Targeted Therapy in Mesotheliomas: Uphill All the Way.

Mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive and lethal disease with few therapeutic opportunities. Platinum-pemetrexed chemotherapy is the backbone of first-line treatment for MM. The introduction of immunotherapy (IO) has been the only novelty of the last decades, allowing an increase in survival compared to standard chemotherapy (CT). However, IO is not approved for epithelioid histology in many countries. Therefore, therapy for relapsed MM remains an unmet clinical need, and the prognosis of MM remains poor, with an average survival of only 18 months. Increasing evidence reveals MM complexity and heterogeneity, of which histological classification fails to explain. Thus, scientific focus on possibly new molecular markers or cellular targets is increasing, together with the search for target therapies directed towards them. The molecular landscape of MM is characterized by inactivating tumor suppressor alterations, the most common of which is found in CDKN2A, BAP1, MTAP, and NF2. In addition, cellular targets such as mesothelin or metabolic enzymes such as ASS1 could be potentially amenable to specific therapies. This review examines the major targets and relative attempts of therapeutic approaches to provide an overview of the potential prospects for treating this rare neoplasm.

Case report: First evidence of impressive efficacy of modulated dose selpercatinib in a young Caucasian with ANK3-RET fusion-positive NSCLC.

Over the past decade, molecular characterization has led to change the management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring driver mutations. Rearranged during transfection (RET) gene fusions, occurring in 1% to 2% of NSCLC, have emerged as an oncogenic druggable target. Systemic targeted therapies with highly selective RET inhibitors (RETi), selpercatinib and pralsetinib, represent a recent clinical breakthrough. While the development of RETi has improved survival, with their increasing use, it is crucial to be aware of the risks of rare but serious adverse events (AEs). A particular challenge for clinicians in applying targeted therapies is not only diagnosing but also interpreting rare mutations. Herein, we report a case of a 43-year-old Caucasian advanced NSCLC patient diagnosed with a rare RET gene fusion, ANK3::RET, identified with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Selpercatinib has been initiated at the recommended initial dose after one incomplete chemotherapy cycle due to a severe infusion reaction, but it subsequently required a dose adjustment following grade 3 (G3) AEs. During treatment, we used a particular selpercatinib dosage (160 mg in the morning and 80 mg in the evening) with good tolerance and without compromising effectiveness. Our finding broadens the range of RET fusion types in not-Asian NSCLC. To the best of our knowledge, our case demonstrates, for the first time, a clinical and radiological response to frontline highly selective RETi selpercatinib, expanding the spectrum of potential oncogenic RET fusion partners in newly diagnosed NSCLC patients. Furthermore, to our knowledge, this is the first case describing a RET fusion-positive (RET+) NSCLC patient treated with a modified selpercatinib dosage outside the drug data sheet and demonstrating a safe and effective use.

Liquid Biopsy in NSCLC: An Investigation with Multiple Clinical Implications.

Tissue biopsy is essential for NSCLC diagnosis and treatment management. Over the past decades, liquid biopsy has proven to be a powerful tool in clinical oncology, isolating tumor-derived entities from the blood. Liquid biopsy permits several advantages over tissue biopsy: it is non-invasive, and it should provide a better view of tumor heterogeneity, gene alterations, and clonal evolution. Consequentially, liquid biopsy has gained attention as a cancer biomarker tool, with growing clinical applications in NSCLC. In the era of precision medicine based on molecular typing, non-invasive genotyping methods became increasingly important due to the great number of oncogene drivers and the small tissue specimen often available. In our work, we comprehensively reviewed established and emerging applications of liquid biopsy in NSCLC. We made an excursus on laboratory analysis methods and the applications of liquid biopsy either in early or metastatic NSCLC disease settings. We deeply reviewed current data and future perspectives regarding screening, minimal residual disease, micrometastasis detection, and their implication in adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy management. Moreover, we reviewed liquid biopsy diagnostic utility in the absence of tissue biopsy and its role in monitoring treatment response and emerging resistance in metastatic NSCLC treated with target therapy and immuno-therapy.

