Treatment of HIV-associated primary CNS lymphoma with antiretroviral therapy, rituximab, and high-dose methotrexate

HIV-associated cancers and lymphoproliferative disorders caused by Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus

SUMMARYWithin weeks of the first report of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1981, it was observed that these patients often had Kaposi sarcoma (KS), a hitherto rarely seen skin tumor in the USA. It soon became apparent that AIDS was also associated with an increased incidence of high-grade lymphomas caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The association of AIDS with KS remained a mystery for more than a decade until Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) was discovered and found to be the cause of KS. KSHV was subsequently found to cause several other diseases associated with AIDS and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. People living with HIV/AIDS continue to have an increased incidence of certain cancers, and many of these cancers are caused by EBV and/or KSHV. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, virology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of cancers caused by EBV and KSHV in persons living with HIV.

Different patterns of failure in two treatment regimens for primary central nervous system lymphoma, a retrospective analysis of 124 cases in Taiwan

To explore prognostic factors and outcomes of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in Taiwan, 124 PCNSL-DLBCL patients (from 1995 to 2021) were retrospectively analyzed. Mainly, two treatment modalities including sandwich chemoradiotherapy and modified MATRix regimen were employed in these patients. Overall survival (OS) was determined by log-rank test and time-dependent Cox analysis. Median OS of all patients was 27.1 months. 47 (37.9%) patients who underwent sandwich chemoradiotherapy had a complete remission (CR) rate of 87.2%, median OS of 53.9 months, and progression free survival (PFS) of 42.9 months. 11 (8.9%) patients who underwent modified MATRix regimen had CR rate of 72.7%, median OS of 18.9, and PFS of 11.2 months. There are no significant OS differences between treatment groups or addition of Rituximab. Patients treated with the modified MATRix regimen experienced a higher early mortality rate followed by a survival plateau. IELSG low-risk group had significantly improved OS and PFS than IELSG intermediate- or high-risk group. In multivariant analysis, age > 60 years old and bilateral cerebral lesions are associated with significantly inferior OS. Sandwich chemoradiotherapy demonstrated better early survival and reduced treatment-related toxicity for PCNSL patients compared to the modified MATRix regimen. However, the long-term follow-up revealed a higher rate of treatment failure events in the sandwich chemoradiotherapy group. IELSG and MSKCC scores served as reliable risk assessment models. Incorporating bilateral cerebral lesions as a risk factor further improved risk evaluation.

Evidence-based management of primary and secondary CNS lymphoma

Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma has traditionally had very poor outcomes however advances in management have resulted in dramatic improvements and long-term survival of patients. We describe the evidence for treatment strategies for these aggressive disorders. In primary CNS lymphoma there are randomized trial data to inform treatment decisions but these are lacking to guide management in secondary CNS lymphoma. Dynamic assessment of patient fitness and frailty is key throughout treatment, alongside delivery of CNS-bioavailable therapy and enrolment in clinical trials, at each stage of the disease. Intensive high-dose methotrexate-containing induction followed by consolidation with autologous stem cell transplantation with thiotepa-based conditioning is recommended for patients who are fit. Less intensive chemoimmunotherapy, novel agents (including Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, cereblon targeting immunomodulatory agents, and checkpoint inhibitors in the context of clinical trials), and whole brain radiotherapy may be reserved for less fit patients or disease which is chemoresistant. Data regarding the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells therapy is emerging, and concerns regarding greater toxicity have not been realized. Future areas of prospective studies include the identification of those at high risk of developing CNS lymphoma, management in elderly or frail patients as well as incorporating novel agents into regimens, particularly for those with chemoresistant disease.

Sustained response following BTK inhibitors based treatment in HIV-related primary central nervous system lymphoma: case report

BACKGROUND

Despite increasing effort for treating primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), the prognosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -related PCNSL was still unsatisfactory. There is currently a lack of clinical evidence for the application of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in HIV-related PCNSL. We reported two HIV-related PCNSL patients, who achieved sustained remission by application of BTK inhibitor based treatment. This protocol had not been previously reported for the treatment of HIV-related PCNSL.

