Smartphone application versus written material for smoking reduction and cessation in individuals undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer: a phase II open-label randomised controlled trial.

Background: Counseling, nicotine replacement, and other cessation medications have been proven effective in smoking cessation. The wide-scale adoption of smartphones and other mobile devices has opened new possibilities for scalable and personalized smoking cessation approaches. The study investigated whether a smartphone application would be more effective than written material for smoking cessation and reduction in smoking in individuals undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer (NCT05630950). Methods: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 201 current smokers with marked smoking history (smoked ≥15 cigarettes/day for ≥25 years or smoked ≥10 cigarettes/day for ≥30 years). Participants were stratified by age and pack-years and randomized in 1:1 fashion to the developed smartphone application (experimental arm) or written material (standard of care). All the subjects underwent LDCT screening. Self-reported smoking cessation at three and six months were the primary endpoints of the study. The smoking-related secondary endpoints of the study were the percentage of individuals who had reduced the number of smoked cigarettes/d from the baseline. Findings: Between Nov 18, 2022, and Apr 14, 2023, 201 patients were screened at Oulu University Hospital, Finland, of whom all were randomly assigned to smartphone application (n = 101) or written cessation material (n = 100); 200 were included in the full analysis set. Study arms were well-balanced for all the studied demographic factors. Subjects randomized to the smartphone application arm had significantly higher rates for self-reported smoking cessation at three (19.8 versus 7.1%; OR 3.175 CI 95% 1.276-7.899) and six months (18.8 versus 7.1%; OR 2.847 CI 95% 1.137-7.128). In the experimental arm, individuals with a frequent use of the application had a higher chance for smoking cessation at three (p < 0.001) and six months (p = 0.003). Interpretation: The study showed that the developed smartphone application increases the likelihood for smoking cessation in individuals undergoing lung cancer LDCT screening. Funding: AstraZeneca, Roche, and Cancer Foundation Finland.

ALK Inhibitor and Chemotherapy Combinations in Models of ALK-Translocated NSCLC.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Randomized trials have shown the benefit of combining tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and chemotherapy in the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged (ALK+) NSCLC, prospective trial results of the combination are not available and have not even been thoroughly investigated in vitro. In this study, we investigated combinations of TKI and chemotherapy using in vitro models of ALK+ NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ALK+ cell line models H3122, H2228, and DFCI032 with differing primary resistance to ALK receptor TKIs were used. We investigated short-(viability assay) and long-term (colony-formation assay) cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell signaling in response to the combinations of agents. We selected the most commonly used agents, alectinib, cisplatin, and pemetrexed, to investigate the combination effects. RESULTS: In the combination experiments with short-term exposure, synergism between TKI and pemetrexed was observed, while cisplatin had antagonistic effects. In the long-term experiments, the combination of cisplatin and TKI was synergistic in all lines, while no synergism was observed with pemetrexed. Among the chemotherapy and TKI sequences, cisplatin followed by TKI was more cytotoxic than the opposite in two out of the three models. In the TKI-sensitive H3122 cell line, the combination of chemotherapy and TKI combination increased apoptosis. Interestingly, pemetrexed treatment resulted in the activation of ALK, which was abolished with TKI. CONCLUSION: Combining TKI and chemotherapy in ALK+ models has some synergistic effects that overcome primary TKI resistance. However, the synergy varies depending on the chemotherapeutic agent, cytotoxic assay, and the cell line used. Prospective clinical trials are warranted to fully characterize the potential of combination chemotherapy with TKIs in ALK+ NSCLC.

Mobocertinib in Patients with EGFR Exon 20 Insertion-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (MOON): An International Real-World Safety and Efficacy Analysis.

EGFR exon 20 (EGFR Ex20) insertion mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are insensitive to traditional EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Mobocertinib is the only approved TKI specifically designed to target EGFR Ex20. We performed an international, real-world safety and efficacy analysis on patients with EGFR Ex20-positive NSCLC enrolled in a mobocertinib early access program. We explored the mechanisms of resistance by analyzing postprogression biopsies, as well as cross-resistance to amivantamab. Data from 86 patients with a median age of 67 years and a median of two prior lines of treatment were analyzed. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 95% of patients. Grade ≥3 TRAEs were reported in 38% of patients and included diarrhea (22%) and rash (8%). In 17% of patients, therapy was permanently discontinued, and two patients died due to TRAEs. Women were seven times more likely to discontinue treatment than men. In the overall cohort, the objective response rate to mobocertinib was 34% (95% CI, 24-45). The response rate in treatment-naïve patients was 27% (95% CI, 8-58). The median progression-free and overall survival was 5 months (95% CI, 3.5-6.5) and 12 months (95% CI, 6.8-17.2), respectively. The intracranial response rate was limited (13%), and one-third of disease progression cases involved the brain. Mobocertinib also showed antitumor activity following EGFR Ex20-specific therapy and vice versa. Potential mechanisms of resistance to mobocertinib included amplifications in MET, PIK3CA, and NRAS. Mobocertinib demonstrated meaningful efficacy in a real-world setting but was associated with considerable gastrointestinal and cutaneous toxicity.