Therapeutical Options in ROS1-Rearranged Advanced Non Small Cell Lung Cancer.

ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) rearrangements occur in 0.9-2.6% of patients with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), conferring sensitivity to treatment with specific tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKI). Crizotinib, a first-generation TKI, was the first target-therapy approved for the first-line treatment of ROS1-positive NSCLC. Recently, entrectinib, a multitarget inhibitor with an anti-ROS1 activity 40 times more potent than crizotinib and better activity on the central nervous system (CNS), received approval for treatment-naive patients. After a median time-to-progression of 5.5-20 months, resistance mechanisms can occur, leading to tumor progression. Therefore, newer generation TKI with greater potency and brain penetration have been developed and are currently under investigation. This review summarizes the current knowledge on clinicopathological characteristics of ROS1-positive NSCLC and its therapeutic options.

Acquired Resistance to Osimertinib in EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: How Do We Overcome It?

Osimertinib is currently the preferred first-line therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and the standard second-line therapy in T790M-positive patients in progression to previous EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Osimertinib is a highly effective treatment that shows a high response rate and long-lasting disease control. However, a resistance to the treatment inevitably develops among patients. Understanding the secondary mechanisms of resistance and the possible therapeutic options available is crucial to define the best management of patients in progression to osimertinib. We provide a comprehensive review of the emerging molecular resistance mechanism in EGFR-mutated NSCLC pre-treated with osimertinib and its future treatment applications.

Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Current Evidence and Ongoing Trials.

The scenario of neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is rapidly evolving. As already happened for the advanced disease, also early stages have entered the era of precision medicine, with molecular analysis and Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) evaluation that by now can be considered a routine assessment. New treatment options have been recently approved, with osimertinib now part of clinical practice for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor mutated (EGFRm) patients, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) available after FDA approval both in the adjuvant (atezolizumab) and neoadjuvant (nivolumab) setting. No mature data on overall survival benefits are available yet, though. Several clinical trials with specific-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and ICIs are currently ongoing, both with and without concomitant chemotherapy. As therapeutic strategies are rapidly expanding, quite a few questions remain unsettled, such as the optimal duration of adjuvant targeted therapy or the effective benefit of ICIs in early-stage EGFRm or ALK (Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase) rearranged patients, or the possibility to individuate high-risk patients after surgical resection assessing minimal residual disease (MRD) by ctDNA evaluation. We hereby report already available literature data and summarize ongoing trials with targeted therapy and immunotherapy in early-stage NSCLC, focusing on practice-changing results and new perspectives for potentially cured patients.

The Change in Paradigm for NSCLC Patients with EML4-ALK Translocation.

The severe prognosis linked with a lung cancer diagnosis has changed with the discovery of oncogenic molecularly driven subgroups and the use of tailored treatment. ALK-translocated advanced lung cancer is the most interesting model, having achieved the longest overall survival. Here, we report the most important paradigmatic shifts in the prognosis and treatment for this subgroup population occurred among lung cancer.

Brain Metastases Management in Oncogene-Addicted Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Targeted Therapies Era.

The therapeutic landscape in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer harboring oncogenic biomarkers has radically changed with the development of targeted therapies. Although lung cancers are known to frequently metastasize to the brain, oncogene-driven non-small-cell lung cancer patients show a higher incidence of both brain metastases at baseline and a further risk of central nervous system progression/relapse. Recently, a new generation of targeted agents, highly active in the central nervous system, has improved the control of intracranial disease. The intracranial activity of these drugs poses a crucial issue in determining the optimal management sequence in oncogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases, with a potential change of paradigm from primary brain irradiation to central nervous system penetrating targeted inhibitors.

NSCLC as the Paradigm of Precision Medicine at Its Finest: The Rise of New Druggable Molecular Targets for Advanced Disease.

