bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expecting the unexpected.
Authors: Nelson Blessie Elizabeth , Murphy Adrian Gerard , Zimmerman Jacquelyn W. 
Published: May 2019

e14066 Background: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuro-muscular disorder traditionally seen in bi-modal distribution in young women or older men. Discovery of immunotherapy has brought hope in survival outcomes for patients with malignant melanoma, lung, renal and head/neck cancers but it also opens Pandora’s box of immune-related toxicities for which early recognition and appropriate clinical management are paramount. Here we describe a case of immunotherapy induced myasthenia gravis de novo. Methods: A 77-year-old man with HPV+ stage IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue presented with sudden onset orthopnea and dyspnea on exertion for the past day. One week ago, he received his second cycle of nivolumab as part of his neoadjuvant therapy. He was seen at an outside hospital and was found to be acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and placed on BiPAP. He was started on antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia with levofloxacin and doxycycline and transferred to a tertiary care center for further management. On further evaluation, he endorsed diplopia, blurry vision, fluctuating muscle weakness that is worse at the end of the day, change in voice and proximal muscle weakness. His exam was consistent with bilateral ptosis, weak hip flexion and shoulder abduction, positive sniff test and poor vital capacity and negative inspiratory force values suggestive of impending respiratory and diaphragmatic failure secondary to myasthenic crisis. He was admitted to the ICU and placed on BiPAP and frequent NIF and VC monitoring. He was started on pyridostigmine but showed no clinical improvement on day 1 and hence was initiated on plasmapheresis from day 2 for a total of 10 days. Results: Investigations showed positivity of Ach-R modulating and binding and blocking antibodies with negative voltage gated calcium channel antibodies. EMG revealed decrement of the compound muscle action potential in the repetitive stimulation test indicative of myasthenia gravis. He responded well to the above treatment and underwent successful left partial glossectomy and weaned off mechanical ventilation and has been cancer free so far. He is doing well on maintenance prednisone and pyridostigmine. Conclusions: There is a significant 30.4% MG-specific-related mortality due to immunotherapy alone which this case demonstrates the importance of vigilance and early detection for effective treatment and management. It highlights need for the oncological world and our colleagues in various other disciplines of healthcare to identify and mitigate the effects of immunotherapy which has become our hope in beating cancer.
SLAMF8, a novel biomarker for personalized immune checkpoint blockade therapy in gastrointestinal cancer.
Authors: Zhang Qun , Cheng Lei , Hu Jing , Li Li , Yang Mi , Kong Linghui , Yu Lixia , Wei Jia , Liu Baorui , Qian Xiaoping 
Published: May 2019

e14078 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have brought great breakthroughs in cancer therapy. Activated immune response is known to be the prerequisite for exerting immunotherapy efficacy. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with longer survival in gastric cancer (GC) patients due to enhanced anti-tumor immune response, and therefore it was reportedly played an important role in modulating immune checkpoint blockade therapy efficacy. However, molecular dimensions underlying the good response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in presence of EBV infection are still unclear. The aim of this study is to identify a gene signature related to EBV induced anti-tumor immune response, and select a tag gene from this signature to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Methods: Two large transcriptome datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO) database (GSE51575 and GSE62254) were used to screen gene signature for EBV infected gastric cancer tissues. We further selected genes that showed a trend towards differential co-expression independent of EBV infection status. The tag gene of this differential co-expression signature was finally identified by bioinformatics analysis. To make an external validation, we performed RNA sequencing in 20 colorectal caner (CRC) tissues and 20 GC tissues, respectively. Meanwhile, tissue microarrays of CRC cohort (36 paired tumor and normal tissues) and GC cohort (75 paired tumor and normal tissues) were used to analyze the association of SLAMF8 with CD8 protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: Analysis of GEO datasets indicated 788 genes as feature gene cluster for EBV-positive gastric cancer, from which 290 genes were selected to be characterized by differential co-expression in either EBV-positive or EBV-negative gastric cancers. SLAMF8 was identified as the tag gene for this differential co-expression signature. This signature, tagged by SLAMF8, was successfully validated by our RNA sequencing data in presence of its good performance in dividing CRC and GC patients into two subsets. Moreover, we observed a significant association between SLAMF8 and CD8 expression in our CRC and GC tissue samples, in terms of either mRNA or protein level. Conclusions: SLAMF8, a potential indicator for T cell‐mediated immune response induced by EBV infection, may be served as a biomarker for individualized immune checkpoint blockade therapy in gastrointestinal cancer. Further SLAMF8 guided drug sensitivity tests are warranted to validate our results.
Immunotherapy: Auto-immune toxicity as a predictive factor of response.
Authors: Valery Marine , Vallet Emilie , Lassoued Donia , Maingon Philippe , Tilleul Patrick , Spano Jean-Philippe , Bellanger Agnes , Gobert Aurelien 
Published: May 2019

