Clinical Outcomes of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Unique Cohorts Underrepresented in Clinical Trials.

Regulatory approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was based on results of large, randomized clinical trials, resulting in limited outcomes data in patient cohorts typically underrepresented in such trials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ICIs in these unique patient cohorts. This is a multicenter, retrospective analysis of real-world data at six academic and community clinics in the United States from 1 January 2011 to 1 April 2018. Patients were included if they had received at least one cycle of ICI treatment. Unique patient cohorts included age > 75 years, non-White race, positive smoking history, ECOG performance status (PS) ≥ 2, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, autoimmune diseases (AIDs), chronic viral infections (CVI), extensive prior lines of therapy (LOTs), or >three metastatic sites. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs), overall survival (OS), and time to treatment failure were evaluated in the entire cohort and in NSCLC patients treated with PD-(L)1 monotherapy. Outcomes and their association with unique patient cohorts were compared on univariate analysis and multivariate analysis to those without a particular characteristic in the entire NSCLC PD-(L)1 monotherapy cohorts. In total, 1453 patients were included: 56.5%-smokers, 30.4%-non-White, 22.8%-elderly, 20.8%-ECOG PS ≥ 2, 15.7%-history of AIDs, and 4.7%-history of CVI. The common ICIs were nivolumab (37.1%) and pembrolizumab (22.2%). Black patients, compared to White patients, experienced fewer irAEs (OR 0.54, p < 0.001). An ECOG PS of ≥2 (HR = 2.01, p < 0.001) and an increased number of previous LOTs were associated with poor OS (the median OS of 26.2 vs. 16.2 vs. 9.6 months for one vs. two vs. three prior LOTs, p < 0.001). The above results were confirmed in anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy non-small cell lung cancer patients (n = 384). Overall, ICIs were safe and efficacious in these typically underrepresented patient cohorts. We noted ECOG PS ≥ 2 and an increased prior LOTs were associated with poor ICI efficacy, and Black patients, compared to White patients, experienced fewer irAEs.

Non-Hepatosplenic Extramedullary Hematopoiesis Masquerading as Metastatic Malignant Melanoma.

Non-hepatosplenic extramedullary hematopoiesis (NHS-EMH), the formation of blood cellular elements outside the medulla of the bone marrow and outside the liver and spleen, has been noted among patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and other serious hematological diseases. However, NHS-EMH is rarely identified among individuals without concurrent hematological disease. Since the radiologic features of NHS-EMH are nonspecific, lesions may be mistaken for metastatic disease when observed in patients with known solid tumors. We report an unusual case of a patient with a simultaneous presentation of malignant melanoma and multiple NHS-EMH lesions. The biopsy revealed trilineage hematopoiesis resembling normal bone marrow tissue, in the absence of abnormalities of peripheral blood counts or presence of driver mutations associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms. The biopsy results were critical in downstaging the patient and thus permitted avoidance of unnecessary malignant melanoma therapy. This case emphasizes the importance of surgical biopsy of suspect lesions when treatment strategies will be impacted.

Atypical Presentation of COVID-19 Leading to ARDS.

A 60-year-old male was brought into the emergency department by EMS after he was found unresponsive by his neighbors. He was initially admitted to the hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation secondary to pneumonia. However, due to a sudden, rapidly progressing course of events, the patient was evaluated for COVID-19.