First-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab with or without chemotherapy for Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer: LIGHT-NING study.

OBJECTIVE: As first-line treatment for stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer, combination immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab, with or without chemotherapy, had demonstrated survival benefits over chemotherapy; however, data on Japanese patients are limited. METHODS: LIGHT-NING was a multicenter, observational study and retrospectively collected data. In this interim analysis, we analyzed patients who received combination immunotherapy between 27 November 2020 and 31 August 2021 for the treatment status, safety objectives (treatment-related adverse events and immune-related adverse events incidences), and effectiveness objectives (objective response rate and progression-free survival) to determine the characteristics and early safety information. RESULTS: We analyzed 353 patients, with a median follow-up of 7.1 (interquartile range, 5.0-9.7) months. Overall, 60.1 and 39.9% received nivolumab plus ipilimumab with and without chemotherapy, respectively. In these cohorts, the median age was 67 and 72 years; 10.8 and 35.5% were aged ≥75 years; 80.2 and 79.4% were male; 5.2 and 13.5% had a performance score ≥ 2; 32.1 and 27.0% developed grade 3-4 immune-related adverse events; treatment-related deaths were observed in 6 (2.8%) and 5 (3.5%) patients, respectively. Grade 3-4 immune-related adverse event incidence was the highest within the first month of treatment in both cohorts, although the immune-related adverse event risk persisted throughout. No new safety signals were observed at this interim analysis. The median progression-free survival was 6.0 (95% confidence interval, 5.2-7.6) and 5.8 (4.3-7.0) months in nivolumab plus ipilimumab with and without chemotherapy cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LIGHT-NING offers valuable insights into combination immunotherapy for untreated patients with stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer in Japanese real-world settings.

Incidence, Clinical Characteristics, and Predictors of Cardiovascular Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular immune-related adverse events (CV-irAEs) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may have been underreported given that most previous reports were retrospective. We aimed to evaluate the incidence, clinical characteristics, and predictors of CV-irAEs and determine the feasibility of serial cardiac monitoring using a combination of B-type natriuretic peptide, cardiac troponin T, and electrocardiogram for the prediction of future symptomatic (grade ≥2) CV-irAEs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study that included 129 consecutive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who received ICI monotherapy at a single center. Serial cardiac monitoring was performed during ICI monotherapy. RESULTS: A total of 35 (27%) patients developed any grade ≥1 CV-irAEs with a median time of onset of 72 (interquartile range 44-216) days after ICI treatment initiation. Multivariate Fine-Gray regression analysis showed that prior acute coronary syndrome (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 3.15 (95% [CI], 2.03-4.91), prior heart failure hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.65 [95% CI, 1.17-2.33]), and achievement of disease control (adjusted HR 1.91, [95% CI, 1.16-3.14]) were significantly associated with grade ≥1 CV-irAEs. Serial cardiac monitoring revealed that patients with preceding grade 1 CV-irAEs were associated with a significantly higher risk of onset of grade ≥2 CV-irAEs compared with those without preceding grade 1 CV-irAEs (HR: 6.17 [95% CI, 2.97-12.83]). CONCLUSION: CV-irAEs were more common than previously recognized and have several predictors. Moreover, serial cardiac monitoring may be feasible for the prediction of future grade ≥2 CV-irAEs.

Phase II study of carboplatin/nab-paclitaxel/atezolizumab combination therapy for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer patients with impaired renal function: RESTART trial.

BACKGROUND: First-line treatment of nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has undergone a paradigm shift to platinum combination therapy together with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, phase III studies of combinations of cytotoxic chemotherapy and ICIs have included only patients with maintained organ function, not those with renal impairment. METHODS: Cytotoxic chemotherapy-naïve advanced nonsquamous NSCLC patients aged 20 years or older with impaired renal function (creatinine clearance of 15 to 45 mL/min) are prospectively registered in this single-arm phase II study and receive combination therapy with carboplatin, nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab-) paclitaxel, and atezolizumab. Individuals with known genetic driver alterations including those affecting EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF, MET, RET, and NTRK are excluded. We plan to enroll 40 patients over 2 years at 32 oncology facilities in Japan. The primary end point is confirmed objective response rate. DISCUSSION: If the study demonstrates efficacy and safety of carboplatin/nab-paclitaxel/atezolizumab, then this combination regimen may become a treatment option even for nonsquamous NSCLC patients with impaired renal function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered with Japan Registry for Clinical Trials on 25 February 2021 (jRCTs071200102).