e14086 Background: PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors have now demonstrated their efficacy. Finding predictive or pre-emptive response factors is crucial and the role of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is widely debated. The aim of our study was to evaluate the correlation between the occurrence of irAEs and overall survival, according to the time of onset. Methods: We retrospectively collected efficacy and safety data from patients treated with nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab for metastatic cancer between July 2015 and January 2019 at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed for the global population, for patients who had an irAES, according to the time of onset (before or after 12 weeks). Results: 158 patients were treated with anti-PD1/PD-L1: 125 patients for NSCLC, 12 for melanoma, 11 for clear cell renal cancer, 5 for bladder cancer, 3 for digestive adenocarcinoma and 2 for mesothelioma. At the cut-off analysis, with a median follow-up of 8.6 months, 63 (40%) patients died, 30(19%) had a progressive disease, 31 (20%) were still receiving an immunotherapy. 25(18%) patients developed irAEs, 18(72%) before 12 weeks of treatment and 7(28%) after. 6 patients had to stop the treatment because of irAEs and 3 of them were still on immunotherapy at the cut-off analysis. Progression disease occurred in 7 patients and 9 died under treatment. Only a trend of efficacy was found between patients with irAEs and those without, with a median PFS of 13.2 vs 9.8 months (HR 1.3; p = 0,4) and a median OS of 28 vs 20 months (HR 1.4; p = 0,4). This statistically non-significant trend was found for OS between patients with an early irAEs and those without any toxicity with a median OS of 28 vs 20 months (HR 1.4; p = 0,8). No statistically difference was found between patients with early irAEs and late irAEs. Conclusions: In our study, 18% of the patients had irAEs. Patients with irAEs seemed to have better OS and PFS but no statistically difference was found. This trend is probably related to patients with late toxicity, which reflects the time of treatment and the increasing probability to develop an irAEs. In our study, early irAEs could not be considered as a reliable preemptive factor of response to immunotherapy.
Association of immune-related adverse events with immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in pancancer.
Authors: Ou Qiyun , Yu Yunfang , Zhong Haitao , Li Anlin , Chen Yongjian , Zhou HaiYu , Zheng Shaopeng , Huang Luyu , Yao Herui 
Published: May 2019

