Histologic patterns of liver injury induced by anti-PD-1 therapy

Background: Nivolumab and pembrolizumab-two monoclonal antibodies that block human programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-have been successfully used to treat patients with multiple advanced malignancies. The histologic patterns of hepatic toxicity induced by anti-PD-1 treatment have not been well studied and the aim of this study was to explore them.

Methods: Eight patients with advanced malignancies who were treated with either nivolumab or pembrolizumab were identified from five institutions. These patients had no history of underlying liver disease and a viral hepatitis panel was negative in all patients.

Results: Seven of eight patients exhibited mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice after anti-PD-1 treatment. Significant elevations in liver-chemistry tests were detected in all patients. Six cases (6/8) demonstrated an acute lobular hepatitis pattern of histologic injury. The remaining two cases showed different histologic patterns of injury: steatohepatitis with mild cholestasis (1/8) and pure acute cholestatic injury (1/8). No case showed typical features of autoimmune hepatitis. The liver function recovered in all eight cases after cessation of anti-PD-1 agents and with immunosuppressive therapy.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that screening patients for abnormal liver-function tests prior to anti-PD-1 therapy as well as periodic monitoring of liver-function tests are necessary to prevent severe liver injury. Rather than causing classical autoimmune hepatitis, PD-1 inhibitors appear to produce an immune-mediated nonspecific acute hepatitis. Drug cessation, without steroid therapy, may therefore be sufficient in some patients.