Standard treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) historically consisted of systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy until the early 2000s, when precision medicine led to a revolutionary change in the therapeutic scenario. The identification of oncogenic driver mutations in EGFR, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements identified a subset of patients who largely benefit from targeted agents. However, since the proportion of patients with druggable alterations represents a minority, the discovery of new potential driver mutations is still an urgent clinical need. We provide a comprehensive review of the emerging molecular targets in NSCLC and their applications in the advanced setting.

Bone Metastasis and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Microenvironment and Possible Clinical Implications.

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop bone metastasis (BoM) in more than 50% of cases during the course of the disease. This metastatic site can lead to the development of skeletal related events (SREs), such as severe pain, pathological fractures, spinal compression, and hypercalcemia, which reduce the patient's quality of life. Recently, the treatment of advanced NSCLC has radically changed due to the advent of immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) alone or in combination with chemotherapy have become the main therapeutic strategy for advanced or metastatic NSCLC without driver gene mutations. Since survival has increased, it has become even more important to treat bone metastasis to prevent SRE. We know that the presence of bone metastasis is a negative prognostic factor. The lower efficacy of immunotherapy treatments in BoM+ patients could be induced by the presence of a particular immunosuppressive tumor and bone microenvironment. This article reviews the most important pre-clinical and clinical scientific evidence on the reasons for this lower sensitivity to immunotherapy and the need to combine bone target therapies (BTT) with immunotherapy to improve patient outcome.

Acquired EGFR C797G Mutation Detected by Liquid Biopsy as Resistance Mechanism After Treatment With Osimertinib: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Osimertinib is a third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of T790M-positive non-small-cell lung cancer. More recently, osimertinib demonstrated improved disease control compared to other EGFR-TKIs. Multiple mechanisms of resistance have been described in T790M-positive patients who experienced treatment failure with osimertinib. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 78-year-old non-smoker woman with stage IV EGFR L858R-positive lung adenocarcinoma presented with T790M mutation after five years of treatment with gefitinib. The patient was started on osimertinib, but after two and a half years of treatment experienced disease progression. The analyses of circulating tumor DNA using next-generation sequencing showed, together with the pre-existing T790M and exon 21 L858R, the presence of the EGFR C797G resistance mutation. CONCLUSION: Our case report revealed a rare EGFR-dependent acquired resistance mutation to osimertinib in circulating tumor DNA. Liquid biopsy appears to be a promising resource to understand the biology of osimertinib resistance by clonal evolution monitoring and the identification of novel resistance mechanisms.

Chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients after prior immunotherapy: The multicenter retrospective CLARITY study.

OBJECTIVES: In the most of cases, for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who progressed to previous immune checkpoint inhibitors (CKI) administered as first- or as second-line therapy, chemotherapy (CT) remains the only viable options in the absence of "druggable" mutations. We aimed to explore the efficacy of salvage chemotherapy after immunotherapy (SCAI) in advanced NSCLC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective, multicenter study, involving 20 Italian centers, with the primary objective of describing the clinical outcome of advanced NSCLC patients treated with SCAI at the participating institutions from November 2013 to July 2019. The primary endpoint of the study was represented by overall survival (OS), defined as the time from CT initiation to death. Secondary outcome endpoints of the SCAI (progression free survival, PFS, objective response rate, ORR and toxicity) and explorative biomarkers (lactate dehydrogenase, LDH, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, NLR during immunotherapy) were also analyzed. RESULTS: In our study population of 342 NSCLC patients, SCAI obtained a median OS of 6.8 months (95 % confidence interval, CI 5.5-8.1), median PFS of 4.1 months (95 % CI 3.4-4.8) and ORR of 22.8 %. A "Post-CKI score" was constructed by combining significant predictors of OS at the multivariate analyses (sex, ECOG PS, disease control with prior immunotherapy), Harrell'C was 0.65, (95 % CI:0.59-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the late-line settings, our findings support the hypothesis that previous immunotherapy might increase the sensitivity of the tumor to the subsequent chemotherapy. The "Post-CKI score" was clinically effective in successfully discriminating three distinct prognostic subgroups of patients after the failure of CKI, representing a possibly useful tool for the tailored decision-making process of advanced treatment-line settings in NSCLC.

