PD-L1 expression guidance on sintilimab versus pembrolizumab with or without platinum-doublet chemotherapy in untreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (CTONG1901): A phase 2, randomized, controlled trial.

No direct comparison has been performed between different programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors for first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The feasibility of using PD-L1-expression-guided immunotherapy remains unknown. In this open-label, phase 2 study (NCT04252365), patients with advanced NSCLC without EGFR or ALK alterations were randomized (1:1) to receive sintilimab or pembrolizumab monotherapy (PD-L1 expression ≥ 50%), or sintilimab or pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (PD-L1 expression < 50%). The sample size was calculated by optimal two-stage design. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). The study included 71 patients (sintilimab arms, n = 35; pembrolizumab arms, n = 36) and met its primary endpoint, with a confirmed ORR of 51.4% (18/35) in the sintilimab arms. The confirmed ORR (95% confidence interval) was 46.2% (19.2%, 74.9%) and 42.9% (17.7%, 71.1%) for patients treated with sintilimab and pembrolizumab monotherapy; and 54.5% (32.2%, 75.6%) and 45.4% (24.4%, 67.8%) for those treated with sintilimab- and pembrolizumab-based combination therapies. The median progression-free survival was 6.9 versus 8.1 months for all sintilimab-treated versus all pembrolizumab-treated patients, respectively, in which it was 7.6 versus 11.0 months in monotherapy and 7.4 versus 7.1 months in combination therapies. The median overall survival was 14.9 versus 21.3 months for all sintilimab-treated versus all pembrolizumab-treated patients, respectively, in which it was 14.9 versus 22.6 months in monotherapy and 14.7 versus 17.3 months in combination therapies. Treatment-related adverse events were consistent with safety outcomes of monotherapy and combination therapy in previous phase III studies. However, the incidence of rash was higher with sintilimab than pembrolizumab monotherapy. This is the first prospective phase 2 study to directly compare two anti-PD-1 antibodies as first-line treatment in advanced NSCLC. Sintilimab was efficacious and well-tolerated irrespective of PD-L1 expression level in patients with advanced NSCLC and had similar efficacy and safety to pembrolizumab.

Neoadjuvant nivolumab with or without platinum-doublet chemotherapy based on PD-L1 expression in resectable NSCLC (CTONG1804): a multicenter open-label phase II study.

This prospective multicenter phase II study evaluated the clinical efficacy of neoadjuvant nivolumab-exclusive (N) and nivolumab-chemotherapy (N/C) combinations based on PD-L1 expression. Eligible patients exhibited resectable clinical stage IIA-IIIB (AJCC 8th edition) NSCLC without EGFR/ALK alterations. Patients received either mono-nivolumab (N) or nivolumab + nab-paclitaxel+ carboplatin (N/C) for three cycles based on PD-L1 expression. The primary endpoint was the major pathological response (MPR). Key secondary endpoints included the pathologic complete response (pCR), objective response rate (ORR), and event-free survival (EFS). Baseline PD-L1 expression and perioperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) status were correlated with pCR and EFS. Fifty-two patients were enrolled, with 46 undergoing surgeries. The MPR was 50.0% (26/52), with 25.0% (13/52) achieving pCR, and 16.7% and 66.7% for patients with PD-L1 ≥ 50% in N and N/C groups, respectively. Thirteen (25.0%) patients experienced grade 3 or higher immune-related adverse events during neoadjuvant treatment. Patients with post-neoadjuvant ctDNA negativity was more likely to have pCR (39.1%) compared with those remained positive (6.7%, odds ratio = 6.14, 95% CI 0.84-Inf, p = 0.077). With a median follow-up of 25.1 months, the 18-month EFS rate was 64.8% (95% CI 51.9-81.0%). For patients with ctDNA- vs. ctDNA + , the 18m-EFS rate was 93.8% vs 47.3% (HR, 0.15; 95% CI 0.04, 0.94; p = 0.005). Immunochemotherapy may serve as an optimal neoadjuvant treatment even for patients with PD-L1 expression ≥ 50%. ctDNA negativity following neoadjuvant treatment and surgery could help identify superior pathological and survival benefits, which requires further confirmation in a prospective clinical trial (NCT04015778).

