Histologic patterns of liver injury induced by anti-PD-1 therapy.

anti-PD-1 hepatitis histology liver injury nivolumab pembrolizumab

Journal

Gastroenterology report
ISSN: 2052-0034
Titre abrégé: Gastroenterol Rep (Oxf)
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101620508

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Feb 2020
Historique:
received: 17 01 2019
revised: 16 03 2019
accepted: 16 08 2019
entrez: 30 5 2020
pubmed: 30 5 2020
medline: 30 5 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Nivolumab and pembrolizumab-two monoclonal antibodies that block human programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-have been successfully used to treat patients with multiple advanced malignancies. The histologic patterns of hepatic toxicity induced by anti-PD-1 treatment have not been well studied and the aim of this study was to explore them. Eight patients with advanced malignancies who were treated with either nivolumab or pembrolizumab were identified from five institutions. These patients had no history of underlying liver disease and a viral hepatitis panel was negative in all patients. Seven of eight patients exhibited mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice after anti-PD-1 treatment. Significant elevations in liver-chemistry tests were detected in all patients. Six cases (6/8) demonstrated an acute lobular hepatitis pattern of histologic injury. The remaining two cases showed different histologic patterns of injury: steatohepatitis with mild cholestasis (1/8) and pure acute cholestatic injury (1/8). No case showed typical features of autoimmune hepatitis. The liver function recovered in all eight cases after cessation of anti-PD-1 agents and with immunosuppressive therapy. Our study suggests that screening patients for abnormal liver-function tests prior to anti-PD-1 therapy as well as periodic monitoring of liver-function tests are necessary to prevent severe liver injury. Rather than causing classical autoimmune hepatitis, PD-1 inhibitors appear to produce an immune-mediated nonspecific acute hepatitis. Drug cessation, without steroid therapy, may therefore be sufficient in some patients.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Nivolumab and pembrolizumab-two monoclonal antibodies that block human programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-have been successfully used to treat patients with multiple advanced malignancies. The histologic patterns of hepatic toxicity induced by anti-PD-1 treatment have not been well studied and the aim of this study was to explore them.
METHODS METHODS
Eight patients with advanced malignancies who were treated with either nivolumab or pembrolizumab were identified from five institutions. These patients had no history of underlying liver disease and a viral hepatitis panel was negative in all patients.
RESULTS RESULTS
Seven of eight patients exhibited mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice after anti-PD-1 treatment. Significant elevations in liver-chemistry tests were detected in all patients. Six cases (6/8) demonstrated an acute lobular hepatitis pattern of histologic injury. The remaining two cases showed different histologic patterns of injury: steatohepatitis with mild cholestasis (1/8) and pure acute cholestatic injury (1/8). No case showed typical features of autoimmune hepatitis. The liver function recovered in all eight cases after cessation of anti-PD-1 agents and with immunosuppressive therapy.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that screening patients for abnormal liver-function tests prior to anti-PD-1 therapy as well as periodic monitoring of liver-function tests are necessary to prevent severe liver injury. Rather than causing classical autoimmune hepatitis, PD-1 inhibitors appear to produce an immune-mediated nonspecific acute hepatitis. Drug cessation, without steroid therapy, may therefore be sufficient in some patients.

Identifiants

pubmed: 32467761
doi: 10.1093/gastro/goz044
pii: goz044
pmc: PMC7244961
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

50-55

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press and Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

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Auteurs

Dongwei Zhang (D)

Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.

John Hart (J)

Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Xianzhong Ding (X)

Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA.

Xuchen Zhang (X)

Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Michael Feely (M)

Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Lindsay Yassan (L)

Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Lindsay Alpert (L)

Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Consuelo Soldevila-Pico (C)

Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Xuefeng Zhang (X)

Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.

Xiuli Liu (X)

Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Jinping Lai (J)

Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Department of Pathology, Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA.

Classifications MeSH