Open-capsule budesonide for the treatment of immune-related enteritis from checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist for management strategies targeting immunotherapy-related enteritis (irEnteritis). Systemic corticosteroids are commonly used but often are limited by adverse events. Enteric corticosteroids such as budesonide offer an attractive alternative; however, the ileocolonic release of enteric-coated budesonide has limited utility for diffuse enteritis. Open-capsule budesonide (OCB) is a novel therapeutic approach that offers drug delivery throughout the small bowel. We report outcomes in patients treated with OCB for confirmed or suspected irEnteritis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort included all individuals treated with OCB for irEnteritis at Memorial Sloan Kettering from July 2018 to August 2023. Primary outcomes included clinical response, clinical remission, and corticosteroid-free remission following OCB. Secondary outcomes were OCB-related adverse events and efficacy by gastrointestinal toxicity location. RESULTS: 19 patients (53% female) with irEnteritis were treated with OCB. All patients presented with diarrhea; 15 (79%) reported anorexia with median 6 kg weight loss. 17 patients (89%) underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsies revealing enteritis in all; 8 (42%) had concomitant colitis. 15 (79%) patients were treated previously with systemic corticosteroids: 8 (53%) were corticosteroid-dependent while 7 (47%) demonstrated non-response. 18 patients (95%) achieved clinical response, 15 (79%) attained clinical remission, and 11 (58%) had corticosteroid-free remission. Response to OCB was rapid with improvement noted after a median 4 days. 14 (74%) patients restored their pre-irEnteritis weight by OCB cessation. One mild, self-resolving adverse event was reported. CONCLUSIONS: OCB is a safe and effective therapy for irEnteritis. OCB avoids systemic immunosuppression and successfully achieves clinical response and remission even in patients previously nonresponsive to systemic corticosteroids. Future studies are needed to optimize indications and duration.

Safety of Immunosuppression in a Prospective Cohort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients With a HIstoRy of CancEr: SAPPHIRE Registry.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and a history of cancer, retrospective studies have suggested that exposure to immunosuppressive agents does not increase the risk of incident (recurrent or new) cancer compared with unexposed patients. SAPPHIRE is a prospective registry aimed at addressing this issue. METHODS: Since 2016, patients with IBD and confirmed index cancer before enrollment were followed up annually. Patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation at enrollment, or recurrent cancer within 5 years, were excluded. The primary outcome was development of incident cancer related to exposure to immunosuppressive medications. RESULTS: Among 305 patients (47% male, 88% white), the median age at IBD diagnosis and cancer were 32 and 52 years, respectively. Index cancers were solid organ (46%), dermatologic (32%), gastrointestinal (13%), and hematologic (9%). During a median follow-up period of 4.8 years, 210 patients (69%) were exposed to immunosuppressive therapy and 46 patients (15%) developed incident cancers (25 new, 21 recurrent). In unadjusted analysis, the crude rate of incident cancer in unexposed patients was 2.58 per 100 person-years vs 4.78 per 100 person-years (relative risk, 1.85; 95% CI, 0.92-3.73) for immunosuppression-exposed patients. In a proportional hazards model adjusting for sex, smoking history, age and stage at index malignancy, and nonmelanoma skin cancer, no significant association was found between receipt of immunosuppression and incident cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.69-2.90), or with any major drug class. CONCLUSIONS: In this interim analysis of patients with IBD and a history of cancer, despite numerically increased adjusted hazard ratios, we did not find a statistically significant association between subsequent exposure to immunosuppressive therapies and development of incident cancers.

Polygenic risk score for ulcerative colitis predicts immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis (IMC) is a common adverse event of treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We hypothesize that genetic susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) predisposes to IMC. In this study, we first develop a polygenic risk scores for CD (PRSCD) and UC (PRSUC) in cancer-free individuals and then test these PRSs on IMC in a cohort of 1316 patients with ICI-treated non-small cell lung cancer and perform a replication in 873 ICI-treated pan-cancer patients. In a meta-analysis, the PRSUC predicts all-grade IMC (ORmeta=1.35 per standard deviation [SD], 95% CI = 1.12-1.64, P = 2×10-03) and severe IMC (ORmeta=1.49 per SD, 95% CI = 1.18-1.88, P = 9×10-04). PRSCD is not associated with IMC. Furthermore, PRSUC predicts severe IMC among patients treated with combination ICIs (ORmeta=2.20 per SD, 95% CI = 1.07-4.53, P = 0.03). Overall, PRSUC can identify patients receiving ICI at risk of developing IMC and may be useful to monitor patients and improve patient outcomes.

