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Balan L, Cimpean AM, Nandarge PS, Sorop B, Balan C, Balica MA, Bratosin F, Brasoveanu S, Boruga M, Pirtea L. Clinical Outcomes and Molecular Predictors of Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as a PD-1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Advanced and Metastatic Cervical Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1109. [PMID: 38791070 PMCID: PMC11117617 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12051109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
This systematic review evaluates the clinical outcomes and molecular predictors of response to pembrolizumab in patients with advanced and metastatic cervical cancer. We adhered to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, conducting a database search in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. The eligibility criteria centered on clinical outcomes, including the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and immune-related biomarkers post-pembrolizumab therapy. We included both prospective and retrospective studies that detailed clinical outcomes and molecular characteristics predictive of therapeutic response. Our search yielded six studies involving 846 patients treated with pembrolizumab from 2017 to 2022. The meta-analysis of these studies showed that pembrolizumab, used as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, extended the OS by a weighted median of 10.35 months and the PFS by 8.50 months. The treatment demonstrated a pooled objective response rate (ORR) of 22.39%, although the I2 test result of 67.49% showed a high heterogeneity among the studies. Notably, patients with high PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10) experienced improved outcomes in terms of the PFS and OS. The most common complications were fatigue, diarrhea, and immune-related adverse events. Pembrolizumab significantly enhances clinical outcomes in metastatic cervical cancer, particularly among patients with high PD-L1 expression. The drug maintains a good safety profile, reinforcing its treatment potential for patients with advanced and metastatic cervical cancer. Future studies should explore long-term effects and strategies to integrate pembrolizumab optimally into current treatment regimens, aiming to maximize patient benefits and effectively manage side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Balan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.B.); (B.S.); (S.B.); (L.P.)
- Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.B.); (M.A.B.); (F.B.)
| | - Anca Maria Cimpean
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania;
- Center of Expertise for Rare Vascular Disease in Children, Louis Turcanu Children Hospital, 300011 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Prashant Sunil Nandarge
- Department of General Medicine, D.Y. Patil Medical College Kolhapur, Kolhapur 416005, India;
| | - Bogdan Sorop
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.B.); (B.S.); (S.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Catalin Balan
- Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.B.); (M.A.B.); (F.B.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Madalina Alexandra Balica
- Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.B.); (M.A.B.); (F.B.)
- Department of Infectious Disease, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Felix Bratosin
- Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.B.); (M.A.B.); (F.B.)
- Department of Infectious Disease, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Simona Brasoveanu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.B.); (B.S.); (S.B.); (L.P.)
- Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.B.); (M.A.B.); (F.B.)
| | - Madalina Boruga
- Department of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Laurentiu Pirtea
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.B.); (B.S.); (S.B.); (L.P.)
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Silva V, Matos C. Recent updates in the therapeutic uses of Pembrolizumab: a brief narrative review. Clin Transl Oncol 2024:10.1007/s12094-024-03491-8. [PMID: 38658461 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-024-03491-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Treatment of cancer has been improved with the discovery of biological drugs that act as immune checkpoint inhibitors. In 2017, FDA designated pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor employed in immunotherapy, as the first tissue-agnostic cancer treatment. OBJECTIVES To review pembrolizumab's use in oncology, gather and examine the latest discoveries regarding the effectiveness of pembrolizumab in cancer treatment. METHODOLOGY A literature review was conducted through PubMed(Medline) from January 2015 to December 2023 using "pembrolizumab", "cancer" and "treatment" as search terms. RESULTS Pembrolizumab demonstrated effectiveness as primary treatment for metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer, unresectable esophageal cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and alternative treatment for notable triple-negative breast cancer, biliary, colorectal, endometrial, renal cell, cervical carcinoma, and high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiencies tumors. Pediatric applications include treatment for refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. CONCLUSION Evolving research on pembrolizumab allows a deeper clinical understanding, despite challenges as variable patient responses. Pembrolizumab has emerged as a pivotal breakthrough in cancer treatment, improving patient outcomes and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vítor Silva
- Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE, 3004-561, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cristiano Matos
- QLV Research Consulting, 3030-199, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTESC-Coimbra Health School Pharmacy, 3046-854, Coimbra, Portugal.
