Frequency of skin diseases in renal transplant recipients and patients with chronic kidney disease in a tertiary center: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased in the recent decades, along with the number of patients in the terminal stages of this disease, requiring transplantation. Some skin disorders are more frequent in patients with CKD and in renal transplant recipients (RTR). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the frequency of skin diseases in RTR and patients with CKD receiving conservative treatment. DESIGN AND SETTING: This observational cross-sectional study recruited consecutive patients with CKD and RTR from a nephrology clinic at a teaching hospital in Brazil between 2015 and 2020. METHODS: Quantitative, descriptive, and analytical approaches were used. The sample was selected based on convenience sampling. Data were collected from dermatological visits and participants' medical records. RESULTS: Overall, 308 participants were included: 206 RTR (66.9%, median age: 48 years, interquartile range [IQR] 38.0-56.0, 63.6% men) and 102 patients with CKD (33.1%, median age: 61.0 years, IQR 50.0-71.2, 48% men). The frequency of infectious skin diseases (39.3% vs. 21.6% P = 0.002) were higher in RTR than in patients with CKD. Neoplastic skin lesions were present in nine (4.4%) RTR and in only one (1.0%) patient with CKD. Among the RTR, the ratio of basal cell carcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma was 2:1. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that an increased frequency of infectious skin diseases may be expected in patients who have undergone kidney transplantation. Among skin cancers, BCC is more frequently observed in RTR, especially in those using azathioprine.

Caracterización clínica de la Nefropatía por Poliomavirus BK en pacientes trasplantados renales / Clinical characterization of Polyomavirus BK nephropathy in kidney transplanted patients

INTRODUCCIÓN. La nefropatía por poliomavirus BK resulta un problema emergente en el trasplante renal, pues contribuye a la pérdida temprana de los injertos renales. OBJETIVO. Caracterizar clínicamente a los pacientes trasplantados renales con nefropatía por poliomavirus BK. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS. Estudio observacional, descriptivo, realizado en el Hospital de Especialidades Carlos Andrade Marín en el período 2013-2022, se obtuvo una base de datos anonimizada, 479 pacientes trasplantados renales, de estos se identificaron 37 pacientes que corresponde a un 7,7% con nefropatía por poliomavirus BK, se realizó un análisis con el programa estadístico SPSS v26®. RESULTADOS. La población estuvo caracterizada por pacientes del sexo masculino (56,8%), con una edad media de 48,2 años, el donante cadavérico fue el más frecuente (94,5%), la mayor parte del tratamiento de la nefropatía por poliomavirus BK consistió en cambio de micofenolato sódico a everolimus y se mantuvo con 50% de Tacrolimus y Prednisona (40,5%); al valorar el cambio de los valores de creatinina, los niveles más elevados fueros a los 12 meses cuando la pérdida renal fue temprana (p: 0,042), y de la misma manera a los 12 meses, fueron más elevados los niveles de creatinina cuando el diagnóstico histopatológico fue Nefropatía por Poliomavirus Clase 3 (p: 0,01). DISCUSIÓN. La prevalencia de la nefropatía se mantuvo por debajo del 10% reportado a nivel global, la creatinina empeoró en pacientes con pérdida temprana del injerto renal y con una clase patológica avanzada, hecho reportado en la fisiopatología de la enfermedad. CONCLUSIÓN. La pérdida del injerto renal temprano presentó una creatinina más alta que la tardía. Es recomendable un tamizaje adecuado para la detección temprana del virus BK siendo crucial para prevenir el deterioro de la función renal y limitar la posterior pérdida del injerto.

