Management of brain metastases from lung cancer in the era of immunotherapy: a review of the literature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonello Veccia ◽  
Stefania Kinspergher ◽  
Mariachiara Dipasquale ◽  
Orazio Caffo
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Brain Radiotherapy ◽  
Brain Involvement ◽  
Sites Of Metastases

The brain is one of the most frequent sites of metastases in lung cancer patients, whose prognosis is related to the histological, biomolecular and clinical features of the disease. Over the years, the survival has improved significantly with the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), but there are limited data concerning their efficacy in patients with brain metastases. The aim of this review is to describe the biological mechanisms supporting the use of immunotherapy for brain metastases and the outcomes experienced by lung cancer patients with brain involvement enrolled in Phase III registration trials of ICIs. We also review retrospective data on ICIs alone or combined with brain radiotherapy, and indicate future directions for preclinical and clinical research.

scholarly journals Association of Brain Metastases With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Efficacy in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanning Wang ◽  
Qianning Zhang ◽  
Chuansheng Chen ◽  
Yuxuan Hu ◽  
Liyun Miao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Advanced Lung Cancer ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Hazard Ratios

BackgroundIn pivotal immunotherapy trials, the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors as treatments for lung cancer patients with brain metastases remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the relative efficacy of immunotherapy versus standard systemic therapy in advanced lung cancer patients with and without brain metastases.MethodsSystematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane database, and conference proceedings up to Aug 6, 2020 without year and language restrictions. The main outcomes were the overall survival in patients with and without brain metastases measured by hazard ratios, and the difference in efficacy between patients with and without brain metastases was measured by ratio of hazard ratios.ResultsNine eligible randomized controlled trials involving 6241 patients (682 [11%] with brain metastases and 5559 [89%] without brain metastases) were included in the analysis. A survival benefit of immunotherapy was observed for both patients with brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.53-0.97; P = .026) and patients without brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.67-0.83; P <.001). However, patients without brain metastases benefit more from immunotherapy than patients with brain metastases (HR, 1.37; 95%CI, 1.15-1.63; P = .001). Additionally, subgroup analyses indicated that tumor type affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with brain metastases (HR, 1.04 vs 1.54; interaction, P = .041).ConclusionsImmunotherapy can significantly improve overall survival for advanced lung cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases, especially in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, but the magnitude of benefit is brain metastases dependent.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020206597.

scholarly journals Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Brain Metastases: Clinical Challenges and Future Directions

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3407
Author(s):  
Ranjan Pathak ◽  
Arya Amini ◽  
Addie Hill ◽  
Erminia Massarelli ◽  
Ravi Salgia
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Small Cell Lung ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment landscape for patients with non-small cell lung cancers. Existing treatment paradigms for brain metastases in lung cancer patients leave patients with adverse neurocognitive function, poor quality of life, and dismal prognosis, thus highlighting the need to develop more effective systemic therapies. Although data are limited, emerging knowledge suggests promising activity and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in brain metastases in non-small cell lung cancer patients. This review aims to summarize the current data, highlight the challenges of incorporating immune checkpoint inhibitors in treating these patients, and identify areas for future research.

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