Response to targeted therapy or chemotherapy following immunotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancers - a case series

A comprehensive review about the utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma: an updated review

A pharmacological class known as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has been developed as a potential treatment option for various malignancies, including HCC. In HCC, ICIs have demonstrated clinically significant advantages as monotherapy or combination therapy. ICIs that target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1), as well as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), have made significant advances in cancer treatment. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), several ICIs are being tested in clinical trials, and the area is quickly developing. As immunotherapy-related adverse events (irAEs) linked with ICI therapy expands and gain worldwide access, up-to-date management guidelines become crucial to the safety profile of ICIs. This review aims to describe the evidence for ICIs in treating HCC, emphasizing the use of combination ICIs.

The Association of the Sequence of Immunotherapy With the Survival of Unresectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of the National Cancer Database

Background: Immunotherapy has shown great success in various malignancies. However, its efficacy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a challenge, and the lack of understanding about the appropriate timing of immunotherapy with other standard-of-care cancer treatments may be one of the causes. The objective of the current study is to investigate the impact of the timing of immunotherapy with chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) on the overall survival (OS) of PDAC patients who did not receive surgical resection of the pancreatic tumor.

Materials and Methods: Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who did not receive surgical resection of the pancreatic tumor were identified from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Cox proportional hazard models were employed to compare the OS between patients who received immunotherapy with chemotherapy or RT with a different sequence of treatment. The multivariable analysis was adjusted for age of diagnosis, race, sex, place of living, income, education, treatment facility type, insurance status, and year of diagnosis.

Results: In total, 705 patients received chemotherapy and immunotherapy, while 226 received radiation therapy and immunotherapy. In the multivariable analysis, there was no significant difference in the OS of patients who started immunotherapy 31–90 days before the start of chemotherapy with a hazard ratio (HR) of [HR:1.057 (CI: 0.716–1.56; p < 0.781)] and patients who started immunotherapy 91–180 days before the start of chemotherapy [HR: 0.900 (CI: 0.584–1.388; p < 0.635)] compared to patients who started chemotherapy and immunotherapy within 30 days of each other. There was also no significant difference in the OS of patients who started RT> 30 days before the start of immunotherapy [HR: 0.636 (CI: 0.346–1.171; p < 0.146)] and patients who started immunotherapy > 30 days before the start of RT [HR: 0.660 (CI: 0.328–1.329; p < 0.246)] compared to patients who started RT and immunotherapy within 30 days of each other.

Conclusion: The sequence of immunotherapy with chemotherapy or RT was not associated with improved OS. Future studies with a larger subgroup sample size investigating the impact of the timing of immunotherapy with chemotherapy and RT on the OS of PDAC patients who do not receive surgical resection of the pancreatic tumor are needed.

Prognostic Biomarkers of Salvage Chemotherapy Following Nivolumab Treatment for Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Recent studies have suggested the benefit of salvage chemotherapy (SCT) after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment for recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC). We retrospectively examined the outcome of SCT and the usefulness of the serum C-reactive protein level (CRP) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as prognostic biomarkers. Thirty-nine patients with R/M HNSCC were enrolled in this study. Twenty-five patients (64.1%) received combination chemotherapy of weekly paclitaxel and cetuximab (PC) as SCT, and 14 patients (35.9%) received tegafur-gimestat-otastat potassium (S1), an oral fluoropyrimidine. In all patients, the response rate, disease control rate, median progression-free survival (PFS), and median overall survival (OS) were 45.2%, 85.7%, 6.5 months, and 13.5 months, respectively. No chemotherapy-related deaths were observed. These PC groups had low CRP (<1.2 mg/dL) or low NLR (<7.0) values at the time of SCT induction, which was significantly associated with an improved OS (p = 0.0440, p = 0.0354). A multivariate analysis also showed that a lower CRP value was significantly associated with a better OS (p = 0.0078). We clarified the usefulness of the PC and S1 regimens as SCT. In addition, SCT with the PC regimen showed a better prognosis with a lower CRP or NLR at induction than a higher CRP or NLR. This is the first report on biomarkers of SCT in R/M HNSCC.