First-line pembrolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with poor performance status.

BACKGROUND: Pembrolizumab is the first-line standard of care for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a PD-L1 tumour proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50%. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) 2 patients may receive pembrolizumab, despite the absence of sustaining evidence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: GOIRC-2018-01 is a multicentre, retrospective, observational study. PS 2 NSCLC patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥50% receiving first-line pembrolizumab from June 2017 to December 2018 at 21 Italian institutions were included. Clinical-pathological characteristics were correlated with disease response and survival outcomes; adverse events were recorded. The primary objective was 6-months progression-free rate (6-months PFR). RESULTS: One hundred fifty-three patients (median age 70 years) were enrolled. At a median follow-up of 18.2 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.6-2.5) and 3.0 months (95% CI 2.4-3.5), respectively. 6-months PFR was 27% (95% CI 21-35%). Patients with a PS 2 determined by comorbidities (n = 41) had significantly better outcomes compared with disease burden-induced PS 2 (n = 112). Indeed, 6-months PFR was 49% versus 19%, median PFS 5.6 versus 1.8 months and OS 11.8 versus 2.8 months, respectively. Additional potential prognostic factors (radiotherapy, antibiotics, steroids received before pembrolizumab) correlated with clinical outcomes. The determinant of PS 2 resulted the only factor independently impacting on both PFS and OS. No toxicity issues emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of PS 2 NSCLC patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50% receiving first-line pembrolizumab were globally dismal but strongly dependent on the reason conditioning the poor PS itself.

Can Work Engagement Be a Resource for Reducing Workaholism's Undesirable Outcomes? A Multiple Mediating Model Including Moderated Mediation Analysis.

This study aimed to explore a possible process explaining the relationship between workaholism and sleep disorders, including two mediators: work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, since a possible buffering role of work engagement was recently proposed against the detrimental effects of workaholism, the aim was to examine the moderating role of work engagement in the relationship between workaholism and several outcomes such as work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and sleep disorders. Two models were tested using conditional process analysis for testing direct and indirect effects on a sample of 395 employees: (1) a serial multiple mediation model, and (2) the same serial multiple mediation model including the moderating role of work engagement. Results showed a significant mediating effect of both work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, work engagement moderated the relationship between workaholism and work-family conflict and the relationship between workaholism and emotional exhaustion. This work contributes to the understanding of the process underlying the relationship between workaholism and sleep disorders and to the literature reporting the possible protective role of work engagement on the negative outcomes of workaholism. Practical implications are also discussed.

Prognostic evaluation in palliative care: final results from a prospective cohort study.

Prognostic characterization in the initial assessment of patients with advanced cancer disease is an essential step to plan the most appropriate therapeutic program. Since clinical prediction of survival (CPS) may be of limited value, some authors have tried to integrate specific prognostic factors into prognostic multidimensional scores. We carried out a prospective cohort study in two palliative care units to compare the accuracy of the Palliative Prognostic (PaP) Score, the Objective Prognostic Score (OPS), and the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI). In addition, we compared the accuracy of the CPS independently estimated by different healthcare professionals and we tested the role of laboratory results, together with clinical and social factors in predicting survival. Clinical and laboratory data of 334 advanced cancer patients were prospectively collected from the time of in-hospital admission. PaP Score was the most accurate index of survival prediction, followed by PPI; CPS estimates' accuracy was similar among physicians and nurse. All healthcare professionals tended to underestimate the real survival. Integrating CPS with multidimensional indexes may further improve the patient's management. The degree of autonomy and the number of metastatic sites were independent prognostic factors for 30-days mortality and overall survival in multivariate analysis.

Therapeutic decision based on molecular detection of resistance mechanism in an ALK-rearranged lung cancer patient: a case report.

