaluate safety and tolerability of NP-G2-044 and to identify the drug’s recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) using a 3+3 dose escalation design. NP-G2-044 was administered to patients (pts.) with treatment-refractory solid tumor malignancies as a single oral daily dose for 6-week cycles that included 4 weeks on (daily dosing) and 2 weeks off (rest). Results: A total of 23 pts. were enrolled in 7 dose cohorts ranging from 200-2100 mg. QD. Overall, NP-G2-044 appeared well-absorbed and distributed with Tmax of ̃4 hrs and T1/2 of 20-24 hrs. Across all cohorts, no DLTs, drug-related SAEs or patient deaths were observed. Based on PK and safety findings, 1600 mg. daily was selected as the provisional RP2D. While no formal RECIST-based objective responses were observed, consistent with the drug’s non-cytotoxic mechanism of action, preliminary signals of anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activity were observed. These include dose proportional increases in duration of treatment, progression-free-survival, and metastasis-free interval, in particular for 4/4 late-stage ovarian cancer patients (table). Comparison of time on treatment (TOT) for ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: In this first-in-human clinical trial, the novel fascin inhibitor, NP-G2-044, appeared safe and well tolerated. Signals of single-drug anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activity were observed. A phase 2A clinical trial with a particular focus on Ovarian Cancer will seek to elucidate signals of RP2D activity in both monotherapy and the combination of NP-G2-044 with anti-PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Clinical trial information: NCT03199586. [Table: see text]


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (154) ◽  
pp. 190012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Delaunay ◽  
Grégoire Prévot ◽  
Samia Collot ◽  
Laurent Guilleminault ◽  
Alain Didier ◽  
...  

Immunotherapy has become a standard of care in oncology, following the recent approvals of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 and programmed cell death-1 inhibitors in lung cancer, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, bladder, head and neck cancers. Besides their efficacy, these agents also generate specific immune-related adverse events. Due to the increasing prescription of immune-checkpoint inhibitors, the incidence of immune toxicity will continue to rise. The awareness of immune-related adverse events is key to ensuring both diagnosis and management of the possible serious adverse events. Although severe immune-related adverse events remain rare, they can lead to discontinued treatment or to death if they are not forecasted and managed properly. Even if lung toxicity is not the most frequent adverse event, it remains critical as it can be life-threatening. Herein, the main aspects of pulmonary toxicity are reviewed and guidelines are also proposed in order to manage the possible side-effects.


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