Novel endoscopic scoring system for immune mediated colitis: a multicenter retrospective study of 674 patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: No endoscopic scoring system has been established for immune-mediated colitis (IMC). This study aimed to establish such a system for IMC and explore its utility in guiding future selective immunosuppressive therapy (SIT) use compared to clinical symptoms. METHODS: This retrospective, international, 14-center study included 674 patients who developed IMC after immunotherapy and underwent endoscopic evaluation. Ten endoscopic features were selected by group consensus and assigned 1 point each to calculate an IMC endoscopic score (IMCES). IMCES cutoffs were chosen to maximize specificity for SIT use. This specificity was compared between IMCESs, and clinical symptoms were graded according to a standardized instrument. RESULTS: A total of 309 (45.8%) patients received SIT. IMCES specificity for SIT use was 82.8% with a cutoff of 4. The inclusion of ulceration as a mandatory criterion resulted in higher specificity (85.0% for a cutoff of 4). In comparison, the specificity of a Mayo endoscopic subscore of 3 was 74.6%, and the specificity of clinical symptom grading was much lower at 27.4% and 12.3%, respectively. Early endoscopy was associated with timely SIT use (P < .001; r = 0.4084). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest multicenter study to devise an endoscopic scoring system to guide IMC management. An IMCES cutoff of 4 has a higher specificity for SIT use than clinical symptoms, supporting early endoscopic evaluation for IMC.

Prevalence of Enteric Infections in Patients on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Impact on Management and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Stool pathogen testing is recommended as part of the initial evaluation for patients with new-onset diarrhea on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), yet its significance has not been well-studied. We aimed to determine the impact of multiplex gastrointestinal (GI) pathogen PCR testing on the clinical course and use of immunosuppressive therapy in patients who develop diarrhea on ICIs. METHODS: This retrospective cohort included individuals who underwent GI pathogen panel PCR for diarrhea on ICIs at Memorial Sloan Kettering between 7/2015 and 7/2021. The primary outcome was use of immunosuppressive therapy for suspected immunotherapy-related enterocolitis (irEC). Secondary outcomes included diarrhea severity and endoscopic and histologic disease patterns. RESULTS: Among 521 ICI-treated patients tested for GI pathogens, 61 (11.7%) had a positive PCR. Compared to patients without detectable infections, patients with infections had more frequent grades 3-4 diarrhea (37.7% vs. 19.6%, P < .01) and colitis (39.3% vs. 14.7%, P < .01). However, patients with infections did not have higher rates of persistent or recurrent diarrhea and were less likely to receive steroids (P < .01) and second-line immunosuppressive agents (P = .03). In 105 patients with lower endoscopy, similar trends were observed and no differences in endoscopic severity or histologic patterns were noted between groups. CONCLUSIONS: GI infections in ICI-treated patients presenting with diarrhea are linked to more severe but self-limited clinical presentations and may be optimally treated with observation and supportive care alone. Routine and timely stool pathogen testing may help avert unnecessary empiric immunosuppression for suspected irEC, which has been linked to blunted antitumor responses and numerous adverse effects.

Immune-Related Colitis Is Associated with Fecal Microbial Dysbiosis and Can Be Mitigated by Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.

Colitis induced by treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), termed irColitis, is a substantial cause of morbidity complicating cancer treatment. We hypothesized that abnormal fecal microbiome features would be present at the time of irColitis onset and that restoring the microbiome with fecal transplant from a healthy donor would mitigate disease severity. Herein, we present fecal microbiota profiles from 18 patients with irColitis from a single center, 5 of whom were treated with healthy-donor fecal microbial transplantation (FMT). Although fecal samples collected at onset of irColitis had comparable α-diversity to that of comparator groups with gastrointestinal symptoms, irColitis was characterized by fecal microbial dysbiosis. Abundances of Proteobacteria were associated with irColitis in multivariable analyses. Five patients with irColitis refractory to steroids and biologic anti-inflammatory agents received healthy-donor FMT, with initial clinical improvement in irColitis symptoms observed in four of five patients. Two subsequently exhibited recurrence of irColitis symptoms following courses of antibiotics. Both received a second "salvage" FMT that was, again, followed by clinical improvement of irColitis. In summary, we observed distinct microbial community changes that were present at the time of irColitis onset. FMT was followed by clinical improvements in several cases of steroid- and biologic-agent-refractory irColitis. Strategies to restore or prevent microbiome dysbiosis in the context of immunotherapy toxicities should be further explored in prospective clinical trials.

