Immunomodulatory effects in a phase II study of lenalidomide combined with cetuximab in refractory KRAS-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer patients

This study assessed the immunomodulatory effects in previously treated KRAS-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer patients participating in a phase II multicenter, open-label clinical trial receiving lenalidomide alone or lenalidomide plus cetuximab. The main findings show the T cell immunostimulatory properties of lenalidomide as the drug induced a decrease in the percentage CD45RA⁺ naïve T cells 3-fold while increasing the percentage HLA-DR⁺ activated T helper cells and percentage total CD45RO⁺ CD8⁺ memory T cytotoxic cells, 2.6- and 2.1-fold respectively (p<0.0001). In addition, lenalidomide decreased the percentage of circulating CD19⁺ B cells 2.6-fold (p<0.0001). Lenalidomide increased a modest, yet significant, 1.4-fold change in the percentage of circulating natural killer cells. Our findings indicate that lenalidomide significantly activates T cells, suggestive of an immunotherapeutic role for this drug in settings of maintenance therapy and tumor immunity. Furthermore, reported for the first time is the effect of lenalidomide in combination with cetuximab on T cell function, including increases in circulating naïve and central memory T cells. In summary, lenalidomide and cetuximab have significant effects on circulating immune cells in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01032291

Thalidomide maintenance therapy maturates the T cell compartment and compromises antigen-specific antitumor immunity in patients with multiple myeloma

Interferon (INF)-α was the maintenance treatment of choice after autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma in the past, but currently Thalidomide is commonly used. In this prospective study, the implications of the various types of maintenance therapy on the patients T cell pattern and activation status were assessed. T cells were analyzed for expression of surface molecules, cytokine secretion, the presence of regulatory T cells, and the specific activation against the multiple myeloma antigen HM1.24. T cells from 69 multiple myeloma patients were analyzed: 19 patients were treated with IFN-α; 26 were treated with Thalidomide; and 24 patients received no maintenance therapy. Specific T cell activation with an immunogenic HLA-A2(+)-restricted peptide from the myeloma-associated antigen HM1.24 was impaired in the Thalidomide group. In accordance with this observation, there was a trend toward a higher amount of regulatory T cells in the Thalidomide group. Furthermore, patients treated with IFN-α showed high rates of naive T cells, whereas a high rate of effector memory T cells was observed in the Thalidomide group. Importantly, after cessation of Thalidomide therapy, this effect was reversible in the CD8 compartment. In conclusion, Thalidomide maintenance therapy has profound implications on T cell pattern and activation status, which compromise antigen specific antitumor immunity.

Lenalidomide: A New Agent for Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Lenalidomide is a potent, novel thalidomide analog that has demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). It is a lead immunomodulatory drug currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and thromboembolic events are common adverse effects associated with lenalidomide therapy in patients with MM. Careful monitoring of those known serious adverse effects is essential to prevent life-threatening complications. This article discusses lenalidomide's mechanisms of action, clinical trial results, and the management of common adverse effects in patients with MM.

Lenalidomide and thalidomide: mechanisms of action--similarities and differences

Multiple myeloma is a B-cell malignancy characterized by an excess of monotypic plasma cells in the bone marrow. The molecular mechanisms that are involved in disease progression depend on the interaction between the multiple myeloma cells and the bone microenvironment. Because these mechanisms have been well characterized, it is possible to develop regimens that are more specific to pathways involved in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma than is typical for conventional chemotherapy in disease management. Thalidomide and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) have now been shown to block several pathways important for disease progression in multiple myeloma. First established as agents with antiangiogenic properties, thalidomide and IMiDs inhibit the production of interleukin (IL)-6, which is a growth factor for the proliferation of myeloma cells. In addition, they activate apoptotic pathways through caspase 8-mediated cell death. At the mitochondrial level, they are responsible for c-jun terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent release of cytochrome-c and Smac into the cytosol of cells, where they regulate the activity of molecules that affect apoptosis. By activating T cells to produce IL-2, thalidomide and IMiDs alter natural killer (NK) cell numbers and function, thus augmenting the activity of NK-dependent cytotoxicity. Data delineating these events have been derived from experiments done in resistant and sensitive multiple myeloma cell lines. Although thalidomide and IMiDs demonstrate similar biologic activities, IMiDs are more potent than thalidomide and achieve responses at lower doses. Lenalidomide, a thalidomide derivative, has also been shown to have a different toxicity profile. Our understanding of the mechanism of action of these agents has provided a platform for exciting clinical trials evaluating combinations of thalidomide and lenalidomide with both conventional chemotherapy and newer targeted agents.