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Liu R, He X, Li Z. Positive clinical outcomes following therapy with programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitors in neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1029598. [DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1029598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NECC) is a highly aggressive and rare gynecological malignancy with a poor prognosis. Despite aggressive local and systemic treatments, there are high rates of locoregional recurrence and distant metastases. Therefore, more potent treatments are required to manage NECC. In recent years, emerging immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, have been used in treating various solid tumors and provide a new direction for immune-targeted therapy for NECC. In this review, we summarize the biomarkers useful for the evaluation of the therapy with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with NECC and the clinical applications and prospects of monotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and combinations with other therapies in patients with NECC. In some individual case reports, therapeutic strategies with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors showed good efficacy. Further studies are needed to confirm the possibility of using PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors as a standard treatment strategy in NECC.
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Hu X, Xu H, Xue Q, Wen R, Jiao W, Tian K. The role of ERBB4 mutations in the prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Mol Med 2021; 27:126. [PMID: 34620079 PMCID: PMC8496027 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-021-00387-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have witnessed the achievements of convincing clinical benefits that feature the significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) of patients suffering from advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to reports recently. Sensitivity to immunotherapy is related to several biomarkers, such as PD-L1 expression, TMB level, MSI-H and MMR. However, a further investigation into the novel biomarkers of the prognosis on ICIs treatment is required. In addition, there is an urgent demand for the establishment of a systematic hazard model to assess the efficacy of ICIs therapy for advanced NSCLC patients. METHODS In this study, the gene mutation and clinical data of NSCLC patients was obtained from the TCGA database, followed by the analysis of the detailed clinical information and mutational data relating to two advanced NSCLC cohorts receiving the ICIs treatment from the cBioPortal of Cancer Genomics. The Kaplan-Meier plot method was used to perform survival analyses, while selected variables were adopted to develop a systematic nomogram. The prognostic significance of ERBB4 in pan-cancer was analyzed by another cohort from the cBioPortal of Cancer Genomics. RESULTS The mutation frequencies of TP53 and ERBB4 were 54% and 8% in NSCLC, respectively. The mutual exclusive analysis in cBioPortal has indicated that ERBB4 does show co-occurencing mutations with TP53. Patients with ERBB4 mutations were confirmed to have better prognosis for ICIs treatment, compared to those seeing ERBB4 wild type (PFS: exact p = 0.017; OS: exact p < 0.01) and only TP53 mutations (OS: p = 0.021). The mutation status of ERBB4 and TP53 was tightly linked to DCB of ICIs treatment, PD-L1 expression, TMB value, and TIICs. Finally, a novel nomogram was built to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs therapy. CONCLUSION ERBB4 mutations could serve as a predictive biomarker for the prognosis of ICIs treatment. The systematic nomogram was proven to have the great potential for evaluating the efficacy of ICIs therapy for advanced NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xilin Hu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China
| | - Hanlin Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China
| | - Qianwen Xue
- Qingdao Maternal & Child Health and Family Planning Service Center, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China
| | - Ruran Wen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China
| | - Wenjie Jiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China
| | - Kaihua Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China.
