Infrequent liver injury from cemiplimab in patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Cemiplimab for the Treatment of Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Appropriate Patient Selection and Perspectives

Five percent of patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma develop locally advanced or metastatic disease that is not amenable to definitive surgical or radiation therapy. Cemiplimab, an antibody against programmed death receptor-1, was approved in the United States for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in 2018. We performed a literature review on the use of cemiplimab in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, with an emphasis on efficacy, safety and tolerability, patient selection, and future directions. Embase and PubMed were searched for relevant terms, and 23 peer-reviewed journal articles presenting primary data on cemiplimab treatment in 5 or more subjects with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma were included and summarized. Objective response rates in locally advanced and metastatic disease ranged from 42.9% to 50.8% in Phase I/II clinical trials and 32-77% (median 58%) in post-approval observational studies. Phase II trials looking at neoadjuvant use also had favorable response rates. Real-world studies demonstrated cemiplimab efficacy in periorbital tumors, tumors with large caliber perineural invasion, and tumors in solid organ transplant recipients. Cemiplimab was safe and well-tolerated in most patients. While side effects such as fatigue, diarrhea, pruritus, and rash were fairly common, only 9.8% of adverse events required cessation of therapy in phase II trials. Severe adverse events were primarily immune-mediated, including pneumonitis, myocarditis, myositis, and autoimmune hepatitis; the risk of treatment-related death was 3% in clinical trials. Further research on cemiplimab therapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is needed, and trials are now underway to obtain Phase IV long-term real-world data, further data on adjuvant and neoadjuvant use, and additional data in special populations such as stem cell and solid organ transplant recipients.

Cemiplimab-Associated Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome

A 58-year-old woman developed new-onset recurrent ascites after the recent initiation of cemiplimab for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma. A comprehensive serological workup for viral, metabolic, and autoimmune causes was unrevealing. Transjugular liver biopsy demonstrated parenchymal changes consistent with a diagnosis of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome. While this is a condition commonly observed in patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or use of chemotherapeutic agents, it should also be considered in patients who develop new-onset liver dysfunction after the initiation of checkpoint inhibitors.

Hepatotoxicity Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Clinical Practice: A Study Leveraging Data from the US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System

PURPOSE

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a promising option for the treatment of patients with various cancers. Emerging case reports have raised awareness on hepatotoxicity, a potentially fatal adverse event (AE) that may be associated with the use of ICIs. This study assessed the potential association between ICIs and hepatotoxicity through the mining of data from the US Food and Drug Administration's AE Reporting System (FAERS).

METHODS

A total of 9,217,181 AEs reported in the period from quarter 1 of 2004 to quarter 3 of 2021 were assessed. Information components (ICs) and reporting odds ratios (RORs) were used to evaluate the association between the use of ICIs and hepatotoxicity.

FINDINGS

A total of 52,463 AE reports listed ICIs, used alone or in combination, as a suspected drug. Of these, 1481 cases were related to both ICIs and hepatotoxicity. The use of ICIs was significantly associated with hepatotoxicity compared to all other drugs, making it a safety signal (IC = 1.43 [95% CI, 1.36-1.51]; ROR = 2.78 [95% CI, 2.64-2.93]). With monotherapy, all ICIs, except tremelimumab, were associated with liver damage. The most commonly prescribed combination therapy was nivolumab + ipilimumab (321 cases) with a significant signal detected. Notably, ICI use was significantly associated with hepatic failure (IC = 1.24 [95% CI, 1.06-1.42]; ROR = 2.40 [95% CI, 2.13-2.72]). The risk for ICI-associated hepatotoxicity (including hepatic failure) was greater with ICI combination therapy than with ICI monotherapy. All subgroups by sex and age also showed significant associations between ICI use and hepatotoxicity.

IMPLICATIONS

A significant association was detected between ICI use and hepatotoxicity. The risk for hepatotoxicity (including hepatic failure) was greater with ICI combination therapy compared with ICI monotherapy. (Clin Ther. 2023;45:XXX-XXX) © 2023 Elsevier Inc.