Thalidomide-derived immunomodulatory drugs as therapeutic agents

Thalidomide, a drug originally used to treat morning sickness, was removed from the market place in the early 1960s after it was found to cause serious congenital birth defects. However, thalidomide has recently been investigated in a new light following its activity in a number of chronic diseases. Moreover, like thalidomide itself, its second-generation immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) analogues have been shown to act as powerful anticancer agents and are clearly active in the treatment of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. These new drugs, in particular the second-generation IMiDs, lenalidomide (CC-5013, REVLIMID; Celgene Corp., NJ, USA) and CC-4047 (ACTIMID; Celgene Corp.), offer improvements over thalidomide (a first-generation IMiD) in terms of efficacy and safety in human studies. The key to the therapeutic potential of IMiDs lies in the fact that the drugs have multiple mechanisms of action, which may produce both anti-inflammatory and antitumour effects. These effects are probably contextual, depending both on the cell type and the stimulus involved. Mechanisms associated with IMiD activity include TNF-alpha-inhibitory, T cell costimulatory and antiangiogenic activities. Studies of the mechanisms of action of these drugs are ongoing and will facilitate the continued development of this class of compound in a number of diseases.

Immunomodulatory derivative of thalidomide (IMiD CC-4047) induces a shift in lineage commitment by suppressing erythropoiesis and promoting myelopoiesis

Immunomodulatory derivative (IMiD) CC-4047, a new analog of thalidomide, directly inhibits growth of B-cell malignancies in vivo and in vitro and exhibits stronger antiangiogenic activity than thalidomide. However, there is little information on whether CC-4047 affects normal hematopoiesis. Here we investigated the effect of CC-4047 on lineage commitment and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. We found that CC-4047 effectively inhibits erythroid cell colony formation from CD34+ cells and increases the frequency of myeloid colonies. We also demonstrate that development of both erythropoietin-independent and erythropoietin-dependent red cell progenitors was strongly inhibited by CC-4047, while terminal red cell differentiation was unaffected. DNA microarray analysis revealed that red cell transcription factors, including GATA-1, GATA-2, erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF), and growth factor independence-1B (Gfi-1b), were down-regulated in CC-4047-treated CD34+ cells, while myeloid transcription factors such as CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBPalpha), C/EBPdelta, and C/EBPepsilon were induced. Analysis of cytokine secretion indicated that CC-4047 induced secretion of cytokines that enhance myelopoiesis and inhibit erythropoiesis. In conclusion, these data indicate that CC-4047 might directly influence lineage commitment of hematopoietic cells by increasing the propensity of stem and/or progenitor cells to undergo myeloid cell development and concomitantly inhibiting red cell development. Therefore, CC-4047 provides a valuable tool to study the mechanisms underlying lineage commitment.

Thalidomide-based treatment for HIV-associated multiple myeloma: a case report

The spectrum of hematologic and immunologic abnormalities induced by HIV infection is broad. Although the incidence of HIV-associated B-cell neoplasms has increased, relatively few cases of multiple myeloma have been reported, and even fewer cases have detailed treatment outcome. The case of an HIV-infected man in whom multiple myeloma was diagnosed following progressive anemia and fatigue is described. The patient began treatment consisting of thalidomide, dexamethasone, and clarithromycin, which led to a rapid and dramatic antitumor response. He experienced modest regimen-related toxicities while retaining a normal CD4+ T-lymphocyte count and a nondetectable HIV viral load. The immunologic and antitumor effects of thalidomide in the context of multiple myeloma and HIV infection are also briefly reviewed. Given thalidomide's relatively favorable side-effect profile and purported immunologic benefit, further studies of this drug in the treatment of HIV-associated multiple myeloma should be pursued.

