Introduction: Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a malignancy with smooth muscle differentiation. Metastatic LMS is associated with poor prognosis and limited efficacy of systemic treatment. Novel treatment modalities are desperately needed for this entity.
Case Presentation: We report the first use of pembrolizumab plus pharmacologic ascorbate in 3 patients with metastatic LMS. All cases resulted in persistent objective responses and disease control significantly better than has been reported with chemotherapy or other immunotherapeutic approaches. Three patients with metastatic LMS, one each of uterine, vascular, and soft tissue origin, were treated with pembrolizumab plus pharmacologic ascorbate. The patient with uterine LMS received combination therapy at presentation and had persistent response for 12 months, which is ongoing. The patient with metastatic LMS of the inferior vena cava received combination therapy at presentation and had persistent response for 12 months, at which time new metastases were found. The patient with soft tissue LMS had disease progression on pembrolizumab monotherapy prior to the addition of ascorbate, after which she had a 17-month response, which is ongoing. No side effects attributed to treatment were reported.
Conclusion: Pembrolizumab plus pharmacologic ascorbate is a novel immunotherapeutic approach and warrants further study in LMS.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000539979 | DOI Listing |
Cell Death Dis
January 2025
Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania 'L. Vanvitelli'- Via L. De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
Malignant melanoma represents the fifth most common cancer in the world and its incidence is rising. Novel therapies targeting receptor tyrosine kinases, kinases and immune checkpoints have been employed with a significant improvement of the overall survival and long-term disease containment. Nevertheless, the disease often progresses and becomes resistant to the therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet Oncol
January 2025
Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Electronic address:
Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and suppresses the anti-tumour immune response. Previous studies have shown that adding anti-VEGF treatment to PD-1 inhibition treatment strategies improves tumour response. We aimed to compare the efficacy of pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, with or without bevacizumab, a VEGF inhibitor, in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have proven to be effective in treating various cancers, including colorectal, lung, and melanoma. Despite their clinical success, some patients develop resistance to mAbs, requiring co-treatments with radio- or chemotherapy. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is an immunostimulatory cytokine that promotes immune cell production and proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Thorac Oncol
January 2025
Education Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Mol Oncol
January 2025
Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care (Me.Pre.C.C.), University of Palermo, Italy.
Extracellular vesicle (EV) monitoring can complement clinical assessment of cancer response. In this study, patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing osimertinib, alectinib, pembrolizumab or platinum-based chemotherapy ± pembrolizumab were enrolled. EVs were characterized using Bradford assay to quantify the circulating cell-free EV protein content (cfEV), and dynamic light scattering to assess Rayleigh ratio excess at 90°, z-averaged hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity index.
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