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Ji X, Sui L, Song K, Lv T, Zhao H, Yao Q. PD-L1, PARP1, and MMRs as potential therapeutic biomarkers for neuroendocrine cervical cancer. Cancer Med 2021; 10:4743-4751. [PMID: 34076351 PMCID: PMC8290238 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Neuroendocrine cervical cancer (NECC) is a rare cervical cancer with high aggressivity that causes poor prognosis even in the early stage. Given other neuroendocrine carcinomas and other types of cervical cancer have been proved to have expression of programmed cell death protein 1 ligand 1(PD‐L1) and poly ADP‐ribose polymerase‐1(PARP1), we would measure and analyze these proteins in this invasive cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate the application value of PD‐1/PD‐L1 and PARP1 inhibitors in NECC. Methods The NECC cases in our center with formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue blocks were collected, and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of PD‐L1, PARP1, Mismatch repair proteins (MMRs), and P53 was performed. Chi‐square test was used to analyze associations between various protein expressions. We analyzed the efficacy of immunotherapy in a recent patient with secondary recurrence after two courses of chemotherapy. Results After rigorous screening, 20 cases were finally included. Three cases did not undergo surgical treatment because of their advanced stage. Twelve (60%) developed distant metastases or relapsed within five years, and most of them within two years. The positive rate of PD‐L1 and PARP1 were 70% and 75% respectively. Among all the cases, microsatellite instability (MSI) was seen in six cases (30%) and abnormal p53 expression was in 15 patients (75%). PD‐L1 was associated with PARP1 expression in the MSI subgroup. The patient treated with chemotherapy + VEGF inhibitor (VEGFi) + programmed cell death protein 1(PD‐1) inhibitor had an excellent improvement in clinical symptoms, tumor markers, and mass size. Conclusion The IHC results of PD‐L1, PARP1, and MMRs suggested that NECC was the target of immunotargeted therapy. Our case confirmed that immune checkpoint therapy was effective in patients with PD‐L1 positive and MMRs loss. Considering the clinical practicability, more cases should be collected, and effective biomarkers still need to be further searched.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Ji
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lei Sui
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Kejuan Song
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Teng Lv
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Han Zhao
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qin Yao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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Targeting the PD-1 Axis with Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Cancer of the Uterine Cervix: A Brief Update. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041807. [PMID: 33670397 PMCID: PMC7917788 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though cervical cancer is partly preventable, it still poses a great public health problem throughout the world. Current therapies have vastly improved the clinical outcomes of cervical cancer patients, but progress in new systemic treatment modalities has been slow in the last years. Especially for patients with advanced disease this is discouraging, as their prognosis remains very poor. The pathogen-induced nature, the considerable mutational load, the involvement of genes regulating the immune response, and the high grade of immune infiltration, suggest that immunotherapy might be a promising strategy to treat cervical cancer. In this literature review, we focus on the use of PD-1 blocking therapy in cervical cancer, pembrolizumab in particular, as it is the only approved immunotherapy for this disease. We discuss why it has great clinical potential, how it opens doors for personalized treatment in cervical cancer, and which trials are aiming to expand its clinical use.
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Wong RWC, Ng JHY, Han KC, Leung YP, Shek CM, Cheung KN, Choi CKM, Tse KY, Ip PPC. Cervical carcinomas with serous-like papillary and micropapillary components: illustrating the heterogeneity of primary cervical carcinomas. Mod Pathol 2021; 34:207-221. [PMID: 32699256 DOI: 10.1038/s41379-020-0627-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent changes in the classification of cervical adenocarcinomas have re-categorized serous carcinoma as potentially nonexistent. However, clinical and pathological profiles of cervical adenocarcinomas with serous-like morphological features have not been systematically evaluated using the latest taxonomy and biomarkers. We studied 14 cases of primary cervical carcinomas with serous-like morphologies (papillary and micropapillary patterns). None of these cases exhibited evidence of serous carcinoma involving the upper tracts. Patient ages ranged between 34 and 86 years, most presented with abnormal uterine bleeding. Histologically, ten cases were classified as human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated carcinomas (eight usual-type endocervical adenocarcinomas and two adenosquamous carcinomas), of which six exhibited a papillary pattern and four had a micropapillary pattern. The four remaining cases were HPV-independent gastric-type adenocarcinomas, which displayed a papillary pattern in one case and a micropapillary pattern in three others. All ten HPV-associated carcinomas displayed block positive p16 and wild-type p53 by immunohistochemistry, with nine of them confirmed by HPV testing. Two of the four gastric-type adenocarcinomas had mutation-type p53, one of which also being p16 block positive. HER2 overexpression was demonstrated in 3/14 (21.4%) cases (2 HPV-associated and 1 HPV-independent). PD-L1 expression was identified in 4/10 (40%) cases, all HPV-associated. Targeted next-generation sequencing was performed in two cases with a micropapillary pattern, revealing a missense variant in ATM in an HPV-associated tumor and missense variants in TP53 and SMARCB1 in an HPV-independent tumor. The results demonstrated that primary endocervical adenocarcinomas can mimic the appearance of serous carcinoma, while not representing serous carcinoma. Serous-like papillary and micropapillary patterns may be present in both HPV-associated and HPV-independent cervical carcinomas, but none of the cases studied were unequivocally serous upon detailed analysis. Our findings support the exclusion of "cervical serous carcinoma" from existing classifications of cervical adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Wing-Cheuk Wong
