Immunotherapy

Aim: This study aims to investigate drug utilization patterns in the treatment of psoriasis (PsO) from 1 to 5 years in a real-life setting with Adalimumab (Ada), Etanercept (Eta), Ustekinumab (Ust), Golimumab (Gol), Ixekizumab (Ixe), Secukinumab (Sec) and Apremilast (Apr). Materials & methods: Data from an observational study were used to calculate adherence using the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) method and persistence. Results & conclusion: Treatment adherence was found to be good for all the drugs studied across all years of analysis, while persistence was suboptimal, showing a marked decrease from the third year of study onward...

Risankizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits the p19 subunit of IL-23 cytokine. Recently it has been approved for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD). We conducted a scoping review to summarize the available data on risankizumab and to define its positioning in the treatment algorithm of CD. Pubmed, Embase and Scopus databases were searched up to Oct 31, 2023 to identify studies reporting efficacy and safety data of risankizumab in patients with CD. Risankizumab is an effective and safe drug for the management of patients with moderate-to-severe CD...

Aim: The study aimed to assess the value of pretreatment peripheral blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) for predicting immunotherapy prognosis and efficacy in advanced gastric cancer (GC). Methods:  A total of 84 advanced GC patients received immunotherapy were retrospectively collected. The optimal cut-off values were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. The univariate and multivariate analysis investigated the effects of NLR, PLR, PIV and SII on patients prognosis...

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive form of lung cancer with limited treatment options, especially for extensive-stage (ES) patients. We present a case of a 70-year-old male with ES-SCLC and asymptomatic brain metastasis who opted for immune monotherapy with serplulimab (an anti-PD-1 antibody). After four cycles, the patient achieved a confirmed partial response and a progression-free survival of over 1 year. Moreover, we observed a consistent decline in tumor biomarkers, and brain MRI indicated reduced metastatic activity...

Immune checkpoint inhibitors could restore immune surveillance to attack tumor through targeting CTLA-4, PD-1 or PD-L1, and have achieved huge success. However, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been attracting attention as their application is expanding. Gastritis is relatively rare as a subtype of irAEs, particularly severe gastritis. Guidelines on its clinical management still remain undefined due to limited data. Sintilimab is a PD-1 inhibitor approved in China. Here we offer a case of sintilimab-induced severe erosive hemorrhagic gastritis and pyloric obstruction...

Aim: We compared the effectiveness of rush subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) using standardized house dust mite (HDM) extract for pediatric bronchial asthma (BA). Methods: We followed the pediatric BA treatment score during 3 years of treatment. We assessed the median time to no longer requiring long-term control pharmacotherapy (LTCP) for BA (LTCP-free). We compared the outcomes after adjustment for confounding factors and propensity score matching. Results: Patients in the HDM SCIT group achieved the LTCP-free status significantly earlier than those in the HDM SLIT group after adjustment for confounding factors and propensity score matching...

Axial spondyloarthritis is a chronic, immune-mediated systemic inflammatory disease encompassing ankylosing spondylitis and nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis. TNF inhibitors are the preferred second line therapy for patients with active axial spondyloarthritis. Certolizumab pegol is a TNF inhibitor approved for treatment of both. Three large phase III trials (RAPID-axSpA, C-axSpAnd and C-OPTIMISE) and one large phase IV trial (CIMAX) establish its clinical efficacy in treatment of active disease and maintenance of remission for both diseases...

Nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) is a subtype of SpA with undeveloped definite radiographic sacroiliitis. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors have demonstrated effectiveness in nr-axSpA patients who do not respond to first-line therapy. More recently, accumulated data from genetic, experimental, and clinical studies revealed that IL-17 is a key player in the pathogenesis of SpA, leading to development of new biologics directly inhibiting IL-17. Among them, ixekizumab is a high-affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively targets IL-17A and has exhibited significant efficacy and acceptable safety profiles in the treatment of nr-axSpA...

Aim: To evaluate pembrolizumab in patients of Chinese descent with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H)/deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors enrolled in KEYNOTE-158 (Cohort L). Methods: Patients with MSI-H/dMMR advanced tumors received pembrolizumab 200 mg IV Q3W. Primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary end points were duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: 24 patients were enrolled (20 were evaluable for efficacy)...

