Poor recovery from cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations is associated with poor long-term outcomes

Treatment of small as well as large declines in lung function enhances recovery to baseline in people with CF

BACKGROUND

The benefit of antibiotic treatment of acute drops in FEV1 percent predicted (FEV1pp) has been clearly established, but data from the early 2000s showed inconsistent treatment. Further, there is no empirical evidence for what magnitude of drop is clinically significant.

METHODS

We used data from the CF Foundation Patient Registry (CFFPR) from 2016 to 2019 to determine the association between treatment (any IV antibiotics, only oral or newly prescribed inhaled antibiotics, or no antibiotic therapy) following a decline of ≥5% from baseline FEV1pp and return to 100% baseline FEV1pp days using multivariable logistic regression including an interaction between the magnitude of decline and treatment category.

RESULTS

Overall, 16,495 PWCF had a decline: 16.5% were treated with IV antibiotics, 25.0% non-IV antibiotics, and 58.5% received no antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment was more likely for those with lower lung function, history of a positive PA culture, older age and larger FEV1 decline (p < 0.001). Treatment with IV antibiotics or oral/inhaled antibiotics was associated with a higher odds of recovery to baseline compared to no treatment across all levels of decline, including declines of 5%-10%.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of acute drops in FEV1pp continue to be untreated, especially in younger patients and those with higher baseline lung function. Acute drops as small as 5% predicted are less likely to be recovered if antibiotic treatment is not prescribed. These findings suggest the need for more aggressive antimicrobial treatment of acute drops in FEV1, including those of a magnitude previously believed to be associated with self-recovery.

Diminished airway host innate response in people with cystic fibrosis who experience frequent pulmonary exacerbations

RATIONALE

Pulmonary exacerbations are clinically impactful events that accelerate cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease progression. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying an increased frequency of pulmonary exacerbations have not been explored.

OBJECTIVES

To compare host immune response during intravenous antibiotic treatment of pulmonary exacerbations in people with CF who have a history of frequent versus infrequent exacerbations.

METHODS

Adults with CF were recruited at onset of antibiotic treatment of a pulmonary exacerbation and were categorised as infrequent or frequent exacerbators based on their pulmonary exacerbation frequency in the previous 12 months. Clinical parameters, sputum bacterial load and sputum inflammatory markers were measured on day 0, day 5 and at the end of treatment. Shotgun proteomic analysis was performed on sputum using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Many sputum proteins were differentially enriched between infrequent and frequent exacerbators (day 0 n=23 and day 5 n=31). The majority of these proteins had a higher abundance in infrequent exacerbators and were secreted innate host defence proteins with antimicrobial, antiprotease and immunomodulatory functions. Several differentially enriched proteins were validated using ELISA and Western blot including secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), lipocalin-1 and cystatin SA. Sputum from frequent exacerbators demonstrated potent ability to cleave exogenous recombinant SLPI in a neutrophil elastase dependent manner. Frequent exacerbators had increased sputum inflammatory markers (interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8) and total bacterial load compared to infrequent exacerbators.

CONCLUSIONS

A diminished innate host protein defence may play a role in the pathophysiological mechanisms of frequent CF pulmonary exacerbations. Frequent exacerbators may benefit from therapies targeting this dysregulated host immune response.

Re-examining baseline lung function recovery following IV-treated pulmonary exacerbations

CF registry pulmonary exacerbation (PEx) analyses have employed "before and after" spirometry recovery, where the best percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (ppFEV1) prior to PEx ("baseline") is compared to the best ppFEV1 <3 months post-PEx. This methodology lacks comparators and ascribes recovery failure to PEx. Herein, we describe 2014 CF Foundation Patient Registry PEx analyses including a comparator: recovery around nonPEx events, birthdays. 49.6% of 7357 individuals with PEx achieved baseline ppFEV1 recovery while 36.6% of 14,141 achieved baseline recovery after birthdays; individuals with both PEx and birthdays were more likely to recover baseline after PEx than after birthdays (47% versus 34%); mean ppFEV1 declines were 0.3 (SD=9.3) and 3.1 (9.3), respectively. Post-event measure number had more effect on baseline recovery than did real ppFEV1 loss in simulations, suggesting that PEx recovery analyses lacking comparators are prone to artifact and poorly describe PEx contributions to disease progression.

Pulmonary Exacerbations in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: A Grown-up Issue in a Changing Cystic Fibrosis Landscape

Pulmonary exacerbations (PExs) are significant life events in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), associated with declining lung function, reduced quality of life, hospitalizations, and decreased survival. The adult CF population is increasing worldwide, with many patients surviving prolonged periods with severe multimorbid disease. In many countries, the number of adults with CF exceeds the number of children, and PExs are particularly burdensome for adults as they tend to require longer courses and more IV treatment than children. The approach to managing PExs is multifactorial and needs to evolve to reflect this changing adult population. This review discusses PEx definitions, precipitants, treatments, and the wider implications to health-care resources. It reviews current management strategies, their relevance in particular to adults with CF, and highlights some of the gaps in our knowledge. A number of studies are underway to try to answer some of the unmet needs, such as the optimal length of treatment and the use of nonantimicrobial agents alongside antibiotics. An overview of these issues is provided, concluding that with the changing landscape of adult CF care, the definitions and management of PExs may need to evolve to enable continued improvements in outcomes across the age spectrum of CF.