Dynamic circulating tumor DNA during chemoradiotherapy predicts clinical outcomes for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

The value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) remains unclear but is critical for detecting molecular residual disease (MRD). In this prospective study, we sequenced 761 blood samples from 139 patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiation therapy (RT). ctDNA concentrations showed a significantly declining trend as CRT progressed at on-RT and after-RT time points versus baseline. Thirty-eight (27.3%) patients with early undetectable ctDNA at both on-RT (RT reached 40 Gy) and after-RT time points, indicating early response to CRT, had better survival outcomes for both with or without consolidation immune checkpoint inhibitors. Longitudinal undetectable MRD was found in 20.1% patients. The 2-year cancer-specific progression-free survival of these patients was 88.4%, corresponding to a potentially cured population. Further analysis revealed that pretreatment ctDNA variants serve as an essential MRD informed source. These data provide clinical insights for ctDNA-MRD detection.

Efficacy, safety and dose selection of AZD3759 in patients with untreated EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer and central nervous system metastases in China (CTONG1702-Arm 8): a multi-center, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) metastases is inevitable for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). AZD3759 is a novel EGFR-TKI with impressive CNS penetration. Methods: We initiated a phase 2, multi-center, umbrella trial (CTONG1702, NCT03574402). The eighth arm assessed the efficacy and safety of AZD3759 in untreated EGFR-mutated NSCLC with CNS metastases. The primary objective was the objective response rate (ORR). Simon's minimax two-stage design was used to calculate the sample size. Dose optimal selection was performed using 200- and 300-mg bid cohorts. Findings: Between Oct 18, 2018 and Sep 14, 2020, 30 patients received AZD3759 at 200 mg (n = 15) or 300 mg (n = 15) bid. At data cutoff (Dec 31, 2022), median follow-up was 35.4 months. The primary endpoint was reached, with a confirmed ORR of 70% (21/30) (200 mg, 80%; 300 mg, 60%). The median progression-free survival was 12.9 months (200 mg, 15.8 months; 300 mg, 10.7 months). Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 73% (22/30) of the patients (200 mg: 60%; 300 mg: 87%). 59% (10/17) of the patients developed a T790M mutation at disease progression. The median overall survival was 33.7 months, and 34.1 months and 25.3 months in patient treated with or without osimertinib in a later-line setting, respectively. Interpretation: AZD3759 showed promising efficacy and tolerable safety as a first-line therapy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC with CNS metastases. The 200-mg bid cohort had better clinical outcomes. Sequential use of AZD3759 and third-generation EGFR-TKIs represents a new option. Funding: Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group (CTONG).

First-line pyrotinib in advanced HER2-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer: a patient-centric phase 2 trial.

To explore targeted treatment options in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with rare genetic mutations in the context of a patient-centric clinical trial, we initiated, in parallel, a phase 2 adaptive umbrella trial consisting of a criteria-fulfilled (CF) cohort and a compassionate use (CU) cohort under expanded eligibility criteria, and a prospective real-world study (RWS). Here, we present efficacy and safety data from 48 patients with treatment-naive, advanced HER2-mutant NSCLC treated with the pan-HER receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor pyrotinib (CF and CU cohorts) or physician's therapy of choice (RWS cohort). In the phase 2 trial CF cohort (n = 28), the primary endpoint was reached with an objective response rate of 35.7% after pyrotinib treatment. Secondary endpoints included disease control rate (89.3%), median progression-free survival (PFS) (7.3 months), median overall survival (OS) (14.3 months) and toxicity, which was acceptable, with grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurring in three patients (10.7%). The phase 2 trial CU cohort (n = 12) showed an objective response rate of 16.7%, disease control rate of 83.4%, median PFS of 4.7 months and median OS of 14.2 months after pyrotinib treatment. The RWS cohort (n = 8) had no responses to physician's therapy of choice, while median PFS and OS were 3.0 and 12.2 months, respectively. Phase 2 umbrella trial, clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03574402 . RWS, clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03605602 .

