Using Real-world Data to Define a Validated Nomogram for Advanced Bladder Cancer Patients Who Respond to Immunotherapy

Effect of liver metastasis on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients: a systemic review and meta-analysis

Liver metastasis is a frequent phenomenon in advanced tumor disease. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a new class of therapeutics that can improve the prognosis of cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between liver metastasis and survival outcomes of patients receiving ICIs treatment. We searched four main databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were the survival outcomes of our concern. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship between liver metastasis and OS/ PFS. Finally, 163 articles were included in the study. The pooled results showed that patients with liver metastasis receiving ICIs treatment had worse OS (HR=1.82, 95%CI:1.59-2.08) and PFS (HR=1.68, 95%CI:1.49-1.89) than patients without liver metastasis. The effect of liver metastasis on ICIs efficacy differed in different tumor types, and patients with urinary system tumors (renal cell carcinoma OS: HR=2.47, 95%CI:1.76-3.45; urothelial carcinoma OS: HR=2.37, 95%CI:2.03-2.76) had the worst prognosis, followed by patients with melanoma (OS: HR=2.04, 95%CI:1.68-2.49) or non-small cell lung cancer (OS: HR=1.81, 95%CI:1.72-1.91). ICIs efficacy in digestive system tumors (colorectal cancer OS: HR=1.35, 95%CI:1.07-1.71; gastric cancer/ esophagogastric cancer OS: HR=1.17, 95%CI:0.90-1.52) was less affected, and peritoneal metastasis and the number of metastases have a greater clinical significance than liver metastasis based on univariate data. For cancer patients receiving ICIs treatment, the occurrence of liver metastasis is associated with poor prognosis. Different cancer types and metastatic sites may hold a different prognostic effect on the efficacy of ICIs treatment in cancer patients.

Baseline and Dynamic Changes in Hemoglobin Levels Predict Treatment Response and Prognosis in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

INTRODUCTION

Clinical markers of response in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) are lacking. Low hemoglobin (Hb) is associated with poor outcomes in the IMDC risk score. This study evaluates the role of Hb as a marker of treatment outcomes in mRCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This multicenter retrospective study evaluated 276 patients with mRCC treated with frontline immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, ICI and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor (VEGFI) combinations (ICI/VEGFI), or VEGFI monotherapy between 2014 and 2021. Hb levels at baseline, week 6 and 12 and at disease progression or death were recorded. Patients were categorized as responders (CR+PR) or nonresponders (SD+PD) using cross-sectional imaging at week 12. The association between baseline and dynamic changes in Hb and oncological outcomes was assessed.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven percent, 40% and 22% of patients received ICIs, ICI/VEGFI and VEGFI respectively. In patients receiving ICIs, there was a significant increase in Hb amongst responders from baseline to week 12 (P= .02). Amongst patients receiving ICI/VEGFI, there was an increase in Hb from baseline to week 12 which was greater in responders (P< .001). In patients receiving VEGFI monotherapy, responders had a higher Hb at baseline (P= .01), week 6 (P= .04), and week 12 (P= .003). An increase in Hb was a significant independent predictor of progression-free survival amongst patients receiving ICIs (HR 0.40, 95%CI, 0.19-0.83, P= .009).

CONCLUSION

Baseline and dynamic changes in Hb are associated with first-line treatment outcomes in patients with mRCC and represent a pragmatic early serological marker.

Impact of Performance Status on Oncologic Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are widely used in the management of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC). However, its performance in aUC patients with poor performance status (PS) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the impact of patients' performance status on the oncologic outcomes in patients with aUC treated with ICIs.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception until July 2022 to identify studies assessing the association between the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) PS and the oncologic outcomes in patients with aUC treated with ICIs in randomised (RCTs) and nonrandomised (NRCTs) control studies according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The outcomes of our interests were overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR).

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Overall, six RCTs comprising 5428 patients and 32 NRCTs comprising 6069 patients were included. The meta-analysis of the RCTs revealed that patients with ECOG PS = 0 and PS ≥1 had a trend towards better OS with ICIs compared with those treated with chemotherapy (pooled hazard ratio [HR]: 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71-1.04, and HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.53-1.03, respectively). There was no significant difference in terms of response to ICIs between patients with poor and good PS (I² = 0%, p = 0.46). The meta-analysis of the NRCTs revealed that patients with PS ≥2 had significantly worse OS than those with PS <2 (pooled HR: 2.52, 95% CI: 2.00-3.17), as well as worse CSS (pooled HR: 3.35, 95% CI: 1.90-5.91), PFS (pooled HR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.67-5.01), and ORR (pooled odds ratio: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27-0.82). Similarly, patients with PS ≥1 had significantly worse oncologic outcomes than those with PS = 0.

CONCLUSIONS

In the NRCTs, poor PS was correlated with worse oncologic outcomes in aUC patients treated with ICIs. In the RCTs, ICIs performed better than chemotherapy across all PS categories. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to the high heterogeneity across the studies and patient populations. More RCTs including poor PS are needed to assess the impact of PS on ICI therapy outcomes.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Immune therapy for patients with urothelial carcinoma should not be restricted on the grounds of performance status. However, patients with poor performance status should be considered for other factors such as life expectancy and comorbidities.