肿瘤免疫治疗中不可忽视的免疫相关不良反应

免疫检查点抑制剂已在我国被批准进入临床应用,随之而来的免疫相关不良反应(irAE)需引起临床医师的关注。文章总结了针对抗程序性细胞死亡蛋白和程序性细胞死亡蛋白配体抗体引起的irAE发病率、特征性临床表现以及治疗方法,探讨了其可能的发病机理、不同类型恶性肿瘤发病率的差别、影响因素以及未来的研究方向,为临床肿瘤医师对肿瘤irAE的识别和监控加以指导。     

免疫检测点抑制剂特殊安全性问题的认识及处理

近几年,美国食品药品管理局（FDA）相继批准了抗细胞毒T淋巴细胞相关抗原4（CTLA-4）和抗程序性死亡受体1（PD-1）两种免疫检测点抑制剂（ICBs）用于黑色素瘤和非小细胞肺癌的治疗。研究发现,ICBs在多种肿瘤亚型的治疗中均有效,包括小细胞肺癌、肾细胞癌、尿道上皮癌、头颈鳞状细胞癌、胃癌、肝细胞癌、卵巢癌、三阴性乳腺癌以及错配修复缺陷型直肠癌等。这些以免疫系统为靶点的药物疗效显著,但同时伴随一定的免疫相关不良事件（irAEs）或者免疫异常毒性的发生,如何管理这些毒副作用尚没有成熟的方法。本综述将对目前国内外关于ICBs免疫异常毒性的管理相关经验进行总结,以期能够给临床医师在肿瘤患者的免疫异常毒性管理工作中提供一些参考。     

Tissue-resident memory T cells in immunotherapy and immune-related adverse events by immune checkpoint inhibitor

Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are a specialized subset of T cells that reside in tissues and provide long-term protective immunity against pathogens that enter the body through that specific tissue. TRM cells have specific phenotype and reside preferentially in barrier tissues. Recent studies have revealed that TRM cells are the main target of immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy since their role in cancer immunosurveillance. Furthermore, TRM cells also play a crucial part in pathogenesis of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Here, we provide a concise review of biological characteristics of TRM cells, and the major advances and recent findings regarding their involvement in immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy and the corresponding irAEs.     

Serum cell-free DNA in renal cell carcinoma: a diagnostic and prognostic marker

BACKGROUND:

Currently, there are no established diagnostic and prognostic serum markers for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The objective of this study was to evaluate the putative significance of serum cell‐free DNA.

METHODS:

Preoperative serum samples from 200 consecutive patients with sporadic, solid renal tumors were analyzed (157 patients with RCC and 43 patients with benign renal tumors). Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess total cell‐free DNA (ring finger protein 185 [RNF185]) and CpG island methylation of Ras association domain family member 1A (RASSF1A) von Hippel‐Lindau (VHL), prostaglandin‐endoperoxidase synthase 2 (PTGS2), and P16 (cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2A). Associations with RCC, pathologic variables, and disease‐specific survival were evaluated.

RESULTS:

Total cell‐free DNA levels and CpG island methylation of RASSF1A and VHL were highly diagnostic for RCC with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.755, 0.705, and 0.694, respectively. VHL methylation was detected more frequently in patients with clear cell RCC than in those with other subtypes (P = .007). Total cell‐free DNA levels were higher in patients with metastatic RCC (P < .001) and necrotic RCC (P = .003) and were associated with poorer disease‐specific survival (P < .001). In multivariate analysis, the tumor stage, size, grade, and necrosis (SSIGN) score (P < .001) and categorized total cell‐free DNA levels (P = .028) were retained as independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS:

The current results indicated that cell‐free DNA represents a novel serum‐based diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for RCC. Total serum cell‐free DNA levels and CpG island methylation of RASSF1A and VHL may be useful diagnostic biomarkers for RCC. VHL methylation of cell‐free DNA is suggestive of clear cell RCC. Total serum cell‐free DNA may be a useful prognostic biomarker that may assist in tailoring postoperative surveillance and therapy. External prospective validation of these data will be required. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

