CLO19-031: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Optimization of Pharmacy Services in Toxicity Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3.5) ◽  
pp. CLO19-031
Author(s):  
Olivia G. Fahey ◽  
Elizabeth N. Dow ◽  
Jennifer K. Piccolo ◽  
Ticiana A. Leal

Background: Use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi) in oncology continues to rapidly expand. ICPis have a unique toxicity profile and can lead to immune related adverse events (irAEs), some serious and potentially life-threatening. Early detection and appropriate treatment may limit the morbidity and mortality of irAEs and allow patients who are deriving benefit from ICPi to continue treatment. Pharmacists practicing in UW Health Carbone Cancer Center clinics are uniquely positioned to educate patients about common ICPi toxicities and ensure appropriate, early recognition and management of irAEs in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. Methods: Within lung, melanoma, and gastrointestinal medical oncology clinics, a program was implemented involving pharmacists educating patients and families prior to the start of treatment as well as contacting patients at regular intervals to assess for any signs or symptoms of irAEs. The primary outcome is the number of patients experiencing Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 (CTCAE) grade 1 or 2 irAEs identified by a pharmacist enrolled in the program. Secondary outcomes include grade ≥ 3 irAEs identified by a pharmacist, the total number of patients enrolled in the program with any irAE, reason for discontinuation of ICPi, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions during the study period. Results: Between November 14, 2017 and October 15, 2018, a total of 81 patients were enrolled in the program with 49 of those patients still enrolled at the end of the study period. These patients experienced a total of 39 grade 1 and 13 grade 2 irAEs, of which 53.8% (n=28) were identified by pharmacists. The most common grade 1 or 2 toxicities identified by pharmacists were gastrointestinal (n=15) and dermatologic (n=6). Endocrine (n=7) and dermatologic (n=7) were the most common grade 1 or 2 irAEs identified by other providers. There were 4 grade 3 irAEs (endocrine, fatigue, liver, and pneumonitis) identified by other providers, and there were no grade 4 irAEs. Conclusion: Proactive pharmacist contact at regular intervals during ICPi treatment resulted in the early discovery of grade 1 or 2 irAEs experienced by patients. This pharmacist-driven approach may allow for earlier treatment of any toxicities experienced after ICPi treatment and reduce the rates of serious irAEs. Current efforts are focused on expanding these services to all UW Health Carbone Cancer Center clinics.

2020 ◽  
pp. 107815522096890
Author(s):  
Laura Nice ◽  
Ryan Bycroft ◽  
Xiaoyong Wu ◽  
Shesh N Rai ◽  
Lindsay Figg ◽  
...  

Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard of care in many cancer types. As the number of patients receiving ICIs for various cancers continues to expand, patients and practitioners should be aware of potentially severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Despite reports of the incidence of grade 3/4 toxicities, the proportion of patients whose symptoms were clinically severe enough to warrant hospitalization for adverse event management is unknown. Methods This single center, retrospective, observational study was designed to determine the impact of irAEs on patients and the hospital. Patients who started ICIs from May 2016 through May 2019 for melanoma or lung cancer were included. The primary outcome was incidence of hospitalization for irAE. Secondary outcomes included median length of hospitalization, time to onset of irAE, rates of hospitalization for irAE per each checkpoint inhibitor regimen, organ system affected, progression free survival, and overall survival. Results Of 384 patients with melanoma or lung cancer, 27 (7%) were hospitalized at our institution for an irAE. The most common irAE leading to hospitalization was colitis for patients with melanoma and pneumonitis for patients with lung cancer. The median length of stay across all hospitalizations was 10 days. Twenty-five patients required the use of corticosteroids while hospitalized, while eight of these patients required second line irAE treatment. For the total patient population, 34.7% experienced a grade 1/2 irAE and 13.1% experienced a grade 3/4 irAE. Conclusion Our cohort of patients experienced similar rates irAEs as reported in clinical trials and published reports.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e24160-e24160
Author(s):  
Deniz Can Guven ◽  
Taha Koray Sahin ◽  
Seren Aksun ◽  
Hakan Taban ◽  
Oktay Halit Aktepe ◽  
...  