Association Between Skin Reaction and Clinical Benefit in Patients Treated with Anti-Programmed Cell Death 1 Monotherapy for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Anti-programmed cell death 1 antibody is a standard therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), such as skin reactions, are frequently observed. Although skin reactions are associated with clinical efficacy in melanoma, this association in advanced NSCLC and predictors of irAEs remain unclear. Accordingly, this study identified potential correlations of skin reactions with clinical efficacy and clinical predictors of development of skin reactions. SUBJECTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed patients with advanced NSCLC who received nivolumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy at Sendai Kousei Hospital (n = 155) during January 2016 to April 2018. Treatment efficacy was evaluated in patients with and without skin reactions, and associated predictive markers were determined. A 6-week landmark analysis was conducted to assess the clinical benefit of early skin reactions. RESULTS: Skin reactions were observed in 51 patients with a median time to onset of 6.4 weeks. The overall response rate (ORR) was significantly higher in patients with skin reactions (57% vs. 19%, p < .001). Median progression-free survival (PFS) durations of 12.9 and 3.5 months and overall survival durations of not reached and 11.4 months were observed in patients with and without skin reactions, respectively. In the 6-week landmark analysis, the ORR was significantly higher in patients with skin reactions, and skin reactions were significantly associated with increased PFS. A multivariate analysis identified pre-existing rheumatoid factor (RF) as an independent predictor of skin reactions. CONCLUSION: Skin reactions appeared beneficial in patients treated with nivolumab/pembrolizumab for advanced NSCLC and could be predicted by pre-existing RF. Further large-scale validations studies are warranted. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This single-institutional medical record review that included 155 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy revealed that overall response rate and progression-free survival were significantly better in patients with skin reactions. Pre-existing rheumatoid factor was an independent predictor of skin reactions.

Correction to: Outcomes associated with immune-related adverse events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab: a pooled exploratory analysis from a global cohort.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The second sentence of the section "irAEs and ICI efficacy" should read as.

Outcomes associated with immune-related adverse events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab: a pooled exploratory analysis from a global cohort.

BACKGROUND: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) comprise a distinct spectrum of auto-inflammatory manifestations triggered due to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Current data on the association of irAEs with outcomes in NSCLC treated with nivolumab are limited. METHODS AND OBJECTIVES: We pooled data from 531 metastatic NSCLC patients from five centers treated with nivolumab after failing platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary objective was to investigate the relationship between irAEs with clinical benefit to nivolumab as well as to elucidate patterns of irAE-related ICI discontinuations and their impact on survival. RESULTS: 33.0% (173/531) of patients treated with nivolumab were noted to have an irAE. Patients with irAEs had a significantly longer median PFS [6.1 vs. 3.1 months, HR 0.68 95% CI (0.55-0.85); p = 0.001] and OS [14.9 vs. 7.4 months, HR 0.66 95% CI (0.52-0.82); p < 0.001)] compared to those without irAEs. In multivariate analysis, the presence of irAEs showed a significantly better PFS [HR 0.69, 95% CI (0.55-0.87); p = 0.002] and a trend for better OS [HR 0.62, 95% CI (0.55-1.03); p = 0.057]. Patients with permanent ICI discontinuation secondary to index irAE had a significantly shorter median PFS [2.3 vs. 6.6 months, HR 1.74 95% CI (1.06-2.80); p = 0.02] and median OS [3.6 vs. 17.6 months; HR 2.61 95% CI (1.61-4.21); p < 0.001] compared to those that did not have permanent ICI discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Our pooled exploratory analysis demonstrates improved clinical benefit to nivolumab in NSCLC patients experiencing irAEs. We also observed negative impact of irAE-related treatment discontinuation on survival in this group of patients.