Crohn's Disease Mortality and Ambient Air Pollution in New York City.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide increase in Crohn's disease (CD) has accelerated alongside rising urbanization and accompanying decline in air quality. Air pollution affects epithelial cell function, modulates immune responses, and changes the gut microbiome composition. In epidemiologic studies, ambient air pollution has a demonstrated relationship with incident CD and hospitalizations. However, no data exist on the association of CD-related death and air pollution. METHODS: We conducted an ecologic study comparing the number of CD-related deaths of individuals residing in given zip codes, with the level of air pollution from nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and fine particulate matter. Air pollution was measured by the New York Community Air Survey. We conducted Pearson correlations and a Poisson regression with robust standard errors. Each pollution component was modeled separately. RESULTS: There was a higher risk of CD-related death in zip codes with higher levels of SO2 (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.27). Zip codes with higher percentage of Black or Latinx residents were associated with lower CD-related death rates in the SO2 model (IRR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.98; and IRR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.05-0.30, respectively). There was no significant association of either population density or area-based income with the CD-related death rate. CONCLUSIONS: In New York City from 1993 to 2010, CD-related death rates were higher among individuals from neighborhoods with higher levels of SO2 but were not associated with levels of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter. These findings raise an important and timely public health issue regarding exposure of CD patients to environmental SO2, warranting further exploration.

Ecologic study comparing the number of Crohn's disease related deaths of individuals residing in given zip codes within New York City, with levels of air pollution from nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and fine particulate matter.

IL12/23 Blockade with Ustekinumab as a Treatment for Immune-Related Cutaneous Adverse Events.

Background: Immune-related cutaneous adverse events (ircAEs) are frequent and may reduce quality of life and consistent dosing. IL12/23 has been implicated in psoriasis, which is reminiscent of the psoriasiform/lichenoid ircAE phenotype. We report the use of ustekinumab as a therapeutic option. Methods: Patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, who received immune checkpoint inhibitors and were treated with ustekinumab or had the keywords "ustekinumab" or "Stelara" in their clinical notes between 1 March 2017 and 1 December 2022 were retrospectively identified via a database query. Documentation from initial and follow-up visits was manually reviewed, and response to ustekinumab was categorized into complete cutaneous response (CcR, decrease to CTCAE grade 0), partial cutaneous response (PcR, any decrease in CTCAE grade exclusive of decrease to grade 0), and no cutaneous response (NcR, no change in CTCAE grade or worsening). Labs including complete blood count (CBC), cytokine panels, and IgE were obtained in a subset of patients as standard of care. Skin biopsies were reviewed by a dermatopathologist. Results: Fourteen patients with psoriasiform (85.7%), maculopapular (7.1%), and pyoderma gangrenosum (7.1%) ircAEs were identified. Ten (71.4%) receiving ustekinumab had a positive response to treatment. Among these 10 responders, 4 (40%) demonstrated partial cutaneous response and 6 (60%) demonstrated complete cutaneous resolution. Six patients (42.9%) experienced interruptions to their checkpoint inhibitor treatment as a result of intolerable ircAEs, and following ircAE management with ustekinumab, two (33.3%) were successfully rechallenged with their checkpoint inhibitors. On histopathology, patients primarily had findings of interface or psoriasiform dermatitis. No patients reported an adverse event related to ustekinumab. Conclusions: Ustekinumab showed a benefit in a subset of patients with psoriasiform/lichenoid ircAEs. No safety signals were identified. However, further prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.

