'You give me fever!': are health services ready for immune cell engager therapy in advanced solid malignancies?

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Immune cell engagers are emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy for various solid tumors.
• These therapies redirect immune cells to target cancer cells, showing early clinical activity.
• However, they pose risks of severe cytokine-mediated adverse events, necessitating specialized care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the experience of treating advanced solid tumors with early-phase immune engager clinical trials.
• To analyze patterns of cytokine-mediated toxicity observed in patients treated in a dedicated inpatient facility.
• To propose a risk-mitigation algorithm for the safe and scalable administration of these novel therapies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patients with advanced solid tumors treated on early-phase immune engager trials.
• Focus on treatment in a dedicated inpatient facility equipped for managing complex toxicities.
• Detailed review of cytokine-mediated adverse events and their management.

Main Results:

• Immune engager therapies demonstrated clinical activity in advanced solid tumors.
• Specific patterns of cytokine-mediated toxicities were identified.
• The dedicated inpatient facility facilitated the management of these adverse events.

Conclusions:

• Early-phase immune engager trials require specialized inpatient facilities due to potential toxicities.
• Effective management strategies and risk mitigation are crucial for the safe delivery of these therapies.
• The proposed algorithm aims to enhance the feasibility and scalability of immune engager treatments.