High serum IL-6 correlates with reduced clinical benefit of atezolizumab and bevacizumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Background & Aims

We elucidated the clinical and immunologic implications of serum IL-6 levels in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Ate/Bev).

Methods

We prospectively enrolled 165 patients with unresectable HCC (discovery cohort: 84 patients from three centres; validation cohort: 81 patients from one centre). Baseline blood samples were analysed using a flow cytometric bead array. The tumour immune microenvironment was analysed using RNA sequencing.

Results

In the discovery cohort, clinical benefit 6 months (CB_6m) was defined as complete or partial response, or stable disease for ≥6 months. Among various blood-based biomarkers, serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher in participants without CB_6m than in those with CB_6m (mean 11.56 vs. 5.05 pg/ml, p = 0.02). Using maximally selected rank statistics, the optimal cut-off value for high IL-6 was determined as 18.49 pg/ml, and 15.2% of participants were found to have high IL-6 levels at baseline. In both the discovery and validation cohorts, participants with high baseline IL-6 levels had a reduced response rate and worse progression-free and overall survival after Ate/Bev treatment compared with those with low baseline IL-6 levels. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, the clinical implications of high IL-6 levels persisted, even after adjusting for various confounding factors. Participants with high IL-6 levels showed reduced interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α secretion from CD8⁺ T cells. Moreover, excess IL-6 suppressed cytokine production and proliferation of CD8⁺ T cells. Finally, participants with high IL-6 levels exhibited a non-T-cell-inflamed immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment.

Conclusions

High baseline IL-6 levels can be associated with poor clinical outcomes and impaired T-cell function in patients with unresectable HCC after Ate/Bev treatment.

Impact and implications

Although patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who respond to treatment with atezolizumab and bevacizumab exhibit favourable clinical outcomes, a fraction of these still experience primary resistance. We found that high baseline serum levels of IL-6 correlate with poor clinical outcomes and impaired T-cell response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab.

Efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitor rechallenge in individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background & Aims

We investigated the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) rechallenge in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received ICI-based therapies in a previous systemic line.

Methods

In this international, retrospective multicenter study, patients with HCC who received at least two lines of ICI-based therapies (ICI-1, ICI-2) at 14 institutions were eligible. The main outcomes included best overall response and treatment-related adverse events.

Results

Of 994 ICI-treated patients screened, a total of 58 patients (male, n = 41; 71%) with a mean age of 65.0±9.0 years were included. Median systemic treatment lines of ICI-1 and ICI-2 were 1 (range, 1-4) and 3 (range, 2-9), respectively. ICI-based therapies used at ICI-1 and ICI-2 included ICI alone (ICI-1, n = 26, 45%; ICI-2, n = 4, 7%), dual ICI regimens (n = 1, 2%; n = 12, 21%), or ICI combined with targeted therapies/anti-VEGF (n = 31, 53%; n = 42, 72%). Most patients discontinued ICI-1 due to progression (n = 52, 90%). Objective response rate was 22% at ICI-1 and 26% at ICI-2. Responses at ICI-2 were also seen in patients who had progressive disease as best overall response at ICI-1 (n = 11/21; 52%). Median time-to-progression at ICI-1 and ICI-2 was 5.4 (95% CI 3.0-7.7) months and 5.2 (95% CI 3.3-7.0) months, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events of grade 3-4 at ICI-1 and ICI-2 were observed in 9 (16%) and 10 (17%) patients, respectively.

Conclusions

ICI rechallenge was safe and resulted in a treatment benefit in a meaningful proportion of patients with HCC. These data provide a rationale for investigating ICI-based regimens in patients who progressed on first-line immunotherapy in prospective trials.

Impact and implications

Therapeutic sequencing after first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a challenge as no available second-line treatment options have been studied in immunotherapy-pretreated patients. Particularly, the role of ICI rechallenge in patients with HCC is unclear, as data from prospective trials are lacking. We investigated the efficacy and safety of ICI-based regimens in patients with HCC pretreated with immunotherapy in a retrospective, international, multicenter study. Our data provide the rationale for prospective trials investigating the role of ICI-based regimens in patients who have progressed on first-line immunotherapy.

Effect of ramucirumab on ALBI grade in patients with advanced HCC: Results from REACH and REACH-2

Background & Aims

The albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grade/score is derived from a validated nomogram to objectively assess prognosis and liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this post hoc analysis, we assessed prognosis in terms of survival by baseline ALBI grade and monitored liver function during treatment with ramucirumab or placebo using the ALBI score in patients with advanced HCC.