e14087 Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been shown to be associated with the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced cancer, but the reported effect sizes have varied greatly in previous trials. We did a meta-analysis to assess immune checkpoint inhibitors efficacy and further explored the correlation of irAEs with efficacy in cancer. Methods: We systematically searched database inception to January, 2019 for randomized trials of immune checkpoint inhibitor in patients with advanced cancer that had available data for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and irAEs. We calculated the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals [CIs] using a random-effects model, and assessed the association between the irAEs and PFS or OS using coefficient of determination ( R²). The PROSPERO registry number is CRD42017075610. Results: Thirty eight trials with 19,521 patients were included. Compared with conventional therapy, anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 combined with conventional therapy significantly enhanced survival (HR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.72 for PFS; HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.87 for OS), and anti-PD1 or PD-L1 combined with anti-CTLA4 (HR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.90 for PFS). Anti-CTLA4 plus conventional therapy prolonged PFS (HR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.89) and OS (HR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96) than conventional therapy alone. Anti-PD1 or PD-L1 outperformed anti-CTLA4 on OS (HR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.81). Significant correlation between treatment efficacy and irAEs was only identified in pneumonitis ( R2 0.59, P = 0.026 for PFS) and diarrhea ( R2 0.22, P = 0.006 for OS). Conclusions: We recommended the concurrent use of immune checkpoint inhibitor and conventional therapy or dual immunotherapy as the most appropriate regimens for advanced cancer. Furthermore, development of pneumonitis and diarrhea were associated with survival outcome of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced cancer.
Response rate to chemotherapy after disease progression with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 in metastatic cancer.
Authors: Al-Kadhimi Munaf , Hensing Thomas A. , Shevrin Daniel H. , Hanson Britt Erika , Campbell Nicholas Paul , Brockstein Bruce 
Published: May 2019

e14088 Background: The checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) immunotherapy class of drugs is redefining how we treat cancer. The US FDA has approved CPI drugs as 1st, 2nd or salvage line after progression on conventional chemotherapy (CTX) for multiple cancers including melanoma, lung, bladder and other cancers. However, many questions remain regarding optimal treatment post-progression. Indeed, it has been noted that the patterns of response and relapse to CPI agents are quite different from those of standard cytotoxic agents and that response to CTX AFTER CPI may be different than in the de novo setting. The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to evaluate the activity (response rate (RR), response duration (DOR) and progression free survival (PFS)) of subsequent CTX after disease progression following treatment with CPI. Methods: In this analysis, patients (pts) were enrolled under an IRB approved waiver of consent. We identified pts treated with CPI agents between Jan, 2011 and Dec, 2018 at a multi-site community cancer program who received subsequent CTX as a result of disease progression (PD). We assessed the RECIST RR to subsequent therapy, DOR from onset of response, and PFS from the onset of post CPI CTX, identifying index lesions from the most recent pre-treatment anatomic scan. Results: A total of 47 cases satisfying the above criteria were found; 31 NSCLC, 8 melanoma, 1 SCLC, 1 GEJ, 1 gastric, 2 head/neck, 1 large cell neuroendocrine tumor, 2 bladder cancer. 25 pts had PD as best response to post-CPI CTX. 9 pts (19%) achieved a partial response (PR) with a median DOR of 99 days. 22 pts achieved a PR or stable disease (SD) for a clinical benefit (CB) rate of 47%. The median duration of CB was 92 days. Of the 9 patients who achieved PR, 5/6 had achieved response to CTX prior to CPI . The median PFS for the entire cohort was 97 days. Conclusions: While an expected RR could not be calculated in this heterogenous group of pts, the number and degree of responses suggests CPI possible “priming” that may enhance response to CTX. Post-CPI CTX may be of value and in this retrospective study of a heterogenous group of pts, responses may be more frequent than expected. A larger further study is warranted.
Therapeutic drug monitoring of nivolumab in clinical practice: Preliminary experience.
Authors: Sureda Manuel , Catalán-Latorre Ana , Mata Juan José , Escudero Vanesa , Brugarolas Antonio 
Published: May 2019