e24160 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the main drugs for immunotherapy. Their efficacy comes at the expense of adverse events including immune-related adverse events (IRAEs). The emergency department (ED) is an important encounter point in the cancer care. However, the data on the causes of ED visits is scarce. Therefore, we evaluated the ED visits of patients treated with ICIs and tried to determine the predisposing factors. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of adult cancer patients treated with ICIs for any cancer type between 09/2014 and 06/2019 in Hacettepe University Cancer Center. The data about ED visits after the first dose of ICIs to six months after the last dose of ICIs was collected from the hospital registries. Baseline characteristics, stages and types of patients’ tumors, types of ICI, causes for emergency visits and hospital admissions were recorded. Results: A total of 221 patients were included. The median age was 60.7 years (18-86) and 65.6% of patients were males. Median follow-up was 9 months (0.2-55). Nivolumab was the most common immunotherapy (67.9%). Melanoma was the most common diagnosis (27.6%) followed by kidney and lung cancer. 90% of patients had advanced disease and more than half of patients were treated with two or more lines of therapy. The 83 patients (37.6%) had at least one emergency department (ED) visit. Half of these visits resulted in hospital admissions. Thirty-eight patients had more than one ED visits with 14 patients having three or more ED visits. Immune-related adverse events comprised less than 10% of the ED visits with most of the ED visits were related to symptoms attributable to disease burden itself. The median time to ED visit after the first dose of ICI was 126 days. While baseline ECOG status, age, polypharmacy (defined as the regular use of five or more drugs), concomitant chemotherapy, eosinophilia and lactate dehydrogenase levels didn’t significantly increase the risk, patients with regular opioid use and baseline neutrophilia ( > 8000) had a statistically significant risk of ED visits (p values 0.001 and 0.19 respectively). These two factors remained significant in the multivariate analyses. Conclusions: In this study, almost 40% of ICI treated patients had ED visits. Recognition and addressing of this patient group’s problems in the ED is very important as evidenced by ability to discharging half of patients from the ED. Collaboration between the other specialists like emergency medicine specialists is vital for improving the care of patients treated with immunotherapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 954-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E Renna ◽  
Elizabeth N Dow ◽  
Jason J Bergsbaken ◽  
Ticiana A Leal

Introduction The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment and is now a part of the treatment paradigm for several malignancies. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors are generally well tolerated, treatment is associated with immune-related adverse events, some serious and potentially life threatening. Early identification and prompt appropriate management of immune-related adverse events are crucial to prevent morbidity and mortality. The complexity and severity of immune-related adverse events require interdisciplinary collaboration to optimize care. Patient and caregiver education and continued communication between patients and members of the oncology care team are vital for timely recognition and successful management of immune-related adverse events. The objective of this program is to provide a proof of concept; a pharmacist-led immune checkpoint inhibitor management program will increase early recognition and management of immune-related adverse events through patient and caregiver education and proactively assessing patients for toxicities. Methods At the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, we developed and implemented a pharmacist-driven program, referred to as the immune checkpoint inhibitor program, which aimed to ensure patient and caregiver education and continuous monitoring of immune-related adverse events. This program utilized pharmacist–patient encounters to improve patient and caregiver education and follow-up monitoring. The design and implementation are detailed. Pharmacist interventions and patient outcomes were evaluated. Results At interim analysis, 47 patients were enrolled in the program and pharmacists completed 34 interventions on 26 patients. Pharmacists are well positioned to educate patients and caregivers on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and provide proactive monitoring to detect immune-related adverse events. We hypothesize that the interventions made by pharmacist may lead to earlier recognition and treatment of immune-related adverse events.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3629
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Ling Chen ◽  
Yu-Kang Tu ◽  
Hsiu-Mei Chang ◽  
Tai-Huang Lee ◽  
Kuan-Li Wu ◽  
...  

Patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC) have a very short survival time even if they receive standard cytotoxic chemotherapy with etoposide and platinum (EP). Several randomized controlled trials have shown that patients with ED-SCLC who received a combination of EP plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had superior survival compared with those who received EP alone. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to provide a ranking of ICIs for our primary endpoints in terms of overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR), as well as our secondary endpoint in terms of adverse events. The fractional polynomial model was used to evaluate the adjusted hazard ratios for the survival indicators (OS and PFS). Treatment rank was estimated using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA), as well as the probability of being best (Prbest) reference. EP plus nivolumab, atezolizumab or durvalumab had significant benefits compared with EP alone in terms of OS (Hazard Ratio HR = 0.67, 95% Confidence Interval CI = 0.46–0.98 for nivolumab, HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.54–0.91 for atezolizumab, HR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.59–0.90 for durvalumab) but no significant differences were observed for pembrolizumab or ipilimumab. The probability of nivolumab being ranked first among all treatment arms was highest (SCURA = 78.7%, Prbest = 46.7%). All EP plus ICI combinations had a longer PFS compared with EP alone (HR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.46–0.92 for nivolumab, HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.61–0.96 for atezolizumab, HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.65–0.94 for durvalumab, HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.61–0.92 for pembrolizumab), and nivolumab was ranked first in terms of PFS (SCURA = 85.0%, Prbest = 66.8%). In addition, nivolumab had the highest probability of grade 3–4 adverse events (SUCRA = 84.8%) in our study. We found that nivolumab had the best PFS and OS in all combinations of ICIs and EP, but nivolumab also had the highest probability of grade 3–4 adverse events in our network meta-analysis. Further head-to head large-scale phase III randomized controlled studies are needed to verify our conclusions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 030089162095346
Author(s):  
Nilay Sengul Samanci ◽  
Duygu Ilke Cikman ◽  
Kerem Oruc ◽  
Sahin Bedir ◽  
Emir Çelik ◽  
...  

Introduction: With the widespread use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), we are facing challenges in the management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We aimed to characterize the spectrum of toxicity, management, and outcomes for irAEs. Methods: Patients who were treated with at least one ICI in clinical trials, expanded access programs, or routine clinical practice were included. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected retrospectively to determine the incidence of irAEs, methods of management, and treatment outcomes. Results: A total of 255 patients were screened retrospectively. Of these, 71 (27.8%) patients developed irAEs. More than 2 different types of irAEs were detected in 16 (6.2%) out of 255 patients. A total of 3177 doses were given to 255 patients. In 93 (2.9%) of the 3177 doses, 1 episode of irAEs was experienced. A total of 22 out of 93 (23.7%) episodes were reported as grade 1, 49 (52.7%) as grade 2, 19 (20.4%) as grade 3, and 3 (3.2%) as grade 4. The most frequently seen irAEs were pneumonitis, hepatitis, and hypothyroidism. With regard to treatment, 39 out of 93 episodes (42%) of any grade irAEs occurred after anti–programmed cell death-1 therapy, 47 (50.5%) occurred following administration of anti–programmed death-ligand 1, and 7 (7.5%) occurred after combination treatments. Conclusion: With the increased use of immunotherapeutic agents, increased awareness and early recognition are required for effective management of irAEs. Our experience as a single institution might be of use for health care providers in oncology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175883592094092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Bo Jin ◽  
Jun Chen ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Shuiyu Lin ◽  
...  

Background: This network meta-analysis assessed the comparative risk of grade 3–5 and grade 5 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), either alone or in combination with other modalities, for cancer treatment. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and recent predominant oncology congresses were searched for relevant phase II and phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs). As outcomes, grade 3–5, and grade 5 TRAE outcomes were reported as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: In 67 RCTs involving 36,422 patients and 19 ICIs, the incidence of grade 3–5 and grade 5 TRAEs was 17.9% and 0.8% with ICI monotherapy and 46.3% and 1.4%, respectively, with combinatorial therapy. Pneumonitis was the most common cause of grade 5 TRAEs following either monotherapy (16.3%) or combinatorial therapy (11.4%). Regarding grade 3–5 TRAEs, atezolizumab + chemotherapy (CT) and antiangiogenic therapy (AT) (atezolizumab + CAT), pembrolizumab + CT, ipilimumab + CT, and atezolizumab + CT were more toxic than any ICI monotherapy, pembrolizumab or nivolumab + radiotherapy (RT), and ICIs dual therapy (durvalumab + tremelimumab and nivolumab + ipilimumab). Tremelimumab, ipilimumab, durvalumab, and pembrolizumab were, however, associated with higher grade 5 TRAEs than combinatorial treatments. Atezolizumab + CAT was the most toxic and nivolumab + RT was the least toxic of combinatorial treatments; among monotherapies, tremelimumab and avelumab were the most and least toxic, respectively. The toxicity ranking changed with type of grade 3–5 TRAEs. Conclusions: Compared with combinatorial therapy, ICI monotherapy caused lower grade 3–5 TRAEs, but some monotherapies resulted in a higher incidence of fatal TRAEs. Atezolizumab + CAT and nivolumab + RT were the most and least toxic of combinatorial treatments, respectively, and tremelimumab and avelumab were the most and least toxic of the monotherapies, respectively.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 341-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Personeni ◽  
Tiziana Pressiani ◽  
Antonio Capogreco ◽  
Arianna Dal Buono ◽  
Antonio D'Alessio ◽  
...  

