학술논문

Multi-organ failure induced by Nivolumab in the context of allo-stem cell transplantation
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
Experimental Hematology & Oncology. March 28, 2019, Vol. 8 Issue 1
Subject
T cells
Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas -- Care and treatment -- Complications and side effects
Antithymocyte globulin -- Complications and side effects
B cells
Arrhythmia -- Care and treatment -- Complications and side effects
Bacterial infections -- Care and treatment -- Complications and side effects
Skin
Chemotherapy
Cancer -- Chemotherapy
Stem cells -- Transplantation
Colitis -- Care and treatment -- Complications and side effects
Immunotherapy
Pancreatitis -- Care and treatment -- Complications and side effects
Brentuximab vedotin -- Complications and side effects
Language
English
ISSN
2162-3619
Abstract
Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors have radically changed the landscape of anti-tumor therapies in several malignancies. However the adverse events associated with immune checkpoint blockade in combination with other treatments remains to be thoroughly documented. Here we report the case of a 33-year-old male with classical Hodgkin lymphoma who was successfully treated for lymphoma but experienced serious and eventually fatal multisystem organ failure following nivolumab administration and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Case presentation The patient was diagnosed with stage IIIa nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma. Originally treated by chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, he subsequently received two allogeneic stem cell transplants from matched and haplo-identical siblings upon successive disease recurrences. Nivolumab treatment was administered prior to the second allograft, after which complete remission of lymphoma was achieved (year 10), as evidenced by clinical and radiographic examination. However within the next 3 months, the patient went on to develop a constellation of symptoms affecting multiple organs, including acute pneumonia with no evidence of bacterial infection, widespread cutaneous eruptions on trunk and lower limbs, mucosal ulcerations, myositis, diarrhea and colitis. Further complications included hepatic cytolysis, acute renal failure, pancreatitis, as well as complete heart block. Some of these injuries being suggestive of graft-versus-host disease, the patient was administered immunosuppressive therapy (mycophenolate, steroids and polyvalent immunoglobulins), but died shortly afterwards. Tissue biopsies revealed extensive lymphocytic infiltration (mostly CD3 + T cells) in skin, liver, and most peculiarly in muscles, including the myocardium. Massive lymphoid-histiocytic infiltration of muscle fibers was accompanied by acute necrotizing myositis and endomysial inflammation. Conclusions Multi-organ failure represents a rare but potentially fatal outcome of immune checkpoint blockade in patients receiving allogeneic stem cell grafts. Nivolumab may induce atypical immune-mediated tissue inflammation and damage, such as the extensive muscular polymyositis described here in a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma. Nivolumab might also worsen GVHD symptoms in the context of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Irrespective of the actual pathological mechanisms, clinicians should be alerted to these fatal drug-related toxicities. Keywords: Hodgkin lymphoma, Nivolumab, PD1, GVHD, Myositis, Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, Immune-related adverse events
Author(s): Julie Charles[sup.1,2] , Diane Giovannini[sup.4] , Nicolas Terzi[sup.3,6] , Carole Schwebel[sup.3,7] , Nathalie Sturm[sup.4] , Dominique Masson[sup.8] , Marie-Thérèse Leccia[sup.1,2] , Jean-Yves Cahn[sup.5] , Olivier Manches[sup.1,8] , Claude-Eric Bulabois[sup.5] [...]