e14089 Background: Fixed dose schemes, regardless of body weight, have been accepted by the regulatory agencies for the PD-1 targeting antibodies. Zaho X. and Ratain M. have elucidated that the mean steady state concentrations of nivolumab (N) at flat-doses of 240 mg Q2W or 480 mg Q4W were 57 µg/mL and 47 µg/mL, respectively. These levels are very similar to those observed at the dosage of 3 mg/kg Q2W. Considering the long half-life of N, its mechanism of action and the absence of correlation between exposure and response or toxicity at clinically tested doses, other schemes can be explored. Moreover, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) can contribute to individualize and optimize dosage. We determined serum N levels in patients with solid tumors. Methods: The PK profile of N was analyzed in 15 patients with solid tumors who received 3 mg/kg Q2W from May 2017 through January 2019. Eligible patients had non-small-cell lung cancer (n = 7), urothelial cancer (n = 1), gastric cancer (n = 1), breast cancer (n = 1), renal cell cancer (n = 1), colorectal cancer (n = 1), prostate cancer (n = 1), melanoma (n = 1) and sarcoma (n = 1). Free N serum concentrations were determined with a quantitative ELISA capable of detecting ≥ 0.3 µg/mL (Shikari Q-Nivo, Matriks Biotek, Ankara, Turkey). A total of 28 TDM were done after steady state (6th and 26th cycle). Results: For different reasons, 9 patients received N at 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 week intervals once the steady state was reached. In these patients, a median reduction of 20.8% (6.7% - 43.0%) of the received doses was observed. Mean plasma concentrations of N observed after administration every 2 weeks was 73.5±32.5 µg/mL (n = 9). Once the steady state was reached, mean plasma concentrations at 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 weeks, were 54.0±1.3 µg/mL (n = 2), 45.1±25.3 µg/mL (n = 7), 42.9±29.5 µg/mL (n = 5) and 24.4±11.7 µg/mL (n = 5), respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in the serum levels of N between the dosing intervals of 3, 4 and 5 weeks and the standard regimen (Q2W) (p > 0.05). These data are similar to those described by Long G.V. et al. that compared N pharmacokinetic exposure for the 480 mg Q4W schedule simulated in 3817 patients across multiple tumor types with those for the 3 mg/kg Q2W and 240 mg Q2W schedules. Conclusions: The incorporation of the TDM of N in routine clinical practice could help to maintain a therapeutic drug plasma concentration with lower or less frequent doses, adding a financial benefit, without decreasing clinical efficacy. Further randomized trials to explore alternative dosing schemes of N, including personalization through TDM, are warranted
A retrospective cohort study of anti-PD-1 therapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer.
Authors: Sun Danyang , Ma Junxun , Wang Jinliang , Han Chun , Qian Yuanyu , Chen Guangying , Li Xiaoyan , Zhang Juan , Cui Pengfei , Du Wushuang , Wu Zhaozhen , Chen Shixue , Zheng Xuan , Yue Zhichao , Song Jia , Zhao Xiaochen , Cai Shangli , HU YI 
Published: May 2019

e14100 Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is highly aggressive with poor prognosis and few treatment options following progression on gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. Disappointing results from clinical trials for refractory BTC highlight the need for more effective therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) has been hailed as a major breakthrough for cancer treatment. However, evidence for the efficacy of immunotherapy in biliary tract cancer (BTC) is limited and unsatisfactory. KEYNOTE-158 trial has merely shown a 5.8% of overall response rate with pembrolizumab monotherapy in advanced BTCs. Thus, combining other therapies with ICIs is becoming the researching focus. Herein, we constructed a cohort to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ICIs combined with chemotherapy in advanced BTCs. Methods: Chinese BTC patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy, PD-1 inhibitors monotherapy or chemotherapy alone were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). The key secondary outcome were progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Patients previously treated with any agent targeting T-cell co-stimulation or immune checkpoints were excluded. Results: The study included 77 patients (PD-1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy, n = 38; PD-1 inhibitors monotherapy, n = 20; chemotherapy, n = 19). Median OS was 14.9 months with PD-1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy, 4.1 months with PD-1 inhibitors and 6.0 months with chemotherapy, with significantly longer for anti-PD-1 combination therapy than monotherapy (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.80, P= 0.001) or chemotherapy (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.94, P= 0.011). Median PFS was 5.1 months with PD-1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy, 2.2 months with PD-1 inhibitors and 2.4 months with chemotherapy, with significant difference for anti-PD-1 combination therapy versus anti-PD-1 monotherapy (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.31-1.10, P= 0.014) or chemotherapy (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.45-0.83, P= 0.003). Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events were similar between anti-PD-1 combination group and chemotherapy group (34.2% and 36.8%). Conclusions: PD-1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy is effective and tolerable for advanced BTC.
Impact of pericardial effusion for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Authors: Khan Abir , Zhang Henry , Chen Christopher , Morgan Jacob , Zarifa Abdulrazzak , Shahid Marwah , Song Juhee , Naing Aung , Lopez-Mattei Juan , Durand Jean-Bernard , Kim Peter Y. , Iliescu Cezar , Palaskas Nicolas 
Published: May 2019

