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Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy of immunotherapy for GTN treatment after methotrexate-resistance or in cases of multiresistant disease, through a systematic review, as well as to present the first 4 Brazilian cases of immunotherapy for GTN treatment. Methods Three independent researchers searched five electronic databases (EMBASE, LILACS, Medline, CENTRAL and Web of Science), for relevant articles up to February/2023 (PROSPERO CRD42023401453). The quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale for case series and case reports. The primary outcome of this study was the occurrence of complete remission. The presentation of the case reports was approved by the Institutional Review Board. Results Of the 4 cases presented, the first was a low-risk GTN with methotrexate resistance unsuccessfully treated with avelumab, which achieved remission with sequential multiagent chemotherapy. The remaining 3 cases were high-risk multiagent-resistant GTN that were successfully treated with pembrolizumab, among which there were two subsequent gestations, one of them with normal pregnancy and healthy conceptus. Regarding the systematic review, 12 studies were included, only one of them on avelumab, showing a 46.7% complete remission rate. The remaining 11 studies were on pembrolizumab, showing an 86.7% complete remission rate, regardless of tumor histology. Both immunotherapies showed good tolerability, with two healthy pregnancies being recorded: one after avelumb and another after pembrolizumab. Conclusion Immunotherapy showed effectiveness for GTN treatment and may be especially useful in cases of high-risk disease, where pembrolizumab achieves a high therapeutic response, regardless of the histological type, and despite prior chemoresistance to multiple lines of treatment.
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@#Objective To explore the short-term efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Methods The clinical data of 11 male patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent pembrolizumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from December 2019 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The average age of the patients was 52.0-79.0 (62.0±6.9) years. The imaging data and pathological changes before and after neoadjuvant treatment were compared, and adverse reactions during neoadjuvant treatment were recorded. Objective remission rate (ORR) and main pathological remission rate (MPR) and pathological complete remission rate (pCR) were the main observation endpoints. Results After preoperative neoadjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab combined with platinum or paclitaxel, all patients successfully underwent thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer. The ORR was 72.7%, and the MPR was 81.8%. Among them, 45.5% of patients achieved pCR. The main adverse reactions were hypoalbuminemia, decreased appetite and nausea. The mortality rate within 30 days after surgery was 0, and no tumor metastasis was observed. Conclusion Pembrolizumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe and feasible to treat non-small cell lung cancer, and the short-term efficacy is beneficial.
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OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy versus placebo combined with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of advanced or unresectable biliary tract carcinoma （BTC） from the perspective of China’s health system. METHODS A partitioned survival model was constructed based on the KEYNOTE-966 study data. The simulation period was 21 days， and the simulation time was the patient’s whole life. Using quality-adjusted life year （QALY） as the output indicator， the cost-utility analysis method was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the two schemes mentioned above. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the results of the basic analysis， and to explore the cost-effectiveness under the scenario of drug donation scheme. RESULTS The basic analysis showed that both the cost and effectiveness of the pembrolizumab group were higher than those of the placebo group， and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER） was 3 909 359.78 yuan/QALY， which was higher than the willingness-to-pay （WTP） threshold of 3 times 2022 gross domestic product （GDP） per capita （257 094 yuan）， indicating no cost-effectiveness. The results of univariate sensitivity analysis showed that the utility discount rate， the utility value of progression-free survival （PFS） status， the cost discount rate， and the cost of pembrolizumab had a great influence on ICER. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the results of basic analysis， and concluded that when the WTP threshold was greater than 1 500 000 yuan/QALY， the pembrolizumab group became cost-effective. The results of the scenario analysis showed that considering the drug donation scheme of pembrolizumab for low-income people， although its treatment cost was significantly reduced， it was still not cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS At the WTP threshold of 3 times China’s GDP per capita in 2022， pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy is not cost-effective compared with placebo combined with chemotherapy for advanced or unresectable BTC.
