An Extremely Rapid Case of Pneumonitis with the Use of Nivolumab for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Radiographic features and prognosis of early- and late-onset non-small cell lung cancer immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis

Background

Immunotherapy is becoming a standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Checkpoint inhibitor-associated pneumonia (CIP) is a rare and potentially life-threatening event that can occur at any time during tumor immunotherapy. However, there may be differences in the radiological patterns and prognosis of CIP during different periods. This study aimed to investigate the radiographic features and prognosis of early- and late-onset immune-related pneumonitis.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 677 NSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy to identify 32 patients with CIP, analyzed the clinical and radiographic data, and summarized the radiological features and prognosis of early- and late-onset CIP.

Results

CIP had an incidence of 4.7%, a median onset time of 10 weeks, and a mortality of 28.1%. Among these, CIP included 14 early-onset cases, where grade ≥ 3 CIP accounted for 92.9%, main radiographic pattern was organizing pneumonia (OP)-like pattern, and mortality was 50.0%. We also identified 18 late-onset CIPs, where grade ≥ 3 CIP accounted for 50.0%, main radiographic pattern was nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)-like pattern, and mortality was 11.1%. The overall survival rate of the early-onset group was significantly lower than that of the late-onset group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Early-onset CIP cases were higher in the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0) grade and mainly presented with an OP-like radiographic pattern; whereas, late-onset CIP cases were lower in CTCAE grade and mainly presented with an NSIP-like radiographic pattern. Finally, the prognosis of the early-onset CIP group was poorer than that of the late-onset CIP group. We believe that this study will be helpful for clinicians for making early diagnosis and deciding treatment modalities for patients with CIP.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08353-y.

Acute-Onset Pneumonitis while Administering the First Dose of Durvalumab

In locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, consolidation therapy with durvalumab (an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody) has proven to significantly increase both progression free and overall survival after chemoradiotherapy. Here, we describe a case of acute pneumonitis during durvalumab administration for locally advanced NSCLC, causing persistent symptomatology and steroid treatment to date. To our knowledge, acute-onset pneumonitis during infusion of a PD-L1 inhibitor has not been described previously. This case illustrates that ICI-induced pneumonitis can occur anytime during treatment, especially after chemoradiation.