e14121 Background: Various immune-related adverse events (IRAE) have been reported with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Although a rare event, the increasing incidence of ICI related myocarditis and its reported high mortality raises concern. Cardiovascular IRAE such as pericardial effusions (PE) have been documented in case reports and case series but their clinical significance is unclear. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on 1075 patients receiving ICI between 2015 and 2017 with baseline echocardiograms without pericardial effusions and follow up echocardiograms at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We collected baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, echocardiograms, and dates of ICI initiation, PE development, last follow up and death. Overall survival (time from first ICI therapy to death or last follow up) was calculated. Univariate Fine-Gray regression analyses were conducted to identify variables associated with PE to account for death as a competing risk event. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: After initiation of ICI, 78 patients (7.3%) developed PE of which 45 patients died (58%) compared to 347 deaths (35%) out of the 997 patients without PE. The median follow-up time was 445 days. Univariate Fine-Gray analyses predicting PE demonstrated lower body surface area, lowest nadir in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), higher troponin levels, lower platelet counts, absence of ectopy and hyperlipidemia, and lack of avelumab in therapy as well as a history of heart failure with preserved or reduced ejection fraction, hematologic cancer, and peripheral artery stents were significantly associated with higher incidence of PE. Conclusions: While the development of PE is an IRAE or progression of cancer itself cannot be determined, this study indicates patients receiving ICI who developed PE had higher mortality. Those with greater troponin levels and substantial decline in LVEF were shown to have a greater propensity of developing PE, suggesting the possibility of an underlying myopericarditis. If PE develops during ICI therapy, providers should consider an expedited workup and treatment of ICI related myocarditis.
Surrogate end points for overall survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in trials of immunotherapy.
Authors: Ou Qiyun , Yu Yunfang , Li Anlin , Chen Yongjian , Wang Ying , Ren Wei , Li Chenchen , Yao Herui 
Published: May 2019

e14122 Background: Our objective was to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) as surrogate end points for overall survival (OS) among patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in randomized trials of immunotherapy. Methods: Individual patient data (total N = 569 patients) were available from two multicentre, randomized, phase II/III trials (POPLAR and OAK). Analysis of OS, PFS and ORR were computed using the Kaplan-Meier estimates method and compared with the log-rank test, hazard ratios [HRs] and 95% confidence intervals [CIs] were calculated by using the Cox regression model. The surrogacy was evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (ρ) and coefficient of determination ( R²) between treatment effects on the surrogate end point and OS. We further validated the surrogacy in trial-level analysis with 26 NSCLC immunotherapy trials (total N = 12,094 patients) published prior to June 2018. Results: In the patient-level analyses, patients who achieved a response had better OS compared with nonresponders (HR 0.18; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.29; P < 0.001). Greater OS was also observed in landmark anlyses at 6-month PFS (HR 0.21; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.39; P < 0.001) and 12-month PFS (HR 0.16; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.24; P < 0.001). PFS correlated with OS at the individual level (Spearman ρ = 0.37; P < 0.001). In the trial-level analysis, PFS moderately correlated with OS (Spearman ρ = 0.64; P < 0.001), and the R² was 0.50 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.64). Conclusions: In NSCLC immunotherapy trials, responders and patients with longer PFS had better OS. ORR and PFS are acceptable surrogates for OS in trials of immunotherapy, but caution must be taken when interpreting efficacy in the absence of OS data.