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ABSTRACT Background: Glioblastoma, the most common malignant primary brain tumor, remains a lethal disease with few therapeutic options. Immunotherapies, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi), have revolutionized cancer treatment, but their role in glioblastoma is uncertain. Objective: To review the state of immunotherapies in glioblastoma, with an emphasis on recently published ICPi clinical trials. Methods: In this editorial/opinion article, we critically review results of the first generation of trials of ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab in glioblastoma, as well as future directions. Results: Expression of PD-L1 is frequent in glioblastoma, ranging from 60-70% of patients. Phase 1 studies of nivolumab with and without ipilimumab, as well as pembrolizumab, showed no new safety concerns in brain tumors, and no neurotoxicity. However, randomized phase 3 trials of nivolumab showed no survival improvements over bevacizumab in recurrent glioblastoma; no role in newly diagnosed disease as a replacement for temozolomide in unmethylated MGMT promoter tumors; and no benefit as an addition to temozolomide in methylated MGMT tumors. However, studies examining post treatment tumor samples have shown signs of increased immunologic response, and occasional long lasting radiographic responses have been seen. A small study of pembrolizumab suggested a potential role as a "neoadjuvant" treatment in resectable recurrent glioblastoma, while other studies are investigating selection of patients with higher mutational burden and novel agents and combinatorial strategies. Conclusion: Despite initial negative trials, immunotherapy remains of high interest in glioblastoma, and many trials are still ongoing. Improving our mechanistic understanding of the immunosuppression and T cell dysfunction induced by both tumor and the CNS microenvironment remains however crucial for the development of successful immunotherapeutic approaches in this disease.
RESUMO Antecedentes: Glioblastoma é o tumor cerebral primário maligno mais comum e continua sendo uma doença letal com poucas opções terapêuticas. As imunoterapias, em especial, os inibidores de checkpoint imunológico (ICPi), revolucionaram o tratamento do câncer, mas seu papel no glioblastoma é incerto. Objetivo: Revisar o estado atual do papel das imunoterapias no glioblastoma, com ênfase nos ensaios clínicos ICPi publicados recentemente. Métodos: Neste artigo de revisão, analisamos criticamente os resultados da primeira geração de estudos de ipilimumab, nivolumab e pembrolizumab em glioblastoma, bem como as perspectivas futuras. Resultados: A expressão de PD-L1 é frequente no glioblastoma, variando de 60-70% dos pacientes. Estudos de fase 1 de nivolumab com e sem ipilimumab, bem como pembrolizumab, não revelaram novas questões de tolerabilidade nem neurotoxicidade. No entanto, ensaios randomizados de fase 3 de nivolumab não apontaram melhorias na sobrevida em relação ao bevacizumab em glioblastoma recorrente, nenhum papel na doença recém-diagnosticada como substituto da temozolomida em tumores promotores de MGMT não metilados e nenhum benefício como adição à temozolomida em tumores MGMT metilados. No entanto, estudos que examinaram amostras de tumores pós-tratamento mostraram sinais de aumento da resposta imunológica, e respostas radiográficas ocasionais de longa duração foram observadas. Um pequeno estudo de pembrolizumab sugeriu um papel potencial como tratamento "neoadjuvante" no glioblastoma recorrente ressecável, ao passo que outros estudos estão investigando a seleção de pacientes com maior carga mutacional e novos agentes e estratégias combinatórias. Conclusão: Apesar dos ensaios iniciais negativos, a imunoterapia continua sendo de grande interesse no glioblastoma, e muitos ensaios ainda estão em andamento. No entanto, melhorar a nossa compreensão dos mecanismos de imunossupressão e disfunção das células T induzidas tanto pelo tumor quanto pelo microambiente do SNC continua sendo crucial para o desenvolvimento de abordagens imunoterapêuticas bem-sucedidas nesta doença.