The role of inflammation in cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations

INTRODUCTION

Cystic Fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations are critical events in the lives of people with CF that have deleterious effects on lung function, quality of life, and life expectancy. There are significant unmet needs in the management of exacerbations. We review here the associated inflammatory changes that underlie these events and are of interest for the development of biomarkers of exacerbation.

AREAS COVERED

Inflammatory responses in CF are abnormal and contribute to a sustained proinflammatory lung microenvironment, abundant in proinflammatory mediators and deficient in counter-regulatory mediators that terminate and resolve inflammation. There is increasing interest in these inflammatory pathways to discover novel biomarkers for pulmonary exacerbation management. In this review, we explore the inflammatory changes occurring during intravenous antibiotic therapy for exacerbation and how they may be applied as biomarkers to guide exacerbation therapy. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed database in February 2020.

EXPERT OPINION

Heterogeneity in inflammatory responses to treatment of a pulmonary exacerbation, a disease process with complex pathophysiology, limits the clinical utility of individual biomarkers. Biomarker panels may be a more successful strategy to capture informative changes within the CF population to improve pulmonary exacerbation management and outcomes.

Effect of Including Important Clinical Variables on Accuracy of the Lung Allocation Score for Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Rationale: Clinical variables associated with shortened survival in patients with advanced-stage cystic fibrosis (CF) are not included in the lung allocation score (LAS).Objectives: To identify variables associated with wait-list and post-transplant mortality for CF lung transplant candidates using a novel database and to analyze the impact of including new CF-specific variables in the LAS system.Methods: A deterministic matching algorithm identified patients from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. LAS wait-list and post-transplant survival models were recalculated using CF-specific variables. This multicenter, retrospective, population-based study of all lung transplant wait-list candidates aged 12 years or older from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2014, included 9,043 patients on the lung transplant waiting list and 6,110 lung transplant recipients between 2011 and 2014, comprising 1,020 and 677 with CF, respectively.Measurements and Main Results: Measured outcomes were changes in LAS and lung allocation rank. For CF candidates, any Burkholderia sp. (hazard ratio [HR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-6.6), 29-42 days hospitalized (HR 2.8; CI 1.3-5.9), massive hemoptysis (HR 2.1; CI 1.1-3.9), and relative drop in FEV₁ ≥30% over 12 months (HR 1.7; CI 1.0-2.8) increased wait-list mortality risk; pulmonary exacerbation time 15-28 days (1.8; 1.1-2.9) increased post-transplant mortality risk. A relative drop in FEV₁ ≥10% in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) candidates was associated with increased wait-list mortality risk (HR 2.6; CI 1.2-5.4). Variability in LAS score and rank increased in patients with CF. Priority for transplant increased for COPD candidates. Access did not change for other diagnosis groups.Conclusions: Adding CF-specific variables improved discrimination among wait-listed CF candidates and benefited COPD candidates.

Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor for Cystic Fibrosis with a Single Phe508del Allele

BACKGROUND

Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, and nearly 90% of patients have at least one copy of the Phe508del CFTR mutation. In a phase 2 trial involving patients who were heterozygous for the Phe508del CFTR mutation and a minimal-function mutation (Phe508del-minimal function genotype), the next-generation CFTR corrector elexacaftor, in combination with tezacaftor and ivacaftor, improved Phe508del CFTR function and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to confirm the efficacy and safety of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor in patients 12 years of age or older with cystic fibrosis with Phe508del-minimal function genotypes. Patients were randomly assigned to receive elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor or placebo for 24 weeks. The primary end point was absolute change from baseline in percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) at week 4.

RESULTS

A total of 403 patients underwent randomization and received at least one dose of active treatment or placebo. Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor, relative to placebo, resulted in a percentage of predicted FEV₁ that was 13.8 points higher at 4 weeks and 14.3 points higher through 24 weeks, a rate of pulmonary exacerbations that was 63% lower, a respiratory domain score on the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (range, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a higher patient-reported quality of life with regard to respiratory symptoms; minimum clinically important difference, 4 points) that was 20.2 points higher, and a sweat chloride concentration that was 41.8 mmol per liter lower (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor was generally safe and had an acceptable side-effect profile. Most patients had adverse events that were mild or moderate. Adverse events leading to discontinuation of the trial regimen occurred in 1% of the patients in the elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor group.

CONCLUSIONS

Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor was efficacious in patients with cystic fibrosis with Phe508del-minimal function genotypes, in whom previous CFTR modulator regimens were ineffective. (Funded by Vertex Pharmaceuticals; VX17-445-102 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03525444.).