INTRODUCTION: BK polyomavirus nephropathy is emerging as a significant concern in kidney transplantation, as it contributes to the early loss of renal grafts. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clinically characterize renal transplant recipients with BK polyomavirus nephropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational and descriptive study was conducted at Carlos Andrade Marín Specialties Hospital during the period of 2013 to 2022. An anonymized database comprising 479 renal transplant patients was utilized. Among these, 37 patients, constituting 7.7%, were identified with BK polyomavirus nephropathy. Data analysis was performed using the statistical program SPSS v26®. RESULTS: The study population was predominantly composed of male patients (56.8%) with a mean age of 48.2 years. Deceased donors accounted for the majority (94.5%) of cases. The primary approach for managing BK polyomavirus nephropathy involved transitioning from mycophenolate sodium to everolimus, alongside maintaining a regimen of 50% tacrolimus and 40.5% prednisone. When assessing changes in creatinine values, the highest levels were observed at 12 months, coinciding with early renal loss (p: 0.042). Similarly, at the 12-month mark, elevated creatinine levels were associated with a histopathological diagnosis of Polyomavirus nephropathy Class 3 (p: 0.01). DISCUSSION: The prevalence of nephropathy remained below the globally reported threshold of 10%. Creatinine levels worsened in patients experiencing early graft loss and an advanced pathological classification, aligning with established disease pathophysiology. CONCLUSION: Early renal graft loss was associated with higher creatinine levels compared to delayed loss. Adequate screening for early detection of BK virus is recommended, as it plays a crucial role in preventing renal function deterioration and limiting subsequent graft loss.

Drug-drug interactions of immunosuppressants and other drugs in kidney post-transplant recipients

Introduction: Immunosuppressants (ISS) are the most crucial tools used in the therapeutic regimens of transplant recipients. Nevertheless, these drugs are not the only ones adopted by patients; therefore, knowing the possible drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between immunosuppressants and other drugs commonly used in kidney transplant recipients is essential to ensure the effectiveness and safety of treatments. In this way, the objective is analyzing the DDIs between the immunosuppressants and other commonly used medications on kidney transplant adult recipients with active medical records undergoing post-transplant follow-up for 4.4 years (mean). Methods: First, we performed a cross-sectional study based on patients' records, in which the patient's profile and drugs used were examined, and after we analyzed DDIs by the Micromedex Drug Interactions® database. Results: We analyzed 176 patients with a mean age of 47.6(± 12.5); most were male (67.7%), and the majority received a kidney from a deceased donor (81.4%). Patients were exposed to 15.0 (± 5.4) different medicines after the transplantation, and 7.4 (± 4.0) of these medicines were simultaneous. After analyzing the DDIs according to the severity of interaction, documentation quality interaction effect, clinical management and probable interaction mechanism, the most frequent interaction was with tacrolimus, classified as moderate, and the 3 major causes of interaction occurred with azathioprine according to the Micromedex database. The primary medicines involved with immunosuppressant interactions were proton pump inhibitors, ranitidine, domperidone, amlodipine, enalapril, allopurinol, cyclobenzaprine, amitriptyline, fluoxetine, and ciprofloxacin. These DDIs' effects were related to, mainly, increase their immunosuppressant activity. Conclusion: Although the immunosuppressants analyzed lacked many clinical DDIs significance with other medicines, the healthcare team needs to monitor their DDIs' effects to prevent and minimize side effects in transplanted recipients.

Coriorretinopatia de Birdshot: relato de caso e perspectivas sobre o tratamento / Birdshot chorioretinopathy: a case report and perspectives on its treatment

RESUMO A coriorretinopatia de Birdshot é uma uveíte posterior bilateral crônica rara que acomete, preferencialmente, mulheres de meia-idade. O quadro clínico é composto de pouco ou nenhum processo inflamatório de segmento anterior, associado a vitreíte e lesões coriorretinianas ovoides branco-amareladas de característica hiperfluorescente na angiofluoresceinografia e hipofluorescente na angiografia com indocianina verde. O tratamento se dá por meio de corticoides e outras drogas imunossupressoras. Todavia, em alguns casos, a doença é refratária a tal terapêutica, sendo necessário lançar mão de outras drogas, como os agentes biológicos. O presente artigo busca relatar um caso de coriorretinopatia de Birdshot em ajuste de terapia imunossupressora que evoluiu com má resposta às drogas iniciais e bom controle após uso de imunobiológico e discutir as opções terapêuticas disponíveis atualmente.

