PD-1 inhibition has only limited clinical benefit in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the question of whether salvage therapy with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)-blocking antibodies nivolumab or pembrolizumab with or without bevacizumab offers clinical or survival benefit in patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGGs). METHODS: This was a single-institution retrospective observational study in 31 adult patients who received pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or nivolumab (Opdivo) with or without concurrent bevacizumab for recurrent high-grade glioma. RESULTS: Median progression-free survival (mPFS) from first anti-PD-1 dose was 3.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-4.2), and there was no difference in patients receiving nivolumab (mPFS 3.8 months, 95% CI 1.7-5.8) compared to patients receiving pembrolizumab (mPFS 2.3 months, 95% CI 1.7-2.8, log rank 3.1, p = 0.08). There was also no difference in mPFS if patients had previously received bevacizumab (mPFS 3.2 months, 95% CI 2-4.3) or were bevacizumab naive (mPFS 3.7, 95% CI 0-7.9, log rank 1.3, p = 0.3). The median survival from date of first anti-PD-1 dose was 6.6 months (95% CI 4.2-9.1). CONCLUSION: Salvage therapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab with or without bevacizumab does not confer a survival benefit in this heavily pretreated unselected patient population. Until the results of the currently ongoing clinical trials become available, the use of PD-1-blocking antibodies should be considered in selected individuals only. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This retrospective observational study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with recurrent HGGs, salvage therapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab does not significantly improve survival.

A randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial of armodafinil for fatigue in patients with gliomas undergoing radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is common among glioma patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) and impacts quality of life (QOL). We evaluated whether armodafinil, a wakefulness-promoting medication, improves fatigue in glioma patients undergoing RT. METHODS: Eligibility criteria included age ≥18 years, Karnofsky performance status ≥60, and grade 2-4 glioma undergoing RT to a total dose of 50-60 Gy. Patients were randomized 1:1 to armodafinil or placebo for 8 weeks beginning within 10 days of starting RT. Fatigue and QOL were assessed at baseline, day 22, day 43, and day 56 with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G), the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS). The primary aim was to detect a difference in the 42-day change in FACIT-F fatigue subscale between the 2 groups using a 2-sample Wilcoxon statistic. RESULTS: We enrolled 81 patients total (42 armodafinil and 39 placebo). Armodafinil did not significantly improve fatigue or QOL based on the 42-day change in FACIT-F fatigue subscale, FACT-G, CFS, or BFI. Further analysis suggests no difference between the arms even after accounting for the potential bias of missing data. Treatment was well tolerated with few grade 3 or 4 toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: While treatment was well-tolerated, an 8-week course of armodafinil did not improve fatigue or QOL in glioma patients undergoing RT in this pilot study. Further studies are needed to determine whether pharmacologic treatment improves fatigue in glioma patients undergoing RT.