79例食管恶性黑色素瘤的免疫治疗疗效及预后影响因素

目的：探讨食管恶性黑色素瘤（MEM）患者的临床特征,分析以PD-1单抗为基础的免疫治疗疗效及预后的影响因素。方法：收集2011年5月至2022 年6月在北京大学肿瘤医院黑色素瘤暨肉瘤内科收治的手术不可切除或者转移性MEM患者的临床资料,包括基本信息、病理资料、实验室指标、治疗方案和生存情况等。采用实体瘤疗效评价标准1.1进行疗效评估,用Kaplan-Meier 曲线进行生存分析,用单因素和多因素COX回归进行预后分析。结果：共收集到有完整资料的MEM患者79例,中位年龄59.0岁。大部分患者发病时伴有进食哽噎和吞咽困难等症状,以食管下段发病最为常见,NRAS和KIT 基因突变的比例较高,乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）水平升高占21.5%;其中,17 例患者接受化疗为主的治疗方案,62 例患者接受PD-1单抗为主的免疫治疗方案,客观有效率分别为5.9%和28.8%,疾病控制率分别为35.3%和72.9%,总生存期（OS）分别为7个月[95%CI（0,16.7）个月]和13.2个月[95%CI（9.5,16.9）个月]（P<0.05）。多因素分析显示,就诊时LDH水平、ECOG评分、是否有临床症状、是否接受PD-1单抗治疗与OS显著相关（P<0.05）。结论：MEM患者对PD-1单抗为主的免疫治疗应答较好,LDH升高、ECOG评分≥2分、就诊时有临床症状可能是预后的不良因素。     

BubR1 as a prognostic marker for recurrence-free survival rates in epithelial ovarian cancers

Background:

Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies, and has a high recurrence rate. Thus, prognostic markers for recurrence are crucial for the care of ovarian cancer. As ovarian cancers frequently exhibit chromosome instability, we aimed at assessing the prognostic significance of two key mitotic kinases, BubR1 and Aurora A.

Methods:

We analysed paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 160 ovarian cancer patients whose clinical outcomes had been tracked after first-line treatment.

Results:

The median recurrence-free survival in patients with a positive and negative expression of BubR1 was 27 and 83 months, respectively (P<0.001). A positive BubR1 expression was also associated with advanced stage, serous histology and high grade. In contrast, Aurora A immunostaining did not correlate with any of the clinical parameters analysed.

Conclusion:

BubR1, but not Aurora A, is a prognostic marker for recurrence-free survival rates in epithelial ovarian cancers.     

PD‐L1 expression of the residual tumor serves as a prognostic marker in local advanced breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

This study sought to investigate the prevalence of programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) and its prognostic value in patients with residual tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) for locally advanced breast cancer. A total of 309 patients considered as non‐pathological complete responders (non‐pCR) after NCT followed by mastectomy were selected. The expression of PD‐L1 and tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in residual breast cancer cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry in surgical specimens. The median density was used to classify PD‐L1 expression from low to high. The prognostic value of various clinicopathological factors was evaluated. The expression of PD‐L1 was more commonly observed in patients with low levels of total TILs (p < 0.001), high levels of FOXP3+ TILs (p < 0.001) and low levels of CD8+ TILs (p < 0.001). This served as an independent prognostic factor for both relapse‐free survival (Hazard ratio = 1.824, p = 0.013) and overall survival (OS) (Hazard ratio = 2.585, p = 0.001). High expression of PD‐L1 was correlated to worse survival, which is most significantly observed in triple‐negative patients. Patients classified as PD‐L1‐high/CD8‐low exhibited relatively unfavorable survival, whereas patients with either low expression of PD‐L1 or high expression of CD8 had similar outcomes. PD‐L1 expression in residual tumor can be used as a prognostic marker in non‐pCR patients after receiving NCT for breast cancer, which highlights the importance of immune evasion in the therapeutic vulnerability of chemoresistant cancer cells as well as the potential of anti‐PD‐L1 treatments in non‐pCR responders.     