ABSTRACT Birdshot chorioretinopathy is a rare chronic bilateral posterior uveitis that preferentially affects middle-aged women. The clinical picture is composed of little or no anterior segment inflammatory process, associated with vitritis and yellowish-white ovoid chorioretinal lesions with hyperfluorescent characteristics on fluorescein angiography and hypofluorescent characteristics on green indocyanine green angiography. Treatment is with corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs. However, in some cases, the disease is refractory to such therapy, making it necessary to resort to other drugs such as biological agents. The present article seeks to report a case of Birdshot chorioretinopathy in an adjustment of immunosuppressive therapy that evolved with poor response to the initial drugs and good control after the use of immunobiologicals and discuss the currently available therapeutic options.

Role of new potential immune blocking molecules in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors around the world. The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 has brought great breakthroughs in the treatment of HCC. However, since HCC is a type of tumor with high heterogeneity, monotherapy is only effective for a small number of patients and may not be able to achieve long-lasting benefits due to drug resistance, and therefore, it is necessary to explore the potential of new immune checkpoint inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of HCC. This article analyzes and summarizes the biological characteristics of the new immune checkpoints T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA), B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA), and B7 homologous protein-4 (B7-H4) and their expression and function in HCC. The analysis shows that TIGIT, VISTA, BTLA, and B7-H4 are highly expressed in HCC tissue and are associated with the prognosis of HCC patients, and targeted blocking of corresponding pathways can effectively inhibit the progression of HCC, suggesting that these molecules are potential targets for tumor treatment and that in-depth studies can provide new directions for HCC immunotherapy.

Application of immune checkpoint inhibitors in liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Liver transplantation, as one of the radical treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma, has a good clinical effect in patients meeting the Milan criteria; however, the high recurrence rate and metastasis rate after surgery bring great challenges to the long-term survival of such patients. Therefore, how to improve long-term survival rate and reduce postoperative tumor metastasis has become a key problem that needs to be solved urgently. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), with their good safety and objective reactivity, have provided a new opportunity for the treatment of patients with advanced liver cancer and have become potential candidates for improving the therapeutic effect of liver transplantation. At present, early clinical studies have reported the unique advantages of ICIs used alone or in combination in downstaging or bridging therapy before liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and adjuvant therapy after liver transplantation. Therefore, this article reviews the clinical trials of ICIs in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and the advances in the application of ICIs in recent years and discuss its safety and efficacy, in order to provide a certain reference for clinical medication.

Effect of Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine Immunosuppressants on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis / Efeito dos imunossupressores tacrolimus e ciclosporina na regeneração de nervos periféricos: Revisão sistemática e metanálises

Abstract Peripheral nerve damage is an important cause of seeking medical attention. It occurs when the continuity of structures is interrupted and the propagation of nervous impulses is blocked, affecting the functional capacity of individuals. To assess the effects of the immunosuppressants tacrolimus and cyclosporine on the regeneration of peripheral nerves, a systematic review of the literature was carried out. The articles included were published until September 2018 and proposed to evaluate the effects of the immunosuppressants tacrolimus and cyclosporine on nerve regeneration and neuroprotection, available in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Oxford Pain Relief Database, and LILACS databases. The research analysed a total of 56 articles, of which 22 were included in the meta-analysis. Statistical analysis suggests the protective effect of tacrolimus in the regeneration of the number of myelinated axons (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-2.39; p< 0.01); however, such effect was not observed in relation to cyclosporine (95%CI: - 0.38-1.18; p» 0.08) It also suggests that there is a significant relationship between the use of tacrolimus and myelin thickness (95%CI» 2.00-5.71; p< 0. 01). The use of immunosuppressants in the regeneration of peripheral nerve damage promotes an increase in the number of myelinated axons in general, regardless of the administered dose. In addition, it ensures greater myelin thickness, muscle weight and recovery of the sciatic functional index. However, heterogeneity was high in most analyses performed.