Circulating tumor cells dynamics during chemotherapy predict survival and response in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are prognostic biomarker in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). CTCs could also be used as predictor of efficacy of systemic treatments in advanced NSCLC. Objectives: We described the dynamic changes of CTCs during first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC and clarified the correlation between CTC counts and efficacy of chemotherapy. Design: Chemotherapy is administered and blood specimens are collected at four time points from baseline to disease progression for CTC detection. Methods: This multicenter prospective study enrolled patients with previously untreated stage III or IV NSCLC fit for standard platinum-based chemotherapy. Bloods were sampled as per standard operating procedures at baseline, cycle 1 and cycle 4 of chemotherapy, and at disease progression for CTC analysis using the CellSearch system. Results: Among 150 patients enrolled, median overall survival (OS) was 13.8, 8.4, and 7.9 months in patients with CTC-, KIT-CTC, and KIT+CTC at baseline (p = 0.002). Patients with persistent negative CTC (46.0%) had longer progression-free survival [5.7 months, 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.0-6.5 versus 3.0 months, 0.6-5.4; hazard ratio (HR): 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18-0.67) and OS (13.1 months, 10.9-15.3 versus 5.6 months, 4.1-7.1; HR: 0.17, 0.08-0.36) compared with patients with persistent positive CTC (10.7%), which was not impacted by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy decreased CTC from 36.0% (54/150) to 13.7% (13/95). Conclusions: CTC persistent presence during treatment represents poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. Chemotherapy could effectively eliminate CTCs. Molecular characterization and the functionalization of CTC will be warranted for further intensive investigation. Trial registration: NCT01740804.

PD-1/PD-L1 combined with LAG3 is associated with clinical activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PLELC) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related, rare subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) show durable responses in advanced NSCLC. However, their effects and predictive biomarkers in PLELC remain poorly understood. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 48 metastatic PLELC patients treated with ICI. Pretreated paraffin-embedded specimens (n = 19) were stained for PD-1, PD-L1, LAG3, TIM3, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD68, FOXP3, and cytokeratin (CK) by multiple immunohistochemistry (mIHC). Next-generation sequencing was performed for 33 PLELC samples. Among patients treated with ICI monotherapy (n = 30), the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), and overall survival (mOS) were 13.3%, 80.0%, 7.7 months, and 24.9 months, respectively. Patients with PD-L1 ≥1% showed a longer PFS (8.4 vs. 2.1 months, p = 0.015) relative to those with PD-L1 <1%. Among patients treated with ICI combination therapy (n = 18), ORR, DCR, mPFS, and mOS were 27.8%, 100.0%, 10.1 months, and 19.7 months, respectively. Patients with PD-L1 ≥1% showed a significantly superior OS than those with PD-L1 <1% (NA versus 11.7 months, p = 0.001). Among the 19 mIHC patients, those with high PD-1/PD-L1 and LAG3 expression showed a longer PFS (19.0 vs. 3.9 months, p = 0.003). ICI also showed promising efficacy for treating metastatic PLELC. PD-L1 may be both predictive of ICI treatment efficacy and prognostic for survival in PLELC. PD-1/PD-L1 combined with LAG3 may serve as a predictor of ICI treatment effectiveness in PLELC. Larger and prospective trials are warranted to validate both ICI activity and predictive biomarkers in PLELC. This study was partly presented as a poster at the IASLC 20th World Conference on Lung Cancer 2019, 7-10 September 2019, Barcelona, Spain.

Genetic Profiling of Cell-Free DNA From Pleural Effusion in Advanced Lung Cancer as a Surrogate for Tumor Tissue and Revealed Additional Clinical Actionable Targets.