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Introduction@#Lung cancer is the leading malignancy metastatic to the central nervous system with approximately 20% to 44% of all cases developing brain metastasis. Immunotherapy using pembrolizumab, an anti-PD1monoclonal antibody, is a novel method in lung cancer treatment and has shown favorable results in patients with metastatic brain lesions from non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). However, the cost of the recommended treatment dose limits its use especially in developing countries like the Philippines. @*Case Presentation@#The authors report two patients with lung cancer with brain metastasis upon diagnosis. The first patient is a 65-year-old male, non-smoker with PD-L1 expression of 60%. He was started on pembrolizumab 100 mg IV every three (3) weeks and a repeat CT scan after 11 cycles revealed a reduction of the two brain metastatic lesions and no fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) scan even after one year into treatment. The second patient is a 67-year-old female, a previous smoker with PD-L1 expression of 50% with a metastatic solitary solid nodule in the cortex of the right cerebellum. After five cycles of pembrolizumab 100 mg IV every three weeks, there was noted complete resolution of brain metastasis on PET scan even after one year of treatment. @*Conclusion@#A lower dose of pembrolizumab (100 mg given every 3 weeks) was found to be effective in the management of advanced NSCLC with brain metastasis in the two patients. Further studies are recommended to investigate lower dose pembrolizumab as monotherapy without radiation therapy or surgery in patients with NSCLC with brain metastasis especially in the setting of a resource-limited country like the Philippines.
Subject(s)
Immunotherapy , Lung Neoplasms , Developing CountriesABSTRACT
The antitumor drug has become one of the focused areas in new drug research and development. Their clinical research generally consumes a long period of time, with high cost and high risk. Model-informed drug development (MIDD) integrates and quantitatively analyzes physiological, pharmacological, and disease progression information through modeling and simulation, which can reduce the cost of drug development and improve the efficiency of clinical research. In this essay, Osimertinib and Pembrolizumab are given as examples to illustrate the specific application of MIDD in different phases of clinical research, aiming to provide references for the application of MIDD to guide the clinical research of antitumor drugs. .
Subject(s)
Humans , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Drug Development , Lung NeoplasmsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#The advances in the lung cancer screening methods and therapeutics, together with awareness towards deleterious habits, such as smoking, is increasing the overall survival with better quality of life for the patients. However, lung cancer is still one of the most common and fatal neoplasm with a high incidence and consequently burden to public health worldwide. Thus, based on guidelines and recent phases II and III clinical trials studies, this manuscript summarizes the current treatment sequencing strategies in lung cancer.@*METHODS@#A comprehensive search of related articles was performed focused on phases II and III clinical trials studies.@*RESULTS@#The lung cancer management should take into consideration the tumor characteristics, histology, molecular pathology and be discussed in a multidisciplinary team. Lung cancer treatment options comprises surgery whenever possible, radiotherapy associate with/or chemotherapy and immunotherapy as monotherapy, or combined with chemotherapy and best palliative care.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The screening predictability in more patients, smoking reduction, early diagnosis, better disease understanding and individualized, more effective and tolerable therapeutics are related to an increasing in overall survival and quality of life. In the near future improvement of personalized therapy in precision medicine is expected, enhancing new predictive biomarkers, optimal doses and optimal treatment sequencing as well as anti-cancer vaccines development.
Subject(s)
Humans , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/therapy , Early Detection of Cancer , Immunotherapy/methods , Lung Neoplasms/therapy , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the relationship between CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell subsets and the therapeutic effect of programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab in treatment of uterine cervical cancer. Methods:The data of 105 patients with uterine cervical cancer who received pemblizumab therapy based on chemotherapy in the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from January 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Flow cytometry was used to detect the ratio of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell in peripheral blood of patients. The efficacy and safety were analyzed. According to the efficacy, all patients were divided into remission group (complete remission + partial remission) and non-remission group (stable disease + progressive disease). The clinical characteristics and CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell ratio of the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for the efficacy. The efficacy of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell ratio predicting the therapeutic effect of patients was analyzed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:The objective remission rate of all patients was 17.14% (18/105), and the incidence of adverse reaction was 39.05% (41/105). The proportion of patients with a family history of cervical cancer in the remission group was lower than that than in the non-remission group [5.56% (1/18) vs. 34.48% (30/87)], and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.00, P=0.014). The proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell of 105 patients before and after treatment was (0.83±0.21)% and (0.77±0.10)%, respectively; the proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell before and after treatment in the remission group was (0.55±0.26)%, (0.31±0.12)%, respectively; the proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell before and after treatment in the non-remission group was (0.89±0.30)%, (0.87±0.28)%, respectively. The proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell after treatment in the remission group was lower than that before treatment ( P < 0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell before and after treatment in the non-remission group ( P>0.05). The proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell before and after treatment in the non-remission group was higher than that in the remission group (all P<0.001). The proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell higher than the mean value of both groups before treatment and the proportion of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell higher than the mean value of both groups after treatment were independent risk factor of disease remission ( OR=2.542, 95% CI 1.649-3.918, P<0.001; OR=2.936, 95% CI 2.154-4.002, P<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell ratio predicting the disease remission before treatment was 0.720, and its best cut-off value was 0.77%, the senfitivity was 77.78%, the specificity was 70.11%. Conclusions:Early detection of CD8 +FoxP3 +CD25 + T cell ratio helps to predict the effect of PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab therapy for uterine cervical cancer.