Immunological effects of thalidomide and its chemical and functional analogs

Thalidomide has recently shown considerable promise in the treatment of a number of conditions, such as leprosy and cancer. Its effectiveness in the clinic has been ascribed to wide-ranging properties, including anti-TNF-alpha, T-cell costimulatory and antiangiogenic activity. Novel compounds with improved immunomodulatory activity and side effect profiles are also being evaluated. These include selective cytokine inhibitory drugs (SelCIDs), with greatly improved TNF-alpha inhibitory activity, and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) that are structural analogs of thalidomide, with improved properties. A third group recently identified within the SelCID group, with phosphodiesterase type 4-independent activity, is in the process of being characterized in laboratory studies. This review describes the emerging immunological properties of thalidomide, from a historical context to present-day clinical applications, most notably in multiple myeloma but also in other cancers, inflammatory disease, and HIV. We also describe the laboratory studies that have led to the characterization and development of SelCIDs and IMiDs into potentially clinically relevant drugs. Early trial data suggest that these novel immunomodulatory compounds may supercede thalidomide to become established therapies, particularly in certain cancers. Further evidence is required, however, to correlate the clinical efficacy of these compounds with their known immunomodulatory, antiangiogenic, and antitumor properties.

Generating hypotheses by discovering implicit associations in the literature: a case report of a search for new potential therapeutic uses for thalidomide

The availability of scientific bibliographies through online databases provides a rich source of information for scientists to support their research. However, the risk of this pervasive availability is that an individual researcher may fail to find relevant information that is outside the direct scope of interest. Following Swanson's ABC model of disjoint but complementary structures in the biomedical literature, we have developed a discovery support tool to systematically analyze the scientific literature in order to generate novel and plausible hypotheses. In this case report, we employ the system to find potentially new target diseases for the drug thalidomide. We find solid bibliographic evidence suggesting that thalidomide might be useful for treating acute pancreatitis, chronic hepatitis C, Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis, and myasthenia gravis. However, experimental and clinical evaluation is needed to validate these hypotheses and to assess the trade-off between therapeutic benefits and toxicities.

Thalidomide induces granuloma differentiation in sarcoid skin lesions associated with disease improvement

Sarcoidosis, a chronic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, is treated with immune suppressive drugs such as corticosteroids. Sarcoidosis patients have been reported to benefit clinically from treatment with thalidomide. We administered thalidomide for 16 weeks to eight patients with chronic skin sarcoidosis and evaluated the drug's effects before and with treatment. After thalidomide treatment, all skin biopsies showed decreases in granuloma size and reduction in epidermal thickness. We also observed extensive T cell recruitment into the granulomas, the appearance of multinucleated giant cells, and increased numbers of dermal Langerhans cells (CD1a(+)) and mature dendritic cells (CD83(+) or DC-LAMP(+)). Plasma IL-12 levels increased and remained elevated during the treatment period. We noted increased HLA-DR expression on peripheral blood lymphocytes and a corresponding drop in the naive T cell marker CD45RA. Our data suggest that thalidomide treatment of sarcoidosis results in granuloma differentiation to a Th1-type cellular immune response usually associated with protective immunity to tuberculosis and tuberculoid leprosy.

Thalidomide: new indications?