Chemotherapy beyond immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) alone or in combination with chemotherapy (CT) are the current standard of therapy in several cancer types. Patients (pts) with lung cancer display higher response rates to CT when given after ICIs. Although ICIs have failed to demonstrate antitumour activity in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), little is known about CT effect after ICIs. We aimed to assess whether sequential ICIs followed by CT may be an alternative therapeutic approach in a population of pts with mCRC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively assessed CT after ICI (CAICI) failure in pts with mCRC. The ICI regimen consisted of anti-PD(L)1 alone or in combination. The primary end-point was objective response rate. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were secondary end-points.

RESULTS

Between 2014 and 2018, 29 pts with mCRC received CAICI (MSS tumours, 27 pts [86%]). The median number of previous lines was 4 (range, 2-7). Regimens included TAS-102 (n = 14), FOLFIRI (irinotecan, leucovorin, and fluorouracil; n = 6) or FOLFOX (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil; n = 4), regorafenib (n = 3) and carboplatin (1 pt with BRCA mutation). Partial response and stable disease were observed in 4 (19%) and 9 (43%) pts, respectively (disease control rate, 62%). The median PFS and OS were 3.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-5.4) and 8.0 months (95% CI = 4.2-14.0), respectively.

CONCLUSION

ICIs administered before CT might enhance cytotoxic effects even in pts with immunorefractory MSS mCRC. The results of this small cohort need to be validated in independent prospective cohorts. The role of ICIs as modifiers of both tumour cells and microenvironment in mCRC deserves further research.

Temozolomide therapy for aggressive pituitary tumours - current understanding and future perspectives

The use of temozolomide (TMZ) for the management of aggressive pituitary tumours (APT) has revolutionised clinical practice in this field with significantly improved clinical outcomes and long-term survival. Its use is now well established however a large number of patients do not respond to treatment and recurrence after cessation of TMZ is common. A number of challenges remain for clinicians such as appropriate patient selection, treatment duration and the role of combination therapy. This review will examine the use of TMZ to treat APT including mechanism of action, treatment regimen and duration; biomarkers predicting response to treatment and patient selection; and current evidence for administration of TMZ in combination with other agents.

Chemotherapy Reverses Anti-PD-1 Resistance in One Patient With Advanced Non-small Lung Cell Cancer

Background: Programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1) blockade has become a standard second-line treatment option for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without a driver gene mutation. Previous clinical studies showed that the objective response rate (ORR) of PD-1 blockade as second-line treatment for patients with NSCLC was ~20%, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was ~4 months, with most patients eventually developing a resistance to PD-1 blockade. Although the ORR to chemotherapy after PD-1 blockade resistance was relatively high, the survival time of patients could not be significantly prolonged. Clinical oncologists are unclear about which treatment regimen should be selected after PD-1 blockade failure. Here, we report about a patient with advanced NSCLC and initial PD-1 blockade resistance who was observed to have a rapid partial response (PR) following one dose of chemotherapy and subsequent PD-1 blockade treatment.

Case presentation: A 70-year-old woman with a history of left lower lobe lung surgery in March 2018 (pathological stage T1N2M0, EGFR wild-type) presented to our hospital. After six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, multiple nodules in both the lungs developed, and were suspected to be metastatic lesions. After another 2 months, the nodules in both the lungs enlarged. From November 2018 to March 2019, the patient received six cycles of pembrolizumab, and computed tomography (CT) confirmed a progressive disease status. She was then managed with 260 mg/m² albumin paclitaxel once every 3 weeks. Subsequently, chemotherapy was discontinued after one cycle owing to grade three neuromuscular toxicity. Follow-up CT revealed a stable disease in May 2019. She then received another six cycles of pembrolizumab, which resulted in a PR.

Conclusion: Chemotherapy may play a role in reversing PD-1 blockade resistance. If failure of PD-1 blockade occurs at first, re-administration of PD-1 blockade may be implemented if first followed by several cycles of chemotherapy. Because there are few reports on the use of chemotherapy to reverse PD-1 resistance, it is necessary to conduct clinical studies with larger patient cohorts to investigate whether chemotherapy can reverse PD-1 blockade resistance.

