Treatment of gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma by immunotherapy: A case report

BACKGROUNDGastric cancer with lymphoid stroma (GCLS) is a rare type of gastric cancer characterized by abundant lymphocytic infiltration of the stroma. It is an Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer with a better prognosis than typical gastric cancer but with similar symptoms. GCLS diagnosis is based on pathological, histological and immunohistochemical examination and there are no standardized guidelines for treatment.CASE SUMMARYThis case report describes a 72-year-old man with a 6-mo history of abdominal pain. Endoscopy revealed ulcerative lesions in the stomach and gastric cancer was suspected. A preoperative endoscopic biopsy indicated undifferentiated carcinoma and postoperative pathological, histological and immunohistochemical analyses of the resected specimen confirmed a final diagnosis of GCLS.CONCLUSIONThe patient showed high programmed cell death-ligand 1 expression and recovered well after immunotherapy.     

Abscopal effect in radioimmunotherapy

Abscopal effect is an interesting phenomenon in radiobiology that causes activation of immune system against cancer cells. Traditionally, this phenomenon was known as a suppressor of non-irradiated tumors or metastasis. However, it can be used as a stimulator of the immune system against primary tumor during radiotherapy. Immunotherapy, a novel tumor therapy modality, also triggers immune system against cancer. To date, some immunotherapy types have been developed. However, immune checkpoint blockade is a more common modality and some drugs have been approved by the FDA. Studies have shown that radiotherapy or immunotherapy administered alone have low efficiency for tumor control. However, their combination has a more potent anti-tumor immunity. For this aim, it is important to induce abscopal effect in primary tumors, and also use appropriate drugs to target the mechanisms involved in the exhaustion of cytotoxic CD8+T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells. Among the different radiotherapy techniques, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with some few fractionations is the best choice for inducing abscopal effect. On the other hand, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is known as one of the best targets for triggering anti-tumor immunity. This combination is known as the best choice among various strategies for radioimmunotherapy. However, there is the need for other strategies to improve the duration of immune system’s activity within tumor microenvironment (TME). In this review, we explain the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind abscopal effect by radiotherapy and evaluate the molecular targets which induce potent anti-tumor immunity.     

诱导性协同共刺激分子及程序性死亡受体1在大疱性类天疱疮皮损中的表达及意义

【摘要】 目的 通过检测滤泡辅助性T细胞（Tfh）相关分子诱导性共刺激分子（ICOS）及程序性死亡受体1（PD?1）在大疱性类天疱疮（BP）患者皮损中的表达,探讨Tfh在BP发病机制中的作用。方法 收集大连市皮肤病医院2014—2017年间确诊的BP患者石蜡组织标本21份,其中女7例,男14例,平均年龄72.57岁。应用免疫组化SP法检测BP皮损中ICOS与PD?1的表达,以10例正常皮肤组织作为对照组。结果 ICOS、PD?1在BP皮损中均主要表达于表皮基底层、棘细胞层、颗粒层、角质层,以棘细胞层表达最为显著,细胞质、细胞核均见表达,偶见细胞膜表达,真皮层炎症细胞中亦有表达;正常皮肤组织中ICOS、PD?1表达少见。BP组ICOS表达率为85.71%（18/21）,PD?1表达率为47.62%（10/21）,均高于正常对照组（均为0）,差异有统计学意义（P值分别＜0.001、＜0.05）。结论 Tfh细胞相关分子ICOS、PD?1在BP发病机制中可能发挥重要作用。     

索拉非尼联合国产PD-1抑制剂治疗不可手术切除的肝细胞癌的疗效及不良反应

目的研究索拉非尼联合国产程序性细胞死亡受体-1(programmed cell death receptor-1,PD-1)抑制剂在不可手术切除的肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC)中的疗效及不良反应。方法回顾性分析2019年6月至2021年1月于北京地坛医院肿瘤内科使用国产PD-1抑制剂联合索拉非尼治疗的不可手术切除的HCC患者的临床资料,资料完整且符合入组条件者共22例,其中卡瑞利珠单抗联合索拉非尼组9例,信迪利单抗联合索拉非尼组13例,随访患者,主要研究终点为统计客观缓解率(objective response rate, ORR)、疾病控制率(disease control rate, DCR)和无进展生存期(progression-free survival, PFS),次要研究终点为总生存期(overall survival, OS)和安全性。结果在可评价疗效的22例患者中,7例患者疗效评价为部分缓解(partial remission, PR),10例患者疗效评价为疾病稳定(stable disease, SD),5例患者疗效评价为疾病进展(progressive disease, PD),ORR为31.8%,DCR为77.3%。中位无进展生存期(median progression-free survival, mPFS)为8.0个月(5.4~10.6个月)。不良反应发生率为77.3%,最常见的不良反应为腹泻(27.3%)、手足综合征(22.7%)、转氨酶升高(22.7%)、疲乏(18.2%)。结论索拉非尼联合国产PD-1抑制剂治疗不可手术切除的HCC临床效果显著,不良反应可控,是一种安全、有效的治疗方案。     