Association of Immune-Related Adverse Events with Clinical Benefit in Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Nivolumab.

BACKGROUND: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequently observed with nivolumab monotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate whether the development of irAEs correlates with treatment response in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who received nivolumab monotherapy at Sendai Kousei Hospital (n = 70). The patients were categorized into two groups based on the incidence of irAEs: those with irAEs (irAE group) or those without (non-irAE group). Treatment efficacy was evaluated in each group. The patients were further categorized into responders and nonresponders, and predictive factors of treatment response were determined. RESULTS: The objective response rate was 57% in the irAE group versus 12% in the non-irAE group. Median progression-free survival was 12.0 months in the irAE versus 3.6 months in the non-irAE group. The incidence of both irAEs and pre-existing antithyroid antibody was significantly higher in responders than in nonresponders. Multivariate analysis identified incidence of irAEs and pre-existing antithyroid antibody as an independent predictor of treatment response. CONCLUSION: Objective response rate and progression-free survival were significantly better in the irAE than in the non-irAE group in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with nivolumab monotherapy. The development of irAEs was associated with clinical efficacy, and the presence of pre-existing antithyroid antibody might be correlated with treatment response to nivolumab monotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequently observed with nivolumab monotherapy. This study evaluted whether the development of irAEs correlates with treatment response in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Results showed that the objective response rate and progression-free survival were significantly better in the patients who developed irAEs than in the patients who did not develop irAEs, and the incidence of irAEs and positivity for antithyroid antibody at pretreatment were independent predictors of treatment response of nivolumab monotherapy. Therefore, the development of irAEs predicts clinical benefit and suggests that cautious management of irAEs can lead to achieving maximum clinical benefit from nivolumab monotherapy.

Observational study of chemotherapy-induced Clostridium difficile infection in patients with lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea post-antibiotic use is primarily attributed to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)-induced mucosal lesions, and evidence of CDI in patients undergoing chemotherapy without prior antibiotic treatment is also increasing. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between chemotherapy use and diarrhea. This study aimed to determine whether the incidence of CDI increased in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy even without prior antibiotic treatment. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study and investigated the presence of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and its toxins in patients who experience diarrhea during chemotherapy. If grade 2 or higher diarrhea was noted, a stool culture was performed to detect anaerobic organisms and C. difficile toxins A and B. RESULTS: A total of 345 consecutive patients (492 in terms of chemotherapy regimens) were enrolled in the study. Grade 2 or higher diarrhea was observed in patients using 36 (7.3%) of these regimens, among which CDI without prior antibiotic exposure was confirmed in patients using 8 regimens (22.2%). CONCLUSIONS: CDI may remain undetected in patients undergoing chemotherapy even in those who had not received antibiotic treatment previously, unless due attention is paid to its possibility. Testing for C. difficile toxins is highly recommended to expedite timely treatment for diarrhea in such patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between chemotherapy drug use and CDI to facilitate prevention.

Successful Application of Tocilizumab in a Patient With Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy-Induced Cytokine Release Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The expansion of preoperative immunochemotherapy has led to an increase in the number of patients with lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, oncologists should manage a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). One of the rare, life-threatening, and recently proposed irAEs is cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Although the standard treatment of irAE is systemic administration of steroids, it has been suggested that tocilizumab may be an effective treatment option for CRS. CASE: This case describes a 69-year-old man with stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma who received chemotherapy and nivolumab, which is an ICI, as neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy. After the first administration, the patient developed severe skin rash, fever, and arthralgia. We suspected irAEs and administered systemic steroids. However, fever and arthralgia did not improve, although the skin rash disappeared. These were also significant challenges for surgery. Noting the elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, we consulted a rheumatologist. Finally, we decided to terminate neoadjuvant therapy after one cycle and administer tocilizumab. Tocilizumab dramatically improved the patient's symptoms and allowed him to undergo radical surgery. Pathological findings revealed that the patient achieved a major pathological response. CONCLUSION: This indicates the potential effectiveness of early tocilizumab administration for ICI-induced CRS, even in mild cases.