BACKGROUND: Pleural effusion (PE) has been one of the promising sources of liquid biopsy in advanced lung cancer patients. However, its clinical utility is not widely accepted due to the lack of full estimation of its potential versus routine clinical samples. METHOD: A total of 164 advanced lung cancer patients were enrolled with 164 matched tumor tissue and PE-cfDNA, 153 accompanied plasma and 63 1PE-sDNA. RESULT: PE-cfDNA displayed significantly higher median mutant allele frequency and an overall mutation concordance rate of 65% to tissue, which was higher than PE-sDNA (43%) and plasma-cfDNA (43%). The discrepancies between PE-cfDNA and tumor tissue were high in several genes, including SMARCA4, PIK3CA, ERBB2, KM T2A, ALK and NF1. For clinically actionable mutations, the concordance rate between PE-cfDNA and tumor tissue is 87%. Eleven patients were identified with actionable mutations in PE-cfDNA and four patients benefited from PE-cfDNA-guided targeted. Meanwhile, PE-cfDNA recapitulated mutations of diverse tissue origins and provided more mutational information under the circumstance that tumor tissue or tumor tissue of different origins were unavailable. The combination of tumor tissue and PE-cfDNA profiling increased positive detection rates of patients compared to tumor tissue alone. Our finding highlighted the importance of PE-cfDNA in the optimal selection of patients for targeted therapy. CONCLUSION: The PE-cfDNA-based liquid biopsy displays better performance in the characterization of gene alterations than PE-sDNA and plasma-cfDNA. PE-cfDNA together with tumor tissue profiling optimizes comprehensively genomic profiling of lung cancer patients, which might be important for selecting patients for better treatment management.

Human Hyaluronidase PH20 Potentiates the Antitumor Activities of Mesothelin-Specific CAR-T Cells Against Gastric Cancer.

T cell infiltration into tumors is essential for successful immunotherapy against solid tumors. Herein, we found that the expression of hyaluronic acid synthases (HAS) was negatively correlated with patient survival in multiple types of solid tumors including gastric cancer. HA impeded in vitro anti-tumor activities of anti-mesothelin (MSLN) chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) against gastric cancer cells by restricting CAR-T cell mobility in vitro. We then constructed a secreted form of the human hyaluronidase PH20 (termed sPH20-IgG2) by replacing the PH20 signal peptide with a tPA signal peptide and attached with IgG2 Fc fragments. We found that overexpression of sPH20-IgG2 promoted CAR-T cell transmigration through an HA-containing matrix but did not affect the cytotoxicity or cytokine secretion of the CAR-T cells. In BGC823 and MKN28 gastric cancer cell xenografts, sPH20-IgG2 promoted anti-mesothelin CAR-T cell infiltration into tumors. Furthermore, mice infused with sPH20-IgG2 overexpressing anti-MSLN CAR-T cells had smaller tumors than mice injected with anti-MSLN CAR-T cells. Thus, we demonstrated that sPH20-IgG2 can enhance the antitumor activity of CAR-T cells against solid tumors by promoting CAR-T cell infiltration.

Predictive and Prognostic Potential of TP53 in Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated With EGFR-TKI: Analysis of a Phase III Randomized Clinical Trial (CTONG 0901).

BACKGROUND: Mutations in TP53 are commonly found in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we determined the predictive and prognostic potential of different subtypes of TP53 using data from a phase III randomized trial (CTONG 0901). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The trial enrolled 195 patients who had undergone next-generation sequencing of 168 genes before treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Mutations in TP53 (exon 4 or 7, other mutations, and wild-type) were analyzed based on the therapeutic response and survival. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the potential of the predictive and prognostic factors. RESULTS: All 195 patients harbored activating EGFR mutations: the most common concomitant mutations were TP53 (134/195, 68.7%), CTNNB1 (20/195, 10.3%), and RB1 (16/195, 8.2%). The genetic profiles between patient subgroups administered first-line (132, 67.7%) or later-line (63, 32.3%) treatments did not significantly differ. The median progression-free survival in patients with mutations in exon 4 or 7 of TP53, other TP53 mutations, and wild-type TP53 were 9.4, 11.0, and 14.5 months (P = .009), respectively. Overall survival times were 15.8, 20.0, and 26.1 months (P = .004), respectively. Mutations in exon 4 or 7 of TP53 served as independent prognostic factors for progression-free (P = .001) and overall survival (P = .004) in patients. CONCLUSION: Mutations in exon 4 and/or 7 in TP53 are promising predictive and prognostic indicators in EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

A randomised phase II clinical trial of nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin compared with gemcitabine and carboplatin as first-line therapy in advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma (C-TONG1002).

