Search

Objectives Cancer patients with pre-existing autoimmune disease, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), are excluded from clinical trials, so the data on tolerability and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in these patients are limited. This study investigated the tolerability and efficacy of anti–programmed death ligand 1 (PD (L)1) immunotherapies in patients with pre-existing SSc. Methods Scleronco-01 was a multicentre, nationwide, open-label, phase IV observational study, from 2019 to 2021. Results Seventeen SSc patients receiving treatment for lung carcinoma (n = 13, 77%), head and neck cancer (n = 2, 12%), melanoma (n = 1, 6%), and colorectal carcinoma (n = 1, 6%) were included. The median (interquartile range) patient age was 60 (34–82) years. Fifteen (88%) patients received anti-PD1 (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) and two (12%) anti-PD-L1 (durvalumab). The median follow-up duration was 12 (range, 2–38) months. Four patients (24%) experienced flare-up of SSc symptoms. Ten patients (59%) developed an immune-related adverse event (grade I–II in 11 patients [65%], grade III–IV in one [6%]) without grade V. The overall response rate was 41% (7/17 patients). The median overall survival was 15.8 (95% confidence interval: 7.3 to not reached) months. Conclusion Anti-PD1 or PD-L1 immunotherapies are suitable options for cancer patients with pre-existing SSc. Longer follow-up periods are required for long-term safety analyses.

Generalised oedema was occasionally reported associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs). The purpose of this study is to investigate immune-related generalised oedema (ir-GE) drug related to ICPI, through frequency, clinical and pathological characteristics, and patient's outcome.Objectives of the study were to report on ir-GE associated with ICPI to define frequency, associated signs and symptoms, pathological characteristics, severity, and response to corticosteroids. To be included in the study, adult patients had to have ir-GE related to ICPI with certain or likely link, without any other known causes of generalised oedema. The study design was observational, over the period 2014-2020, from pharmacovigilance databases in France, including the prospective Registre des Effets Indésirables Sévères des Anticorps Monoclonaux Immunomodulateurs en Cancérologie (REISAMIC) registry. Calculation of the frequency of ir-GE was restricted to the prospective REISAMIC registry.Over 6633 screened patients, 20 had ir-GE confirmed drug related to ICPI. Based on the prospective REISAMIC registry, the frequency of ir-GE was 0.19% of ICPI-treated patients (3 cases out of 1598 screened patients). The 20 patients with ir-GE had a median (range) age of 62 (26-81) years, most frequent tumour types were melanoma (n = 9; 45%) and lung cancer (n = 6; 30%). The most frequent localisations of oedema were peripheral (n = 17; 85%), pleural (n = 13; 65%), and peritoneal (n = 10; 50%). Polyserositis was observed in 11 (55%) patients. The median (range) weight gain per patient was 9 (2-30) kg. Associated signs and symptoms met criteria for capillary leak syndrome (n = 4; 20%), sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) (n = 3; 15%), or subcutaneous autoimmune syndrome (n = 2; 10%). Corticosteroids were administered to 15 patients; of them, 10 (67%) improved clinically after corticosteroids. Based on CTCAEV5.0, the highest severity of ir-GE was grade ≥4 in 11 (55%) patients and four (20%) patients died due to ir-GE.Generalised immune system-related oedema is a new category of adverse event with immune checkpoint inhibitors and is often associated with a life-threatening condition. The pathophysiology may in some cases be related to endothelial dysfunctions, such as SOS/VOD or capillary leak syndrome.

Vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relies on the in-depth understanding of protective immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We characterized the polarity and specificity of memory T cells directed against SARS-CoV-2 viral lysates and peptides to determine correlates with spontaneous, virus-elicited, or vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 in disease-free and cancer-bearing individuals. A disbalance between type 1 and 2 cytokine release was associated with high susceptibility to COVID-19. Individuals susceptible to infection exhibited a specific deficit in the T helper 1/T cytotoxic 1 (Th1/Tc1) peptide repertoire affecting the receptor binding domain of the spike protein (S1-RBD), a hotspot of viral mutations. Current vaccines triggered Th1/Tc1 responses in only a fraction of all subject categories, more effectively against the original sequence of S1-RBD than that from viral variants. We speculate that the next generation of vaccines should elicit Th1/Tc1 T-cell responses against the S1-RBD domain of emerging viral variants. Significance: This study prospectively analyzed virus-specific T-cell correlates of protection against COVID-19 in healthy and cancer-bearing individuals. A disbalance between Th1/Th2 recall responses conferred susceptibility to COVID-19 in both populations, coinciding with selective defects in Th1 recognition of the receptor binding domain of spike. See related commentary by McGary and Vardhana, p. 892. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 873

