A retrospective analysis of predicting liver toxicity in lung cancer patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors

Abstract

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in Australia and worldwide. The recent discovery of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has markedly changed non-surgical oncological treatment options for lung cancer and has significantly improved survival of patients with advanced malignancy such as lung cancer. Nevertheless, ICIs are immunomodulatory agents and hence are associated with a risk of severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). In addition, irAEs often require cessation of therapy which puts the patient at a risk of cancer progression and recurrence. Surprisingly, there is currently no evidence that allows to predict the risk of subsequent irAEs, its type or severity. Further, irAEs are usually a diagnosis of exclusion requiring a substantial battery of testing. It is becoming clinically essential to identify markers that allow prediction and diagnosis of ICI toxicity in cancer patients. This discovery will minimise the risk and negative impact of irAEs on cancer immunotherapy and make personalised cancer treatment more realistic. This retrospective study was primarily aimed to establish clinical markers significantly correlating with the development of immune-mediated hepatitis in patients with advanced lung cancer treated with ICIs. The secondary endpoint of this study was the verification of higher therapeutic efficacy of ICIs in a real-world cohort of patients.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English