Special ReportsAll NewsFDA BriefsOncology IconsThe Targeted PulseVoices from the Field
Conference CoverageConference ListingData Dialogue with the Oncology Brothers
All VideosCase-Based Peer PerspectivesEvolving Paradigms in OncologyExpert Perspective Virtual Tumor BoardInterviewsInvestigator PerspectivesMedical World NewsPersonalized MedicinePivotal Practice Views with the Oncology BrothersPodcastsSpeaking Out
All PublicationsEvolving ParadigmsPeers & Perspectives in OncologyTargeted Therapies in Oncology
CASE-BASED ROUNDTABLEPARTNERS
CME/CEClinical TrialsEventsPrecision Medicine PerspectivesPress ReleasesSponsored ContentTreatment Resources
SUBSCRIBE
BRAIN CANCER
BREAST CANCERBREAST CANCER
GENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERS
GENOMIC TESTINGGENOMIC TESTING
GI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERS
GYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERS
HEAD & NECK CANCERS
HEMATOLOGYHEMATOLOGY
IMMUNOTHERAPYIMMUNOTHERAPY
LEUKEMIASLEUKEMIASLEUKEMIASLEUKEMIAS
LUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCER
LYMPHOMASLYMPHOMASLYMPHOMASLYMPHOMAS
MPNs
MULTIPLE MYELOMA
NTRK GENE FUSIONS
SARCOMA
SKIN CANCERSSKIN CANCERS
THYROID CANCERS
Spotlight -
  • Myeloma
  • Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • Gynecologic Cancers
  • Genomic Testing
  • Melanoma
  • Genitourinary Cancers
BRAIN CANCER
BREAST CANCERBREAST CANCER
GENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERSGENITOURINARY CANCERS
GENOMIC TESTINGGENOMIC TESTING
GI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERSGI CANCERS
GYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERSGYNECOLOGIC CANCERS
HEAD & NECK CANCERS
HEMATOLOGYHEMATOLOGY
IMMUNOTHERAPYIMMUNOTHERAPY
LEUKEMIASLEUKEMIASLEUKEMIASLEUKEMIAS
LUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCERLUNG CANCER
LYMPHOMASLYMPHOMASLYMPHOMASLYMPHOMAS
MPNs
MULTIPLE MYELOMA
NTRK GENE FUSIONS
SARCOMA
SKIN CANCERSSKIN CANCERS
THYROID CANCERS
    • CASE-BASED ROUNDTABLE
    • PARTNERS
    • SUBSCRIBE

Your AI-Trained Oncology Knowledge Connection!

scout
Advertisement

Survival Advantage Associated With Immune-Related Toxicity Reveals Racial Disparities in Solid Tumors

June 12, 2020
By Danielle Ternyila
Article

The study showed that the development of immune-related adverse events in advanced solid tumors was positively correlated with improved progression-free survival and overall survival in a retrospective analysis, which also showed that Caucasian patients developed immune-related adverse events more frequently than African American patients.

In immunotherapy clinical trials, minority groups are under-represented, highlighting a need for more inclusivity. As a start to revealing the difference in outcomes between patients from different racial groups, researcher conducted a retrospective review of data in patients with stage IV solid tumors. The study showed that the development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in advanced solid tumors was positively correlated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in a retrospective analysis, which also showed that Caucasian patients developed irAEs more frequently than African American patients.

The most common AE observed in this study was endocrine, which was observed in 40.7% of the study population. This was the first study to observe OS differences favoring endocrine irAEs and Caucasian patients. Study investigators noted that these factors may be surrogate markers of prognosis, but the validation of these results is needed in large-scale studies.

Overall, 293 patients met the eligibility criteria for this study, and 91 of these patients (31%) had irAEs of any grade. More irAEs were observed in the Caucasian patient population (60.4%) compared with the African American population (30.8%; P =.0141).

Survival advantages were observed in patients who experienced irAEs versus those with no irAEs. The median PFS for patients with irAEs was 5.8 months versus 3.0 months in those with no irAEs (P =.0088), and the median OS was 17.1 months versus 7.2 months (P =.0004), respectively.

Investigators noted, however, that these differences in OS and PFS were not observed in the Kaplan Meier analysis.