Timing of changing therapy from gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy based on real-world data of advanced urothelial carcinoma

Cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy is the gold-standard approach for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). However, the optimal number of cycles is still unclear. The current study retrospectively assessed the clinical outcome in patients who received gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic urothelial cancer to clarify the timing of switching from GC therapy. A total of 61 patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who received first-line chemotherapy with GC were retrospectively reviewed at National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center between June 2009 and August 2017. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The significance of associations between the clinical parameters and OS was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The median cycle number for GC chemotherapy was 4. The median PFS and OS of all cases was 5.2 and 14.1 months, respectively. The multivariate analyses revealed that a neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥3.0 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.521, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.179-5.624; P=0.017) and best response to GC therapy of CR+PR (HR 0.110; 95% CI=0.028-0.411; P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors. However, the number of GC cycles (≤4 vs. >4) was not an independent prognostic factor (P=0.387). The current retrospective study indicated that changes to therapy should be considered at an early stage for cases with a therapeutic effect of SD or less, regardless of the number of GC therapy cycles.

Chemotherapy after immune checkpoint blockade in patients with recurrent, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

OBJECTIVES

Given that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are now preferred agents in first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), we retrospectively studied outcomes on post-ICI therapies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We collected data from the medical records of 60 patients with R/M SCCHN who received ICIs followed by at least one further line of cytotoxic or biologic therapy at our institution from 2014 to 2019. We also compared outcomes with those of historical trials in the ICI-naïve, second-line or greater setting.

RESULTS

Patients who received platinum-based regimens as their post-ICI therapies experienced improved overall response (ORR) (50% versus 10%, p < 0.01) and improved overall survival (OS) (15.1 months versus 7.3 months, HR 0.46, p = 0.04) compared to the rest of the cohort. Patients receiving platinum re-challenge were more likely to respond than all other patients in the cohort (OR 8.37, p = 0.01). The ORR for patients on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-containing regimens (63%) was also higher than other patients in the cohort (p = 0.03). Immunotherapy-based regimens compared favorably to historical data of first exposure to ICIs (disease control rate 54% versus 36%). Singlet regimens were associated with shorter OS than other regimens (HR = 2.38, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Platinum- and 5-FU-based doublet or triplet regimens may be superior options in the post-ICI setting. Immunotherapy re-challenge following ICI therapy may also be a reasonable option.

Combined cytotoxic chemotherapy and immunotherapy of cancer: modern times

Monoclonal antibodies targeting programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoints have improved the treatments of cancers. However, not all patients equally benefit from immunotherapy. The use of cytotoxic drugs is practically inevitable to treat advanced cancers and metastases. The repertoire of cytotoxics includes 80 products that principally target nucleic acids or the microtubule network in rapidly proliferating tumor cells. Paradoxically, many of these compounds tend to become essential to promote the activity of immunotherapy and to offer a sustained therapeutic effect. We have analyzed each cytotoxic drug with respect to effect on expression and function of PD-(L)1. The major cytotoxic drugs—carboplatin, cisplatin, cytarabine, dacarbazine, docetaxel, doxorubicin, ecteinascidin, etoposide, fluorouracil, gemcitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel and pemetrexed—all have the capacity to upregulate PD-L1 expression on cancer cells (via the generation of danger signals) and to promote antitumor immunogenicity, via activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, maturation of antigen-presenting cells, depletion of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells and/or expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The use of ‘immunocompatible’ cytotoxic drugs combined with anti-PD-(L)1 antibodies is a modern approach, not only for increasing the direct killing of cancer cells, but also as a strategy to minimize the activation of immunosuppressive and cancer cell prosurvival program responses.

Case Report: A Case of Pituitary Carcinoma Treated With Sequential Dual Immunotherapy and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibition Therapy

Aggressive pituitary tumors (APTs) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and effective treatment options are limited. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized clinical cancer care; however, there is little experience with these agents in the management of APTs. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapy has reported success in a small number of APT case reports. Here we describe a case of pituitary carcinoma responding to ICI therapy and subsequently VEGF inhibition. We discuss the possible mechanisms and experience with ICI therapy and VEGF inhibitors in the management of APTs, biomarkers that may predict response, and the potential role of combination therapies including ICIs and temozolomide.