BACKGROUND: Nab-paclitaxel/carboplatin (nab-PC) and gemcitabine/carboplatin (GC) are the standard first-line chemotherapy in non-small cell lung carcinoma. Up to now, there is no head to head trial to compare nab-PC with GC in advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicentre randomised phase II trial was performed to compare the efficacy and safety for nab-PC with GC in previously untreated patients with advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma. The primary end-point was objective response rate (ORR). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), treatment-related adverse events and quality of life (QoL) were also analysed. RESULTS: Totally 127 participants were eligible for this study (62/65 nab-PC/GC). Nab-PC has higher ORR than GC without statistical significance (42% versus 27%, P > 0.05). After a median follow-up of 14.5 months, both PFS and OS had no difference between the two arms (6.7 versus 5.8 months, hazard ratio [HR] 0.75, P = 0.143; 11.6 versus 14.4 months, HR 0.92, P = 0.846). Both regimens were well tolerated; however, more dose reduction occurred after cycle 2 in GC (27%) than in nab-PC (12%) (P < 0.05). Significant QoL improvement measured by trial outcome index was seen in nab-PC than in GC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The first-line nab-PC and GC had the same response, PFS, and OS in patients with advanced squamous cell lung carcinoma. Nab-PCM has advantage over GC in QoL improvement. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01236716.

Heterogeneous responses and resistant mechanisms to crizotinib in ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been proven effective for treating ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although patients present with variable responses and disease progression courses. The detailed underlying molecular mechanisms require further investigation to yield a better prognosis. METHODS: Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) mutation profiling was performed on samples from 42 NSCLC patients confirmed positive for ALK rearrangements by fluorescence in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry who experienced disease progression after crizotinib treatment. RESULTS: ALK rearrangements were not confirmed in six patients (14%) with other potential oncogenic drivers identified by NGS, who therefore did not respond to crizotinib and had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) compared to NGS ALK -positive patients. Fifteen ALK activating mutations were detected in 8 out of 26 post-treatment samples (31%), among which ALK L1196M and G1269A were the most common acquired mutations detected in half of the patients with ALK activating mutations. Dynamic monitoring of the genetic evolution in one patient revealed both spatial and temporal heterogeneity of resistant mechanisms during different ALK-TKI treatment courses. Activation of ALK downstream or bypass pathways was detected in patients without ALK activating mutations, such as genetic alterations in PIK3CA, MET, and KRAS. Interestingly, we identified two patients with acquired mutations in the DNA mismatch repair gene POLE, which resulted in a dramatically increased tumor mutation burden, and might contribute to the poor response to crizotinib. CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneous resistant mechanisms have been identified and correlate to diverse responses to crizotinib. Comprehensive and dynamic mutation profiling is required to better predict clinical outcomes.

A comprehensive review of uncommon EGFR mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are a heterogeneous group exhibiting differential responses to EGFR inhibitors. This retrospective study reviews the prevalence of uncommon EGFR mutations in a Chinese NSCLC cohort and the clinical characteristics and efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) associated with these patients. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS: A total of 5363 lung cancer patients were screened and underwent EGFR genotyping at the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute. Of those with uncommon EGFR mutations, the clinical characteristics and responses to EGFR-TKIs were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Uncommon EGFR mutations were observed in 218 patients, comprising 11.9% of all patients with documented EGFR mutations. More smokers (30.7% vs. 24.3%, P=0.039) and males (54.1% vs. 44.4%, P=0.007) were among the patients with uncommon mutations compared with common mutations. The most frequent uncommon mutations were exon 20 insertions (30.7%, n=67), followed by G719X mutations (21.1%, n=46) and compound L858R mutations (17.0%, n=37). Favorable efficacy was observed in patients harboring compound L858R or G719X mutations, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 15.2 (95% CI: 8.7-21.7) or 11.6 (95% CI: 3.6-19.6) months, respectively. The median PFS of those with the T790M mutation or an exon 20 insertion was 1.0 (95% CI: 0.0-2.2) and 3.0 (95% CI: 1.3-4.7) months, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study reviewed the prevalence of uncommon EGFR mutations and their sensitivity to EGFR-TKIs. Favorable responses were observed in patients with G719X and compound L858R mutations, indicating that they may benefit from EGFR-TKIs as a first-line therapy.

