Presentation and Outcome in S1P-RM and Natalizumab-Associated Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a severe neurologic disease resulting from JC virus reactivation in immunocompromised patients. Certain multiple sclerosis (MS) disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are associated with PML risk, such as natalizumab and, more rarely, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators (S1P-RMs). Although natalizumab-associated PML is well documented, information on S1P-RM-associated PML is limited. The aim of this study is to compare clinical presentations and outcomes between the 2 groups. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter cohort study included patients with PML from 2009 to 2022 treated with S1P-RMs or natalizumab. Data on clinical and radiologic presentation, outcomes, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), survival, disability (using the modified Ranking scale-mRS), and MS relapses post-PML were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 88 patients, 84 were analyzed (20 S1P-RM, 64 natalizumab). S1P-RM-associated PML was diagnosed in older patients (median age 52 vs 44 years, p < 0.001) and after longer treatment duration (median 63.9 vs 40 months, p < 0.001). Similarly, S1P-RM patients were more prone to show symptoms at diagnosis (100 vs 80.6%, p = 0.035), had more disseminated lesions (80% vs 34.9%, p = 0.002), and had higher gadolinium enhancement (65% vs 39.1%, p = 0.042). Natalizumab patients had a higher IRIS development rate (OR: 8.3 [1.92-33.3]). Overall, the outcome (mRS) at 12 months was similar in the 2 groups (OR: 0.81 [0.32-2.0]). Yet, post-treatment MS activity was higher in S1P-RM cases (OR: 5.7 [1.4-22.2]). DISCUSSION: S1P-RM-associated PML shows reduced IRIS risk but higher post-treatment MS activity. Clinicians should tailor post-PML treatment based on pre-PML medication.

T Lymphocyte Serotonin 5-HT7 Receptor Is Dysregulated in Natalizumab-Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Serotonin (5-HT) is known as a potent immune cell modulator in autoimmune diseases and should be protective in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge about receptors involved in 5-HT effects as well as induced mechanisms. Among 5-HT receptors, the 5-HT7 receptor is able to activate naïve T cells and influence the inflammatory response; however, its involvement in the disease has never been studied so far. In this study, we collected blood sample from three groups: acute relapsing MS patients (ARMS), natalizumab-treated MS patients (NTZ), and control subjects. We investigated the 5-HT7 expression on circulating lymphocytes and evaluated the effects of its activation on cytokine production with peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. We found a significant increase in the 5-HT7 surface expression on T lymphocytes and on the different CD4+ T cell subsets exclusively in NTZ-treated patients. We also showed that the selective agonist 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT)-induced 5-HT7R activation significantly promotes the production of IL-10, a potent immunosuppressive cytokine in PBMCs. This study provides for the first time a dysregulation of 5-HT7 expression in NTZ-MS patients and its ability to promote IL-10 release, suggesting its protective role. These findings strengthen the evidence that 5-HT7 may play a role in the immuno-protective mechanisms of NTZ in MS disease and could be considered as an interesting therapeutic target in MS.

Increased frequency of anti-Ma2 encephalitis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE: To report the induction of anti-Ma2 antibody-associated paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome (Ma2-PNS) in 6 patients after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We also analyzed (1) patient clinical features compared with a cohort of 44 patients who developed Ma2-PNS without receiving ICI treatment and (2) the frequency of neuronal antibody detection before and after ICI implementation. METHODS: Retrospective nationwide study of all patients with Ma2-PNS developed during ICI treatment between 2017 and 2018. RESULTS: Our series of patients included 5 men and 1 woman (median age, 63 years). The patients were receiving nivolumab (n = 3), pembrolizumab (n = 2), or a combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab (n = 1) for treatment of neoplasms that included lung (n = 4) and kidney (n = 1) cancers and pleural mesothelioma (n = 1). Clinical syndromes comprised a combination of limbic encephalitis and diencephalitis (n = 3), isolated limbic encephalitis (n = 2), and a syndrome characterized by ophthalmoplegia and head drop (n = 1). No significant clinical difference was observed between our 6 patients and the overall cohort of Ma2-PNS cases. Post-ICI Ma2-PNS accounted for 35% of the total 17 Ma2-PNS diagnosed in our center over the 2017-2018 biennium. Eight cases had been detected in the preceding biennium 2015-2016, corresponding to a 112% increase of Ma2-PNS frequency since the implementation of ICIs in France. Despite ICI withdrawal and immunotherapy, 4/6 patients died, and the remaining 2 showed a moderate to severe disability. CONCLUSIONS: We show a clear association between ICI use and increased diagnosis of Ma2-PNS. Physicians need to be aware that ICIs can trigger Ma2-PNS because clinical presentation can be challenging.

Worsening and newly diagnosed paraneoplastic syndromes following anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapies, a descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) are autoimmune disorders specifically associated with cancer. There are few data on anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in patients with a PNS. Our objective was to describe the outcome for patients with a pre-existing or newly diagnosed PNS following the initiation of anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. METHODS: We included all adult patients (aged ≥18) treated with anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy for a solid tumor, diagnosed with a PNS, and registered in French pharmacovigilance databases. Patients were allocated to cohorts 1 and 2 if the PNS had been diagnosed before vs. after the initiation of immunotherapy, respectively. FINDINGS: Of the 1304 adult patients screened between June 27th, 2014, and January 2nd, 2019, 32 (2.45%) had a PNS and were allocated to either cohort 1 (n = 16) or cohort 2 (n = 16). The median (range) age was 64 (45-88). The tumor types were non-small-cell lung cancer (n = 15, 47%), melanoma (n = 6, 19%), renal carcinoma (n = 3, 9%), and other malignancies (n = 8, 25%). Eleven (34%) patients presented with a neurologic PNS, nine (28%) had a rheumatologic PNS, eight (25%) had a connective tissue PNS, and four (13%) had other types of PNS. The highest severity grade for the PNS was 1-2 in 10 patients (31%) and ≥ 3 in 22 patients (69%). Four patients (13%) died as a result of the progression of a neurologic PNS (encephalitis in three cases, and Lambert-Eaton syndrome in one case). Following the initiation of immunotherapy, the PNS symptoms worsened in eight (50%) of the 16 patients in cohort 1. INTERPRETATION: Our results show that PNSs tend to be worsened or revealed by anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Cases of paraneoplastic encephalitis are of notable concern, in view of their severity. When initiating immunotherapy, physicians should carefully monitor patients with a pre-existing PNS.

Co-occurrence of MS and ALS: a clue in favor of common pathophysiological findings?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are two neurological disorders that seem, theoretically, completely divergent according to epidemiological, clinical, pathophysiological, and therapeutic data. However, some reports that have mentioned the occurrence of both conditions within the same patient underpin the suggestion that this co-occurrence might not be random. We report six co-occurrences of ALS and MS cases, focusing on epidemiological and clinical diseases findings. We then compare our cohort to those in the literature. Our cohort was composed of five females and one male. The age of onset for MS ranged from 27 to 54 years with either primary or secondary prominence while all being progressive. Both diseases occurred sequentially in all but one the cases. Concerning ALS, the age of onset ranged from 51 to 60 years and the site of onset was the legs in 5/6 cases. The disease lasted from four to 29 months. Although infrequent, this co-occurrence supports the hypothesis of common, pathophysiological mechanisms between ALS and MS. We discuss some arguments favoring a potential link between both conditions.