Nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma previously treated with sorafenib: 5-year results from CheckMate 040.

BACKGROUND: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab demonstrated promising clinical activity and durable responses in sorafenib-treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the CheckMate 040 study at 30.7-month median follow-up. Here, we present 5-year results from this cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to arm A [nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg Q3W (four doses)] or arm B [nivolumab 3 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg Q3W (four doses)], each followed by nivolumab 240 mg Q2W, or arm C (nivolumab 3 mg/kg Q2W plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg Q6W). The primary objectives were safety, tolerability, investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR) per RECIST version 1.1. RESULTS: A total of 148 patients were randomized across treatment arms. At 60-month minimum follow-up (62.6-month median follow-up), the ORR was 34% (n = 17), 27% (n = 13), and 29% (n = 14) in arms A, B, and C, respectively. The median DOR was 51.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 12.6 months-not estimable (NE)], 15.2 months (95% CI 7.1 months-NE), and 21.7 months (95% CI 4.2 months-NE), respectively. The median overall survival (OS) was 22.2 months (34/50; 95% CI 9.4-54.8 months) in arm A, 12.5 months (38/49; 95% CI 7.6-16.4 months) in arm B, and 12.7 months (40/49; 95% CI 7.4-30.5 months) in arm C; 60-month OS rates were 29%, 19%, and 21%, respectively. In an exploratory analysis of OS by response (6-month landmark), the median OS was meaningfully longer for responders versus nonresponders for all arms. No new safety signals were identified with longer follow-up. There were no new discontinuations due to immune-mediated adverse events since the primary analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the primary analysis, the arm A regimen of nivolumab plus ipilimumab continued to demonstrate clinically meaningful responses and long-term survival benefit, with no new safety signals in patients with advanced HCC following sorafenib treatment, further supporting its use as a second-line treatment in these patients.

Nivolumab in sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: 5-year follow-up from CheckMate 040.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) have a poor prognosis and high mortality. Nivolumab monotherapy demonstrated clinical benefit with an acceptable safety profile in patients with aHCC in the CheckMate 040 study. Five-year follow-up of the sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced groups of CheckMate 040 is presented here. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients received nivolumab monotherapy at dose levels of 0.1-10.0 mg/kg (dose-escalation phase) or 3 mg/kg (dose-expansion phase) every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary endpoints were safety and tolerability (dose escalation), and objective response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review (BICR) and by investigator as per RECIST version 1.1 (dose expansion). RESULTS: Eighty sorafenib-naive and 154 sorafenib-experienced patients were treated. Minimum follow-up in both groups was 60 months. ORR as per BICR was 20% [95% confidence interval (CI) 12% to 30%] and 14% (95% CI 9% to 21%) in the sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced groups, respectively. Responses occurred regardless of HCC etiology or baseline tumor cell programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels. Median overall survival (OS) was 26.6 months (95% CI 16.6-30.6 months) and 15.1 months (95% CI 13.0-18.2 months) in sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced patients, respectively. The 3-year OS rates were 28% in the sorafenib-naive and 20% in the sorafenib-experienced groups; 5-year OS rates were 14% and 12%, respectively. No new safety signals were identified; grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 33% and 21% of patients in the sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced groups, respectively. Biomarker analyses showed that baseline PD-L1 expression ≥1% was associated with higher ORR and longer OS compared with PD-L1 <1%. In the sorafenib-naive group, patients with OS ≥3 years exhibited higher baseline CD8 T-cell density compared with those with OS <1 year. CONCLUSION: With 5 years of follow-up, nivolumab monotherapy continued to provide durable clinical benefit with manageable safety in sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-experienced patients with aHCC.

Chiral and degenerate perfect absorption on exceptional surfaces.

Engineering light-matter interactions using non-Hermiticity, particularly through spectral degeneracies known as exceptional points (EPs), is an emerging field with potential applications in areas such as cavity quantum electrodynamics, spectral filtering, sensing, and thermal imaging. However, tuning and stabilizing a system to a discrete EP in parameter space is a challenging task. Here, we circumvent this challenge by operating a waveguide-coupled resonator on a surface of EPs, known as an exceptional surface (ES). We achieve this by terminating only one end of the waveguide with a tuneable symmetric reflector to induce a nonreciprocal coupling between the frequency-degenerate clockwise and counterclockwise resonator modes. By operating the system at critical coupling on the ES, we demonstrate chiral and degenerate perfect absorption with squared-Lorentzian lineshape. We expect our approach to be useful for studying quantum processes at EPs and to serve as a bridge between non-Hermitian physics and other fields that rely on radiation engineering.

Low levels of coagulation inhibitors: A high-risk thrombotic factor in thalassemic patients. / Bajos niveles de inhibidores de la coagulación: un factor de alto riesgo trombogénico en pacientes talasémicos.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The ß-thalassemia major (ß-TM) is defined as a hereditary red blood cell-related disease. Thrombotic events are associated with thalassemia in adult patients. Thus, the present investigation was aimed to examine some hemostatic parameters, including anti thrombin-III (AT-III), protein-C (PRC) and protein-S (PRS) in ß-TM patients. METHODS: Thirty B-TM patients who referred for routine follow-up admission to the thalassemia clinic of Kerman Special Disease Center alongside with 30 healthy subjects were selected and enrolled in the present study. Further registration, the peripheral blood specimens were collected after 3 weeks of last transfusion and then the plasma concentrations of AT-III, PRC and PRS were measured in them. RESULTS: We have observed that the concentrations of natural coagulation inhibitors (PRC and PRS) were significantly attenuated in ß-TM patients (P<0.05), while the plasma level of AT-III was not remarkably differed in ß-TM patients in compare to healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of present work, significant changes in the PRC, PRS and AT-III which could be observed in multi transfused ß-TM patients may attribute as critical risk factors for the development of upcoming thromboembolic events in their future life.

Hemodynamic monitoring in neonates: advances and challenges.

Continuous, reliable and real-time assessment of major determinants of cardiovascular function in preterm and term neonates has long been an elusive aim in neonatal medicine. Accordingly, aside from continuous assessment of heart rate, blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation, bedside monitoring of major determinants of cardiovascular function of significant clinical relevance such as cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, organ blood flow distribution and tissue oxygen delivery and coupling has only recently become available. Without obtaining reliable information on the changes in and interactions among these parameters in the neonatal patient population during postnatal transition and later in the neonatal period, development of effective and less harmful treatment approaches to cardiovascular compromise is not possible. This paper briefly reviews the recent advances in our understanding of developmental cardiovascular physiology and discusses the methods of bedside assessment of cardiovascular function in general and organ perfusion, tissue oxygen delivery and brain function in particular in preterm and term neonates. The importance of real-time data collection and the need for meticulous validation of the methods recently introduced in the assessment of neonatal cardiovascular function such as echocardiography, electrical impedance cardiometry, near infrared spectroscopy, visible light and laser-Doppler technology are emphasized. A clear understanding of the accuracy, feasibility, reliability and limitations of these methods through thorough validation will result in the most appropriate usage of these methods in clinical research and patient care.