341 Background: In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and baseline liver dysfunction, hepatic immune-related adverse events (HIRAEs) during immunotherapy have not been adequately characterized and their impact on subsequent treatment outcomes is not known. Methods: 40 patients with advanced/unresectable HCC and Child Pugh score A have been enrolled in first and second-line clinical trials of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). HCC etiologies were: hepatitis C (32.5%), hepatitis B (7.5%), alcohol abuse (27.5%), other (32.5%). 7 received anti-PD-1 mAbs alone and 33 received combined regimens that included anti-PD-1 mAbs plus either anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (30.4%) or tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (54.5%), or both (15.1%). We reviewed their liver function tests and HIRAEs onset was related to time to treatment failure (TTF). Results: Overall, 12 patients (30%) developed grade ≥ 3 hepatitis according to Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events v. 4.03, resulting in 4 cases of grade 2 drug-induced liver injury per DILI Working Group criteria. Time between therapy initiation and hepatitis onset was 1.4 months (0.4-2.8) and median peak aminotransferase (AT) level was 258 IU/L (85-869). Out of 6 permanent treatment discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs), 4 were linked to hepatitis. Higher AT median levels at baseline were significantly linked to grade ≥ 3 hepatitis compared with lower grades (95 IU/L vs. 36 IU/L, respectively; p = 0.008). Etiology, age, treatment did not predict HIRAEs onset. TTF in patients in patients with grade ≥ 3 hepatitis was shorter than in the whole cohort (1.4 vs. 3.8 months, p = 0.041), while overall survival did not differ (p = 0.125). Conclusions: We observed a 30% incidence of clinically significant HIRAEs. HIRAEs represent the most frequent AEs leading to treatment discontinuation in patients with HCC undergoing treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Baseline AT levels may identify patients at increased risk of grade ≥ 3 hepatitis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18763-e18763
Author(s):  
Naga Malleswari Vutukuri ◽  
Calette Corcoran ◽  
Jill Comeau ◽  
Elizabeth Stephenson ◽  
Kavitha Beedupalli ◽  
...  

e18763 Background: Recent single-center, retrospective reviews have evaluated the effect of influenza vaccinations on the incidence and severity of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Methods and outcomes in these studies vary. The most common medication investigated was ipilimumab, an Anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody. There is limited data evaluating the incidence of irAEs in those receiving the specific ICIs, program death-1 (PD-1) and program death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted including patients 18 to 89 years old who received single-agent pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, or durvalumab at an academic medical center from August 2015 to August 2019. The primary objective was to evaluate the incidence of irAEs in those who received an influenza vaccine compared to those who did not. Electronic health records, and the Louisiana Immunization Network for Kids (LINKS), which now collects adult information, were utilized for data collection. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate all endpoints. Results: Of the 217 charts screened, 133 were included in this study Fifty-three patients were included in the influenza vaccination group and 80 patients in the group that did not receive influenza vaccinations. The median age in those who received an influenza vaccine and in those who did not were 61 years and 62 years, respectively. The most common cancer diagnoses were lung cancer and melanoma. Ninety-one percent of patients in the vaccination group versus 81% in the group who did not receive an influenza vaccine received either nivolumab or pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitors). There was no statistical difference in irAEs in those who received an influenza vaccine versus those who did not (30% versus 45%, p = 0.15). The only significant secondary outcome found was the rate of irAEs in patients receiving a PD-1 inhibitor versus a PD-L1 inhibitor regardless of vaccination (42.2% versus 11.1%, p = 0.03). The majority of irAEs were grade 1 or 2. Conclusions: Based on this study, receiving an influenza vaccine does not have an influence on the risk of irAEs in those receiving ICI, specifically PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors. These outcomes may have been affected by adherence issues with yearly influenza vaccinations, inaccurate vaccine records, and receiving vaccines out of state. The statistically significant secondary outcome may have been affected by the disproportionate number of patients who were receiving a PD-1 inhibitor in this study. Larger population studies are needed to validate these findings and identify both the risk and benefit of patients receiving their yearly influenza vaccine while receiving ICI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14525-e14525
Author(s):  
Abdul Miah ◽  
Songzhu Zhao ◽  
Sandip H. Patel ◽  
Andrew Johns ◽  
Madison Grogan ◽  
...  