Thalidomide, which was developed as a nonbarbiturate sedative agent, was taken off the market in 1961 after it was linked to a spate of major birth defects. Gradually, thalidomide was reintroduced for the treatment of a few skin diseases including leprous erythema nodosum, severe mucosal ulcers (e.g., associated with HIV infection or Behçet's disease), lymphocytic skin infiltrations, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Recent reports of original pharmacological properties including modulation of cytokine production (mainly reduced TNF-alpha production) and inhibition of angiogenesis have led to the suggestion that thalidomide may be useful in some inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. Several open-label studies and case reports have described the effects of thalidomide in Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylarthritis, systemic sclerosis, and a few other systemic disorders. In these indications, minor but dose-limiting side effects were apparently common. Thalidomide analogs with better acceptability profiles are under evaluation. The anti-angiogenic effects of thalidomide may make this compound valuable as single-drug therapy or as an adjunct to chemotherapy in patients with cancer, particularly those with metastases or multiple myeloma. This possibility requires further evaluation.

Thalidomide: dual benefits in palliative medicine and oncology

Thalidomide is an immunomodulator, anti-angiogenic agent, anti-cytokine, and anti-integrin. Alone or in combination with other drugs, thalidomide has also demonstrated anti-cachexin and anti-neoplastic properties. Anorexia and cachexia are common symptoms of advanced cancer. Since certain cytokines also promote tumor growth, we may have a class of agents with palliative and anti-tumor benefits in combination with anti-neoplastics and anti-cytokines, such as thalidomide.

Immunotherapeutic and antitumour potential of thalidomide analogues

The immunomodulatory drug thalidomide has been shown to be clinically useful in a number of conditions including various immunological disorders and cancers. Clinical activity in vivo is attributed to the wide ranging immunological and non-immunological properties possessed by this drug; these include anti-TNF-alpha, T-cell co-stimulatory, anti-angiogenic activities and also direct antitumour activity. Recently, the design of compounds based on the thalidomide structure has led to the synthesis of analogues with greatly enhanced immunological activity and with similarly decreased toxicity. These derivatives fail into at least two categories; selective cytokine inhibitory drugs (SelCID), which are phosphodiesterase Type 4 (PDE4) inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD), similar to thalidomide which act via unknown mechanism(s). These compounds are in the process of being characterised in laboratory studies and are also now being assessed in Phase I and Phase I/II clinical studies. In this review we will highlight the properties of these two novel classes of compound in terms of their effects on both immunological and non-immunological systems in vitro. We will also describe how these studies are enabling the characterisation and development of these compounds into clinically relevant drugs in widely varying diseases. To this end we will describe the various clinical studies of lead compounds that are in progress and speculate as to the potential and future development of these exciting compounds.

[Sarcoidosis: thalidomide treatment in ten patients]

BACKGROUND

Acute cutaneous sarcoidosis is generally spontaneously regressive but persistent chronic cutaneous lesions are esthetically prejudicial. There have been several case reports on thalidomide efficacy but long-term outcome is unknown. We report results in 10 cases of cutaneous sarcoidosis treated with thalidomide.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from ten patients with sarcoidosis treated with thalidomide between January 1998 and March 1999 were collected from delivery authorizations and analyzed. All ten patients had chronic cutaneous sarcoidosis resistant to conventional therapy. Six patients had an associated visceral localization and disease duration of 2 to 18 years (median 6 years). We considered that regression was complete when erythema and infiltration had totally disappeared, that regression was incomplete when cutaneous signs remained, and that treatment had failed when no effect was observed or when the disease worsened.

RESULTS

Disease regression was noted in 7 patients for a daily dose of 1.84 mg/kg for 2.8 months. Skin lesions totally regressed in 3 patients, an incompletely in 4. Treatment failed in 3 patients. Patients were treated for 10 months (2 to 21 months). The daily dose of thalidomide was gradually reduced in 5 of 7 patients for whom treatment was effective. Three of these 5 patients relapsed and thalidomide was again given and was effective again at the same dose and after the same delay. We observed improved kidney function in one patient, improvement in nasal infiltration in one other and complete regression in 3 patients who achieved long lasting reduction in angiotensin convertase level. When treatment failed, the daily dose was 1.15 mg/kg and the treatment had to be stopped for 2 patients. Side effects were minor, excepting 2 cases of neuropathy.