CASE PRESENTATION

The two cases were characterized by the treatment choice of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. Rituximab was not recommended for them due to their very low CD4+ T cell counts. They both took MTX as the first-line therapy and got a relief in initial phase. For the first case, ibrutinib was kept both in the first-line therapy and in the maintenance therapy. When the second case underwent a progressive disease, we continued to use orelabrutinib as one of the salvage treatment, in combination with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus lenalidomide. They both achieved a continuous response of up to 20 months without opportunistic infection.

CONCLUSIONS

This report highlights the safety and effectiveness of BTK inhibitors, as well as lenalidomide and PD-1 inhibitor in HIV-related PCNSL patients. Both the new therapeutic approaches and a multidisciplinary team authentically contributed to improved survival outcome among HIV-positive PCNSL patients.

Management of primary and secondary CNS lymphoma

Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma has traditionally had very poor outcomes however advances in management have seen dramatic improvements and long-term survival of patients. In primary CNS lymphoma there are now randomised trial data to inform practice, however secondary CNS lymphoma has a lack of randomised trial data and CNS prophylaxis remains a contentious area. We describe treatment strategies in these aggressive disorders. Dynamic assessment of patient fitness and frailty is key throughout treatment alongside delivery of CNS-bioavailable therapy and enrolment in clinical trials. Intensive high-dose methotrexate-containing induction followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is preferred for patients who are fit. Less intensive chemoimmunotherapy, whole brain radiotherapy and novel therapies may be reserved for patients unfit or chemoresistant. It is essential to better define patients at increased risk of CNS relapse, as well as effective prophylactic strategies to prevent it. Future prospective studies incorporating novel agents are key.

European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) guidelines for treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)

The management of primary central nervous system (PCNSL) is one of the most controversial topics in neuro-oncology because of the complexity of the disease and the limited number of controlled studies available. In 2021, given recent advances and the publication of practice-changing randomized trials, the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) created a multidisciplinary task force to update the previously published evidence-based guidelines for immunocompetent adult patients with PCNSL and added a section on immunosuppressed patients. The guideline provides consensus considerations and recommendations for the treatment of PCNSL, including intraocular manifestations and specific management of the elderly. The main changes from the previous guideline include strengthened evidence for the consolidation with ASCT in first-line treatment, prospectively assessed chemotherapy combinations for both young and elderly patients, clarification of the role of rituximab even though the data remain inconclusive, of the role of new agents, and the incorporation of immunosuppressed patients and primary ocular lymphoma. The guideline should aid the clinicians in everyday practice and decision making and serve as a basis for future research in the field.

HIV-related lymphomas

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize the recent evidence on the pathology, current standard of care and recent advances in the treatment of HIV-related lymphomas.

RECENT FINDINGS

Lymphomas remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV, even in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, treatment outcomes for these malignancies have improved in recent decades, due to full-dose chemotherapy, effective cART and supportive care. Recent advances include the identification of novel driving signaling pathways as promising molecular targets to improve lymphoma outcomes.

SUMMARY

Patients with HIV-related lymphomas who receive effective cART should be treated like the general population.

HIV/AIDS Associated Lymphoma: Review

Lymphoma is one of the hematologic malignancies that occur at a higher rate in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals. It is one of the most frequent neoplastic causes of death in those individuals. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphomas are acquired immunodeficiency syndrome defining lymphoma and non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome defining lymphoma, respectively. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the most common type of lymphoma in human immunodeficiency virus-positive people. The lymphoma that develops in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is heterogeneous in terms of morphology, pathogenesis pathways, and cellular derivation. A narrative review was conducted on the basis of relevant literature on the current topic to summarize the current epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment of lymphoma in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. The finding showed that although the incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has decreased after the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, it has remained higher in human immunodeficiency virus-infected people than in the general population. On the other hand, the incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma has increased after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, it is recommended that people living with human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome be screened for the development of lymphoma to increase their survival time and quality of life, and further research is required regarding the pathogenesis, treatment, and laboratory diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated lymphoma.

