Background: Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) is a promising treatment for synovial sarcoma (SS) with reported response rates of over 50%. However, more work is needed to obtain deeper and more durable responses. SS has a 'cold' tumor immune microenvironment with low levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression and few T-cell infiltrates, which could represent a barrier toward successful treatment with ACT. We previously demonstrated that both MHC expression and T-cell infiltration can be increased using systemic interferon gamma (IFN-γ), which could improve the efficacy of ACT for SS.
Case presentation: We launched a phase I trial incorporating four weekly doses of IFN-γ in an ACT regimen of high-dose cyclophosphamide (HD Cy), NY-ESO-1-specific T cells, and postinfusion low-dose interleukin (IL)-2. Two patients were treated. While one patient had significant tumor regression and resultant clinical benefit, the other patient suffered a fatal histiocytic myocarditis. Therefore, this cohort was terminated for safety concerns.
Conclusion: We describe a new and serious toxicity of immunotherapy from IFN-γ combined with HD Cy-based lymphodepletion and low-dose IL-2. While IFN-γ should not be used concurrently with HD Cy or with low dose IL-2, IFN-γ may still be important in sensitizing SS for ACT. Future studies should avoid using IFN-γ during the immediate period before/after cell infusion.
Trial registration numbers: NCT04177021, NCT01957709, and NCT03063632.
Keywords: CD8-positive T-lymphocytes; immunotherapy, adoptive; oncology; sarcoma.
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