Serum macrophage migration‐inhibitory factor as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer

BACKGROUND:

This study aimed to determine the potential diagnostic value of migration‐inhibitory factor (MIF) for gastric cancer in patients presenting with dyspepsia and its prognostic value for gastric cancer.

METHODS:

A cohort of 97 patients with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma and 222 patients with dyspepsia were recruited. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum MIF and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).

RESULTS:

The serum MIF concentrations were 6554.0 ± 204.1 pg/mL and 1453.7 ± 79.9 pg/mL, respectively, in gastric cancer patients and dyspeptic patients (P < .001). Serum MIF levels increased with the advancing gastric pathologies (P < .001). With the cutoff value of 3230 pg/mL, serum MIF had sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 83.5%, 92.3%, and 89.7%, respectively, in diagnosing gastric cancer, whereas the rates were 60.8%, 83.3%, and 76.5%, respectively, for serum CEA. Gastric cancer patients with serum MIF levels above 6600 pg/mL had a lower 5‐year survival rate than those with serum MIF level below that level (P = .012). Higher serum CEA levels were also associated with poor survival. The prediction for 5‐year survival was even better (P = .0001), using a combination of serum MIF and CEA.

CONCLUSIONS:

Serum MIF level, which correlates with gastric MIF expression, is a better molecular marker than CEA in diagnosing gastric cancer in patients presenting with dyspepsia. A combination of serum MIF and CEA predicts 5‐year survival better than the individual test. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

卡瑞利珠单抗治疗复发或晚期转移性食管鳞癌临床疗效及免疫相关不良反应观察

目的:探讨卡瑞利珠单抗治疗复发或晚期转移性食管鳞癌的临床疗效以及免疫相关不良反应。方法:回顾性分析88例复发或晚期转移性食管鳞癌患者的治疗经过和疗效,将患者随机分为免疫联合化疗组、化疗组各44例,统计客观缓解率（objective remission rate,ORR)、疾病控制率(disease control rate,DCR)、无进展生存期(progress free survival,PFS)、总生存期（overall survival,OS）,用Kaplan-Meier法绘制生存曲线,用log-rank检验进行影响PFS和OS的单因素分析、COX风险回归模型进行多因素分析,并观察免疫相关不良反应。结果:免疫联合化疗组和化疗组的ORR分别为8例（18%）和4例（9%）,DCR分别为31例（70%）和20例（45%）,免疫联合化疗较单纯化疗可延长患者mPFS（5.5个月vs 3.5个月,P=0.007）和mOS（11.25个月vs 7.75个月,P＜0.001）。ECOG评分、肿瘤分化程度和转移部位数量是PFS和OS的影响因素。免疫相关不良反应主要有毛细血管增生症、甲状腺功能减低、乏力、食欲减退等,但多为1-2级,经对症处理后均可缓解。结论:卡瑞利珠单抗联合化疗较单纯化疗在复发或晚期转移性食管鳞癌中可明显延长PFS和OS,临床疗效显著,且安全性良好。     

Serum HE4 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for lung cancer

We evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic efficacy of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) for lung cancer patients by using our novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. We measured serum HE4 levels of cancer patients including 49 lung cancer and 18 ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship between serum HE4 levels and overall survival after chemotherapy of 24 lung cancer patients. Serum HE4 levels were significantly higher for non-small, small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer patients than for healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated for differentiation of lung cancer patients and healthy controls. AUC for serum HE4 was 0.988 for differentiating lung cancer patients from healthy controls, with a cutoff value of 6.56 ng/ml (sensitivity = 89.8%, specificity = 100%). Serum HE4 levels were elevated in 36/40 (90.0%) non-small cell lung cancer patients, 8/9 (88.9%) small cell lung cancer patients and 8/18 (44.4%) ovarian cancer patients. High levels of serum HE4 (>15 ng/ml) after chemotherapy were significantly correlated with worse overall survival after the treatment. These findings suggest that serum HE4 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for lung cancer patients.     