Methods

Patients with advanced HCC, Child-Pugh class A with prior sorafenib treatment were randomised in REACH trials to receive ramucirumab 8 mg/kg or placebo every 2 weeks. Data were analysed by trial and as a meta-analysis of individual patient-level data (pooled population) from REACH (alpha-fetoprotein ≥400 ng/ml) and REACH-2. Patients from REACH with Child-Pugh class B were analysed as a separate cohort. The ALBI grades and scores were calculated at baseline and before each treatment cycle.

Results

Baseline characteristics by ALBI grade were balanced between treatment arms among patients in the pooled population (ALBI-1, n = 231; ALBI-2, n = 296; ALBI-3, n = 7). Baseline ALBI grade was prognostic for overall survival (OS; ALBI grade 2 vs. 1; hazard ratio [HR]: 1.38 [1.13–1.69]), after adjusting for other significant prognostic factors. Mean ALBI scores remained stable in both treatment arms compared with baseline and were unaffected by baseline ALBI grade, macrovascular invasion, tumour response, geographical region, or prior locoregional therapy. Baseline ALBI grades 2 and 3 were associated with increased incidence of liver-specific adverse events and discontinuation rates in both treatments. Ramucirumab improved OS in patients with baseline ALBI grade 1 (HR 0.605 [0.445–0.824]) and ALBI grade 2 (HR 0.814 [0.630–1.051]).

Conclusions

Compared with placebo, ramucirumab did not negatively impact liver function and improved survival irrespective of baseline ALBI grade.

Lay summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Prognosis is affected by many clinical factors including liver function both before and during anticancer treatment. Here we have used a validated approach to assess liver function using 2 laboratory parameters, serum albumin and bilirubin (ALBI), both before and during treatment with ramucirumab in 2 phase III placebo-controlled studies. We confirm the practicality of using this more simplistic approach in assessing liver function prior to and during anticancer therapy, and demonstrate ramucirumab did not impair liver function when compared with placebo.

•

In patients with HCC, the severity of coexisting liver dysfunction is usually categorised using the Child-Pugh system.

•

We demonstrate that the simpler albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) nomogram can be used for pre-treatment prognostication and on-treatment assessment.

•

Ramucirumab did not negatively impact on liver function compared to placebo in patients with advanced HCC and elevated AFP.

•

Liver-specific adverse events were reported more frequently in patients with more severe liver disfunction at baseline.

•

Ramucirumab provided a survival benefit irrespective of baseline liver function in patients with advanced HCC and elevated AFP.

Evaluation of liver tumour response by imaging

The goal of assessing tumour response on imaging is to identify patients who are likely to benefit - or not - from anticancer treatment, especially in relation to survival. The World Health Organization was the first to develop assessment criteria. This early score, which assessed tumour burden by standardising lesion size measurements, laid the groundwork for many of the criteria that followed. This was then improved by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) which was quickly adopted by the oncology community. At the same time, many interventional oncology treatments were developed to target specific features of liver tumours that result in significant changes in tumours but have little effect on tumour size. New criteria focusing on the viable part of tumours were therefore designed to provide more appropriate feedback to guide patient management. Targeted therapy has resulted in a breakthrough that challenges conventional response criteria due to the non-linear relationship between response and tumour size, requiring the development of methods that emphasize the appearance of tumours. More recently, research into functional and quantitative imaging has created new opportunities in liver imaging. These results have suggested that certain parameters could serve as early predictors of response or could predict later tumour response at baseline. These approaches have now been extended by machine learning and deep learning. This clinical review focuses on the progress made in the evaluation of liver tumours on imaging, discussing the rationale for this approach, addressing challenges and controversies in the field, and suggesting possible future developments.

A randomized phase II trial of best supportive care with or without hyperthermia and vitamin C for heavily pretreated, advanced, refractory non-small-cell lung cancer

Our previous study indicated that intravenous vitamin C (IVC) treatment concurrent with modulated electrohyperthermia (mEHT) was safe and improved the quality of life (QoL) of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The aim of this trial was to further verify the efficacy of the above combination therapy in previously treated patients with refractory advanced (stage IIIb or IV) NSCLC. A total of 97 patients were randomized to receive IVC and mEHT plus best supportive care (BSC) (n = 49 in the active arm, receiving 1 g/kg * d IVC concurrently with mEHT, three times a week for 25 treatments in total) or BSC alone (n = 48 in the control arm). After a median follow-up of 24 months, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly prolonged by combination therapy compared to BSC alone (PFS: 3 months vs 1.85 months, P < 0.05; OS: 9.4 months vs 5.6 months, P < 0.05). QoL was significantly increased in the active arm despite the advanced stage of disease. The 3-month disease control rate after treatment was 42.9% in the active arm and 16.7% in the control arm (P < 0.05). Overall, IVC and mEHT may have the ability to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced NSCLC.

