Is there an association between lymph node size and hyperprogression in immunotherapy-treated patients?
Published Online: Mar 23, 2024
Page range: 33 - 43
Received: Jul 22, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjim-2023-0025
Keywords
© 2024 Mohammad S. Alkader et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Background: Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) can be described as an accelerated increase in the growth rate of tumors combined with rapid clinical deterioration observed in a subset of cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, specifically with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The reported incidence of HPD ranges from 5.9% to 43.1% in patients receiving ICIs. In this context, identifying reliable predictive risk factors for HPD is crucial as it may allow for earlier intervention and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed ten metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. The identification of HPD was based on the diagnostic criteria proposed by Ferrara R
Results: Three patients (30%) developed HPD, while seven (70%) did not. Fisher's exact test revealed a statistically significant association between the HPD and LN size ≥ 3 cm (p=0.008). In the HPD group, the median OS was significantly shorter, with a median OS of 3 months, whereas in the non-HPD group, the median OS was not reached (P =0.001).
Conclusion: The present study found a significant association between LN size ≥ 3 cm in the pretreatment period and HPD development.