ABSTRACT
With the remarkable achievements made in the treatment targeted at tumor immune checkpoints, more and more new immunotherapy drugs have been applied to the malignancies treatment. Camrelizumab (AiRuiKa) is a novel human immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) monoclonal antibody (mAb), which can target the programmed death 1 (PD-1) and block its binding to the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), so as to restore the body's immune function and achieve anti-tumor effect. The drug was officially approved by National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on May 29, 2019 for use in patients with recurrent or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) who are treated with at least second-line systemic therapy. In addition, the drug showed good anti-tumor activity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and gastric cancer (GC) and gastroesophageal junction cancer (EGJC). The research progress of camrelizumab on mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, clinical studies, adverse reactions etc. were reviewed in present paper.
ABSTRACT
We reported a case of hypophysitis caused by a programmed death-1 ( PD-1) inhibitor. The patient was a 59-year-old female with metastatic malignant melanoma who participated in the phaseⅡclinical trial of a PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab. More than five months after the administration of toripalimab,she experienced fatigue, depression, nausea, and anorexia. Laboratory examinations showed mild hyponatremia, secondary adrenal insufficiency, and secondary hypothyroidism. MRI revealed the enlargement of her pituitary with obvious enhancement. The patient was diagnosed as hypophysitis caused by the PD-1 inhibitor and was given replacement therapy with physiological doses of corticosteroid and levothyroxine sodium. Her symptoms were then improved. MRI revealed that her pituitary size returned to normal after 8 weeks of treatment and remained stable during every 3-month follow-up. This case reminds us of the possibility of hypophysitis when patients suffere from fatigue and anorexia during the process of PD-1 inhibitor treatment. Correct diagnosis, proper therapy, and regular follow-up are important to ensure the patients' safety, and to improve their prognosis.
ABSTRACT
The biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a kind of disease with poor prognosis.Due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations and the effective early diagnosis method,the disease is usually detected at an advanced stage and lost the opportunity of surgical therapy.While the traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy are limited in the treatment of BTC.The immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of BTC.Therefore,the programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors may have great potential value in the treatment of BTC.Authors reviewed the latest literatures and tried to find the current situation and prospect of PD-1 / PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of BTC.