Safe and effective use of nivolumab for treating lung adenocarcinoma associated with sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a rare case report

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a potent lung cancer risk factor: Insights from a Japanese large cohort study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare neoplastic disease associated with the functional tumour suppressor genes TSC1 and TSC2 and causes structural destruction in the lungs, which could potentially increase the risk of lung cancer. However, this relationship remains unclear because of the rarity of the disease.

METHODS

We investigated the relative risk of developing lung cancer among patients diagnosed with LAM between 2001 and 2022 at a single high-volume centre in Japan, using data from the Japanese Cancer Registry as the reference population. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed in cases where tumour samples were available.

RESULTS

Among 642 patients diagnosed with LAM (sporadic LAM, n = 557; tuberous sclerosis complex-LAM, n = 80; unclassified, n = 5), 13 (2.2%) were diagnosed with lung cancer during a median follow-up period of 5.13 years. All patients were female, 61.5% were never smokers, and the median age at lung cancer diagnosis was 53 years. Eight patients developed lung cancer after LAM diagnosis. The estimated incidence of lung cancer was 301.4 cases per 100,000 person-years, and the standardized incidence ratio was 13.6 (95% confidence interval, 6.2-21.0; p = 0.0008). Actionable genetic alterations were identified in 38.5% of the patients (EGFR: 3, ALK: 1 and ERBB2: 1). No findings suggested loss of TSC gene function in the two patients analysed by NGS.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed that patients diagnosed with LAM had a significantly increased risk of lung cancer. Further research is warranted to clarify the carcinogenesis of lung cancer in patients with LAM.

Soluble Immune-Related Proteins as New Candidate Serum Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Progression of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Background

The goal of this study was to analyze serum from lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) patients and healthy controls to identify novel biomarkers that could shed light on disease diagnosis and pathogenesis.

Methods

From April 2017 to October 2019, qualified serum samples were obtained to explore differences in 59 immune proteins between 67 LAM patients and 49 healthy controls by the Luminex method.

Results

We characterized 22 serum immune proteins that were differentially expressed in LAM patients compared with healthy people. Fifty-nine proteins were then classified into eight categories according to their biological function, and the results showed that LAM patients displayed significantly higher levels of growth factors (p = 0.006) and lower levels of costimulatory molecules (p = 0.008). LAG-3 was not only likely to have better predictive value than VEGF-D but also showed a significant difference between patients without elevated VEGF-D and healthy people. IL-18 was positively correlated with lung function and six-minute walk test (6MWT) distance and negatively correlated with St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), which suggested that IL-18 was related to disease severity. PD-1 was significantly different between patients with pneumothorax and/or chylothorax and those without complications.

Conclusion

We performed a large-scale serum immune factor analysis of LAM. Our study provides evidence that LAG-3 may be a novel candidate serum biomarker for the diagnosis of LAM. Future independent validation in prospective studies is warranted.

Safety profile of drugs for advanced melanoma: A report based on 2008-2018 US Food and Drug Administration Data

We describe the safety profiles of all drug classes used for the treatment of advanced melanoma from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System over 2008-2018. Adverse reactions reported in 25 900 pharmacovigilance cases are described for chemotherapies, immunomodulators, targeted therapies and immunotherapies. There was a sharp increase in the number of cases over time, with peaks associated with the launch of new treatments. The adverse reactions diversified over time; notably, skin (alopecias, dermatitis) and retinal disorders were frequently associated with targeted therapies and endocrine disorders (hypothalamus, thyroid and adrenal dysfunctions) with immunotherapies. Less well-known reactions were also detected, such as neuropsychiatric disorders with targeted therapies and gastrointestinal ulcers, pneumothorax and pleural effusions with immunotherapies. The findings highlight the need for various health professionals (including medical specialists or trained nurses) to enhance management of complications.

Adoptive T-Cell Transfer to Treat Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) develop pulmonary cysts associated with neoplastic, smooth muscle-like cells that feature neuroendocrine cell markers. The disease preferentially affects premenopausal women. Existing therapeutics do not cure LAM. As gp100 is a diagnostic marker expressed by LAM lesions, we proposed to target this immunogenic glycoprotein using TCR transgenic T cells. To reproduce the genetic mutations underlying LAM, we cultured Tsc2^-/- kidney tumor cells from aged Tsc2 heterozygous mice and generated a stable gp100-expressing cell line by lentiviral transduction. T cells were isolated from major histocompatibility complex-matched TCR transgenic pmel-1 mice to measure cytotoxicity in vitro, and 80% cytotoxicity was observed within 48 hours. Antigen-specific cytotoxicity was likewise observed using pmel-1 TCR-transduced mouse T cells, suggesting that transgenic T cells may likewise be useful to treat LAM in vivo. On intravenous injection, slow-growing gp100⁺ LAM-like cells formed lung nodules that were readily detectable in severe combined immunodeficient/beige mice. Adoptive transfer of gp100-reactive but not wild-type T cells into mice significantly shrunk established lung tumors, even in the absence of anti-PD-1 therapy. These results demonstrate the treatment potential of adoptively transferred T cells to eliminate pulmonary lesions in LAM.