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OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-utility of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in the first-line treatment of advanced or metastatic esophageal carcinoma. METHODS Cost-utility analysis of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for advanced or metastatic esophageal carcinoma was conducted by using a three-state partitioned survival model from the perspective of health system in China. The model use d a lifetime simulation time frame with 3 weeks as a cycle. The survival data were extrapolated using KEYNOTE- 590 data；cost data were obtained from the median of 2022 public winning bid on Yaozhi network ，among which the price of pembrolizumab was obtained after discounting by a patient assistance program ；utility data were obtained from the literatures ，and a 5％ discount rate was used for both cost and utility. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were also conducted to examine model robustness. RESULTS Analysis of the base case results showed that compared to chemotherapy alone ，the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER）of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy regimens were 950 528.42 yuan/QALY，107 845.39 yuan/QALY and 315 754.56 yuan/QALY for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC），programmed deathligand- 1 combined positive score （PD-L1 CPS）≥10 and intention-to-treat population （ITT），respectively. The results of sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the basic analysis results. CONCLUSIONS Under our healthcare system ，using a threshold of willingness-to-pay of 1-3 times our GDP per capita in 2021，pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy regimen isn ’t cost-utility compared with chemotherapy alone in the ESCC and ITT subgroups of patients ，while it is cost-utility in the PD-L 1 CPS≥10 subgroup of patients.
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Objective: To perform an analysis over time of the number needed to treat (NNT) and the cost of preventing an event (COPE) for nivolumab + ipilimumab (NIVO+IPI) and pembrolizumab + axitinib (PEMBRO+AXI) as first-line treatments for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients with intermediate or poor-risk, under the Brazilian private healthcare system perspective. Methods: The NNT for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) from 12-month to maximum available follow-up from CheckMate 214 and KEYNOTE-426 studies were used to estimate the COPE. Treatment costs were estimated considering the labeled dosing and median PFS as a proxy for treatment duration. Results: The OS NNT for NIVO+IPI decreased from 12 to 8 and for PEMBRO+AXI increased slightly from 7 to 8 at 12 and 42 months, respectively. For PFS, NNT for NIVO+IPI decreased from 15 to 6, and for PEMBRO+AXI increased from 7 to 10 at 12 and 30 months. The estimated treatment cost is R$ 638,620 for an estimated median of 11.2 months of NIVO+IPI treatment and R$ 966,818 for 13.8 months of PEMBRO+AXI treatment. COPE for OS at 12 and 42 months was R$ 7,663,440 and R$ 5,108,960 with NIVO+IPI and R$ 6,047,417 and R$ 7,734,547 with PEMBRO+AXI. For PFS, COPE at 12 and 30 months was R$ 9,579,300 and R$ 3,831,720 with NIVO+IPI and R$ 6,047,417 and R$ 9,668,184 with PEMBRO+AXI. Conclusions: Treatment with NIVO+IPI results in lower COPE than PEMBRO+AXI from month 18 onwards, driven by lower treatment costs and improved NNT over time with NIVO+IPI
Objetivo: Analisar ao longo do tempo o número necessário a tratar (NNT) e o custo para prevenir um evento (COPE) para nivolumabe + ipilimumabe (NIVO+IPI) e pembrolizumabe + axitinibe (PEMBRO+AXI) na primeira linha de tratamento do carcinoma de células renais avançado com risco intermediário ou alto na perspectiva do sistema suplementar de saúde brasileiro. Métodos: O NNT para sobrevida global (SG) e sobrevida livre de progressão (SLP) para 12 meses até o máximo de tempo de seguimento disponível dos estudos CheckMate 214 e KEYNOTE-426 foi usado para estimar o COPE. Custos de tratamento foram estimados considerando a dosagem em bula e a mediana de SLP como aproximação para duração de tratamento. Resultados: O NNT de SG para NIVO+IPI reduziu de 12 para 8 e para PEMBRO+AXI subiu de 7 para 8 em 12 e 42 meses, respectivamente. Para SLP, NIVO+IPI teve redução de 15 para 6 e para PEMBRO+AXI aumentou de 7 para 10 em 12 e 30 meses. O custo estimado é de R$ 638.620 para mediana de 11,2 meses de tratamento com NIVO+IPI e de R$ 966.818 para 13,8 meses com PEMBRO+AXI. O COPE para SG foi de R$ 7.663.440 e R$ 5.108.960 com NIVO+IPI e de R$ 6.047.417 e R$ 7.734.547 com PEMBRO+AXI para 12 e 42 meses. Para SLP, foi de R$ 9.579.300 e R$ 3.831.720 com NIVO+IPI e de R$ 6.047.417 e R$ 9.668.184 com PEMBRO+AXI em 12 e 30 meses. Conclusões: O tratamento com NIVO+IPI resulta em menor COPE, em comparação com PEMBRO+AXI, a partir de 18 meses de seguimento, justificado por menor custo de tratamento e melhora do NNT ao longo do tempo com NIVO+IPI
