Zhang Lantian, Zhang Yuqi, Li Shuke, Wang Yan, Yu Yue, He Jing, Gao Wen
Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Endoscopy Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 May 27;16:1516297. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1516297. eCollection 2025.
BACKGROUND: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), categorized predominantly as thymoma (T) or thymic carcinoma (TC), face a challenging prognosis and limited treatment options. Although chemotherapy remains the established treatment for advanced TETs, its responses tend to be short-lived. The emergence of immunotherapy, particularly programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 inhibitors (PD-L1), is increasingly being regarded as a promising new treatment option for various malignancies. METHODS: Herein, we present a case series of eight patients with TETs who received tislelizumab treatment at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital between 2021 and 2023. All cases were histologically confirmed as either thymoma or thymic carcinoma. Among these eight cases, six patients (5 thymic carcinomas [TC] and 1 thymoma [T]) received tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy following multiple cycles of prior chemotherapy without achieving significant therapeutic response. Two TC patients were administered this combination regimen as first-line treatment. Following the initiation of immunotherapy, patients received tislelizumab at a dose of 200 mg every three weeks until disease progression or the occurrence of unacceptable toxicity. Treatment response was assessed by the investigators according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1 guidelines. RESULTS: The 8 patients described had a median age of 59 years (range, 47-72). During the course of immunotherapy, five patients (62.5%) achieved partial response, and notably, even after transitioning to maintenance therapy with tislelizumab, the lesions continued to shrink, with the longest sustained partial response lasting over 2 years. Three patient (37.5%) experienced stable disease as their best response to immunotherapy. Among all these patients, three patients (37.5%) demonstrated initial efficacy but subsequently exhibited progressive disease (median progression-free survival of 14 months). All patients are still being followed up, with the longest PFS extending to 31 months. Notably, five of the eight patients underwent PD-L1 testing and were all found to be negative. Despite this, no immune-related Grade 3-5 adverse events (AEs) were reported and all AEs were manageable with supportive measures. Grade 1-2 AEs were adrenal insufficiency (n=1), thyroid dysfunction (n=1), and pneumonia (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy yields durable clinical responses in patients with TETs, suggesting its potential as a safe and effective first-line treatment strategy for advanced TETs. Notably, the therapeutic benefits of chemo-immunotherapy appear to extend beyond patients with high PD-L1 expression (≥50%), indicating that this treatment approach may not be strictly limited to individuals with elevated PD-L1 levels.
背景:胸腺上皮肿瘤(TETs)主要分为胸腺瘤(T)或胸腺癌(TC),其预后具有挑战性且治疗选择有限。尽管化疗仍是晚期TETs的既定治疗方法,但其反应往往是短暂的。免疫疗法的出现,特别是程序性细胞死亡-1(PD-1)和程序性死亡配体-1抑制剂(PD-L1),越来越被视为各种恶性肿瘤有前景的新治疗选择。 方法:在此,我们呈现了一个病例系列,包含2021年至2023年期间在江苏省人民医院接受替雷利珠单抗治疗的8例TETs患者。所有病例经组织学确诊为胸腺瘤或胸腺癌。在这8例病例中,6例患者(5例胸腺癌[TC]和1例胸腺瘤[T])在先前多个周期化疗未取得显著治疗反应后,接受了替雷利珠单抗联合化疗。2例TC患者接受该联合方案作为一线治疗。免疫治疗开始后,患者每三周接受一次200mg替雷利珠单抗治疗,直至疾病进展或出现不可接受的毒性。研究者根据实体瘤疗效评价标准(RECIST)1.1版指南评估治疗反应。 结果:所描述的8例患者中位年龄为59岁(范围47 - 72岁)。在免疫治疗过程中,5例患者(62.5%)达到部分缓解,值得注意的是,即使转换为替雷利珠单抗维持治疗后,病灶仍持续缩小,最长持续部分缓解超过2年。3例患者(37.5%)对免疫治疗的最佳反应为病情稳定。在所有这些患者中,3例患者(37.5%)表现出初始疗效但随后出现疾病进展(中位无进展生存期为14个月)。所有患者仍在随访中,最长无进展生存期延长至31个月。值得注意的是,8例患者中有5例进行了PD-L1检测,结果均为阴性。尽管如此,未报告免疫相关的3 - 5级不良事件(AE),所有不良事件通过支持措施均可控制。1 - 2级不良事件为肾上腺功能不全(n = 1)、甲状腺功能障碍(n = 1)和肺炎(n = 1)。 结论:我们的研究结果表明,免疫治疗与化疗联合对TETs患者产生了持久的临床反应,表明其作为晚期TETs安全有效的一线治疗策略的潜力。值得注意的是,化疗免疫治疗的益处似乎超出了PD-L1高表达(≥50%)的患者,这表明这种治疗方法可能并不严格局限于PD-L1水平升高的个体。
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