Detection of Driver and Resistance Mutations in Leptomeningeal Metastases of NSCLC by Next-Generation Sequencing of Cerebrospinal Fluid Circulating Tumor Cells.

Purpose: Leptomeningeal metastases are more common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations. The diagnosis is difficult by traditional imaging only, and leads to poor understanding of resistance mechanisms of leptomeningeal metastases.Experimental Design: We compared the CellSearch Assay, the Thinprep cytologic test (TCT), and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 21 NSCLC patients with suspected leptomeningeal metastases. Next-generation sequencing that included 416 cancer-associated genes was also performed on cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor cells (CSFCTC) of 19 patients.Results: Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with leptomeningeal metastases, and CSFCTCs were captured by CellSearch in 20 patients (median, 969 CSFCTCs/7.5 mL; range, 27-14,888). CellSearch had a sensitivity of 95.2% for leptomeningeal metastases diagnosis, which was higher than that of TCT (12/21, 57.1%), MRI (10/21, 47.6%), and MRI plus TCT (19/21, 90.5%), respectively. CTCs were found only in 5 of 14 patients (median, 2 CTCs/7.5 mL; range, 2-4), which was a much lower ratio than CSFCTCs. Genetic profiles of CSFCTCs were highly concordant with molecular mutations identified in the primary tumor (17/19, 89.5%). The resistance gene EGFR T790M was detected in 7 of 9 patients with extracranial lesions, but was detected in only 1 of 14 CSFCTC samples. Other potential resistant mutations, such as MET amplification and ERBB2 mutation, were also identified in CSFCTCs.Conclusions: CSFCTCs captured by CellSearch may be a more sensitive and effective way to diagnose leptomeningeal metastases, and may serve as a liquid biopsy medium for gene profiles in NSCLC patients with leptomeningeal metastases. Clin Cancer Res; 23(18); 5480-8. ©2017 AACR.

Acquired MET Y1248H and D1246N Mutations Mediate Resistance to MET Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose:MET amplification, responsible for 20% of acquired resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), presents an attractive target. Numerous studies have conferred susceptibility of MET mutations and focal amplification to targeted MET-TKIs. However, the mechanism underlying MET-TKIs-induced resistance remains elusive.Experimental Design: We conducted a cohort of 12 patients with advanced NSCLC who developed resistance to a combinatorial therapy consisting of gefitinib and a type I MET-TKI. We performed capture-based targeted ultra-deep sequencing on serial tumor biopsies and plasmas ctDNA samples to detect and quantify genetic alterations.Results: We identified 2 newly acquired MET mutations, Y1248H and D1246N, in 2 patients and further confirmed their resistance against type I MET-TKIs in silco, in vitro, and in vivo Interestingly, NIH3T3 cells harboring either mutation exhibited responses to type II MET-TKIs, suggesting sequential use of MET-TKIs may offer a more durable response. In addition, we also discovered that EGFR amplification may act as an alternative MET-TKI resistance mechanism.Conclusions: Our study provides insight into the diversity of mechanisms underlying MET-TKI-induced resistance and highlights the potential of sequential use of MET-TKIs. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4929-37. ©2017 AACR.

Clinical outcomes of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with EGFR mutation, ALK rearrangement and EGFR/ALK co-alterations.