Impact of Helicobacter pylori infection status on outcomes among patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Gut microbiota composition can influence cancer immunotherapy response. Recent evidence suggests Helicobacter pylori infection may reduce immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy in lung cancer and melanoma, but thorough characterization of this association in patients with gastric cancer is lacking. We aimed to determine the impact of H. pylori on survival in this population. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study included all ICI-treated individuals with metastatic gastric cancer and documented H. pylori status at Memorial Sloan Kettering between July 2013 and October 2021. H. pylori-positive status was defined as history of infection obtained via breath test, stool antigen test, histopathology, and/or chart documentation. Negative status was defined as explicitly negative testing, histopathology, and/or chart documentation. Primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of 215 included patients, 49 had documented history of H. pylori infection. Compared with H. pylori-negative patients, positive individuals tended to be younger, non-white, and Hispanic with non-cardia and intestinal-type gastric cancer. H. pylori-positive patients had significantly shorter median PFS (3.2 vs 6.8 months, HR 1.96, p<0.01) and OS (9.8 vs 17.9 months, HR 1.54, p=0.02). Multivariable analysis confirmed H. pylori infection as an independent predictor of PFS (HR 3.04, p<0.01) and OS (HR 2.24, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this largest study of its kind, H. pylori infection was associated with inferior survival in ICI-treated patients with gastric cancer. This suggests H. pylori status may be a prognostic marker of immune responsiveness. Future studies are needed to elucidate immunoregulatory mechanisms and whether treatment of active infections would improve immunotherapy outcomes.

Role of C-Reactive Protein in Predicting the Severity and Response of Immune-Mediated Diarrhea and Colitis in Patients with Cancer.

Background: Immune-mediated diarrhea and colitis (IMDC) frequently develop after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a serum inflammatory biomarker used to stratify and monitor disease severity in many inflammatory conditions. However, CRP level is not specific and is widely influenced by various factors non-specific to bowel inflammation. We aimed to study the utility of CRP as a predictor of disease severity and therapy response in IMDC. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with IMDC who had CRP measured at IMDC onset and after treatment with selective immunosuppressive therapy (SIT: infliximab and vedolizumab), between 01/2016 and 02/2022 at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and IMDC data were collected and analyzed. Results: Our sample of 128 patients had a median age of 67 years; most were white (89.8%); and male (65.6%). Prior to development of IMDC, 15 (11.7%) were initially treated with anti-CTLA-4, 42 (32.8%) with anti-PD-1 or PD-L1, and 71 (55.5%) with a combination of both. We found higher CRP level was associated with higher CTCAE grade of clinical symptoms such as diarrhea (p=0.015), colitis (p=0.013), and endoscopic findings (p=0.016). While CRP levels decreased after IMDC treatment, there was no significant association between CRP levels with clinical remission, endoscopic remission or histologic remission. There also was no significant correlation between CRP level and recurrence of IMDC, or with fecal calprotectin levels. Conclusion: CRP level may be useful to assess initial severity of IMDC, including grade of diarrhea and colitis and degree of endoscopic inflammation. However, CRP is not a robust surrogate biomarker for assessing treatment response or disease recurrence. Despite the reduction of CRP levels observed following IMDC treatment, this finding might be nonspecific and potentially confounded by concurrent clinical factors, such as underlying malignancy, other inflammatory processes, and systemic anti-cancer therapy. Further studies of the role of CRP are warranted in patients with cancer and IMDC.

Concurrent immune checkpoint inhibition and selective immunosuppressive therapy in patients with immune-related enterocolitis.

PURPOSE: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is often suspended because of immune-related enterocolitis (irEC). We examined the effect of resumption of ICIs with or without concurrent selective immunosuppressive therapy (SIT) on rates of symptom recurrence and survival outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter study examined patients who were treated with ICI and developed irEC requiring SIT (infliximab or vedolizumab) for initial symptom control or to facilitate steroid tapering between May 2015 and June 2020. After symptom resolution, patients were restarted either on ICI alone or on concurrent ICI and SIT at the discretion of the treating physicians. The associations between irEC recurrence and treatment group were assessed via univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression. Cox proportional hazards model was used for survival analysis. RESULTS: Of the 138 included patients who required SIT for initial irEC symptom control, 61 (44.2%) patients resumed ICI without concurrent SIT (control group) and 77 (55.8%) patients resumed ICI therapy with concurrent SIT: 33 with infliximab and 44 with vedolizumab. After symptom resolution, patients in the control group were more commonly restarted on a different ICI regimen (65.6%) compared with those receiving SIT (31.2%) (p<0.001). The total number of ICI doses administered after irEC resolution and ICI resumption was similar in both groups (four to five doses). Recurrence of severe colitis or diarrhea after ICI resumption was seen in 34.4% of controls compared with 20.8% of patients receiving concurrent SIT. Concurrent SIT was associated with reduced risk of severe irEC recurrence after ICI resumption in a multivariate logistic regression model (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.92; p=0.034). There was no difference in survival outcomes between patients in the control group and patients concurrently treated with SIT. CONCLUSION: After resolution of irEC symptoms, reinitiation of ICI with concurrent SIT is safe, reduces severe irEC recurrence, and has no negative impact on survival outcomes.