DISCUSSION

This open study of 10 patients treated with thalidomide showed the efficacy of a 1.84 mg/kg daily dose in 7 out of 10, but complete regression of the lesions was obtained in only 3 patients. Thalidomiide appears to suspend the disease, with relapse when the drug is discontinued and efficacy at re-introduction. This would argue against a placebo effect. The mode of action could involve immunomodulating and antiinflammatory mechanisms.

Thalidomide: current and potential clinical applications

More than three decades after its withdrawal from the world marketplace, thalidomide is attracting growing interest because of its reported immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Current evidence indicates that thalidomide reduces the activity of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha by accelerating the degradation of its messenger RNA. Thalidomide also inhibits angiogenesis. Recently, the drug was approved for sale in the United States for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum, an inflammatory complication of Hansen's disease. However, it has long been used successfully in several other dermatologic disorders, including aphthous stomatitis, Behçet's syndrome, chronic cutaneous systemic lupus erythematosus, and graft-versus-host disease, the apparent shared characteristic of which is immune dysregulation. Many recent studies have evaluated thalidomide in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; the drug is efficacious against oral aphthous ulcers, HIV-associated wasting syndrome, HIV-related diarrhea, and Kaposi's sarcoma. To prevent teratogenicity, a comprehensive program has been established to control access to the drug, including registration of prescribing physicians, dispensing pharmacies, and patients; mandatory informed consent and education procedures; and limitation of the quantity of drug dispensed. Clinical and, in some patients, electrophysiologic monitoring for peripheral neuropathy is indicated with thalidomide therapy. Other adverse effects include sedation and constipation. With appropriate safeguards, thalidomide may benefit patients with a broad variety of disorders for which existing treatments are inadequate.

Study of immunological and virological parameters during thalidomide treatment of SIV-infected cynomolgus monkeys

The potential therapeutic utility of thalidomide (Thd), an effective inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in vitro, was investigated in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) at 10 months after infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Thd-treated macaques (n = 8) received an oral dose (10 mg) daily for 7 days, followed by a wash-out period of 5 weeks. A 2nd cycle of treatment was performed on the same animals at higher doses (20 mg Thd/day) for 14 days. The control monkeys (n = 7) received a placebo for the same period of time. In the present study, we show that Thd, in addition to inhibiting TNF-alpha production after in vitro mitogen stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), was able to restore the proliferative responses to SIV peptides in monkeys that were infected with SIV. Interestingly, we found that such effects are associated with an increased expression of CD28 cell surface receptors on CD4+ T-cells paralleled by a decrease on CD8+ T-cells. At the same time, significant reduction in either cell-associated viral load or plasma viral RNA was not observed among the SIV-infected monkeys during the two treatment cycles, when compared with the placebo group.

Thalidomide prolongs experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats

Thalidomide is reported to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, which have led to its use in the treatment of a number of immune-mediated disorders, including leprosy, discoid lupus and Behcet's disease, and to prevent immunological rejection phenomena following skin and bone marrow grafts. Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is a CD4+ T-cell-mediated demyelinating autoimmune disease, which represents an animal model for the study of the immunopathogenesis and immunotherapy of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in humans. We examined the effect of thalidomide in Lewis rats with EAN, which was induced by immunization with bovine peripheral nerve myelin (BPM) and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Thalidomide prolonged clinical EAN when given at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day by gavage. This clinical effect was associated with increased numbers of inflammatory cells in sciatic nerve sections and elevated numbers of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA-expressing cells among lymph node mononuclear cells from thalidomide-treated EAN rats on day 17 postimmunization, i.e. at the peak of clinical EAN. The finding that thalidomide prolongs clinical EAN is in agreement with the clinical polyneuropathy reported in patients receiving treatment with thalidomide and limits its clinical usefulness.

Thalidomide--a therapy for the immunological consequences of HIV infection?

The beneficial effects of the teratogenic drug thalidomide on a variety of disorders involving the immune system have been established recently. Comparison of symptoms and immunologic abnormalities of such diseases with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, as well as experimentally obtained results suggest that thalidomide may be a useful agent suppressing autoaggressive reactions initiated by the human immunodeficiency virus.