Resumo As lesões nervosas periféricas são uma causa importante de busca por atendimento médico. Elas ocorrem quando há a interrupção da continuidade das estruturas e do bloqueio da propagação dos impulsos nervosos, afetando a capacidade funcional dos indivíduos. Para avaliar os efeitos dos imunossupressores tacrolimus e ciclosporina na regeneração de nervos periféricos, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Foram incluídos artigos publicados até setembro de 2018, que se propunham avaliar os efeitos dos imunossupressores tacrolimus e ciclosporina na regeneração nervosa e neuroproteção, disponíveis nas bases de dados MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Oxford Pain Relief Database e LILACS. A pesquisa analisou um total de 56 artigos, dos quais 22 foram para metanálise. A análise estatística sugere o efeito protetor do tacrolimus na regeneração do número de axônios mielinizados (intervalo de confiança [IC] 95%: 0,93-2,39; p< 0,01); todavia tal efeito não foi observado em relação à ciclosporina (IC95%: - 0,38-1,18; p» 0,08). Ela também sugere haver uma relação significativa entre o uso do tacrolimus e a espessura da mielina (IC95%: 2,00-5,71; p< 0,01). O uso de imunossupressores na regeneração de lesão nervosa periférica promove um aumento no número de axônios mielinizados de forma geral, independentemente da dose administrada. Além disso, garante uma maior espessura da mielina, um maior peso muscular e restabelecimento do índice da função do nervo ciático. Todavia, a heterogeneidade foi alta na maioria das análises realizadas.

Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. From a rheumatology and ophthalmology point of view / Penfigoide ocular cicatrizal, enfoque diagnóstico y terapéutico integral entre el oftalmólogo y el reumatólogo

ABSTRACT Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) is a chronic, immune-mediated, bullous, cicatricial disease within the spectrum of mucocutaneous membranous pemphigoids (MMP). Although the diagnosis is often ophthalmological, due to the autoimmune nature of the pathology, it requires a joint approach with rheumatologists and immunologists. The objective of this narrative review was to explore the evidence available in the literature from 2000 to 2020 with respect to clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. The clinical presentation varies widely, from mild cases with slow progression of years of progression, to severe cases with a torpid and rapidly progressive evolution to fibrosis, refractory to multiple treatments. A com plete evaluation of the patient will help guide the diagnosis. The gold standard for diagnosis is conjunctival biopsy with direct immunofluorescence, although on occasions it can be reached if the symptoms are characteristic. Treatment is local and systemic according to its severity and evolution. The evidence on topical and systemic therapeutics is obtained mainly from uncontrolled observational and experimental studies. Immunomodulatory therapy has made it possible to preserve vision and, in many cases, prevent sequelae. The evolu tion is linked to the early diagnosis and immunosuppressive treatment, so it is essential to be aware of this disease, the diagnostic methods, as well as the immunomodulating and immunosuppressive therapies available.

RESUMEN El penfigoide ocular cicatrizal (POC) es una enfermedad crónica, inmunomediada ampollar, mucosinequiante, comprendida dentro del espectro de penfigoides membranosos mucocutáneos (PMM). El diagnóstico es, con frecuencia, oftalmológico, pero debido al carácter autoinmune de la patología, requiere el abordaje en conjunto con reumatólogos e inmunólogos. El objetivo de esta revisión narrativa fue explorar la evidencia disponible en la literatura, desde el año 2000 hasta el 2020, en lo que respecta a sus manifestaciones clínicas, diagnóstico y tratamiento. La presentación clínica varía ampliamente, desde casos leves con progresión lenta de años de evolución hasta casos severos con evolución tórpida y rápidamente progresiva a la fibrosis, refractarios a múltiples tratamientos. Una evaluación completa del paciente ayudará a guiar el diagnóstico. El estándar de oro diagnóstico es la biopsia conjuntival con inmunofluorescencia directa, si bien en ocasiones puede diagnosticarse por la clínica característica. El tratamiento es local y sistêmico de acuerdo con su severidad y evolución. En los últimos 20 anos, la evidencia sobre los tratamientos tópicos y sistêmicos corresponde en su mayoría a estudios observacionales y experimentales no controlados. Los métodos de tratamiento inmunomoduladores han permitido preservar la visión y, en muchos casos, prevenir secuelas. La evolución está ligada al diagnóstico temprano y a los tratamientos disponibles, por lo que es fundamental el conocimiento de esta patología, los métodos diagnósticos y los tratamientos inmunomoduladores e inmunosupresores.