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Renal Cell , Health Care Costs , Costs and Cost Analysis , Nivolumab , AxitinibABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE：To ev aluate the economics of pembrolizumab versus first-line chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with high programmed cell death protein ligand 1（PD-L1）expression from the perspective of Chinese healthcare system. METHODS ：Published KEYNOTE- 042 clinical trial data and relevant literature data were used to establish a Markov model to evaluate the economics of pembrolizumab versus first-line chemotherapy with a 20-years horizon and a 3-week cycle length ，discounting costs and utilities using a discount rate of 5％. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate the stability of the model results. RESULTS ：The base-case results showed that pembrolizumab yield additional 1.62 QALYs more than first-line chemotherapy ，with an incremental cost of 54 648 yuan；the incremental cost-utility ratio was 33 686 yuan/QALY，which was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold （WTP）in China. The results of one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the price of nivolumab ，the price of pembrolizumab and the proportion of patients who received second-line immunotherapy in first-line chemotherapy group had the greatest impact on the results. The results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of pembrolizumab to be cost-effective gradually increased within the WTP of 0-140 000/QALY. When WTP was 70 892 yuan/QALY（one time of the per capita GDP of China in 2019），the probability of pembrolizumab to be cost-effective was 95％. When WTP beyond 100 000 yuan/QALY，the probability of pembrolizumab to be cost-effective was 100％. CONCLUSIONS ：Pembrolizumab has economic advantages than first-line chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer with high PD-L 1 expression in China.
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Primary liver cancer (liver cancer) is one of the main indications of liver transplantation in China. Nevertheless, the 5-year survival rate of liver transplant recipients is lower than 50%. Recurrence and metastasis after operation are the main causes affecting the long-term survival of the recipients. At present, immunotherapy, represented by programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)/programmed cell death protein-ligand 1(PD-L1) immune checkpoint inhibitor, has achieved remarkable clinical efficacy in the treatment of middle-stage and advanced liver cancer. However, whether it can be applied in recipients with recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation for liver cancer remains controversial. The main reason is that it may cause acute rejection at the same time. In this article, the research progresses on the application of immunotherapy in recipients with recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation for liver cancer were reviewed, aiming to improve the survival rate of recipients undergoing liver transplantation forliver cancer.
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With a deepening understanding of cancer treatment, immune checkpoint inhibitors are recognized widely as a novel fundamental remedy for various malignancies with effectiveness and safety. With the development of pharmacometrics, model-informed drug development (MIDD) has emerged to accelerate the process of clinical research for new drugs and improve the accuracy of decision-making in new drug research, especially for immune checkpoint inhibitors. As a typical illustration, the research development of pembrolizumab is presented in this review to highlight the application of MIDD, which may provide a reference for the development of other new antitumor drugs.
