Infliximab and Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy in Treating Patients With Steroid-Refractory Pneumonitis

This phase II trial studies how well infliximab and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy work in treating patients with pneumonitis that does not respond to steroid treatment. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies such as, infliximab, may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may improve pneumonitis. It is not yet known whether giving infliximab and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy will work better in treating patients with pneumonitis.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To assess pneumonitis response to additional immunosuppression (infliximab or intravenous immunoglobulin therapy \[IVIG\]) in patients with steroid-refractory pneumonitis at 28-days.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess functional parameters of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

II. To assess radiologic parameters of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

III. To assess patient-reported outcomes of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

IV. To assess death after additional immunosuppression. V. To assess the rate of infections in the 28-day period after additional immunosuppression.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To examine lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and serial blood samples in patients who develop steroid-refractory pneumonitis.

II. To examine associations between BAL phenotypes and pneumonitis response, functional and radiologic parameters of pneumonitis.

III. To evaluate associations between pneumonitis and autoantibodies, T-cell expansion, and baseline cytokines in the blood.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM A: Patients receive infliximab intravenously (IV) on day 1 followed by prednisone taper IV or orally (PO) for 4-6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients may receive an additional dose of infliximab IV on day 14 at the discretion of the treating physician.

ARM B: Patients receive intravenous immunoglobulin therapy IV over 2-5 days per institutional guidelines followed by prednisone taper IV or PO for 4-6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 28, 42 and 56 days.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must be English-speaking and be able to provide informed consent
* Patient must be willing and able to undergo arterial blood gas assessment as per the treating investigator. Patient must not have contraindication for arterial blood gas assessment
* Women must not be pregnant or breast-feeding due to the potential risk to the fetus of infliximab or IVIG. All females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine test within 14 days prior to randomization to rule out pregnancy. A female of childbearing potential is any woman, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets the following criteria: 1) has achieved menarche at some point, 2) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 3) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months).
* Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must be strongly advised to use an accepted and effective method(s) of contraception or to abstain from sexual intercourse for a minimum of 56 days (the duration of their participation in the study)
* Patient must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-3
* Patient may have received any number of lines of prior systemic therapy
* Patient may have any solid tumor or hematologic malignancy is eligible
* Patient must have received treatment with an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agent either alone or in combination with another anti-cancer agent, as their most recent therapy prior to development of pneumonitis
* Patient must have steroid-refractory pneumonitis defined as:

  * Grade 2 pneumonitis that has not clinically improved by a Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade in greater than 72 hours or maximum of 14 days or
  * Grade 3 or higher pneumonitis that has not clinically improved by a CTCAE grade in greater than 48 hours or maximum of 14 days with high dose corticosteroids (methylprednisolone or prednisone 1-4 mg/kg/equivalent) as their most recent treatment for pneumonitis, as determined by the treating investigator
* Patient may have received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy as standard-of-care or part of a clinical trial
* Patient must have had pathogen-negative infectious diagnostic evaluation within 14 days prior to randomization, and at a minimum these should include: blood culture, urine culture, sputum culture, and viral panel: rapid flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes simplex virus (HSV). Empiric antibiotics for culture negative infections are not an exclusion for study entry
* Patient must have had a pathogen-negative bronchoscopic assessment of BAL fluid within 14 days prior to randomization. A minimum assessment for pathogens on BAL must include: gram stain, fungal panel, viral panel
* Patient must have a negative tuberculosis assessment (TB spot test, quantiferon gold or tuberculin skin test) within 14 days prior to randomization
* Patient must have chest computed tomography (CT) scan without contrast performed =\< 14 days before randomization. Patient must not have a contraindication for CT

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient must not have clinical evidence of cardiac dysfunction (as determined by the treating investigator) as an alternative diagnosis to steroid-refractory pneumonitis
* Patient must not be receiving anti-PD-1/-PD-L1 agent in combination with any of the following anti-cancer agents: docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, gefitinib, erlotinib, osimertinib, crizotinib, bleomycin, afatinib
* Patient must not be receiving concurrent radiation therapy to the chest
* Patient must not be deemed to have radiation pneumonitis. Patients with a history of stable radiation pneumonitis not requiring corticosteroid therapy within the last 3 months prior to randomization will be allowed on study
* Patient must not have pre-existing interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis requiring corticosteroid therapy from any other cause, as determined by the treating investigator
* Patient must not have an absolute contraindication to IVIG or infliximab, including: clinical history of severe hypersensitivity reaction, selective IgA deficiency, active hepatitis B, active tuberculosis, active human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) where a study subject has a CD4 count of =\< 200 at screening, or drug interaction