Bladder-sparing comprehensive therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer / 国际外科学杂志

Bladder cancer is one of the most common tumors of the urinary system. More than a quarter of the new bladder cancer cases in China are muscle invasive bladder cancer. The standard treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer is radical cystectomy plus pelvic lymph node dissection. This operation has limitations such as large trauma, high postoperative complication rate and serious impact on the quality of life of patients. To control the condition of bladder cancer and improve the quality of life of patients, a comprehensive treatment and follow-up system after bladder sparing are being explored. In addition to the classic trimodal treatment which is consisted of "maximum transurethral resection of the tumor, chemotherapy and external radiotherapy" , the treating modes of single drug, multi-drug or combined chemotherapy/radiotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors are in their heyday. Meanwhile, antibody-drug conjugates have been in the ascendant. The purpose of this article is to review the current situation of bladder sparing therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer and look forward to the development direction of bladder sparing therapy in the current era of oncoimmunology.

Research and progress of peripheral blood biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy / 国际外科学杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignant disease in the world and one of the main causes of cancer-related death. At present, the treatment of patients with advanced HCC is very limited, and as an important research direction of advanced cancer treatment in recent years, immunotherapy has achieved good results. Up to now, scholars have tested a variety of immunotherapy methods, and the use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICIs) in the treatment of advanced cancer has made considerable progress. However, immunotherapy is still incurable for HCC, and the benefit of treatment is limited to a small number of patients. In the current context of liver cancer, one of the key research directions of oncology is to understand the biomarkers that predict the clinical response of immunotherapy, so as to improve patient selection, maximize clinical benefits and avoid unnecessary toxicity. Compared with tumor and surrounding tissue biomarkers, peripheral blood biomarkers play a unique role in clinical research and use because of their advantages of non-invasive detection. In this review, we summarize the peripheral blood biomarkers that play a key role in predicting the clinical response and prognosis of HCC patients.

Research advances in adverse liver reactions caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors / 临床肝胆病杂志

Immune checkpoint inhibitors can enhance the anti-tumor effect of T cells by blocking the negative regulatory signal of T cells, and meanwhile, they may also cause the imbalance of immune tolerance or normal immune hyperfunction, thus leading to immune hepatitis. This article mainly reviews the therapeutic mechanism of immune checkpoint inhibitors, their mechanism in causing the adverse reaction of liver injury, related risk factors, and incidence rate and summarizes the treatment methods for liver injury caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors. It is believed that while promoting anti-tumor immunity, immune checkpoint inhibitors may cause non-homogeneous immune-related liver injury due to the specificity of non-tumor tissue targets, and the main purpose of treatment is to restore immune homeostasis. Therefore, the management of patients using immune checkpoint inhibitors often requires a balance between treatment window, toxicity, and treatment of specific injury, as well as multidisciplinary collaboration.

Progress of immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy for non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases / 肿瘤研究与临床

Brain metastasis is a common complication of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. About 25%-55% of patients with NSCLC will develop brain metastases, and the occurrence of brain metastasis predicts a poor prognosis. Traditionally, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and surgery are the main treatment options for NSCLC patients with brain metastases. In recent years, with the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), the survival of NSCLC patients with brain metastases has been significantly improved. This article reviews the research progress of ICI treatment for NSCLC patients with brain metastases in order to provide new treatment strategies.

