Immune-Related Adverse Event-Related Adrenal Insufficiency Mediates Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Efficacy in Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Purpose Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved the outcomes of patients with cancer; however, these agents may initiate immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Previous studies have demonstrated a robust correlation between disease prognosis and the occurrence of irAEs, specifically skin or endocrine irAEs. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between irAE-related adrenal insufficiency (AI) and ICI treatment efficacy. Patients and methods Patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal, respiratory, head and neck, urological, skin and gynecologic cancers treated with anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody as monotherapy or combined therapy (combined with chemotherapy or targeted therapy) were divided into irAE-A (patients with irAE-related AI), irAE-B (patients with other irAEs) and non-irAE groups. Immunotherapy efficacy was assessed based on the disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Survival probabilities were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log–rank test. Results Of the 192 patients enrolled in our study, 17 developed irAE-related AI and 83 developed other irAEs. The DCR of the irAE-A and irAE-B groups were higher than that of the non-irAE group ( P <0.05). Multiple extended Cox regression analyses showed that irAE status (irAE-A vs non-irAE, P =0.008; irAE-B vs non-irAE, P =0.020), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status ( P =0.045), tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage ( P =0.000), and treatment line ( P =0.002) were independent predictors of PFS. Contrarily, irAE status (irAE-A vs non-irAE, P =0.009; irAE-B vs non-irAE, P =0.013), ECOG status ( P =0.007), TNM stage ( P =0.035), treatment line ( P =0.001) and treatment modality ( P =0.008) were independent predictors for OS. Conclusion IrAE-related AI was significantly associated with ICI treatment efficacy in patients with cancer, which could be a potentially predictable marker. Due to the destruction of adrenal tissue by T cells with enhanced activity, AI reflects enhanced T cell activity to some extent.

Is 18F-FDG-PET/CT an Optimal Imaging Modality for Detecting Immune-Related Adverse Events after Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy? Pros and Cons

“…Such an integrated approach would allow us to balance the benefits of continued immunotherapy against the risks of serious irAEs, avoiding unnecessary cessation of treatment and suboptimal cancer control. Some studies even indicated that certain irAEs may be a good prognostic sign for ICI efficacy as they have been connected with increased progression-free survival and overall survival in certain situations [ 123 ]. To the authors’ best knowledge, there are currently no protocols that can be used for diagnosing irAE with PET; therefore, further research would be beneficial to create guidelines on interpreting FDG PET/CT results in the context of ICIs.…”