Polygenic risk score for ulcerative colitis predicts immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a remarkable advancement in cancer therapeutics; however, a substantial proportion of patients develop severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Understanding and predicting irAEs is a key to advancing precision immuno-oncology. Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis (IMC) is a significant complication from ICI and can have life-threatening consequences. Based on clinical presentation, IMC mimics inflammatory bowel disease, however the link is poorly understood. We hypothesized that genetic susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) may predispose to IMC. We developed and validated polygenic risk scores for CD (PRSCD) and UC (PRSUC) in cancer-free individuals and assessed the role of each of these PRSs on IMC in a cohort of 1,316 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received ICIs. Prevalence of all-grade IMC in our cohort was 4% (55 cases), and for severe IMC, 2.5% (32 cases). The PRSUC predicted the development of all-grade IMC (HR=1.34 per standard deviation [SD], 95% CI=1.02-1.76, P=0.04) and severe IMC (HR=1.62 per SD, 95% CI=1.12-2.35, P=0.01). PRSCD was not associated with IMC or severe IMC. The association between PRSUC and IMC (all-grade and severe) was consistent in an independent pan-cancer cohort of patients treated with ICIs. Furthermore, PRSUC predicted severe IMC among patients treated with combination ICIs (OR = 2.20 per SD, 95% CI = 1.07-4.53, P=0.03). This is the first study to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of a PRS for ulcerative colitis in identifying patients receiving ICI at high risk of developing IMC, where risk reduction and close monitoring strategies could help improve overall patient outcomes.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Induced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Scant data describe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) use. The goal of this study is to describe the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of patients with ICI-related EPI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single center, retrospective case-control study was performed of all ICI-treated patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between January 2011 and July 2020. ICI-related EPI patients had steatorrhea with or without abdominal discomfort or weight loss, started pancrelipase after initiation of ICI, and demonstrated symptomatic improvement with pancrelipase. Controls were matched 2:1 by age, race, sex, cancer type, and year of ICI start. RESULTS: Of 12 905 ICI-treated patients, 23 patients developed ICI-related EPI and were matched to 46 controls. The incidence rate of EPI was 1.18 cases per 1000 person-years and the median onset of EPI was 390 days after the first dose of ICI. All 23 (100%) EPI cases had steatorrhea that improved with pancrelipase, 12 (52.2%) had weight loss, and 9 (39.1%) had abdominal discomfort; none had changes of chronic pancreatitis on imaging. Nine (39%) EPI patients had episodes of clinical acute pancreatitis preceding the onset of EPI, compared to 1 (2%) control (OR 18.0 (2.5-789.0), P < .001). Finally, the EPI group exhibited higher proportions of new or worsening hyperglycemia after ICI exposure compared with the control group (9 (39.1%) vs. 3 (6.5%), P < .01). CONCLUSION: ICI-related EPI is a rare but clinically significant event that should be considered in patients with late onset diarrhea after ICI treatment and often is associated with development of hyperglycemia and diabetes.

IL12/23 Blockade for Refractory Immune-Mediated Colitis: 2-Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis (IMC) is commonly managed with steroids and biologics. We evaluated the efficacy of ustekinumab (UST) in treating IMC refractory to steroids plus infliximab and/or vedolizumab. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were treated with UST for IMC refractory to steroids plus infliximab (57.9%) and/or vedolizumab (94.7%). Most of them had grade ≥3 diarrhea (84.2%), and colitis with ulceration was present in 42.1%. Thirteen patients (68.4%) attained clinical remission with UST, and mean fecal calprotectin levels dropped significantly after treatment (629 ± 101.5 mcg/mg to 92.0 ± 21.7 mcg/mg, P = 0.0004). DISCUSSION: UST is a promising therapy for the treatment of refractory IMC.

