Cardiovascular Toxicity and Mortality Associated With Adoptive Cell Therapy and Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes for Advanced Stage Melanoma

Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has emerged as an effective treatment option for unresectable stage III/IV metastatic melanoma. Acute toxicities, particularly cardiovascular (CV), can have a significant effect on the completion of therapy. We abstracted information on 43 patients who received ACT-TIL treatment for melanoma at the Moffitt Cancer Center between 2010 and 2016. The Student t tests and χ2 tests were used to compare patient characteristics by presence versus absence of specific CV complications. In this cohort, 32.6% developed hypotension requiring treatment with intravenous fluids and pressors, 14% atrial fibrillation, and 2.3% troponin elevations suggestive of myocardial damage. No patients developed clinical heart failure, and among the patients that underwent echocardiography, there was no significant difference in mean left ventricular ejection fraction before or after therapy (62.9% vs. 63.5%, respectively, P=0.79). There was also no statistically significant difference in survival between those with and without CV complications (overall survival=61.9%, mean: 26.0 mo and progression-free survival=45.2%, mean: 18.1 mo). CV toxicities are common in ACT-TIL protocols; however, survival does not appear to be significantly affected. Further research is needed to define mechanisms and potential prevention strategies to help clinicians manage these complications and mitigate risk.