Author(s)

Julien Bermudez¹, Celine Mascaux^1,2, Youssef Trigui¹, Julie Biemar¹, Mohamed Boucekine³, Laurent Greillier^1,2, Fabrice Barlesi^1,2, Pascale Tomasini^1,2*

¹Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Multidisciplinary Oncology and Therapeutic Innovations, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.
¹Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Multidisciplinary Oncology and Therapeutic Innovations, Aix Mar-seille University, Marseille, France.
²Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), Marseille, France.
³Public Health, Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life: Research Unit, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI)s were recently approved for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whereas brain metastases (BM) are frequent in NSCLC patients, data are missing regarding ICIs intracranial efficacy and tolerance in patients with BM from NSCLC. Methods: This retrospective study was performed in the Multidisciplinary Oncology and Therapeutic Innovation department, Marseille, France between April 2013 and February 2016. Data from patients with NSCLC with at least one BM, and treated with ICIs (anti-PD1, anti-PDL1 or anti-CTL4) were analyzed. Clinical, biological data and outcomes were retrieved from electronic patients’ records. We assessed ICIs intracranial efficacy and tolerance. Results: Data from 55 patients were analyzed. Objective Response Rate (ORR) and Disease Control Rate (DCR) were respectively of 1.8 and 36.4%. Median overall survival was 17.2 months and median progression free survival was 2.9 months. Intracranial ORR (icORR) and intracranial DCR (icDCR) were respectively 16.4% and 45.5%. Both were independent of smoking status, intracranial treatment, performance status, pathology, molecular profile and the presence or number of BM at diagnosis. However, there was a trend towards an association between icORR and ECOG PS (p = 0.05), tobacco status (p = 0.057) and intracranial treatment. Adverse events were seen in 38.2% patients without identified predictive factor. Neurological symptoms appeared in 5.5% patients during immunotherapy and improved in 3.63% patients. Conclusions: ICIs can be used safely on patients with BM from NSCLC. However, intracranial response is heterogeneous in such patients and we showed ECOG PS, tobacco smoking and intracranial treatment to be associated with an improved icORR. This is the first study looking for predictive factors of intracranial response of ICIs in patients with BM from NSCLC.

Lung Cancer, Brain Metastasis, Immunotherapy, Efficacy, Tolerance

Bermudez, J. , Mascaux, C. , Trigui, Y. , Biemar, J. , Boucekine, M. , Greillier, L. , Barlesi, F. and Tomasini, P. (2019) Predictive Factors of Intracranial Response of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Brain Metastasis from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 10, 692-707. doi: 10.4236/jct.2019.108057.