Relapse risk analysis in anti-aquaporin 4-IgG positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders patients treated with immunosuppressant / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the relapse risk factors of anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-IgG positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) patients treated with immunosuppressant.Methods:Data (from January 2011 to June 2021) of AQP4-IgG positive NMOSD patients treated with immunosuppressant for longer than 5 years from MSNMObase, a hospital-based electronic registry for multiple sclerosis and related disorders in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, were collected. Clinical features and risk factor differences between patients with and without relapse under the immunosuppressive therapy were analyzed.Results:One hundred and twelve patients with AQP4-IgG positive NMOSD were included, 105 (93.8%) of which were female. The disease onset age was (34.9±11.3) years, 13(11.6%) had an older disease onset age than 50 years (late onset), and the disease duration was 8.1 (6.6, 11.4) years. Sixty-four (57.1%) patients had relapse, and the proportion of late onset patients was significantly lower in relapse group than in non-relapse group [4/64(6.3%) vs 9/48(18.8%), χ2=4.18, P=0.041]. Compared with those without relapse, both the annualized relapse rate (ARR) before treatment [1.07 (0.36, 2.25) vs 0.34 (0, 1.11), Z=2.92, P=0.003] and the proportion of patients with relapse before treatment [54/64(84.4%) vs 33/48(68.8%), χ2=3.86, P=0.049] were significantly higher for patients in relapse group. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed the relapse risk of late-onset patients was lower than that of early-onset patients ( HR=0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.73, P=0.010) and patients with higher ARR before treatment showed a higher risk of relapse under the immunosuppressive therapy ( HR=1.55,95% CI 1.26-1.91, P<0.001). Conclusion:AQP4-IgG positive NMOSD patients with younger disease onset age than 50 years or with frequent relapses before treatment had a higher relapse risk under the immunosuppressive therapy, and they may need highly effective treatments.

Research progress on immune checkpoint inhibitors in older patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华老年医学杂志

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplastic diseases in the elderly.Immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors mobilizes the body's immune system to achieve antitumor effects.Immune checkpoint inhibitors and their combination with other drugs have played an increasingly important role in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.In this review, we summarize the therapeutic effects, adverse reactions and hyperprogressive disease of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the elderly with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, in order to provide insight on immunotherapy strategies for non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors for treatment of biliary malignant tumors / 临床肝胆病杂志

Biliary malignant tumors have an insidious onset and rapid development, and most patients have lost the opportunity for radical surgery at initial diagnosis and often have poor prognosis. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for biliary malignant tumors, but with a limited clinical effect. The improvement in next-generation sequencing technology provides the possibility for the precise treatment of biliary malignant tumors, but the application and development of the precise treatment of biliary malignant tumors are limited by the low positive rate of targets and the poor accessibility of therapeutic drugs. The advent of the era of immunotherapy represented by the immune checkpoint inhibitor PD1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody brings a promising future for the treatment of malignant tumors, including biliary malignant tumors. Combined chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown a good effect in the treatment of biliary malignant tumors, which is the direction of the treatment of advanced biliary malignant tumors in the future.

Adverse reactions associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor in treatment of liver cancer and related treatment measures / 临床肝胆病杂志

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exert a therapeutic effect on liver cancer by enhancing the body's anti-tumor immunity and have become an important treatment method in the field of liver cancer. However, while ICIs activate the anti-tumor immunity, they also bring a series of special toxic and side effects, i.e., immune-related adverse events (irAEs). With the wide application of ICIs, irAEs have become a major challenge in clinical practice. Such irAEs have a wide potential disease spectrum and include more than 70 different pathological states, and the most common types of irAEs associated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are skin toxicity, endocrine toxicity, pneumonia, and digestive tract toxicity, while rare irAEs include the toxicity of the central nervous system and the cardiovascular, renal, and blood systems. The wide disease spectrum of irAEs requires multidisciplinary collaborative management, and at present, many academic institutions or platforms in China and globally have formulated various guidelines for irAE management. However, the management of irAEs currently lacks the support of the results of high-level prospective trials, and the characteristics of irAEs are different from the original immune diseases of various systems; therefore, its management needs to be further optimized. This article elaborates on the epidemiology of irAEs in immunotherapy for liver cancer, related risk and predictive factors, clinical features of irAEs involving different systems, and precautions for treatment and management.

