Kinetics of IFNγ-Induced Cytokines and Development of Immune-Related Adverse Events in Patients Receiving PD-(L)1 Inhibitors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have the potential to trigger unpredictable immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can be severe. The underlying mechanisms of these events are not fully understood. As PD-L1 is upregulated by IFN, the heightened immune activation resulting from PD-1/PD-L1 in...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Alserawan, Leticia|||0000-0003-0428-9844, Mulet Gual, Maria|||0000-0003-3639-3291, Anguera, Georgia|||0000-0002-6060-1110, Riudavets, Mariona, Zamora, Carlos|||0000-0003-2962-678X, Osuna Gómez, Rubén|||0000-0003-2875-4405, Serra, Jorgina|||0000-0002-2363-7149, Barba Joaquin, Andrés|||0000-0003-2500-0253, Sullivan, Ivana|||0000-0002-0434-3436, Majem Tarruella, Margarita|||0000-0002-9919-7485, Vidal, Silvia|||0000-0002-3909-6682
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:306342
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/306342
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/cancers16091759
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Anti-pd-(l)1 inhibitors
Cytokines
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
Immune-related adverse events (irAEs)
Interferon
Predictive biomarkers
Descripción
Sumario:Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have the potential to trigger unpredictable immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can be severe. The underlying mechanisms of these events are not fully understood. As PD-L1 is upregulated by IFN, the heightened immune activation resulting from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition may enhance the IFN response, triggering the expression of IFN-inducible genes and contributing to irAE development and its severity. In this study, we investigated the interplay between irAEs and the expression of IFN-inducible chemokines and cytokines in 134 consecutive patients with solid tumours treated with PD-(L)1 inhibitors as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy or other immunotherapy agents. We compared the plasma levels of IFN-associated cytokines (CXCL9/10/11, IL-18, IL-10, IL-6 and TGFβ) at various time points (at baseline, at the onset of irAE and previous to irAE onset) in three patient groups categorized by irAE development and severity: patients with serious irAEs, mild irAEs and without irAEs after PD-(L)1 inhibitors. No differences were observed between groups at baseline. However, patients with serious irAEs exhibited significant increases in CXCL9/10/11, IL-18 and IL-10 levels at the onset of the irAE compared to baseline. A network analysis and correlation patterns highlighted a robust relationship among these chemokines and cytokines at serious-irAE onset. Combining all of the analysed proteins in a cluster analysis, we identified a subgroup of patients with a higher incidence of serious irAEs affecting different organs or systems. Finally, an ROC analysis and a decision tree model proposed IL-18 levels ≥ 807 pg/mL and TGFβ levels ≤ 114 pg/mL as predictors for serious irAEs in 90% of cases. In conclusion, our study elucidates the dynamic changes in cytokine profiles associated with serious irAE development during treatment with PD-(L)1 inhibitors. The study's findings offer valuable insights into the intricate IFN-induced immune responses associated with irAEs and propose potential predictive markers for their severity.