23 Background: Early phase clinical trials usually include patients (pts) with advanced disease who have failed to standard therapies. Early palliative care (EPC) for these pts has shown to improve quality of life and even survival. Pallia 10 score (from 1 to 10) is a tool developed by the French Palliative Care Society to identify the best time to introduce palliative care. Methods: We assessed the Pallia 10 score and other prognostic factors (age, ECOG, Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) score, LDH and albumin levels, number (nb) of prior systemic treatments and metastatic sites) in pts enrolled in phase I trials (P1CT) prospectively during 2 periods of time (cohort 1 (C1) and 2 (C2)). A double-blind assessment of the Pallia 10 score was done during 15 days by a member of the palliative care unit in C2. A Pallia 10 > 3 motivated a dedicated palliative care consultation. Results: From 01/07/2018 to 01/11/2018 (C1) and from 01/12/2020 to 16/04/2021 (C2), a total of 85 pts were assessed in C1 and 302 in C2. Gastro-intestinal (23%), hematological (14%) and lung (11%) cancer were the most frequent tumor types. Pallia 10 score and prognostic factors were similar between both cohorts (Table). On C1 and C2, 12% and 4% of pts had a dedicated palliative consultation with median time of referral of 18 and 2 months (m) after the P1CT onset (p = 0.003), with a median Pallia 10 score of 1.5 and 2 (p = 0.65), respectively. Overall, 75% and 76% of pts in C1 and C2 were still alive beyond 3m after discontinuation of the P1CT (p = 0.91), followed by at least one subsequent treatment in 56% and 54% of pts. In C2, assessment of Pallia 10 score was significantly different between palliative care physician (median 5, range 3-8), phase I physician (median 1, range 1 -6) and phase I nurse (median 3, range 1-8) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Only a few patients included in P1CT were referred to the palliative care unit. Median Pallia 10 score was low when assessed by the phase I physician which suggests the need for a better tool to implement EPC in clinical practice and trials.[Table: see text]

Importance Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) or anti–PD-L1 (programmed cell death 1 ligand 1), have proved effective in treating many cancers, patients receiving ICIs may experience immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Little evidence exists on the safety of resuming these treatments after an irAE. Objective To investigate the safety of a rechallenge with anti–PD-1 or anti–PD-L1 immunotherapies after an irAE. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study of the safety of an ICI rechallenge involved consecutive adult patients (n = 93) who were referred to the ImmunoTOX assessment board at the Gustave Roussy cancer center in Villejuif, France, between August 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017. Data were analyzed from May 28 to November 25, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Incidence of a second irAE in patients who had a readministration of an anti–PD-1 or anti–PD-L1 inhibitor after an initial grade 2 or higher irAE. Characteristics of the patients and the irAEs were reviewed, and the primary end point was the rate of occurrence of second irAEs. Results A total of 93 patients were included, among whom 48 (52%) were female, and the median (range) age was 62.5 (33-85) years. The main cancer types or tumor sites were melanoma (31 [33%]), lung (15 [16%]), colorectal (8 [9%]), and lymphoma (8 [9%]). For the initial irAE, 43 grade 2 events (46%), 36 grade 3 events (39%), and 14 grade 4 events (15%) were found, presenting primarily as hepatitis (17 [18%]), skin toxic effect (14 [15%]), pneumonitis (13 [14%]), colitis (11 [12%]), or arthralgia (7 [7.5%]). Forty patients (43%) were rechallenged with the same anti–PD-1 or anti–PD-L1 agent. The rechallenged and non-rechallenged groups did not differ in terms of median (range) age (61 [34-84] years vs 63 [33-85] years;P = .37), time to initial irAE (5 [1-40] treatment cycles vs 3 [1-22] treatment cycles;P = .32), irAE severity (grade 2: 18 [47.5%] vs 27 [51%]; grades 3-4: 22 [52.5%] vs 26 [49%];P = .70), or steroid use (17 [42.5%] vs 32 [60%];P = .09). With a median follow-up period of 14 months, the same irAE or a different irAE occurred in 22 patients (55%). Shorter time to the initial irAE was linked to the occurrence of a second irAE (9 vs 15 weeks;P = .04). The second irAEs were not found to be more severe than the first. Conclusions and Relevance The risk-reward ratio for an anti–PD-1 or anti–PD-L1 rechallenge appears to be acceptable, although these patients require close monitoring; further investigation into rechallenge conditions through a prospective clinical trial is needed.