Purpose: Optimal dosing is critical for immunocytokine-based cancer immunotherapy to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity. Cergutuzumab amunaleukin (CEA-IL2v) is a novel CEA-targeted immunocytokine. We set out to develop a mathematical model to predict intratumoral CEA-IL2v concentrations following various systemic dosing intensities.

Experimental Design: Sequential measurements of CEA-IL2v plasma concentrations in 74 patients with solid tumors were applied in a series of differential equations to devise a model that also incorporates the peripheral concentrations of IL2 receptor–positive cell populations (i.e., CD8⁺, CD4⁺, NK, and B cells), which affect tumor bioavailability of CEA-IL2v. Imaging data from a subset of 14 patients were subsequently utilized to additionally predict antibody uptake in tumor tissues.

Results: We created a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic mathematical model that incorporates the expansion of IL2R-positive target cells at multiple dose levels and different schedules of CEA-IL2v. Model-based prediction of drug levels correlated with the concentration of IL2R-positive cells in the peripheral blood of patients. The pharmacokinetic model was further refined and extended by adding a model of antibody uptake, which is based on drug dose and the biological properties of the tumor. In silico predictions of our model correlated with imaging data and demonstrated that a dose-dense schedule comprising escalating doses and shortened intervals of drug administration can improve intratumoral drug uptake and overcome consumption of CEA-IL2v by the expanding population of IL2R-positive cells.

Conclusions: The model presented here allows simulation of individualized treatment plans for optimal dosing and scheduling of immunocytokines for anticancer immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 24(14); 3325–33. ©2018 AACR.

See related commentary by Ruiz-Cerdá et al., p. 3236