e14525 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved the survival of patients with multiple cancer types, however ICI treatment is associated with a unique set of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that can affect any organ. Few studies have evaluated the risk factors and outcomes of ICI induced hepatitis (ICIH). Methods: We utilized an institutional database of patients with advanced cancers treated with ICI between 2011 and 2017 at The OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center to identify patients with ICIH. Any patient who received at least one dose of ICI alone or in combination with other systemic therapies either as part of clinical trial or standard of care were included. Clinical data were extracted through chart abstraction. irAEs were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the date of ICI initiation to death from any cause or the date of the last follow-up. OS with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. OS was also evaluated by occurrence of ICIH using the log-rank test. Results: We identified 1,096 patients treated with at least one dose of ICI. Most common cancers included lung (n=224, 20%) and melanoma (n=342, 31%). The most common ICIs were PD1/L1 (n=774, 71%) and CTLA-4 inhibitors (n=195, 18%). ICIH of any grade occurred in 64 (6%) patients. Overall, 46 (71%) were male and median age was 60 years. Severity of hepatitis was grade 1-2 in 30 patients (47%) (Table 1). The incidence of ≥grade 3 ICIH in the entire cohort was 3.1%. Median time to ICIH diagnosis was 63 days. ICIH occurred alone in 24 patients, and co-occurred with other irAEs in 40 patients. The most common co-occurring irAEs were pneumonitis (n=7); colitis (n=15), thyroid abnormality (n=14); and dermatitis (n=15). ICIH was more common in women (p=0.038), in patients treated with combination ICIs (p<0.001), and among patients receiving first line therapy (p=0.018). Patients who developed ICIH had significantly longer OS than patients who did not develop ICIH; there was no difference in OS between patients with ≥grade 3 ICIH vs grade 1-2 (Table). 33 out of 34 patients with ≥grade3 ICIH were treated with steroids; 3 received mycophenolate and one received infliximab. Of patients with ≥grade 3 ICIH, 11 resumed ICI therapy without recurrent ICIH. Conclusions: Female sex, combination immunotherapy, and line of therapy were associated with ICIH. Patients with ICIH had improved clinical outcomes compared to those that did not develop ICIH, even those with higher grade toxicity. Further study is needed to assist in developing risk stratification models and optimal treatment for ICIH. OS of patients with and without immune checkpoint inhibitor hepatitis.[Table: see text]


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14580-e14580
Author(s):  
Iván Romarico Romarico Gonzalez Espinoza ◽  
Neil Cortés Escobar ◽  
Mariana Chiquillo-Domínguez ◽  
Gabriela Juárez Salazar ◽  
Julio Cesar Garibay Diaz ◽  
...  

e14580 Background: The use of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for solid malignancies is rapidly rising, and many new agents and treatment combinations are in development. However, ICIs have a unique side-effect profile of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) compared with chemotherapeutic agents or targeted therapies. The aim of this work was to describe the irAEs in diverse types of malignant tumors using real-world data. Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study of patients with diverse types of advanced malignancies treated with immunotherapy at Centro Oncológico Integral of the Hospital Ángeles in Puebla, México; during the period 2016-2020. Data about the primary neoplasm, ICIs, irAEs, organ system affected, grade and treatment was collected. Clinical and laboratory parameters were obtained by reviewing medical records. Results: A total of 117 patients were included, median age of 65 years, of which 63.2% were male and 36.8% were female. The most frequent neoplasms treated with ICIs were: lung (27.4%), kidney (16.2%), melanoma (12.8%), hepatocellular (9.4%), breast (8.5%), non-melanoma skin cancer (6.0%), mesothelioma (4.3%) and other tumors (15.3%). 39.3% of the patients had no metastases, 41.9% had metastases to at least 1 or 2 sites, and 18.8% to 3 or more sites. The types of ICIs were: nivolumab (35.0%), pembrolizumab (28.2%), atezolizumab (23.9%), ipilimumab + nivolumab (12.0%) and durvalumab (0.9%). The most frequent irAEs were: gastrointestinal (61.5%), neurologic (46.2%), pulmonary (38.5%), metabolic (32.5%) and hematologic (29.1%). 39.3% of the irAEs were reported as grade 1, 31.6% as grade 2, 14.5% as grade 3 and 2.6% as grade 4. Conclusions: Our work shows the incidence of irAEs in a poorly studied population and provides new data that complement that reported by other works, however, further prospective studies are necessary.[Table: see text]


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