Opportunities and challenges for the treatment of malignant hepatobiliary tumors in the new era of immunotherapy / 临床肝胆病杂志

Malignant hepatobiliary tumors mainly include hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biliary tract cancer (BTC) and are common malignancies in China that seriously threaten the life and health of the Chinese people. Malignant hepatobiliary tumors often have an insidious onset, and most patients have lost the opportunity for surgery due to the advanced stage at initial diagnosis. The treatment of advanced HCC mainly depends on systemic therapy such as sorafenib, lenvatinib, donafenib, regorafenib, apatinib, and systemic chemotherapy, but such treatment often has a limited effect. The treatment of advanced BTC mainly relies on systemic chemotherapy, which often has an unsatisfactory effect. The advent of the era of immunotherapy brings new hope to the treatment of advanced malignant hepatobiliary tumors. Atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab and sintilimab combined with a bevacizumab biosimilar IBI305 have been approved as the first-line treatment of advanced HCC. The treatment regimens, such as Chemotherapy-based immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or ICI combined with targeted drugs, have made great progress in the treatment of advanced BTC, and although these regimens can significantly improve the overall survival of patients, they often bring obvious and even life-threatening adverse reactions, which should be taken seriously by clinicians. In addition, further studies are needed to investigate the value of ICI-based combination therapy in the perioperative treatment of malignant hepatobiliary tumors.

Camrelizumab, apatinib, nab-paclitaxel, and S-1 in combination for the conversion therapy of advanced gastric cancer / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of the combination therapy of camrelizumab, apatinib, nab-paclitaxel, and S-1 for patients with locally unresectable advanced gastric cancer.Methods:From September 1, 2019 to August 1, 2021, in Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 17 patients with advanced gastric cancer were enrolled in this prospective, single-arm study. All the enrolled patients received camrelizumab, nab-paclitaxel, apatinib and S-1 combination therapy (in each 21 days cycle, camrelizumab 200 mg intravenously, D1; nab-paclitaxel 240 mg/m 2 intravenously, D2; apatinib 500 mg orally, once a day, D1-D21; S-1 40-60 mg twice a day, D1-D14). Patients who have been evaluated by multidisciplinary team to be eligible for radical surgery should stop treatment for at least 2 weeks. Patients were discontinued from the study when disease progression or unbearable toxicity, or withdrew consent. We analyzed the conversion rate, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS) and safety.Statistical data were show by numbers and persentages(%), and comparisons between subgroups were assessed by Fisher′s exact probability method. Patients survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared between groups using Log-rank. Results:At the data of cutoff (December 15, 2021), the median follow-up duration was 19.6 months. Eight of 17 patients underwent gastrectomy, and all of them were R0 resection (47.1%, 95% CI: 0.262-0.690). ORR was 47.1%, DCR was 82.4%, the median overall survival was 23.63 months. Grade 3 and 4 adverse events occurred in 3 patients (17.6%), including neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events or treatment-related deaths. Conclusion:In this trial, the combination of camrelizumab, apatinib, nab-paclitaxel and S-1 as the conversion therapy showed significant anti-tumor activity and manageable adverse events, providing a new option for locally unresectable advanced gastric cancer.

Progress in the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia / 国际儿科学杂志

Immune thrombocytopenia is a common bleeding disease characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia.Some patients last for more than 12 months and suffer from chronic immune thrombocytopenia(CITP). The pathogenesis of CITP is complex, and the traditional first-line has little improvement.In recent years, researches on second-line treatments(thrombopoietin and its receptor agonists, rituximab and splenectomy), immunosuppressive agents, all-trans retinoic acid, atorvastatin, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have provided new ideas for the treatment of CITP.This review summarizes the recent progress in the treatments of CITP and will be helpful for individualized treatment.

Progress of targeted therapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare invasive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although high dose methotrexate-based induced chemotherapy regimen has significantly improved prognosis of patients, 30 percent -40 percent of patients still relapse with poor prognosis. With the development of molecular biology, new targeted drugs like cell signaling pathway kinase inhibitors have become new treatment options for PCNSL.