Immunotherapy With Radiotherapy for Brain Metastases in Patients With NSCLC: NEJ060.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based treatment has become standard treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC. We aimed to determine the survival benefit of upfront radiotherapy for brain metastases (BMs) in patients with NSCLC who received ICI alone (ICI-alone) or with chemotherapy (ICI-chemo). Methods: This study included consecutive patients with NSCLC having BMs who received ICI alone or ICI-chemo at 50 institutes between February 2017 and September 2021. The presence of BMs was confirmed by imaging before treatment. Treatment outcomes were compared between patients who did and did not receive upfront radiotherapy for BMs. Potential confounding factors were adjusted between the groups through inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis and overlap weighting (OW) analysis with propensity scores. Results: Patients were grouped as ICI-alone cohort, 224 patients (upfront-radiotherapy group, 135 patients; no-radiotherapy group, 89 patients) and ICI-chemo cohort, 367 patients (upfront-radiotherapy group, 212 patients; no-radiotherapy group, 155 patients). In the ICI-alone cohort, the overall survival of the upfront-radiotherapy group was significantly longer than that of the no-radiotherapy group (IPTW-adjusted hazards ratio [HR] = 0.45 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29-0.72], OW-adjusted HR = 0.52 [95% CI: 0.35-0.77]). In contrast, in the ICI-chemo cohort, the OS of the upfront-radiotherapy group was not significantly different from that of the no-radiotherapy group (IPTW-adjusted HR = 1.02 [95% CI: 0.70-1.48], OW-adjusted HR = 0.93 [95% CI: 0.65-1.33]). Conclusions: Upfront radiotherapy for BMs was associated with longer overall survival in patients with NSCLC who received ICI alone; however, it did not exhibit survival benefits in the patients who received ICI-chemo.

Successful application of lorlatinib in a 23-year-old patient with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung cancer and multiple brain metastases.

BACKGROUND: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung cancer has a better long-term prognosis with ALK-inhibitor than other lung cancers. However, resistance to ALK-inhibitors and the control of metastases in the central nervous system (CNS) remain to be a challenge in the management of ALK-positive lung cancer. CASE: We present the case of a 23-year-old man who developed multiple brain metastases while receiving alectinib treatment for ALK-positive lung cancer. After 3 months of lorlatinib initiation, brain metastases disappeared, and complete response (CR) was maintained. CONCLUSION: While lorlatinib can be used as first line therapy, this drug may be considered as second line or later option for patients with multiple brain metastases if the patient has already been treated with other ALK-inhibitors since lorlatinib is thought to have good CNS penetration. This treatment option should be verified by further research.

Prediction of prognosis in lung cancer using machine learning with inter-institutional generalizability: A multicenter cohort study (WJOG15121L: REAL-WIND).

OBJECTIVES: Predicting the prognosis of lung cancer is crucial for providing optimal medical care. However, a method to accurately predict the overall prognosis in patients with stage IV lung cancer, even with the use of machine learning, has not been established. Moreover, the inter-institutional generalizability of such algorithms remains unexplored. This study aimed to establish machine learning-based algorithms with inter-institutional generalizability to predict prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective, hospital-based cohort study included consecutive patients with stage IV lung cancer who were randomly categorized into the training and independent test cohorts with a 2:1 ratio, respectively. The primary metric to assess algorithm performance was the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the independent test cohort. To assess the inter-institutional generalizability of the algorithms, we investigated their ability to predict patient outcomes in the remaining facility after being trained using data from 15 other facilities. RESULTS: Overall, 6,751 patients (median age, 70 years) were enrolled, and 1,515 (22 %) showed mutated epidermal growth factor receptor expression. The median overall survival was 16.6 (95 % confidence interval, 15.9-17.5) months. Algorithm performance metrics in the test cohort showed that the areas under the curves were 0.90 (95 % confidence interval, 0.88-0.91), 0.85 (0.84-0.87), 0.83 (0.81-0.85), and 0.85 (0.82-0.87) at 180, 360, 720, and 1,080 predicted survival days, respectively. The performance test of 16 algorithms for investigating inter-institutional generalizability showed median areas under the curves of 0.87 (range, 0.84-0.92), 0.84 (0.78-0.88), 0.84 (0.76-0.89), and 0.84 (0.75-0.90) at 180, 360, 720, and 1,080 days, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study developed machine learning algorithms that could accurately predict the prognosis in patients with stage IV lung cancer with high inter-institutional generalizability. This can enhance the accuracy of prognosis prediction and support informed and shared decision-making in clinical settings.