Overall, the study included 140 Caucasian patients (47.8%), 122 African American patients (41.6%), and 31 patients who were considered other (10.6%). Fifty-five Caucasian patients experienced irAEs (60.4%), 28 African Americans experienced irAEs (30.8%), and 8 other patients experienced irAEs (8.8%). The median PFS among those with irAEs was 7.7 months in the Caucasian population versus 5.8 months in the African American group and 2.2 months for other (P =.4601). The median OS among this group was 20.6 months for Caucasians, 12.9 months for African Americans, and 16.0 months for other racial groups (P =.0237).

Endocrine irAEs were observed in 23 Caucasian patients (62.2%), 13 African Americans (35.1%), and 1 other patient (2.7%). The median PFS in this group was 10.4 months for Caucasians, 5.2 months for African Americans, and 5.2 months for other (P =.2243). The median OS in those who experience endocrine irAEs was 21.8 months for Caucasians, 15.8 months for African Americans, and 6.2 months for other racial groups (P=.0356).

Out of 129 female and 164 male patients included in the study, 41 women experienced irAEs (45.1%) versus 50 men (54.9%). The median irAE PFS was 6.3 months in women versus 5.7 months in the men (P =.8977), and the median irAE OS was 16.3 months versus 18.5 months (P =.4756).

Endocrine irAEs were observed in 18 females (48.7%) and 19 males (51.4%), and the median endocrine irAE PFS was 7.7 months versus 5.7 months, respectively (P =.8542). The median endocrine irAE OS was 17.0 months for both women and men (P =.9495).

Investigators also evaluated the survival outcomes for patients who expressed PD-L1 greater than or less than 50%. For those with PD-L1 expression <50% (n = 69), 16 patients (17.6%) experienced irAEs, and for expression >50% (n = 32), 14 experienced irAEs, leading to a median PFS of 5.2 months versus 6.3 months, respectively (P =.6985). The median OS was 14.2 months for PD-L1 <50% versus 16.6 months for PD-L1 >50% (P = .6468).

Three patients with PD-L1 <50% had an endocrine irAE (25.0%) versus 9 patients with PD-L1 >50% (75.0%), and the median PFS was 5.3 months versus 6.3 months, respectively (P =1.000). The median OS for patients with PD-L1 expression <50% was 16.5 months versus 15.8 months for those with PD-L1 >50% (P =1.000).

The development of irAEs and its association to improved survival with treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitors is becoming evident in emerging data, the study authors said in their poster. Endocrine irAEs, in particular, are the most commonly reported toxicity, specifically in thyroid abnormalities. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of irAEs, particularly endocrine irAEs, and its association with survival. The study also aimed to explore differences in survival based on race as minority groups are often under-represented in pivotal immunotherapy studies.

Patients with stage IV solid tumors who were treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors between January 2013 and December 2018 at MedStar Georgetown Cancer institute facilities were reviewed retrospectively. The differences in median PFS and OS were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Kaplan-Meier methods with log-rank test for P value were also used to generate data on survival probability. Differences observed in median survival were stratified based on race and gender, as well as LDH and PD-L1 expression.

This study suggests race and endocrine irAEs may be possible surrogate markers for improved survival in patients with solid tumors. Conclusions regarding differences in survival probability cannot be made based on the significant heterogeneity observed in patients at baseline that results in discordant results between the 2 statistical tests.

Moving forward, a multivariate analysis can be conducted to further understand the patterns observed in this study. To validate these findings, a large pool of prospective data is required.

Reference

Pervali M, Gomes-Lima C, Tefera E, et al. Racial disparities in immune-related adverse events (irAE) of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi) and association with survival based on clinical and biochemical responses. J Clin Oncol. 2020: 38 (suppl; abstr 7025). doi:10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.7025

Newsletter

Stay up to date on practice-changing data in community practice.

Subscribe Now!
Recent Videos
Related Content

OS Therapies Seeks FDA RMAT Status for OST-HER2 in Pediatric Osteosarcoma

OS Therapies Seeks FDA RMAT Status for OST-HER2 in Pediatric Osteosarcoma

Jordyn Sava
June 10th 2025
Article

Read More


Cancer Research Across Continents: Fujiwara’s Path From Japan to the US

Cancer Research Across Continents: Fujiwara’s Path From Japan to the US

Jordyn Sava;Yu Fujiwara, MD
August 1st 2024
Podcast

In this episode of Emerging Experts, Yu Fujiwara, MD, shares his journey from Japan to the United States and his path to becoming a specialist in hematology and oncology.