Apatinib for heavily treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer: Report of a case series and literature review

Although many strategies have been developed for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), more secondary and further treatments are needed due to drug resistance or tumor recurrence. Apatinib is a novel oral antiangiogenic agent and in this study, we aim to investigate the clinical value of apatinib in heavily pretreated NSCLC. Here, we reported the characteristics, efficacy and adverse events of three patients treated with apatinib (500 mg/day). We also summarized the currently available evidence and ongoing clinical trials regarding the use of apatinib in NSCLC. Two cases of adenocarcinoma and one case of squamous cell carcinoma were treated with apatinib due to disease progression after previous treatments of chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). All patients responded to apatinib rapidly and underwent drug resistance shortly afterwards. The patient with squamous cell carcinoma died of hemoptysis. Other adverse events were acceptable. All previous relevant studies were compared and showed similar results but a longer progression-free survival. Additionally, ongoing clinical trials were systematically searched and listed. In conclusion, apatinib shows some efficacy in heavily treated NSCLC and generally tolerable toxicity in non-squamous NSCLC. More solid evidence will be accessible in near future.

Outcome of radiotherapy for pituitary adenomas

AIM

The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome and toxicities and its correlation to patient related and treatment related factors.

BACKGROUND

Pituitary adenomas are treated by radiation therapy (RT) as one of the modalities along with surgery and medical therapy. RT to pituitary adenomas is a challenge due to adjacent dose limiting structures such as optic apparatus and hypothalamus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between January 2004 and December 2010, 94 patients treated for pituitary adenoma with RT who had hospital records of a minimum follow-up of 1 year were included in the analysis. Tests of correlation were done with regards to treatment factors.

RESULTS

Male preponderance was noted in our patient population. Nonfunctioning and functioning tumors were equal in number in this series. Hypopituitarism was associated in 58.5% of patients prior to RT. Radiological tumor progression was seen in one patient (1/94) who had a nonfunctioning tumor. Among functioning tumors, biochemical remission was seen in 93.6% of patients at a median follow-up of 6 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Visual complication was seen in 5.3% of patients and worsening or new onset hypopituitarism was seen in 6.4%. Conventional 3-field technique was associated with significantly more visual complication compared to Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) technique. Doses ≤50.4 Gy showed a trend of reduced rate of visual and endocrine complications with no compromise in efficacy.

Polymorphisms of p53 and MDM2 genes are associated with severe toxicities in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Adverse events in platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are major challenges. In this study, we investigated the role of the p53 and MDM2 genes in predicting adverse events in NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Specifically, we examined the p53 p. Pro72Arg (rs1042522), MDM2 c.14 + 309T>G (rs2279744) and MDM2 c.- 461C > G (rs937282) polymorphisms using PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in 444 NSCLC patients. We determine that MDM2 c.14 + 309T > G was significantly associated with severe hematologic and overall toxicities for advanced NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, especially for patients aged 57 and younger. This was also true for patients with adenocarcinoma. Second, we determine that severe gastrointestinal toxicities in patients with heterozygous MDM2 c.-461C > G were significantly higher than in patients with the G/G genotype. Third, patients with the MDM2 c.-461C > G - c.14 + 309T > G CT haplotype show much higher toxicities than those of CG haplotype. Moreover, patients carrying the MDM2 c.-461 > G -c.14 + 309T > G CG/CT diplotype exhibited higher toxicities than those carrying CG/CG. Fourth, we found that the p53 p. Pro72Arg polymorphism interacts with both age and genotype. In addition, no significant associations were observed between the 3 SNPs and the response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients. In summary, we found that the p53 p. Pro72Arg, MDM2 c.14 + 309T > G and MDM2 c.-461C > G polymorphisms are associated with toxicity risks following platinum-based chemotherapy treatment in advanced NSCLC patients. We suggest that MDM2 c.14 + 309T > G may be used as a candidate biomarker to predict adverse events in advanced NSCLC patients who had platinum-based chemotherapy treatment.

Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy plus bevacizumab after response to bevacizumab plus irinotecan as a rescue treatment for high-grade gliomas

AIM

To evaluate the possibility of implementing a new scheme of rescue treatment after relapse or progression of high-grade glioma (HGG) treated at the first-line with bevacizumab and irinotecan (BVZ+CPT11), evaluating the response and toxicity of associating BVZ and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (BVZ+FSRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analysed data from 59 patients with relapse of HGG. Nine patients with HGG relapse after treatment using the Stupp protocol that were treated with BVZ+CPT11 for progression between July 2007 and August 2012, after which the response was assessed according to the Revised Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria. BVZ was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg and FSRT up to a prescribed dose of 30 Gy, 500 cGy per fraction, three days a week. The median follow-up was 38 months.

RESULTS

The treatment was well-tolerated by all patients. The response after nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3-6 months was progression in two patients, stable disease in four, and three patients had a partial response. The median overall survival (OS) from diagnosis until death or the last control was 36.8 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.8 months. The results from tumour sub-group analysis indicated that the PFS was not statistically significant although it seemed that it was higher in grade-III. The OS was higher in grade-III gliomas.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of BVZ+FSRT as a second-line HGG relapse rescue treatment is well-tolerated and seems to offer promising results. We believe that multi-centre prospective studies are needed to determine the long-term efficacy and toxicity of this therapeutic approach.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase vaccination

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an immunoregulatory enzyme. Remarkably, we discovered IDO-specific T cells that can influence adaptive immune reactions in patients with cancer. Further, a recent phase I clinical trial demonstrated long-lasting disease stabilization without toxicity in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were vaccinated with an IDO-derived HLA-A2-restricted epitope.

A phase II trial of biweekly vinorelbine and oxaliplatin in second- or third-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) typically have a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of biweekly combination of vinorelbine and oxaliplatin (NVBOX) in second- or third-line setting for mTNBC. Eligible patients were female with 18-70 y old, and had mTNBC that had progressed after 1or 2 prior chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting. NVBOX was given biweekly every 4 week for a maximum of 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Forty-4 patients were recruited. All patients had been exposed to anthracyclines and/or taxanes; 56.8% of patients were cis/carbo-platin pretreated. Among the 38 evaluable patients, overall response rate was 31.6% and 7 lasted ≥ 6 months. The median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 4.3 (95% CI, 3.6-5.0) months and 12.6 (95% CI, 8.1-17.0) months, respectively. PFS and OS was significantly shorter in patients with interval from diagnosis to recurrence ≤ 1 y and time to progression (TTP) of 1-2 previous regimens before recruitment ≤ 3 months. For 34 patients who were treated in second line setting, prior platinum was a factor significantly compromising the PFS of NVBOX. Grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities included neutropenia (70.5%), thrombocytopenia (27.3%) and anemia (15.9%). The most frequent grade 3/4 non-hematologic toxicities were constipation/abdominal distension (20.5%) and nausea/vomiting (13.6%). We conclude that biweekly NVBOX regimen is effective with a good safety profile in the second- or third-line mTNBC, which warrants further investigation in a phase III study. This trial was registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (no. NCT01528826).

Treatment Response Evaluation and Follow-up in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of morbidity, mortality and healthcare expenditure in patients with chronic liver disease. The management of HCC is evolving because of recently introduced novel therapeutic approaches. Optimal outcome requires an early and accurate assessment of tumor response to therapy. Current imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging; provide reliable and reproducible anatomical data in order to demonstrate tumor burden changes. However, in the setting of novel targeted therapies and liver directed treatments, simple tumor anatomical changes can be less informative and usually appear later than biological changes. There has been a growing interest to monitor the therapeutic response, at an early phase of treatment, by measuring tumor viability and/or perfusion. Therefore the importance of tumor viability assessment is increasingly being recognized. The tumor viability measurement guidelines have recently been amended to include the measurement of only the longest diameter of the enhancing tumors to formally amend RECIST to modified RECIST (mRECIST). Viable tumor should be defined as uptake of contrast agent in the arterial phase. In this review, we discuss criteria of response evaluation in HCC and further follow-up of patients receiving curative and palliative treatment.

Role of Transcatheter Intra-arterial Therapies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Transcatheter intra-arterial therapies play a vital role in treatment of HCC due to the unique tumor vasculature. Evolution of techniques and newer efficacious modalities of tumor destruction have made these techniques popular. Various types of intra-arterial therapeutic options are currently available. These constitute: bland embolization, trans-arterial chemotherapy, trans-arterial chemo embolization with or without drug-eluting beads and trans-arterial radio embolization, which are elaborated in this review.