Background: The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of ALK is the therapy of choice for ALK-fusion patients. Unfortunately, all patients under this kind of treatment eventually develop acquired resistance through several well-known mechanisms, such as acquisition of a secondary mutation within the kinase domain, activation of a bypass signaling pathway, or a histological change like small-cell lung cancer transformation. At the time of progression, a tissue re-biopsy may give important molecular and morphological information regarding the mechanisms driving resistance to ALK TKIs. However, this procedure is not always feasible and it may not reflect the tumor heterogeneity, and therefore gives incomplete information. To overcome these drawbacks, the analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) isolated from plasma, the so-called liquid biopsy, is emerging as a noninvasive and useful tool for detecting resistance mutations. Secondary resistance mutations are common in second-generation TKIs resistant patients and among these, Gly1202Arg (p.G1202R) emerged as the most frequent mutation. Case presentation: We have treated an ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma patient with a sequential strategy of ALK TKIs. Patient follow-up was performed combining clinical, radiological, and molecular profiling. ctDNA was isolated from plasma and by means of ultra-deep next generation sequencing; we searched for secondary ALK resistance mutations on exons 21-25. ALK mutation Gly1202Arg (G1202R) was detected. We have documented consistency between plasma levels of G1202R mutation and radiological progression or improvement. Conclusion: Liquid biopsy appears to be a promising tool to anticipate progression and to drive the therapeutic strategy based upon ALK resistance mutations.

Defining a prognostic score based on O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase cut-off methylation level determined by pyrosequencing in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

PURPOSE: Epigenetic variations in the O6-methylguanine-methyltransferase gene had been widely associated with a favorable impact on survival in patients affected by glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Aim of this study is to explore a scoring system based on the gene promoter methylation in order to predict patients' prognosis. METHODS: A series of 128 patients with GBM was retrospectively analyzed. A training set and a validations set were then generated. The methylation level of CpGi from 74 to 83 was determined by pyrosequencing. In accordance to previous literature, each island was assigned with 1 point if the corresponding methylation level was higher than 9%. The sum consisted in a score that went from 0 (all CpGi < 9%) to 10 (all CpGi ≥ 9%). A threshold capable to detect a favorable outcome (overall survival, OS > 24 months) was identified by ROC analysis. RESULTS: Median OS and follow-up were 14 and 32.6 months respectively. Among the total population, 35% of the pts had a score of 0, while 29% had a score of 10. A score ≥ 6 was associated with a favorable prognosis also when corrected for age (> 70 vs. ≤ 70 years) and ECOG performance status (0-1 vs. 2-3). Similar results were observed also in terms of PFS. Results were consistent in the training and in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS: The present manuscript explored a novel scoring system capable to take into consideration the methylation status of each single CpGi, capable to better predict prognosis in GBM patients.

Use and perception of complementary and alternative medicine among cancer patients: the CAMEO-PRO study : Complementary and alternative medicine in oncology.

BACKGROUND: It is estimated that about half of cancer patients use at least one form of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in their life but there is a strong reticence of patients in talking about CAM with their oncologist. Primary aim of this study was to inform patients about CAM, focusing on their supposed benefits, toxicities and interactions with conventional therapeutic agents. The study also explored patients' perception about CAM and ascertained the level of CAM use among cancer patients of an Italian academic hospital. METHODS: From April 2016 to April 2017, the observational pilot trial "CAMEO-PRO" prospectively enrolled 239 cancer patients that were invited to attend a tutorial about CAM at the Department of oncology, University Hospital of Udine, Italy. Before and after the informative session, patients were asked to fill a questionnaire reporting their knowledge and opinion about CAM. RESULTS: Overall, 163 (70%) women and 70 (30%) men were enrolled. Median age was 61 years. At study entry, 168 (72%) patients declared they had never been interested in this topic previously; 24 patients (11%) revealed the use of a type of alternative therapy and 58 (28%) revealed the use of complementary therapy. In total, 139 (55.2%) patients attended the informative session. Bowker's test of symmetry demonstrated statistically significant opinion's change after the session on 9 out of 14 explored items. CONCLUSIONS: Informative sessions seem to have a relevant impact on patients' perceptions and opinions about CAM.