Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Toxicities

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are molecules that increase the endogenous immune response against tumors. They have revolutionized the field of oncology. Since their initial approval for the treatment of advanced melanoma, their use has expanded to the treatment of several other advanced cancers. Unfortunately, immune checkpoint inhibitors have also been associated with the emergence of a new subset of autoimmune-like toxicities, known as immune-related adverse events. These toxicities differ depending on the agent, malignancy, and individual susceptibilities. Although the skin and colon are most commonly involved, any organ may be affected, including the liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart. Most of these toxicities are diagnosed by excluding other secondary infectious or inflammatory causes. Corticosteroids are commonly used for treatment of moderate and severe immune-related adverse events, although additional immunosuppressive therapy may occasionally be required. The occurrence of immune-related toxicities may require discontinuation of immunotherapy, depending on the specific toxicity and its severity. In this article, we provide a focused review to familiarize practicing clinicians with this important topic given that the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors continues to increase.     

“Real life” polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures modulate hCG,hPL and hPLGF levels and disrupt the physiological ratio of MMP-2 to MMP-9 and VEGF expression in human placenta cell lines

Using JEG-3 and BeWo cells, we examined the effect of “real life” mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), at doses reported in maternal blood (Mix I) and in placental tissue (Mix II), on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), placental lactogen (hPL) and placental growth factor (hPLGF) secretion, protein expression and immunolocalization. Additionally, the action of PAH mixtures on basal and hormone-stimulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein expression was evaluated. Under basal conditions, the PAH mixtures increased hCG and decreased hPLGF levels in both cell lines, while hPL expression was stimulated in JEG-3 and inhibited in BeWo. There was no effect on the MMP-2/MMP-9 ratio or VEGF expression. In hormone-stimulated cells, PAH mixtures changed the MMP-2/MMP-9 ratio in JEG-3 cells in favor of MMP-9, while in BeWo MMP-2 was favored. The effect on VEGF expression was cell specific and dependent on the mixture. In hCG-treated cells, only Mix II inhibited VEGF expression in JEG-3 cells. Neither PAH mixtures affected this protein in BeWo cells. In hPL-treated cells, Mix I had a stimulatory effect in JEG-3 cells, while Mix II exerted an inhibitory effect in BeWo cells. In hPLGF-treated cells, Mix II decreased in JEG-3 cells, but in BeWo cells, both mixtures increased VEGF expression. Considering that the evaluated protein hormones play crucial roles in angiogenesis and neovascularization in the placenta, “real life” PAH mixtures by disrupting protein hormones levels, the MMP-2/MMP-9 ratio and VEGF expression can lead to insufficiency and many pregnancy-related disorders.     

Racial differences in characteristics and prognoses between Asian and white patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer receiving atezolizumab: An ancillary analysis of the POPLAR and OAK studies

This study aimed to compare the differences in characteristics and prognoses between Asian and white patients receiving immunotherapy for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We studied 390 patients who received atezolizumab as part of the POPLAR or OAK trial, and analyzed the differences in baseline characteristics, outcomes and genetic mutations in blood samples between Asian and white patients. Overall survival (OS) was longer in Asian compared to white patients (median OS: 18.7 vs. 11.1 months; p = 0.005). Race was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS (Asian vs. white: hazard ratio 0.647, 95% confidence interval 0.447–0.936, p = 0.021), together with performance status, histology, baseline sum of the longest tumor diameters (BLSLD) and number of metastatic sites. The two groups also differed in terms of characteristics including smoking history, BLSLD, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation frequency, programmed death-ligand 1 expression and blood-based tumor-mutation burden. Blood mutations of STK11, EGFR, KEAP1, POLE, GRM3, ATM and STAG2 were associated with treatment response, and TP53, KEAP1, APC, RB1, CREBBP, EPHA5 and STAG2 mutations were associated with OS. The blood-based mutation profiles differentiated between Asian and white patients, especially in relation to EGFR (23.8 vs. 8.5%), TP53 (30.2 vs. 46.9%) and STK11 (1.6 vs. 12.3%) mutations (all p < 0.05). The different clinicopathological features and mutation profiles in Asian and white patients may explain the superior outcome following atezolizumab treatment in Asian patients with NSCLC. The results of this study have important implications for further studies on racial disparities in relation to immunotherapy.     