Immune-related adverse events and prognosis in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer treated with nivolumab

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly being used for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal cancers [esophageal cancer and gastric cancer (GC)]. They cause imbalances in immunological tolerance, resulting in immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Although irAEs have been reported to be associated with the efficacy of ICIs in some cancers, the relationship between irAEs and prognosis of upper gastrointestinal cancers remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of irAEs in patients with advanced or recurrent upper gastrointestinal cancer treated with nivolumab.MethodsWe retrospectively divided the patients (n=96) who received nivolumab into two groups: the irAEs group (n=41) and non-irAEs group (n=55), according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events ver. 5.0.ResultsirAEs were significantly associated with good performance status and high serum albumin levels (all P<0.05). The irAEs group had a significantly longer overall survival (OS) than the non-irAEs group [log-rank P=0.003; univariate hazard ratio (HR) =0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.21–0.65, P<0.01; multivariate HR =0.47, 95% CI =0.26–0.88, P=0.018]. Importantly, in both esophageal cancer and GC, the irAEs group experienced favorable clinical outcomes compared with the non-irAEs group. In the multivariate analysis, male sex (P<0.01), presence of irAEs (P=0.018), and good pretreatment performance status (P<0.01) were independent prognostic factors.ConclusionsAmong patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer treated with nivolumab, the prognosis of patients who developed irAEs was better than that of patients who did not develop irAEs. Long-term continuation of nivolumab by early detection of irAEs and an appropriate response to irAEs are important.     

PD-1/PD-L1抑制剂治疗乳腺癌：现状、问题与对策

PD-1/PD-L1抑制剂在乳腺癌免疫治疗中的应用已逐渐成为一种重要的治疗手段,然而对乳腺癌,尤其是三阴性乳腺癌（TNBC）的免疫治疗仍存在某些亟待解决的科学问题,包括PD-1/PD-L1抑制剂单药治疗的有效率欠佳,目前尚无明确的生物标志物来有效筛查治疗敏感人群,免疫相关不良反应（irAE）的发生率高。为了提高疗效和减少irAE的发生,采取以下措施是非常重要的：探讨PD-1/PD-L1抑制剂与其他药物的联合应用方案;采用纳米技术开发选择性靶向肿瘤细胞的纳米载体,降低抗肿瘤药物毒性并提高疗效;探寻开发可预测免疫治疗反应潜力的生物标志物;早期识别和诊疗irAE并建设多学科诊疗协作组（MDT）模式。随着这些措施的积极推进和问题的不断解决,PD-1/PD-L1抑制剂在乳腺癌的治疗中必将呈现出更为广阔的应用前景。     

p63 expression as a new prognostic marker in Merkel cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine skin tumor, mostly affecting elderly individuals. The histogenesis of this rare tumor as well as its prognostic criteria are a matter of dispute. METHODS: An immunohistochemical analysis of markers of proliferation (Ki-67/MIB-1), neuroendocrine differentiation (chromogranin A and synaptophysin), and basal cell differentiation (p63) was performed in a series of 47 cases of MCC. The significance of pathologic data and of immunoreactivity with different markers was evaluated using the chi-square test. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meyer method. The survival difference was estimated using the Wilcoxon or Mantel-Cox test. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical evidence of neuroendocrine differentiation and immunopositivity for cytokeratin 20 were observed in all cases, whereas positivity for p63 was detected in approximately half of the cases (25 of 47 cases; 53.2%). Cases that were positive for p63 demonstrated a more aggressive clinical course than those that were negative (Z value of 2.93; P = .0003; hazards ratio of 22.22). CONCLUSIONS: Data from the current study indicate that p63 expression is associated with a worse prognosis in patients with MCC and represents a new independent marker of clinical evolution.