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong. .,Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
| | - Joshua Hoi Yan Ng
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Kam Chu Han
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Yuen Ping Leung
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Chiu Man Shek
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Kin Nam Cheung
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Carmen Ka Man Choi
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
| | - Ka Yu Tse
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Philip P C Ip
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
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Lynes JP, Nwankwo AK, Sur HP, Sanchez VE, Sarpong KA, Ariyo OI, Dominah GA, Nduom EK. Biomarkers for immunotherapy for treatment of glioblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:e000348. [PMID: 32474411 PMCID: PMC7264836 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a promising new therapeutic field that has demonstrated significant benefits in many solid-tumor malignancies, such as metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. However, only a subset of these patients responds to treatment. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis of 14.6 months and few treatment advancements over the last 10 years. There are many clinical trials testing immune therapies in GBM, but patient responses in these studies have been highly variable and a definitive benefit has yet to be identified. Biomarkers are used to quantify normal physiology and physiological response to therapies. When extensively characterized and vigorously validated, they have the potential to delineate responders from non-responders for patients treated with immunotherapy in malignancies outside of the central nervous system (CNS) as well as GBM. Due to the challenges of current modalities of radiographic diagnosis and disease monitoring, identification of new predictive and prognostic biomarkers to gauge response to immune therapy for patients with GBM will be critical in the precise treatment of this highly heterogenous disease. This review will explore the current and future strategies for the identification of potential biomarkers in the field of immunotherapy for GBM, as well as highlight major challenges of adapting immune therapy for CNS malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Lynes
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anthony K Nwankwo
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Hannah P Sur
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victoria E Sanchez
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kwadwo A Sarpong
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Oluwatobi I Ariyo
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gifty A Dominah
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Edjah K Nduom
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Next generation sequencing driven successful combined treatment with laparoscopic surgery and immunotherapy for relapsed stage IVB cervical and synchronous stage IV lung cancer. Oncotarget 2019; 10:2012-2021. [PMID: 31007844 PMCID: PMC6459345 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The treatment of patients with multiple synchronous tumors is challenging and complex. The use of next generation sequencing (NGS) may help in identification of germline mutations in genes involved in a common etiology for both tumors thus allowing a common effective therapeutic strategy. Patients and Methods: We describe the unexpected positive results obtained in a young woman with relapsed chemo-resistant stage IVB cervical and synchronous stage IV lung cancer, who underwent an interdisciplinary approach including palliative surgery with laparoscopic total pelvic exenteratio followed by a chemo-immunotherapy protocol with the anti-Programmed Death (PD)-1 antibody nivolumab plus metronomic cyclophosphamide. The treatment choice was based on tumor PD-Ligand 1 assessment and NGS analysis for the identification of potential treatment targets. Outcomes included tumor objective response and patient-centered outcomes (pain, performance status and overall quality of life). Results: Laparoscopic surgery obtained an immediate symptom control and allowed the early start of medical treatment. One month after combined therapy start the patient achieved a significant improvement in performance status, pain, overall Quality of life and after 3 months she resumed working. After 3 and 6 months of treatment we observed an objective dimensional and metabolic response. Currently, after 24 months (and 48 cycles of nivolumab) the patient is continuing to benefit from treatment: she is in complete remission, with good performance status and she is working and leading a self-dependent life. Conclusion: Our study strongly affirms the efficacy of an interdisciplinary approach including surgical and innovative medical strategies based on immunotherapy in patients with advanced chemo-resistant synchronous cervical and lung cancer. The present findings support the use of NGS to drive a targeted rational treatment especially in heavily pre-treated patients.
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