HIV-Associated Lymphomas: Progress and New Challenges

The association of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and aggressive lymphomas was first reported in 1982. Before the development of effective HIV antiviral therapy, the incidence and the mortality of these lymphomas was high, with patients frequently succumbing to the disease. More lately, the combination of cART with chemoimmunotherapy significantly improved the survival outcome of the HIV-lymphomas. In this review, we discuss on describing the incidence of HIV-associated lymphomas, their clinical features, and the latest advances in the management of the various lymphoma subtypes.

Rheumatoid arthritis and HIV-associated arthritis: Two sides of the same coin or different coins

The relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated arthritis is a complex one that was first described more than three decades ago. There are many similarities and some differences in the clinical presentations of both diseases. In addition, treatment options and long-term monitoring can be challenging in the presence of both disorders, as HIV causes an immunocompromised state and medications used to treat RA are immunosuppressive. In this chapter, we discuss the clinical presentation and the use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in the management of these conditions.

Hematological cancers in individuals infected by HIV

HIV infection increases cancer risk and is linked to cancers associated to infectious agents classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lymphomas represent one of the most frequent malignancies among individuals infected by HIV. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma remains a leading cancer after the introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). The incidence of other lymphomas including Burkitt lymphoma, primary effusion lymphomas, and plasmablastic lymphoma of the oral cavity remain stable, while the incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-associated Multicentric Castleman Disease has increased. The heterogeneity of lymphomas in individuals infected by HIV likely depends on the complexity of involved pathogenetic mechanisms, i.e. HIV-induced immunosuppression, genetic abnormalities, cytokine dysregulation, co-infection with the gamma-herpesviruses, Epstein Barr virus and KSHV, and the dysregulation of the immune responses controlling these viruses. In the modern cART era, standard treatments for HIV-associated lymphoma including stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory disease, mirrors that of the general population. The combination of cART and anti neoplastic treatments has resulted in remarkable prolongation of long-term survival. However, oncolytic and immunotherapic strategies, and therapies targeting specific viral oncogenes will need to be developed primarily.

EBV-associated primary CNS lymphoma occurring after immunosuppression is a distinct immunobiological entity

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is confined to the brain, eyes, and cerebrospinal fluid without evidence of systemic spread. Rarely, PCNSL occurs in the context of immunosuppression (eg, posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders or HIV [AIDS-related PCNSL]). These cases are poorly characterized, have dismal outcome, and are typically Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated (ie, tissue-positive). We used targeted sequencing and digital multiplex gene expression to compare the genetic landscape and tumor microenvironment (TME) of 91 PCNSL tissues all with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma histology. Forty-seven were EBV tissue-negative: 45 EBV- HIV- PCNSL and 2 EBV- HIV+ PCNSL; and 44 were EBV tissue-positive: 23 EBV+ HIV+ PCNSL and 21 EBV+ HIV- PCNSL. As with prior studies, EBV- HIV- PCNSL had frequent MYD88, CD79B, and PIM1 mutations, and enrichment for the activated B-cell (ABC) cell-of-origin subtype. In contrast, these mutations were absent in all EBV tissue-positive cases and ABC frequency was low. Furthermore, copy number loss in HLA class I/II and antigen-presenting/processing genes were rarely observed, indicating retained antigen presentation. To counter this, EBV+ HIV- PCNSL had a tolerogenic TME with elevated macrophage and immune-checkpoint gene expression, whereas AIDS-related PCNSL had low CD4 gene counts. EBV-associated PCNSL in the immunosuppressed is immunobiologically distinct from EBV- HIV- PCNSL, and, despite expressing an immunogenic virus, retains the ability to present EBV antigens. Results provide a framework for targeted treatment.