Integrated clinical and genomic analysis identifies driver events and molecular evolution of colitis-associated cancers.

Inflammation has long been recognized to contribute to cancer development, particularly across the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an increased risk for bowel cancers, and it has been posited that a field of genetic changes may underlie this risk. Here, we define the clinical features, genomic landscape, and germline alterations in 174 patients with colitis-associated cancers and sequenced 29 synchronous or isolated dysplasia. TP53 alterations, an early and highly recurrent event in colitis-associated cancers, occur in half of dysplasia, largely as convergent evolution of independent events. Wnt pathway alterations are infrequent, and our data suggest transcriptional rewiring away from Wnt. Sequencing of multiple dysplasia/cancer lesions from mouse models and patients demonstrates rare shared alterations between lesions. These findings suggest neoplastic bowel lesions developing in a background of inflammation experience lineage plasticity away from Wnt activation early during tumorigenesis and largely occur as genetically independent events.

Subacute Abdominal Pain in a Patient With Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

A 66-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis B infection and hepatocellular carcinoma presented with moderate radiating epigastric pain with nausea, anorexia, and water brash without emesis. What is your diagnosis?

Contribution of the Skin-Gut Axis to Immune-Related Adverse Events with Multi-System Involvement.

Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) frequently complicate treatment with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) targeting CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1, which are commonly used to treat solid and hematologic malignancies. The skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract are most frequently affected by irAEs. While extensive efforts to further characterize organ-specific adverse events have contributed to the understanding and management of individual toxicities, investigations into the relationship between multi-organ toxicities have been limited. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a characterization of irAEs occurring in both the skin and gut. A retrospective analysis of two cohorts of patients treated with ICB at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was conducted, including a cohort of patients with cutaneous irAEs (ircAEs) confirmed by dermatologists (n = 152) and a cohort of patients with biopsy-proven immune-related colitis (n = 246). Among both cohorts, 15% (61/398) of patients developed both skin and GI irAEs, of which 72% (44/61) patients had ircAEs preceding GI irAEs (p = 0.00013). Our study suggests that in the subset of patients who develop both ircAEs and GI irAEs, ircAEs are likely to occur first. Further prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings, to assess the overall incidence of co-incident irAEs, and to determine whether ircAEs are predictors of other irAEs. This analysis highlights the development of multi-system dermatologic and gastrointestinal irAEs and underscores the importance of oncologists, gastroenterologists, and dermatologists confronted with an ircAE to remain alert for additional irAEs.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal dysplasia in inflammatory bowel disease: a US multicenter study.

Background and study aims In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), endoscopically visible lesions with distinct borders can be considered for endoscopic resection. The role of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for these lesions is not well defined because of a paucity of data. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of colorectal ESD of dysplastic lesions in patients with IBD across centers in the United States. Patients and methods This was a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with IBD who were referred for ESD of dysplastic colorectal lesions at nine centers. The primary endpoints were the rates of en bloc resection and complete (R0) resection. The secondary endpoints were the rates of adverse events and lesion recurrence. Results A total of 45 dysplastic lesions (median size 30mm, interquartile range [IQR] 23 to 42 mm) in 41 patients were included. Submucosal fibrosis was observed in 73 %. En bloc resection was achieved in 43 of 45 lesions (96 %) and R0 resection in 34 of 45 lesions (76 %). Intraprocedural perforation occurred in one patient (2.4 %) and was treated successfully with clip placement. Delayed bleeding occurred in four patients (9.8 %). No severe intraprocedural bleeding or delayed perforation occurred. During a median follow-up of 18 months (IQR 13 to 37 months), local recurrence occurred in one case (2.6 %). Metachronous lesions were identified in 11 patients (31 %). Conclusions ESD, when performed by experts, is safe and effective for large, dysplastic colorectal lesions in patients with IBD. Despite the high prevalence of submucosal fibrosis, en bloc resection was achieved in nearly all patients with IBD undergoing ESD. Careful endoscopic surveillance is necessary to monitor for local recurrence and metachronous lesions after ESD.