Application of multiple event analysis as an alternative approach to studying pulmonary exacerbations as an outcome measure

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) are important contributors to morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). Understanding risk factors for PEx is critical to improve treatment; pulmonary exacerbations also serve as an important outcome in CF clinical trials. Current risk estimates generally only evaluate time to the first PEx. Methods accounting for multiple exacerbations during the observation period could provide more power to detect significant risk factors.

METHODS

The Early Pseudomonas Infection Control (EPIC) Observational Study enrolled participants between 2004 and 2006 who were ≤ 12 years of age and negative for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. First and multiple event analyses were used to investigate risk factors for pulmonary exacerbations.

RESULTS

We evaluated a total of 5129 PEx from 1734 CF patients in the EPIC study. Multiple event analysis identified 2 more factors associated with occurrence of PEx compared to first event analysis. After adjusting for multiple factors, the following were associated with higher occurrence of PExs: female gender, older age at enrollment, household cigarette smoke exposure, increased cough at the most recent encounter, having used antibiotics since the previous encounter, a positive culture for any CF organism at the most recent encounter, and having had a PEx in the last 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple event analyses use all PEx events and may identify more risk factors for PEx than analysis of time to first PEx. We have provided an example of how to apply this type of analysis and how to interpret estimates in the context of the EPIC study.

Reevaluating approaches to cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung disease is characterized by intermittent acute episodes of worsening signs, symptoms, and pulmonary function; these so-called pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) appear to be important drivers of long-term declines in lung function, quality of life, and life expectancy. Surveillance for development of PEx and their treatment is a fundamental component of chronic CF management, and the merits of novel CF therapies are often judged based on their ability to reduce the frequency of PEx. Given the central role that they play, it is surprising how poorly PEx are understood, how thin is the evidence base for their treatment and how often they are left unrecognized and untreated in clinical practice. This paper reviews what is known and what is unknown regarding the nature of PEx, and discusses the impact of missed recognition and treatment of these episodes as well as the apparent variation in practice across CF care centers. The arguments supporting a liberal, highly sensitive approach to the diagnosis of PEx are presented, as well as recommendation for how care programs can achieve consistency in their early recognition and treatment. A stepwise approach to personalized treatment supported by close follow-up to ensure the successful resolution of all signs and symptoms will lead to the stabilization of patients' lung function and quality of life. Recommendations are made regarding important priorities for research into evidence-based approaches to improving the care of PEx.

Quantitative chest computerized tomography and FEV1 equally identify pulmonary exacerbation risk in children with cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Chest computerized tomography (CT) scores are associated with the frequency of future pulmonary exacerbations in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, cut-off values to identify children with mild lung disease with different risks for frequent future pulmonary exacerbations have not been identified.

METHODS

Chest CT scans were assessed using the Brody score for participants of the Pulmozyme Early Intervention Trial (PEIT) and Wisconsin Randomized Clinical Trial of CF Newborn Screening (WI RCT). We determined the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for Brody scores and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁ ) to compare with the frequency of pulmonary exacerbations up to 10 years later.

RESULTS

There were 60 participants in the PEIT with mean (SD) age 10.6 (1.7) years at the time of the CT and 81 participants in the WI RCT with mean age 11.5 (3.0) years. The Brody score cut-off that best identified children at-risk for ≥0.3 annual pulmonary exacerbations was 3.6 in the PEIT and 2.1 in the WI RCT. There were no statistical differences between ROC curves for the Brody CT score and FEV₁ % predicted in either study (P ≥ 0.4).

CONCLUSIONS

CT score cut-off values that identify children with CF with mild lung disease at different risks for frequent pulmonary exacerbations over an extended follow up period are similar in separate cohorts. Brody scores and FEV₁ % predicted have similar abilities to identify these children, suggesting that FEV₁ % predicted alone may be adequate for predicting future frequency of pulmonary exacerbations.

Cystic fibrosis year in review 2017

In this article, we highlight cystic fibrosis (CF) reports published in Pediatric Pulmonology during 2017. We also include articles from a variety of journals that are related or are of special interest to clinicians.

Unmet needs in cystic fibrosis: the next steps in improving outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Cystic fibrosis (CF) outcomes and survival have improved over the last century primarily due to advancements in antibiotics, nutritional, and pulmonary therapies. Reviewed here are the significant unmet needs that exist for individuals with CF. Areas covered: With the recent development of medications that address the underlying defect in the CF protein, there is hope that there will be continued improvement in CF outcomes. However, there remains a need to prevent or stop progression of CF-related complications, as the CF protein is important to several body systems. As end stage lung disease is the primary cause of mortality in CF, a need exists for advancements in pulmonary therapies to reduce time burden, identification of best practices for the treatment of pulmonary exacerbations, further development of anti-infective and anti-inflammatory therapies, and appropriately timed referral for lung transplantation at end-stage lung disease. Extra-pulmonary complications are increasingly recognized and better understanding of such problems as CF related liver disease is needed. Expert commentary: While CFTR modulators are available for the majority of CF patients, there remains a need for effective therapies to address infection, inflammation, irreversible lung disease, and extrapulmonary complications of CF.