Pooled Analysis of Studies Evaluating Fosnetupitant and Risk Factors for Cisplatin-Induced Nausea and Vomiting During the Extended Overall Phase.

INTRODUCTION: Fosnetupitant is a novel neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist (NK1RA) with favorable antiemetic efficacy in patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapy. This study assessed the efficacy of fosnetupitant in combination with palonosetron and dexamethasone and identified risk factors for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for up to 168 h after treatment using pooled data from Japanese studies. METHODS: A pooled analysis of randomized phase II and phase III studies was performed to compare the efficacy of fosnetupitant and fosaprepitant in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The complete response (CR; no vomiting and no rescue medication) rate, CINV risk factors in various phases (0-120, 0-168, and 120-168 h), and impact of the number of risk factors on the time to treatment failure (TTF) were examined in the overall and NK1RA evaluable populations. RESULTS: In the combined cohort of NK1RA evaluable patients (n = 980), the CR rate at 0-168 h was significantly better in the fosnetupitant 235 mg group than in the fosaprepitant group (rate difference = 6.8%, 95% confidence interval = 1.0-12.7, p = 0.022). In the overall (n = 1368) and NK1RA evaluable populations, the CINV risk factor at 120-168 h was treatment failure in the first 120 h. TTF deteriorated as the number of identified CINV risk factors increased. CONCLUSION: This analysis revealed that fosnetupitant could have long-acting antiemetic potency (> 120 h) and indicated the importance of antiemetic therapy at 0-120 h for CINV up to 168 h after chemotherapy.

Efficacy of paclitaxel-carboplatin with bevacizumab as a late-line therapy for patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer: A platinum rechallenge.

BACKGROUND: There is no well-established late-line treatment for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Therefore, we retrospectively determined the efficacy and safety of platinum rechallenge with paclitaxel-carboplatin and bevacizumab in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC as a late-line therapy in a clinical setting. METHODS: Thirty patients with nonsquamous NSCLC who received paclitaxel-carboplatin with bevacizumab therapy as a late-line treatment at Sendai Kousei Hospital (Miyagi, Japan) between December 2011 and December 2021 were enrolled into the study. The efficacy and safety of this treatment were evaluated. The patients were further categorized into responders and nonresponders, and predictive factors of treatment response were estimated. RESULTS: The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.3 (range, 4.9-6.8) months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 11.8 (range, 7.2-17.2) months. There were no significant differences in PFS and OS between patients with and those without epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. In the univariate analyses of this study, responders were younger than nonresponders (p = 0.012). No fatal adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: With the increase in the number of treatment options in recent years, the sequence of treatments and overall therapeutic strategy are becoming increasingly important. Thus, platinum rechallenge with paclitaxel-carboplatin and bevacizumab, a late-line treatment for patients with nonsquamous NSCLC, may be an effective therapeutic option.

Anti-nuclear antibody and a granuloma could be biomarkers for iCIs-related hepatitis by anti-PD-1 treatment.

