scholarly journals Case Report: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Exuberant Tumor Inflammation With Accelerated Clinical Deterioration in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharmesh Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Rohit K. Jain ◽  
Laurie Herbst ◽  
Marcus Sikorski ◽  
Silpa Mandava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Radiographic Progression ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Clinical Deterioration ◽  
Tumor Biopsies ◽  
Extensive Necrosis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy. Nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, markedly improved overall survival in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, ICIs can rarely trigger massive inflammation, a phenomenon characterized by rapid acceleration in radiographic tumor growth, the mechanisms underlying which are largely unknown. We report three patients with metastatic RCC who experienced rapid radiographic progression and clinical deterioration following treatment with nivolumab. However, histological analysis revealed no viable cancer despite the evidence of radiological progression. Instead, extensive necrosis and lymphohistiocytic infiltration were noted, as described previously in patients with ICI-induced pseudoprogression. Based on these observations, we postulate that exuberant antitumor inflammatory responses may contribute to adverse clinical outcomes in some patients with ICI-induced radiographic progression. Prospective studies incorporating tumor biopsies may shed more light on this rare phenomenon.

scholarly journals Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score associated with survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e002851
Author(s):  
Jacqueline T Brown ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Julie M Shabto ◽  
Dylan Martini ◽  
Deepak Ravindranathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Prognostic Score ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Glasgow Prognostic Score ◽  
Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score

BackgroundThe modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) is a composite biomarker that uses albumin and C reactive protein (CRP). There are multiple immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based combinations approved for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). We investigated the ability of mGPS to predict outcomes in patients with mRCC receiving ICI.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients with mRCC treated with ICI as monotherapy or in combination at Winship Cancer Institute between 2015 and 2020. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were measured from the start date of ICI until death or clinical/radiographical progression, respectively. The baseline mGPS was defined as a summary score based on pre-ICI values with one point given for CRP>10 mg/L and/or albumin<3.5 g/dL, resulting in possible scores of 0, 1 and 2. If only albumin was low with a normal CRP, no points were awarded. Univariate analysis (UVA) and multivariate analysis (MVA) were carried out using Cox proportional hazard model. Outcomes were also assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results156 patients were included with a median follow-up 24.2 months. The median age was 64 years and 78% had clear cell histology. Baseline mGPS was 0 in 36%, 1 in 40% and 2 in 24% of patients. In UVA, a baseline mGPS of 2 was associated with shorter OS (HR 4.29, 95% CI 2.24 to 8.24, p<0.001) and PFS (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.01, p=0.006) relative to a score of 0; this disparity in outcome based on baseline mGPS persisted in MVA. The respective median OS of patients with baseline mGPS of 0, 1 and 2 was 44.5 (95% CI 27.3 to not evaluable), 15.3 (95% CI 11.0 to 24.2) and 10 (95% CI 4.6 to 17.5) months (p<0.0001). The median PFS of these three cohorts was 6.7 (95% CI 3.6 to 13.1), 4.2 (95% CI 2.9 to 6.2) and 2.6 (95% CI 2.0 to 5.6), respectively (p=0.0216). The discrimination power of baseline mGPS to predict survival outcomes was comparable to the IMDC risk score based on Uno’s c-statistic (OS: 0.6312 vs 0.6102, PFS: 0.5752 vs 0.5533).ConclusionThe mGPS is prognostic in this cohort of patients with mRCC treated with ICI as monotherapy or in combination. These results warrant external and prospective validation.

scholarly journals Determinants of resistance to VEGF-TKI and immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Revati Sharma ◽  
Elif Kadife ◽  
Mark Myers ◽  
George Kannourakis ◽  
Prashanth Prithviraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Angiogenesis Pathway

AbstractVascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGF-TKIs) have been the mainstay of treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Despite its early promising results in decreasing or delaying the progression of RCC in patients, VEGF-TKIs have provided modest benefits in terms of disease-free progression, as 70% of the patients who initially respond to the treatment later develop drug resistance, with 30% of the patients innately resistant to VEGF-TKIs. In the past decade, several molecular and genetic mechanisms of VEGF-TKI resistance have been reported. One of the mechanisms of VEGF-TKIs is inhibition of the classical angiogenesis pathway. However, recent studies have shown the restoration of an alternative angiogenesis pathway in modulating resistance. Further, in the last 5 years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized RCC treatment. Although some patients exhibit potent responses, a non-negligible number of patients are innately resistant or develop resistance within a few months to ICI therapy. Hence, an understanding of the mechanisms of VEGF-TKI and ICI resistance will help in formulating useful knowledge about developing effective treatment strategies for patients with advanced RCC. In this article, we review recent findings on the emerging understanding of RCC pathology, VEGF-TKI and ICI resistance mechanisms, and potential avenues to overcome these resistance mechanisms through rationally designed combination therapies.