PD-1/PD-L1 antagonists in gastric cancer: Current studies and perspectives

Immune checkpoints release suppressive signals for T cells, which enable the tumors to escape from immune destruction and provide a new concept that uses the capabilities of the immune system as a therapeutic target for tumors. At present, programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) has become the most promising therapeutic target. PD-1/PD-L1 blockades exhibit long-lasting antitumor efficacy and safety in patients with various cancers, such as melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer. Moreover, PD-L1 is highly expressed in the peripheral blood and tumor specimens of patients with cancer, and the expression of PD-L1 is positively correlated with various pathological features and may serve as a predictor of poor prognosis or a diagnostic tool. Clinical trials have verified that PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy benefits patients with advanced gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Furthermore, there are many molecules involved in the regulation of PD-1/PD-L1 expression, and the modification of these molecules via drugs and combinations with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may further improve the efficacy of immunotherapy for gastric cancer. In this review, the efficacy, safety, and possible combination treatment options of PD-1/PD-L1 in gastric cancer are reviewed in experimental and clinical settings.     

Immunostaining of PD-1/PD-Ls in liver tissues of patients with hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the expression of programmed death (PD)-1,PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) and PD-L2 in liver tissues in the context of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODS: Liver biopsies and HCC specimens from patients were collected and histologically examined.The expression of PD-1,PD-L1,and PD-L2 in biopsy specimens of chronic hepatitis and HCC specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining.The association between the expression level of PD-1,PD-L1,and PD-L2 and clinical and pat...     

慢性丙型肝炎患者外周血滤泡辅助性T淋巴细胞表面PD-1受体表达及意义研究*

目的 探讨不同血清病毒载量的慢性丙型肝炎（CHC）患者外周血滤泡辅助性T淋巴细胞（Tfh）表面程序性死亡受体-1（PD-1）表达情况。方法 根据血清HCV RNA水平不同,将180例CHC患者分为低病毒载量组76例,3 lg copies/ml≤血清HCV RNA<6 lg copies/ml和高病毒载量组104例,血清HCV RNA≥6 lg copies/ml。比较两组外周血Tfh细胞百分比、Tfh细胞表面PD-1阳性率、外周血T、B淋巴细胞亚群、外周血CD4⁺T淋巴细胞和CD8⁺T淋巴细胞表面PD-1表达和血清白细胞介素21（IL-21）水平的差异。结果 低病毒载量组和高病毒载量组血清HCV RNA水平分别为（4.5±1.2）lg copies/ml和（6.4±0.7）lg copies/ml,Tfh细胞表面PD-1阳性百分比分别为（26.2±2.2）%和（37.2±1.1）%,Tfh细胞百分比分别为（7.9±0.7）%和（5.1±0.4）%,血清IL-21水平分别为（46.8±1.3） ng/L和（21.7±1.1） ng/L,差异均有统计学意义（P<0.01）;低病毒载量组和高病毒载量组外周血CD4⁺T细胞百分比分别为（51.1±4.6）%和（37.6±4.4）%,CD8⁺T细胞百分比分别为（24.0±3.1）%和（31.7±3.9）%, CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T细胞比值分别为（3.3±0.2）和（2.3±0.1）,CD19⁺B细胞百分比分别为（16.7±3.9）%和（11.8±3.2）%,差异具有统计学意义（P<0.01）;低病毒载量组和高病毒载量组外周血CD4⁺T细胞表面PD-1阳性率分别为（10.1±2.3）%和（2.4±0.6）%],CD8⁺T细胞表面PD-1阳性率分别为（6.3±2.2）%和（1.0±0.3）%,差异也具有统计学意义（P<0.01）。结论 不同血清病毒载量的CHC患者外周血Tfh和T淋巴细胞亚群以及血清白细胞介素21水平存在显著差异,进一步探讨它们对病情、抗病毒治疗应答和预后的关系,将具有十分重要的临床意义。