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45.7% of Chinese patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma were reported to harbour sensitizing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Limited therapeutic options are left for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harbouring sensitizing EGFR mutations after failure of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy and chemotherapy, finding effective options for them is an unmet clinic need. Herein we reported a case that till January 12, 2021, an 82-year-old female with sensitizing EGFR-mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma received a surprising progression-free survival (PFS) benefit of over 21 months from the combination therapy of pembrolizumab and anlotinib after her failure of treatments of osimertinib, chemotherapy and anlotinib-monotherapy. .
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Adenocarcinoma of Lung/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics , ErbB Receptors/genetics , Indoles , Lung Neoplasms/genetics , Mutation , QuinolinesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#The aim of this study is to investigate the changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment with pembrolizumab for non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance.@*METHODS@#A total of 32 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received pembrolizumab treatment in The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University and Weifang People's Hospital of Shandong Province from January 2015 to December 2020 were selected as the observation group, and 30 healthy people during the same period were selected as the control group. Before treatment and in cycles 1, 2 and 4 after treatment, fluid cytometry was used to detect changes in the levels of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients.@*RESULTS@#The CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD4⁺/CD8⁺ indexes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer before the treatment were significantly lower than those in the control group (P0.05), and the CD8⁺ index was slightly lower than before the treatment (P0.05). At the same time, this article shows through analysis that the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and pathological types have no obvious influence on the effect of immunotherapy. Multi-factor analysis shows that it is more meaningful to observe the changes of CD3⁺, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ at the same time to predict the effect of immunotherapy.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Pembrolizumab can regulate the changes of T lymphocyte subsets in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, improve the immune status of the patients, and there is no obvious adverse reaction. At the same time, monitoring the changes of lymphocyte subsets during treatment can predict the effect of immunotherapy.
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OBJECTIVE：To explore the role of clinical pharmacists in the diagnosis and tre atment of immune checkpoint inhibitor related adrenocortical insufficiency ，so as to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of similar cases. METHODS：A lung squamous carcinoma patient with tumor immunotherapy ，who received long-term intravenous infusion of Pembrolizumab injection ，was hospitalized for more than 10 days due to fatigue and poor appetite. The clinical pharmacists consulted the literature and evaluated the correlation of ADR on the basis of patient ’s physical examination results （plasma cortisol 16.41 nmol/L at 8：00 in the morning on the second day of admission ，adrenocorticotropic hormone 8.39 pg/mL，serum electrolyte sodium 126.00 mmol/L，chlorine 88.00 mmol/L，etc.）and medication history （receiving the treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors）. The clinical pharmacists assisted the doctor to confirm that the patient was adrenocortical insufficiency ，and the correlation with pembrolizumab was “very likely ”. On the basis of discontinuation of pembrolizumab ，it was recommended to take Hydrocortisone tablets orally （20 mg at 8：00 in the morning and 10 mg at 4：00 in the afternoon ）for glucocorticoid physiological dose substitution therapy. Before treatment ，the patient and his families should be educated on the use of drugs ，pharmaceutical care should be implemented to evaluate the glucocorticoid doseand efficacy during treatment ，and medication education was carried out at discharge. RESULTS ：The doctor adopted theli_xyan suggestions of the clinical pharmacist. On the 5th day after @126.com administration，the symptoms of adrenocortical insufficiency were significantly impro ved，and the patient was discharged with medicine. CONCLUSIONS ：During the treatment of the patient ， the clinical pharmacist gave full play to his pharmaceutical expertise ，assisted the doctor to formulate an appropriate medication plan，and carried out medication education for the patient and his family members ，so as to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the patient ’s medication. It is suggested that the baseline examination of patients should be improved before immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment ，including physical examination and plasma cortisol level at 8：00 in the morning ；the frequency of monitoring plasma cortisol level and serum electrolyte level at 8：00 in the morning. should be increased during medication ；the patients should be followed up for at least 1 year after withdrawal ，so as to early detect and treat immune checkpoint inhibitor related adrenocortical dysfunction.