Effect of high-dose corticosteroid use on efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4583-4583
Author(s):  
Chris Labaki ◽  
Sarah Abou Alaiwi ◽  
Andrew Lachlan Schmidt ◽  
Talal El Zarif ◽  
Ziad Bakouny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Line Of Therapy

4583 Background: The use of High-Dose Corticosteroids (HDC) has been linked to poor outcomes in patients with lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (Ricciuti B, JCO, 2019). There is no data on the effect of HDC on renal cell carcinoma patients (RCC) treated with immunotherapy. We hypothesized that HDC use would be associated with worse outcomes in RCC patients receiving ICIs. Methods: This study evaluated a retrospective cohort of patients with RCC at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Clinical information including demographics, IMDC risk score, RCC histology, steroid administration, ICI regimen, line of therapy, time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS) were collected. Patients were divided into those receiving HDC (prednisone ≥10 mg or equivalent for ≥ 1 week, HDC group) or not receiving HDC (No-HDC group). HDC administration was evaluated in relation to TTF and OS in a univariate analysis (Log-rank test) and a multivariate analysis (Cox regression). Results: 190 patients with RCC receiving ICIs were included, with a median age of 59 years. HDC were administered to 56 patients and 134 patients received no (N= 116) or only low-dose (N=18) steroids. In the HDC group, 40 patients received steroids for immune-related adverse events, 8 for other cancer-related indications, and 8 for non-oncological indications. There was no difference in TTF between the HDC and No-HDC groups (12-mo TTF rate: 34.8 vs. 32.3%, respectively; log-rank p=0.65). Similarly, there was no difference in OS between the HDC and No-HDC groups (36-mo OS rate: 56.7 vs. 62.4%, respectively; log-rank p=0.97). After adjusting for IMDC risk group, RCC histology, ICI regimen type, and line of therapy, TTF and OS did not differ in the HDC group as compared to No-HDC group (HR=1.14 [95%CI: 0.80-1.62], p=0.44 and HR=1.17 [95%CI: 0.65-2.11], p=0.59, respectively). Conclusions: In this retrospective study of patients with RCC treated with ICIs, administration of high-dose corticosteroids was not associated with worse outcomes.[Table: see text]

scholarly journals Safety and efficacy of restarting immune checkpoint inhibitors after clinically significant immune-related adverse events in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Abou Alaiwi ◽  
Wanling Xie ◽  
Amin H Nassar ◽  
Shaan Dudani ◽  
Dylan Martini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Median Time ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Clinically Significant

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) induce a range of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) with various degrees of severity. While clinical experience with ICI retreatment following clinically significant irAEs is growing, the safety and efficacy are not yet well characterized.MethodsThis multicenter retrospective study identified patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with ICI who had >1 week therapy interruption for irAEs. Patients were classified into retreatment and discontinuation cohorts based on whether or not they resumed an ICI. Toxicity and clinical outcomes were assessed descriptively.ResultsOf 499 patients treated with ICIs, 80 developed irAEs warranting treatment interruption; 36 (45%) of whom were restarted on an ICI and 44 (55%) who permanently discontinued. Median time to initial irAE was similar between the retreatment and discontinuation cohorts (2.8 vs 2.7 months, p=0.59). The type and grade of irAEs were balanced across the cohorts; however, fewer retreatment patients required corticosteroids (55.6% vs 84.1%, p=0.007) and hospitalizations (33.3% vs 65.9%, p=0.007) for irAE management compared with discontinuation patients. Median treatment holiday before reinitiation was 0.9 months (0.2–31.6). After retreatment, 50% (n=18/36) experienced subsequent irAEs (12 new, 6 recurrent) with 7 (19%) grade 3 events and 13 drug interruptions. Median time to irAE recurrence after retreatment was 2.8 months (range: 0.3–13.8). Retreatment resulted in 6 (23.1%) additional responses in 26 patients whose disease had not previously responded. From first ICI initiation, median time to next therapy was 14.2 months (95% CI 8.2 to 18.9) and 9.0 months (5.3 to 25.8), and 2-year overall survival was 76% (95%CI 55% to 88%) and 66% (48% to 79%) in the retreatment and discontinuation groups, respectively.ConclusionsDespite a considerable rate of irAE recurrence with retreatment after a prior clinically significant irAE, most irAEs were low grade and controllable. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm that retreatment enhances survival outcomes that justify the safety risks.

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