Infliximab and Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy in Treating Patients With Steroid-Refractory Pneumonitis

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To assess pneumonitis response to additional immunosuppression (infliximab or intravenous immunoglobulin therapy [IVIG]) in patients with steroid-refractory pneumonitis at 28-days.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess functional parameters of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

II. To assess radiologic parameters of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

III. To assess patient-reported outcomes of steroid-refractory pneumonitis at day 1, 14-days and 28-days after day 1 of receipt of additional immunosuppression (infliximab or IVIG).

IV. To assess death after additional immunosuppression. V. To assess the rate of infections in the 28-day period after additional immunosuppression.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To examine lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and serial blood samples in patients who develop steroid-refractory pneumonitis.

II. To examine associations between BAL phenotypes and pneumonitis response, functional and radiologic parameters of pneumonitis.

III. To evaluate associations between pneumonitis and autoantibodies, T-cell expansion, and baseline cytokines in the blood.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM A: Patients receive infliximab intravenously (IV) on day 1 followed by prednisone taper IV or orally (PO) for 4-6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients may receive an additional dose of infliximab IV on day 14 at the discretion of the treating physician.

ARM B: Patients receive intravenous immunoglobulin therapy IV over 2-5 days per institutional guidelines followed by prednisone taper IV or PO for 4-6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 28, 42 and 56 days.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients must be English-speaking and be able to provide informed consent
• Patient must be willing and able to undergo arterial blood gas assessment as per the treating investigator. Patient must not have contraindication for arterial blood gas assessment
• Women must not be pregnant or breast-feeding due to the potential risk to the fetus of infliximab or IVIG. All females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine test within 14 days prior to randomization to rule out pregnancy. A female of childbearing potential is any woman, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets the following criteria: 1) has achieved menarche at some point, 2) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 3) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months).
• Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must be strongly advised to use an accepted and effective method(s) of contraception or to abstain from sexual intercourse for a minimum of 56 days (the duration of their participation in the study)
• Patient must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-3
• Patient may have received any number of lines of prior systemic therapy
• Patient may have any solid tumor or hematologic malignancy is eligible
• Patient must have received treatment with an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agent either alone or in combination with another anti-cancer agent, as their most recent therapy prior to development of pneumonitis
• Patient must have steroid-refractory pneumonitis defined as:

• Grade 2 pneumonitis that has not clinically improved by a Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade in greater than 72 hours or maximum of 14 days or
• Grade 3 or higher pneumonitis that has not clinically improved by a CTCAE grade in greater than 48 hours or maximum of 14 days with high dose corticosteroids (methylprednisolone or prednisone 1-4 mg/kg/equivalent) as their most recent treatment for pneumonitis, as determined by the treating investigator
• Patient may have received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy as standard-of-care or part of a clinical trial
• Patient must have had pathogen-negative infectious diagnostic evaluation within 14 days prior to randomization, and at a minimum these should include: blood culture, urine culture, sputum culture, and viral panel: rapid flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes simplex virus (HSV). Empiric antibiotics for culture negative infections are not an exclusion for study entry
• Patient must have had a pathogen-negative bronchoscopic assessment of BAL fluid within 14 days prior to randomization. A minimum assessment for pathogens on BAL must include: gram stain, fungal panel, viral panel
• Patient must have a negative tuberculosis assessment (TB spot test, quantiferon gold or tuberculin skin test) within 14 days prior to randomization
• Patient must have chest computed tomography (CT) scan without contrast performed =< 14 days before randomization. Patient must not have a contraindication for CT

Exclusion criteria

• Patient must not have clinical evidence of cardiac dysfunction (as determined by the treating investigator) as an alternative diagnosis to steroid-refractory pneumonitis
• Patient must not be receiving anti-PD-1/-PD-L1 agent in combination with any of the following anti-cancer agents: docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, gefitinib, erlotinib, osimertinib, crizotinib, bleomycin, afatinib
• Patient must not be receiving concurrent radiation therapy to the chest
• Patient must not be deemed to have radiation pneumonitis. Patients with a history of stable radiation pneumonitis not requiring corticosteroid therapy within the last 3 months prior to randomization will be allowed on study
• Patient must not have pre-existing interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis requiring corticosteroid therapy from any other cause, as determined by the treating investigator
• Patient must not have an absolute contraindication to IVIG or infliximab, including: clinical history of severe hypersensitivity reaction, selective IgA deficiency, active hepatitis B, active tuberculosis, active human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) where a study subject has a CD4 count of =< 200 at screening, or drug interaction