PTPN6通过抑制SP1/p38 MAPK信号通路促进前列腺癌细胞的化疗敏感性

目的:研究PTPN6对前列腺癌细胞PC3的作用及其作用机制。方法:RT-PCR和Western blot实验检测前列腺癌组织和细胞以及癌旁组织和人前列腺上皮细胞中PTPN6的表达量；CCK-8和EDU染色实验检测PTPN6对前列腺癌细胞PC3增殖的影响；Western blot实验检测耐药相关蛋白P-gp和MRP-1的蛋白表达水平。结果:RT-PCR和Western blot结果显示，PTPN6在前列腺癌组织和细胞中的表达量显著低于癌旁组织和人前列腺上皮细胞中的表达量；过表达PTPN6显著抑制前列腺癌PC3细胞的增殖，并降低PC3细胞的耐药性；进一步的研究结果表明PTPN6可通过抑制SP1，并抑制p38 MAPK通路抑制PC3细胞的增殖和耐药。结论:PTPN6能够抑制前列腺癌细胞PC3的增殖和耐药，提高其化疗敏感性，作用机制是通过调控SP1/p38 MAPK信号通路来实现的，这一结果能够为临床上前列腺癌的诊断和治疗提供分子基础。     

超高CD34+采集的动员方案序贯二次自体造血干细胞移植治疗难治性 霍奇金淋巴瘤

目的:探讨超高CD34+采集的动员方案后序贯二次自体造血干细胞移植治疗难治性霍奇金淋巴瘤的疗效和安全性。方法:对1例经过多疗程一线、二线、新药、免疫等均难治的霍奇金淋巴瘤患者，予以IA+C方案化疗+G-CSF动员干细胞后采集出超高水平CD34+细胞，之后行自体造血干细胞移植，移植后获得完全缓解，再予序贯第二次自体造血干细胞移植进行巩固治疗。结果:总计输注单个核细胞数13.67×108/kg，CD34+细胞48.68×106/kg，第一次自体造血干细胞移植术后第7天造血功能恢复，复查全身PET-CT提示获得完全缓解，第二次自体造血干细胞移植术后第8天造血功能恢复，两次自体造血干细胞移植相关并发症均在可控范围内。结论:超高CD34+细胞采集的IA+C方案化疗+G-CSF动员可以让患者有机会进行多次自体造血干细胞移植，是临床动员的创新方案。对于难治性霍奇金淋巴瘤，序贯二次自体造血干细胞移植可达到更深层次缓解，且安全性较高，延长患者无疾病生存期及总生存期，为难治性霍奇金淋巴瘤治疗提供更多临床依据。     

Impact of overweight and obesity on US renal cell carcinoma incidence trends (1995-2018)

In the United States, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) incidence and the prevalence of obesity, an established risk factor for RCC, have been increasing for several decades. RCC is more common among older individuals. We sought to quantify the contribution of excess adiposity to the rising incidence of RCC among individuals 60 years or older. National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study data (n = 453 859 participants, enrolled in 1995-1996, age at enrollment 50-71 years) were used to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for RCC across body mass index categories and HRs associated with smoking. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated using estimated HRs and annual overweight/obesity prevalence from the National Health Interview Survey (1985-2008). PAF estimates were combined with RCC incidence from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-13 to calculate annual percent changes in RCC incidence attributable (and unrelated) to overweight/obesity. We found that between 1995 and 2018, among individuals aged 60 years and older, PAF for overweight/obesity increased from 18% to 29% for all RCCs. In comparison, the PAF for smoking declined from 12% to 9%. RCC incidence increased 1.8% per year (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5%-2.1%) overall, while RCC incidence attributable to overweight/obesity increased 3.8% per year (95%CI 3.5%-4.2%) and RCC incidence unrelated to overweight/obesity increased 1.2% per year (95% CI 0.9%-1.4%). In conclusion, overweight/obesity appears to have contributed importantly to the rising incidence of RCC in the United States since the mid-1990s. Public health interventions focused on reducing overweight and obesity could help substantially in curbing this trend.     

Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of resectable acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas-propensity score matching analysis with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

BackgroundSurgical resection is recommended for patients with resectable acinar cell carcinoma (ACC). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of resectable ACC in comparison to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).MethodA retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who consecutively underwent radical resection with pathologically confirmed ACC and PDAC from December 2011 to December 2018. Clinicopathologic characteristics and follow-up information were analyzed. A 1:3 propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to minimize the bias between ACC and PDAC.ResultsA total of 26 patients with ACC and 1351 with PDAC were included. Compared to PDAC, ACC tended to be larger (4.5 vs. 3.0 cm; p < 0.001) and more frequently located in the pancreatic body/tail (61.5% vs. 36.6%, p = 0.009), with lower total bilirubin levels, lower neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) levels and lower carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. There was no difference in postoperative morbidities in patients with ACC and PDAC. The median OS and RFS were longer in ACC when compared to PDAC (OS: 43.5 mo vs. 19.0 mo, p = 0.004; RFS: 24.5 mo vs. 11.6 mo, p = 0.023). After the 1:3 PSM, ACC remained to be a better histological type for OS (p = 0.024), but had comparable RFS with PDAC (p = 0.164).ConclusionPatients with ACC after radical resection had better OS than that with PDAC. However, ACC is also an aggressive tumor with a similar trend of RFS with PDAC after the matching, necessitating the multidisciplinary treatment for resectable ACC disease.