Aim: We assessed treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) who initiated first-line pembrolizumab-platinum-pemetrexed (induction) in US community oncology settings. Methods: Patients initiating induction were retrospectively identified. Patients continuing pembrolizumab afterward underwent chart review. Clinical outcomes were described by maintenance pemetrexed exposure after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Results: Median induction pembrolizumab and pemetrexed durations were 5...

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Aim: Daratumumab, a CD38 monoclonal antibody, has been widely used in patients with multiple myeloma. Although a variety of adverse events have been reported, consciousness impairment has not been reported yet. We report a case of encephalopathy associated with daratumumab. Case presentation: A 57-year-old male, diagnosed with relapsed multiple myeloma, was treated with daratumumab. He developed a loss of consciousness after the first administration. Cerebral spinal fluid and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain suggested encephalopathy...

Aim: To explore the association between sex and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Materials & methods: We assessed the difference in survival outcomes from ICIs between sexes using an interaction test. Results: 108 studies representing 70,243 patients were included. In the first-line setting, the pooled interaction HR was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.91-1.04). In the subsequent-line setting, the pooled interaction HR was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.77-0.95). When ICIs were given as perioperative therapy or as systemic therapy in patients with positive PD-L1 expression, both men and women obtained equal survival benefits...

Despite an increasing number of therapies for Crohn's disease (CD), half of patients do not respond to initial treatment or lose response over time, highlighting the need for novel therapies. Inhibition of Janus kinases (JAKs) has emerged as an important therapeutic target for CD. Upadacitinib is an orally administered selective JAK1 inhibitor, which is effective for the induction and maintenance of remission in moderately-to-severely active CD, including in patients with prior failure of biological therapy...

Aim: This retrospective study investigated real-world hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) treatment patterns in pediatric patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) in Poland. Methods: Clinical and demographic information, fSCIG treatment parameters and clinical outcomes were extracted from medical records of 28 participants (aged ≤18 years) with PIDs who received fSCIG. Results: 18 participants (64.3%) started fSCIG with a ramp-up (median duration: 35...

Psoriasis pathogenesis involves TNF-α, IL-23 and IL17, against which biologics have been highly effective. Among the five TNF-α inhibitors available for psoriasis, namely infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept, golimumab and certolizumab pegol (CZP), CZP has a unique mechanism of action due to its structure. As CZP lacks the Fc region, it does not cross the placenta and can be safely used in pregnant women. Its PEGylated nature allows for longer distribution time in tissues, potentially leading to a longer-lasting effect compared with other TNF-α inhibitors...

Radiation-induced coronary artery disease (RICAD) poses a serious concern for cancer patients post radiotherapy, typically emerging after over a decade. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), known for cardiotoxicity, are increasingly recognized for causing cardiovascular complications. Here we report the case of a 63-year-old man with metastatic lung cancer who developed coronary artery disease during his third-line therapy with an ICI (nivolumab) and an antiangiogenic agent (bevacizumab), 3 years post chest radiotherapy...

Aims: Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in predicting immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in solid tumor patients receiving immunotherapy. Patients & methods/materials: The CCI score at the time of initiation of immunotherapy was calculated in 164 solid tumor patients receiving immunotherapy and the correlation between the CCI score and immune toxicity was evaluated. Results: A significant relationship was found between CCI score and irAEs in lung cancer and renal cell cancer patients...

Aim: This study aims to clarify the efficacy and adverse effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the lung cancer patients with a history of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Methods: From the inception of the database to 4 April 2023, we systematically searched the four databases. Results: The objective remission rate, disease control rate, incidence of immune-associated pneumonitis (ICIP) in the combined ILD group were significantly higher than those in the non-combined ILD group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in progression-free survival, overall survival, renal insufficiency, thyroid dysfunction and gastrointestinal toxicity...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by Th17 T cell-mediated inflammation. An emerging treatment option for psoriasis is bimekizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting cytokines IL-17A and IL-17F. Phase I trials evaluating bimekizumab reported strong safety, tolerability, and clinical efficacy with most common treatment emergent adverse events being mild to moderate in nature. Phase II trials evaluated dosing intervals, revealing that higher dosages or more frequent administration of bimekizumab resulted in minimal increases in adverse events...