Listen


IFx-Hu2.0 Enters Clinical Trials for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

IFx-Hu2.0 Enters Clinical Trials for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Jordyn Sava
May 7th 2025
Article

Trials of IFx-Hu2.0 are initiating, looking to overcome checkpoint inhibitor resistance in Merkel cell carcinoma.

Read More


Navigating the Landscape of Immunotherapy Toxicities

Navigating the Landscape of Immunotherapy Toxicities

Jordyn Sava;Matthew Hadfield, DO
November 30th 2023
Podcast

Matthew Hadfield, DO, discusses his passion for early-stage clinical trials and the need for more research into immunotherapy toxicities during the third episode of Emerging Experts.

Listen


AU-007 Appears Safe and Effective for Solid Tumors, Phase 2 Findings Show

AU-007 Appears Safe and Effective for Solid Tumors, Phase 2 Findings Show

Sabrina Serani
April 29th 2025
Article

Updated findings from a phase 2 study investigating the IL-2–binding monoclonal antibody AU-007 show a manageable safety profile with strong antitumor evidence.

Read More


ICIs Effective Regardless of Patients' Age, But Key Immune Phenotype Differences May Enable Tailored Regimens

ICIs Effective Regardless of Patients' Age, But Key Immune Phenotype Differences May Enable Tailored Regimens

Tony Berberabe, MPH
April 22nd 2025
Article

A study in Nature Communications found that older cancer patients have similar outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors as younger patients, despite having different baseline immune profiles, suggesting potential for age-tailored therapies.

Read More

Related Content

OS Therapies Seeks FDA RMAT Status for OST-HER2 in Pediatric Osteosarcoma

OS Therapies Seeks FDA RMAT Status for OST-HER2 in Pediatric Osteosarcoma

Jordyn Sava
June 10th 2025
Article

Read More


Cancer Research Across Continents: Fujiwara’s Path From Japan to the US

Cancer Research Across Continents: Fujiwara’s Path From Japan to the US

Jordyn Sava;Yu Fujiwara, MD
August 1st 2024
Podcast

In this episode of Emerging Experts, Yu Fujiwara, MD, shares his journey from Japan to the United States and his path to becoming a specialist in hematology and oncology.

Listen


IFx-Hu2.0 Enters Clinical Trials for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

IFx-Hu2.0 Enters Clinical Trials for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Jordyn Sava
May 7th 2025
Article

Trials of IFx-Hu2.0 are initiating, looking to overcome checkpoint inhibitor resistance in Merkel cell carcinoma.

Read More


Navigating the Landscape of Immunotherapy Toxicities

Navigating the Landscape of Immunotherapy Toxicities

Jordyn Sava;Matthew Hadfield, DO
November 30th 2023
Podcast

Matthew Hadfield, DO, discusses his passion for early-stage clinical trials and the need for more research into immunotherapy toxicities during the third episode of Emerging Experts.

Listen


AU-007 Appears Safe and Effective for Solid Tumors, Phase 2 Findings Show

AU-007 Appears Safe and Effective for Solid Tumors, Phase 2 Findings Show

Sabrina Serani
April 29th 2025
Article

Updated findings from a phase 2 study investigating the IL-2–binding monoclonal antibody AU-007 show a manageable safety profile with strong antitumor evidence.

Read More


ICIs Effective Regardless of Patients' Age, But Key Immune Phenotype Differences May Enable Tailored Regimens

ICIs Effective Regardless of Patients' Age, But Key Immune Phenotype Differences May Enable Tailored Regimens

Tony Berberabe, MPH
April 22nd 2025
Article

A study in Nature Communications found that older cancer patients have similar outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors as younger patients, despite having different baseline immune profiles, suggesting potential for age-tailored therapies.

Read More

About Us
Advertise
Contact Us
CureToday.com
CancerNetwork.com
OncLive.com
OncNursingNews.com
Do Not Sell My Information
Privacy
Terms & Conditions
Editorial Board
Contact Info

2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512

609-716-7777

© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.