It has been reported that various kinds of immune checkpoint inhibitors (iCIs) could induce immune-related liver damage. We should focus on the programmed cell death-receptor-1 (PD-1) antibody and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to analyze the characteristics of hepatitis related to iCIs and find factors that could be useful biomarkers for the diagnosis. A single-center retrospective study of 252 NSCLC patients who received PD-1 antibody (nivolumab or pembrolizumab). Some of the biochemical markers and immunological markers were analyzed during PD-1-antibody treatment with or without ALT elevation. Histopathological features were reviewed by a single expert of hepatic pathology focusing on the following features: fibrosis, portal inflammation, lobular inflammation, lobular necrosis. The formation of macro- and micro-granulomas was also evaluated. The frequency of liver damage induced by nivolumab including grade 1 to 4 (ALT) was 41.9% (78/186 patients). The positive rate of anti-nuclear antibody in the nivolumab group with iCIs-related hepatitis was significantly higher than that in the nivolumab group without iCIs-related hepatitis (p = 0.00112). Granulomatous changes were significantly increased in patients with iCIs-related hepatitis compared with DILI and AIH patients (p < 0.05). The ratios of inflammatory cells CD4/CD8, and CD138/CD3 in ICIs-related hepatitis were significantly lower than those in AIH or DILI patients (p < 0.05). We demonstrated that the pre-existing ANA and characteristic liver histology including CD8+ cells dominancy and granulomatous hepatitis could be biomarkers for the diagnosis of iCIs-related hepatitis in the NSCLC with anti-PD-1 therapy.

Nivolumab Retreatment in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Who Responded to Prior Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Had ICI-Free Intervals (WJOG9616L).

PURPOSE: To explore the efficacy of retreatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who responded to prior ICI and had adequate ICI-free interval. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced NSCLC who had achieved complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease for ≥6 months with prior ICI therapy preceding progression were prospectively enrolled. All patients should have had ICI-free interval ≥60 days before registration. Patients were treated with nivolumab (240 mg) every 2 weeks until progression. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and safety (Trial Identifier, UMIN000028561). RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were enrolled during October 2017 to February 2020, with 59 analyzed for efficacy. Regarding prior ICI, 41 patients had CR or PR. Median treatment on ICI and median ICI-free intervals were 8.1 months and 9.2 months, respectively. Twenty patients experienced immune-related adverse events (irAE) that required discontinuation of prior ICI. Nivolumab retreatment demonstrated ORR of 8.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.8-18.7%] and median PFS of 2.6 months (95% CI, 1.6-2.8 months) while 5 responders had 11.1 months of median PFS. In the multivariate analysis, ICI-free interval was the only predictive factor of PFS (HR, 2.02; P = 0.02), while prior efficacy or history of irAE was not. Common adverse events were skin disorders (23%), malaise (20%), and hypoalbuminemia (15%). CONCLUSIONS: Even in patients who initially responded to prior ICI and had ICI-free interval, once resistance occurred, retreatment with nivolumab had limited efficacy.

Association between immune-related adverse event timing and treatment outcomes.

The timing of immune-related adverse events (irAE) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is highly variable. Although the development of irAE has been associated with ICI clinical benefit, how irAE timing influences this association is unknown. We analyzed two independent cohorts including 154 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors at a single institution (UTSW cohort) and a multi-center cohort of 433 patients with NSCLC who received second-line anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy (Global cohort) to assess the association between ICI outcomes and irAE timing. In both cohorts, late-onset irAE occurring more than 3 months after ICI initiation compared to irAE occurring earlier were associated with greater rates of radiographic response (UTSW cohort, 41% versus 28%, P = .26; Global cohort, 60% versus 35%, P = .02), longer progression-free (UTSW cohort, 13.7 versus 5.6 months, P < .01; Global cohort, not reached versus 6.0 months, P < .01) and overall survival (UTSW cohort, 30.9 versus 14.6 months, P < .01; Global cohort, not reached versus 10.6 months, P < .01). Modified landmark analysis at 6 months confirmed an overall survival difference between early- and late-onset irAE. Late-onset irAE was similarly associated with greater response rates and prolonged survival in a cohort of 130 patients with non-NSCLC malignancies, suggesting a conserved association across tumor types. The favorable association between irAE and ICI clinical outcomes may be attributed to later-onset events, which is not wholly explained by survivor bias. These results allude to a distinct biology between early- and late-onset irAE and may guide clinician expectations and thresholds for continuing or modifying immunotherapy.