What to Do for Increasing Cancer Burden on the African Continent? Accelerating Public Health Diagnostics Innovation for Prevention and Early Intervention on Cancers

No other place illustrates the increasing burden of cancer than in Africa and in particular, sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the individuals to be diagnosed with cancer will be in low-resource settings in the future due to, for example, an increase in populations and aging, and high co-morbidity with infections with viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), as well as the presence of infectious agents linked to cancer development. Due to lack of prevention and diagnostic innovation, patients present with advanced cancers, leading to poor survival and increased mortality. HIV infection-associated cancers such as B cell lymphomas, Kaposi's sarcoma, and HPV-associated cancers such as cervical cancer are particularly noteworthy in this context. Recent reports show that a host of other cancers are also associated with viral infection and these include lung, oral cavity, esophageal, and pharyngeal, hepatocellular carcinoma, and anal and vulvar cancers. This article examines the ways in which diagnostic innovation empowered by integrative biology and informed by public health priorities can improve cancer prevention or early intervention in Africa and beyond. In addition, I argue that because diagnostic biomarkers can often overlap with novel therapeutic targets, diagnostics research and development can have broader value for and impact on medical innovation.

Neurologic Complications of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews the neurologic complications associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

RECENT FINDINGS

Neurologic complications of HIV may be caused by direct virally mediated pathology, immune-mediated phenomena in response to viral infection, or opportunistic infections secondary to depletion of lymphocytes. These neurologic disorders may be influenced by the degree of immunosuppression (ie, CD4+ T-cell lymphocyte count) and stage of infection (early versus late), as well as use of antiretroviral therapy, and may manifest as a variety of central and peripheral neurologic syndromes, including the more commonly encountered HIV-associated cognitive disorders and length-dependent sensorimotor polyneuropathy, respectively. Immune dysregulation underlies the majority of these neurologic phenomena, as well as other HIV-associated conditions including immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), CD8 lymphocytosis, and potentially the development of compartmentalized infection within the CSF, also referred to as CSF escape.

SUMMARY

This article reviews a spectrum of clinical syndromes and related neuropathologic states associated with HIV infection.

[Diagnosis and treatment of HIV-associated lymphoma: Update 202]

The risk of malignant lymphomas is markedly increased in HIV-infected persons even in the era of effective combination antiretroviral therapy. Major risk factors are the depth of CD4-cell nadir and HIV viremia. R-CHOP remains treatment of choice for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In HIV-Burkitt lymphoma CODOX-M/IVAC proved superior to EPOCH in a large retrospective study. Standard treatment for plasmablastic or primary effusion lymphoma has not yet been defined. Favourable results have been reported with a stage adapted treatment for HIV-Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients with relapsed/refractory HIV-lymphoma should undergo autologous stem cell transplantation if indicated. Successful anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy was also reported in HIV-infected patients with refractory B-cell lymphoma.

Use of pembrolizumab with or without pomalidomide in HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is currently the most common malignancy among people living with HIV (PLWH) in the USA. NHL in PLWH is more frequently associated with oncogenic viruses than NHL in immunocompetent individuals and is generally associated with increased PD-1 expression and T cell exhaustion. An effective immune-based second-line approach that is less immunosuppressive than chemotherapy may decrease infection risk, improve immune control of oncogenic viruses, and ultimately allow for better lymphoma control.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of patients with HIV-associated lymphomas treated with pembrolizumab±pomalidomide in the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute.

RESULTS

We identified 10 patients with stage IV relapsed and/or primary refractory HIV-associated NHL who were treated with pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inihibitor, with or without pomalidomide. Five patients had primary effusion lymphoma (PEL): one had germinal center B cell-like (GCB) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL); two had non-GCB DLBCL; one had aggressive B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified; and one had plasmablastic lymphoma. Six patients received pembrolizumab alone at 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks, three received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 4 weeks plus pomalidomide 4 mg orally every day for days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle; and one sequentially received pembrolizumab alone and then pomalidomide alone. The response rate was 50% with particular benefit in gammaherpesvirus-associated tumors. The progression-free survival was 4.1 months (95% CI: 1.3 to 12.4) and overall survival was 14.7 months (95% CI: 2.96 to not reached). Three patients with PEL had leptomeningeal disease: one had a complete response and the other two had long-term disease control. There were four immune-related adverse events (irAEs), all CTCAEv5 grade 2-3; three of the four patients were able to continue receiving pembrolizumab. No irAEs occurred in patients receiving the combination of pembrolizumab and pomalidomide.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment of HIV-associated NHL with pembrolizumab with or without pomalidomide elicited responses in several subtypes of HIV-associated NHL. This approach is worth further study in PLWH and NHL.