Table 1.
Authors | Age, Gender | Cancer type | Immune checkpoint inhibitor | No. of cycles before neutropenia | CTCAE (4.03) Grade/ ANC Nadir /mm3 | Rheumatological/autoimmune disease or serology | Duration of neutropenia | Bone marrow findings | Associated or preceding irAE | Treatment | Outcome | ICI restarted |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akhtari et al. [9] | 42 Female | Melanoma | Ipilimumab | 4 | G4 ANC - 380 | Antineutrophil and platelet autoantibodies. | 60 days | Normocellular marrow, myeloid hypoplasia. Second bone marrow: hypocellular; granulocytic hypoplasia and lymphohistiocytic aggregates. | Rash | Pegfilgrastim Prednisone Dexamethasone IVIg, Cyclosporine | Prolonged neutropenia with multiple relapses. Recovery of counts after second course of IVIg. Developed anemia and thrombocytopenia | No |
Ban-Hoefen et al. [10] | 54 Male | Melanoma | Ipilimumab | 4 | G4- ANC - 0 | No serology | 52 days | Hypercellular; increase bland histiocytes, lymphocytosis; near complete absence of granulocyte precursors | Rash | Prednisone IVIG, Cyclosporine Filgrastim, Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) | Recovery of counts with ATG/cyclosporine/prednisone combination with filgrastim. Steroids tapered off after 4 months. Normal ANC after 6 months. | No |
Tabchi et al. [11] | 74 Female | NSCLC | Nivolumab | 2 | Severe neutropenia likely G-4 (ANC not reported) | Ulcerative colitis in remission | 16 days | Absence of myeloid precursors | Hepatitis | Filgrastim, IVIG Prednisone Methylprednisolone | Responded to high dose methylprednisolone. | No |
Wozniak et al. [12] | 35 Male | Melanoma | Ipilimumab | 3 | G-4 ANC - 0 | No serology | 16 days | Granulocytes with features of rejuvenation and preserved maturation; poorly represented erythrocytes. | Rash | Methylprednisolone Filgrastim (both started after 8 days) | Recovery of counts 16 days. | N/A |
Barbacki et al. [13] | 73 Female | NSCLC | Pembrolizumab | 2 | G-4 ANC-0 | Autoimmune myositis (in remission) Crohn’s disease | 12 days | Not performed | None | GCSF, Methylprednisolone, IVIG, Cyclosporine | Recovered counts after 12 days. No recurrence at 3 months | No |
Sun et al. [14] | 64 Male | Prostate Cancer | Ipilumumab | 2 | G-3 ANC-770 | Weak neutrophil reactive IgM antibodies | 14 days | Not performed | None | Methyl prednisone followed by prednisone | Count recovery with no recurrent neutropenia. PSA remained undetectable and patient started lepurolide | No |
Meti et al. [15] | 59 Male | Melanoma | Ipilimumab/Nivolumab | 2 | G-4 ANC-0 | No serology | 16 days | Variable cellularity, hypoplastic granulocytic, unremarkable erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages. | Rash, hepatitis, colitis | Methylprednisolone, IVIG, filgrastim, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). | Recovered counts after addition of MMF. | No |
Turgeman et al. [16] | 73 Male | NSCLC | Nivolumab | 5 | G-4 ANC - 0 | Crohn’s disease No serology | 7 days | Not performed | Diarrhea | Methylprednisolone, GCSF | Neutrophils started improving after a week.. | N/A |
74 Male | NSCLC | Nivolumab | 11 | G4 ANC-0 | Negative Serology | 2 days | Mildly hypercellular, unremarkable erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis, hyperplasia of myelocytic precursors | None | G-CSF, prednisolone | Recovered ANC after 2 days. Developed multiple relapses. Placed on Erlotinib, prophylactic GCSF. | No |
Abbreviations: CTCAE Common terminology criteria for adverse events, ANC Absolute neutrophil count, G Grade, G-CSF Granulocyte colony stimulating factor, NSLC Non-small cell lung cancer, IVIG Intravenous immune globulin, ATG Anti-thymocyte globulin
Results are presented as cumulative of all cases. The median number of ICI cycles before patients presented with neutropenia was 3. All most all patients had nuetropenia ≥ G3. Median time to resolution of neutropenia wa approximaely 2 weeks. Rash seemed to be the most common associated irAE that preceeded or occurred concurrently with neutropenia. Prednisone. IVIG and filgrastim were the most common modalites used in management with variable sequence of administration. None of the patients restarted ICI after resolution of neutropenia