The co-occurrence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements constitutes a rare molecular subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Herein, we assessed the clinical outcomes and incidence of acquired resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in this subtype. So we enrolled 118 advanced NSCLC treated with TKIs. EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements were detected by DNA sequencing or Scorpion amplification refractory mutation system and fluorescence in situ hybridization respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the activation of associated proteins. We found that nine in ten patients with EGFR/ALK co-alterations had good response with first-line EGFR TKI, and the objective response rate (ORR) of EGFR TKIs was 80% (8/10) for EGFR/ALK co-altered and 65.5% (55/84) for EGFR-mutant (P = 0.57), with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 11.2 and 13.2 months, (hazard ratio [HR]=0.95, 95% [CI], 0.49-1.84, P= 0.87). ORR of crizotinib was 40% (2/5) for EGFR/ALK co-altered and 73.9% (17/23) for ALK-rearranged (P= 0.29), with a median PFS of 1.9 and 6.9 months (hazard ratio [HR], 0.40; 95% [CI] 0.15-1.10, P = 0.08). The median overall survival (OS) was 21.3, 23.7, and 18.5 months in EGFR-mutant, ALK-rearranged, and EGFR/ALK co-altered (P= 0.06), and there existed a statistically significant difference in OS between ALK-rearranged and EGFR/ALK co-altered (P=0.03). Taken together, the first-line EGFR-TKI might be the reasonable care for advanced NSCLC harbouring EGFR/ALK co-alterations, whether or nor to use sequential crizotinib should be guided by the status of ALK rearrangement and the relative level of phospho-EGFR and phospho-ALK.

Accidental invisible intrathoracic disseminated pT4-M1a: a distinct lung cancer with favorable prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: In the 7(th) edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumors, the prognosis for pT4-M1a stage IV lung cancer is better than for stage pIIIB. Subgroups of lung cancer patients who underwent incomplete resection (R1/R2) have a favorable prognosis. This study compares the prognosis between cases of invisible local residual disease and intrathoracic disseminated pT4-M1aIV. METHODS: Patient characteristics and histological and molecular profiles were retrospectively collected for lung cancer patients who underwent resection intended to be curative but were accidentally incomplete. All patients were divided into either a local residual group or an intrathoracic disseminated pT4M1a group. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. RESULTS: In total, 1,483 consecutive lung cancer patients receiving thoracotomies at Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty-eight patients receiving incomplete resections (R1/R2) were enrolled, including 38 patients with local residual cancer (2.6% of all patients) and 20 patients with disseminated pM1a (1.3%). Patient characteristics, and histological and molecular profiles of the two groups were different. Compared to the local residual group, the disseminated pT4-M1a group contained more females (P=0.002), more patients younger than 60 years of age (P=0.028), more non-smokers (P=0.037), more adenocarcinomas (20/20 vs. 20/38, P<0.001), more adenocarcinomas with lepidic pattern (11/20 vs. 4/38, P<0.001), higher carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels (P=0.06), higher epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation rates (16/20 vs. 7/38, P<0.001), a higher R2/R1 resection ratio (P=0.013), a higher advanced stage IV/IIIB ratio (P<0.001), but fewer lymph node metastases (P=0.013). Median PFS for the local residual and disseminated pT4-M1a groups was 9.0 and 18.0 months, respectively [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.285-16.715; P =0.099]. Median OS was 15.0 and 45.0 months, respectively (95% CI, 18.972-39.028; P=0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed that group (local residual vs. disseminated pT4-M1a) was the only independent prognostic factor (P=0.044) for OS. CONCLUSIONS: Accidental invisible intrathoracic disseminated pT4-M1a may be a distinct lung cancer subtype with a favorable prognosis. The prolonged PFS and OS might reflect the natural history of this distinct subtype, together with a favorable response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI). For asymptomatic and slow-growing accidental pT4-M1a disease, the role of a wait-and-see strategy and the appropriate timing of systemic treatment require further investigation.