Prospective Multicenter Study of Chemotherapy-Induced Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile Infection in Patients With Lung Cancer: North Japan Lung Cancer Study Group Trial 1204.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea post-antibiotic use is primarily attributed to mucosal lesions induced by Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI). Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy might have a higher risk of CDI even when prior antibiotics are not used. Thus far, the relationship between lung cancer chemotherapy and the incidence of diarrhea remains unclear. This prospective multicenter study aimed to determine the incidence of CDI in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: The presence of C. difficile and its toxins was investigated in lung cancer patients experiencing diarrhea during chemotherapy including paclitaxel (PTX), nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX), docetaxel (DOC), tegafur-gimeracil-oteracil (S-1), or irinotecan (CPT-11). If grade 2 or higher diarrhea occurred, then a stool culture was performed to detect anaerobic organisms and C. difficile toxins A and B. Additional data were collected through patient interviews and medical chart review. RESULTS: A total of 263 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study; grade 2 or higher diarrhea was observed in 22 patients (8.4%); CDI was confirmed in five of them (1.9%). The incidence of CDI was 22.7% of all diarrhea cases, and 50% of patients treated with PTX were CDI positive; the incidence of CDI was significantly higher in patients treated with PTX (P=0.039). Among the diarrhea cases, CDI patients had significantly worse ECOG performance status (PS) (P=0.043) and a significantly higher neutrophil count (P=0.028) than non-CDI patients. No CDI patients received antibiotics before cancer chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Although diarrhea does not always affect a large portion of lung cancer chemotherapy recipients, clinicians should consider the possibility of CDI occurrence in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, particularly PTX, without prior antibiotic exposure.

Serial 6-month change in forced vital capacity predicts subsequent decline and mortality in Japanese patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function; however, predicting changes in lung function is difficult. We sought to determine whether the prior 6-month trend in forced vital capacity (FVC) could predict mortality and the subsequent 6-month trend in FVC. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with newly diagnosed IPF who underwent serial pulmonary function tests. The immediate two years after the initial evaluation were divided into four terms of six months each and stratified on the basis of presence or absence of a ≥10% relative decline in FVC at six months (declined and stable groups, respectively). RESULTS: We included 107 patients with %predicted FVC of 80.8% and %predicted diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide of 58.9%. In multivariate analysis, a decline in %predicted FVC in the initial six months was found to be an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 4.45, 95% confidence interval 2.62-7.56, p < 0.01). Among the 46 terms in which the FVC declined during the initial 1.5-year study period, a decline in FVC was exhibited in 23 (50.0%) of the subsequent terms. Among 231 terms in which FVC remained stable, a decline was observed in 32 (13.9%) of the subsequent terms (relative risk 3.61, p < 0.01). The frequency of FVC decline in each term was 16-27%. FVC was stable or declined in all four terms in 50.5% and 15.9% of cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Six-month decline in FVC predicts subsequent FVC change and mortality in IPF patients in the era of antifibrotic agents.

Gene expression signatures as candidate biomarkers of response to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancers.

Although anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy has achieved clinical success in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), definitive predictive biomarkers remain to be elucidated. In this study, we performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of pretreatment tumor tissue samples and pretreatment and on-treatment whole blood samples (WB) samples obtained from a clinically annotated cohort of NSCLC patients (n = 40) treated with nivolumab (anti-PD-1) monotherapy. Using a single-sample gene set enrichment scoring method, we found that the tumors of responders with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD, n = 20) are inherently immunogenic to promote antitumor immunity, whereas those with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC, n = 18) have a less immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. These findings suggested that nivolumab may function as a molecular targeted agent in LUAD and as an immunomodulating agent in LUSC. In addition, our study explains why the reliability of PD-L1 expression on tumor cells as a predictive biomarker for the response to nivolumab monotherapy is quite different between LUAD and LUSC.