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Pembrolizumab for patients with leptomeningeal metastasis from solid tumors: efficacy, safety, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers
- Source :
- Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, Vol 9, Iss 8 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- BMJ Publishing Group, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background The benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with leptomeningeal metastases (LMM) is unknown.Methods We undertook a phase II trial of pembrolizumab in patients with LMM from solid tumors. Eligible patients had radiologic/cytologic LMM and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–1. Pembrolizumab was administered intravenously at 200 mg q3W until disease progression/unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was central nervous system (CNS) response after four cycles, defined radiologically/cytologically/clinically. Serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was assessed for tumor-derived DNA (t-DNA) aneuploidy and cytokines.Results Thirteen of a planned 16 patients were treated between April 2017 and December 2019. The study closed early for poor accrual. Median age was 57 years (range: 22–79). Sixty-two percent of patients had tumors not traditionally ICI-responsive (hormone-receptor (HR)-positive breast carcinoma=39%; high-grade glioma=23%), while 38% had ICI-responsive tumors (non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)=23%, head and neck carcinoma=8%, cutaneous squamous carcinoma (CSC)=8%). CNS response was observed in 38% of patients at 12 weeks (95% CI 13.9% to 68.4%) by pre-defined criteria and LM-RANO, and 2 achieved durable complete responses (CSC=1, overall survival (OS) 3+ years; NSCLC=1, OS 9 months). Median CNS progression-free survival and OS was 2.9 months (95% CI 1.3 to NR) and 4.9 months (95% CI 3.7 to NR), respectively. Grade 3+ treatment-related adverse events occurred in 15% of patients. Sensitivity for LMM detection by t-DNA and cytopathology was 84.6% (95% CI 54.6% to 98.1%) and 53.9% (95% CI 25.1% to 80.8%), respectively. Pre-therapy and on-therapy CSF cytokine analysis demonstrated complete responders clustered together.Conclusions Pembrolizumab conferred a 38% CNS response rate in patients with LMM, a tolerable safety profile, and deep responses in selected patients with ICI-responsive tumors. CSF t-DNA may be sensitive for LMM detection, and immunologic subsets of CNS response warrant further study.Trial registration number NCT03091478
- Subjects :
- Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
RC254-282
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20511426
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.5144d6053e5e4af9b489cd9937834ab8
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1136/jitc-2021-002473