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OBJECTIVE：To evaluate the econo mics of pembrolizumab in the second-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in China. METHODS ：From the perspective of Chinese healthcare system ，a three-state PartSA model and Markov model were established ；the cost and utility for the second-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in China were compared between pembrolizumab and placebo. The circulation cycle of the model was 3 weeks and the study time limit was lifetime；one-way sensitivity analysis ，probability sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis were used to verify the robustness of the base-case analysis results. RESULTS ：PartSA results showed that the ICER for the second-line treatment of advanced hepato- cellular carcinoma with pembrolizumab was 1 266 846.18 yuan/QALY，which is far more than 1-3 times of China ’s per capita GDP in 2020. The results of one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the three parameters that had the greatest impact on ICER were the PFS status utility of the placebo group ，the PFS status utility of the pembrolizumab group ，and the cost of pembrolizumab. The results of probability sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the base-case analysis. The scenario analysis showed that the treatment cost of pembrolizumab had dropped significantly when the charity donation of pembrolizumab was considered. Although it was still not economical ，ICER was close to 3 times of per capita GDP of China in 2020. When WTP threshold was 1 and 3 times of China ’s per capita GDP ，the economic prices of pabolizumab （100 mg）were 4 157.67 and 5 829.24 yuan，respectively. The results of Markov model were similar to those of PartSA model. CONCLUSIONS ：Under the WTP threshold of 1-3 times China ’s per capita GDP in 2020，pembrolizumab is not economical for second-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Primary liver cancer (liver cancer) is one of the main indications of liver transplantation. However, postoperative recurrence of liver cancer severely affects the long-term clinical efficacy of liver transplantation. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is an immunosuppressive molecule. Activation of PD-1/programmed cell death protein-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the immune tolerance of grafts. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI), such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, has become one of the effective approaches to treat advanced liver cancer, whereas ICI can be applied in liver transplant recipients is highly controversial, and the efficacy and safety remain to be studied. In this article, the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 in liver allograft tissues, the mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 inducing transplantation immune tolerance and clinical application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor in liver transplantation for liver cancer were reviewed.
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Objective To evaluate the safety of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor in the treatment of primary liver cancer (liver cancer) before liver transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 7 recipients given with PD-1 inhibitor before liver transplantation for liver cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of immune-related adverse event (irAE) and clinical prognosis of the recipients were summarized. The safety of PD-1 inhibitor in recipients prior to liver transplantation for liver cancer was evaluated. Results Seven recipients were treated with PD-1 inhibitor with 1-20 courses before liver transplantation for liver cancer. The time interval from drug withdrawal to liver transplantation was 6-120 d. Five recipients suffered from irAE of different degrees, including fatigue in 3 cases, fever in 2 cases, alopecia in 2 cases, rash in 1 case, nausea in 1 case and myocarditis in 1 case, respectively. A majority of these irAE were classified as grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ. One recipient died from grade Ⅴ irAE (fatal myocarditis). One recipient developed rejection at postoperative 7 d, which were mitigated after glucocorticoid pulse therapy combined with increased dosage of tacrolimus. Conclusions PD-1 inhibitor can be applied in preoperative treatment before liver transplantation for liver cancer. Nevertheless, the incidence of irAE and postoperative rejection should be intimately monitored.
ABSTRACT
@#Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant tumor that seriously threatens human health and life. With increasing studies on the mechanism of tumor immune escape, programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand receptor 1 (PD-L1) have been proven to be involved in tumor immune escape. The primary mechanism is that PD-1 recruits protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP-2) to dephosphorylate downstream tyrosine kinase (SyK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), thereby inhibiting downstream protein kinase B (AKT), extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) and other important signaling pathways, ultimately inhibiting T cell activation. In recent years, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have become popular immunotherapies. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab have been approved for HNSCC patients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both durvalumab and atezolizumab are still in clinical trials, and published data show that both have certain safety and efficacy but still need much clinical data to support them. Meanwhile, the combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy is still controversial in terms of clinical efficacy and adverse events, and further research is needed. However, serious immune-related adverse reactions limit the clinical application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, despite promising curative effects. Therefore, developing novel inhibitors and investigating stable and effective biomarkers and upstream and downstream signaling mechanisms are urgent issues.