Venous thromboembolism risk factors in Chinese non-small cell lung cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Certain clinicopathological factors contribute to the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in lung cancer. The aim of the current study was to assess the incidence of and the potential risk factors associated with the development of VTE in Chinese lung cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with lung cancer in our center were screened for VTE from January 2004 to July 2013. One VTE case was matched with two controls according to gender, pathology, clinical stage, and anticancer therapy. RESULTS: Among the 4,726 patient records screened, 61 (1.3 %) VTE cases with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were identified, including 58 (95.1 %) with adenocarcinoma and 59 (96.7 %) with advanced stage tumors (IIIb and IV). Serous effusion (OR 2.089, 95 % CI 1.022-4.270, P = 0.043), fever (OR 8.999, 95 % CI 1.688-47.968, P = 0.010), increased leukocytes (OR 4.136, 95 % CI 1.957-8.738, P < 0.001), hyponatremia (< 130 mmol/L, OR 5.335, 95 % CI 1.366-20.833, P = 0.016), and increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (OR 3.879, 95 % CI 1.514-9.936, P = 0.005) were associated with an increased risk of VTE. Patients with poor performance status (PS) (≥ 2 vs. < 1) (HR 1.574, 95 % CI 1.112-2.228, P = 0.010) and serous effusion (HR 1.571, 95% CI 1.114-2.215, P = 0.010) tended to have a poor prognosis. There was no difference in overall survival between VTE (median 15.2 months, 95 % CI 11.6-18.9) and control patients (median 16.3 months, 95 % CI 14.1-18.4, P = 0.184; HR 1.273, 95 % CI 0.890-1.820, P = 0.185). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical characteristics such as serous effusion, fever, increased leukocytes, hyponatremia, and increased ALT are potential risk factors for VTE in NSCLC. Poor PS and serous effusion imply poor prognosis for NSCLC patients, most of which have adenocarcinomas and advanced stage.

Responses to crizotinib in a patient with c-ros oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase-positive advanced lung adenocarcinoma: A case report.

Rearrangements to the c-ros oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1) gene are reported in 1-2% of lung adenocarcinomas. These rearrangements are associated with a response to the small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib. ROS1 rearrangements can be detected using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which is considered the gold standard technique in detecting ROS1 rearrangements, and determining whether a patient would respond well to crizotinib treatment. However, FISH is an expensive and time-consuming assay, requiring specialized microscopy equipment and some level of technical expertise. The present report describes the case of a patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, who was identified to be negative for ROS-1 rearrangements by FISH, but positive by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The health of the patient improved following treatment with crizotinib. These results indicate that IHC assay could be an alternative option for the detection of ROS1 gene rearrangements.

Lung cancers with concomitant EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements: diverse responses to EGFR-TKI and crizotinib in relation to diverse receptors phosphorylation.

PURPOSE: We investigated the incidence of concomitant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and assessed responses to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) and crizotinib in such tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We screened 977 consecutive patients with NSCLC for the presence of concomitant EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements by rapid amplification of cDNA ends-coupled PCR sequencing and FISH. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting were used to correlate the activation of EGFR, ALK, and downstream proteins with responses to EGFR-TKIs and crizotinib. RESULTS: The overall frequency of concomitant EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements was 1.3% (13/977). EGFR/ALK co-alterations were found in 3.9% (13/336) EGFR-mutant and 18.6% (13/70) ALK-rearranged patients. Ten tumors were treated with first-line EGFR-TKIs, with a response rate of 80% (8/10). Two tumors with high phospho-ALK levels and low phospho-EGFR levels achieved stable and progressive disease, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 11.2 months. Coexpression of mutant EGFR and ALK fusion proteins in the same tumor cell populations was detected by IHC. Two cases with high phospho-ALK levels treated with crizotinib achieved partial responses; two cases with low phospho-ALK levels had progressive or stable disease. CONCLUSION: ALK rearrangements and EGFR mutations could coexist in a small subgroup of NSCLC. Advanced pulmonary adenocarcinomas with such co-alterations could have diverse responses to EGFR-TKIs and crizotinib. Relative phospho-ALK and phospho-EGFR levels could predict the efficacy of EGFR-TKI and crizotinib.