Gut microbiome-derived bacterial extracellular vesicles in patients with solid tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Gut microbiome-derived nanoparticles, known as bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs), have garnered interest as promising tools for studying the link between the gut microbiome and human health. The diverse composition of bEVs, including their proteins, mRNAs, metabolites, and lipids, makes them useful for investigating diseases such as cancer. However, conventional approaches for studying gut microbiome composition alone may not be accurate in deciphering host-gut microbiome communication. In clinical microbiome research, there is a gap in the knowledge on the role of bEVs in solid tumor patients. OBJECTIVES: Analyzing the functionality of bEVs using (meta)genomics and proteomics could highlight the unique aspects of host-gut microbiome interactions in solid tumor patients. Therefore, we performed a comparative analysis of the proteome and microbiota composition of gut microbiome-derived bEVs isolated from patients with solid tumors and healthy controls. METHODS: After isolating bEVs from the feces of solid tumor patients and healthy controls, we performed spectrometry analysis of their proteomes and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the 16S gene. We also investigated the gut microbiomes of feces from patients and controls using 16S sequencing and used machine learning to classify the samples into patients and controls based on their bEVs and fecal microbiomes. RESULTS: Solid tumor patients showed decreased microbiota richness and diversity in both the bEVs and feces. However, the bEV proteomes were more diverse in patients than in the controls and were enriched with proteins associated with the metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates, nucleotide binding, and oxidoreductase activity. Metadata classification of samples was more accurate using fecal bEVs (100%) compared with fecal samples (93%). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that bEVs are unique functional entities. There is a need to explore bEVs together with conventional gut microbiome analysis in functional cancer research to decipher the potential of bEVs as cancer diagnostic or therapeutic biomarkers.

Bexmarilimab-induced macrophage activation leads to treatment benefit in solid tumors: The phase I/II first-in-human MATINS trial.

Macrophage Clever-1 contributes to impaired antigen presentation and suppression of anti-tumor immunity. This first-in-human trial investigates the safety and tolerability of Clever-1 blockade with bexmarilimab in patients with treatment-refractory solid tumors and assesses preliminary anti-tumor efficacy, pharmacodynamics, and immunologic correlates. Bexmarilimab shows no dose-limiting toxicities in part I (n = 30) and no additional safety signals in part II (n = 108). Disease control (DC) rates of 25%-40% are observed in cutaneous melanoma, gastric, hepatocellular, estrogen receptor-positive breast, and biliary tract cancers. DC associates with improved survival in a landmark analysis and correlates with high pre-treatment intratumoral Clever-1 positivity and increasing on-treatment serum interferon γ (IFNγ) levels. Spatial transcriptomics profiling of DC and non-DC tumors demonstrates bexmarilimab-induced macrophage activation and stimulation of IFNγ and T cell receptor signaling selectively in DC patients. These data suggest that bexmarilimab therapy is well tolerated and show that macrophage targeting can promote immune activation and tumor control in late-stage cancer.

Treatment outcomes of non-small cell lung cancers treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a real-world cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are a standard of care treatment options in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study investigated real-world EGFR TKI use and patient outcomes in NSCLC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected all the patients who had reimbursement for EGFR TKIs in Finland 2011-2020 and had data available at Finnish Cancer Registry. Survival and time-on-treatment (ToT) were analyzed from the first EGFR TKI purchase and patients were stratified according to the TKIs. RESULTS: Whole patient cohort consisted of 1498 individuals who were treated with erlotinib (n = 998), afatinib (n = 258), or gefitinib (n = 238). In the EGFR mutant cohort (all gefitinib users and afatinib users with non-squamous histology; n = 466), survival was comparable to registrational trials while patients treated with afatinib had improved survival (HR 0.67 CI 95% 0.53-0.85) and longer ToT (13.9 vs 11.9 months, NS) compared to those treated with gefitinib. Females treated with afatinib had improved survival (HR 0.61 CI 95% 0.44-0.83) and longer ToT (15.1 vs 12.5 months, NS) compared to gefitinib while similar was not observed in males. Later line osimertinib treatment was applied for 78 patients. Approximately 20% of the individuals treated with previous gefitinib or afatinib had later line osimertinib treatment. Efficacy analysis of osimertinib treated showed similar ToT and survival regardless of the first line EGFR TKI. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR mutants treated with afatinib have improved outcomes compared to gefitinib while later-line osimertinib was applied only for around 20% of the individuals. The study further highlights the good real-world performance of EGFR TKIs and sheds light on therapy sequencing.

Increased interleukin-6/C-reactive protein levels are associated with the upregulation of the adenosine pathway and serve as potential markers of therapeutic resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Systemic immune activation, hallmarked by C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), can modulate antitumor immune responses. In this study, we evaluated the role of IL-6 and CRP in the stratification of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We also interrogated the underlying immunosuppressive mechanisms driven by the IL-6/CRP axis. METHODS: In cohort A (n=308), we estimated the association of baseline CRP with objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with NSCLC treated with ICIs alone or with chemo-immunotherapy (Chemo-ICI). Baseline tumor bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) treated with pembrolizumab (cohort B, n=59) was used to evaluate differential expression of purine metabolism, as well as correlate IL-6 expression with PFS. CODEFACS approach was applied to deconvolve cohort B to characterize the tumor microenvironment by reconstructing the cell-type-specific transcriptome from bulk expression. Using the LUAD cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) we explored the correlation between IL-6 expression and adenosine gene signatures. In a third cohort (cohort C, n=18), plasma concentrations of CRP, adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR), and IL-6 were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: In cohort A, 67.2% of patients had a baseline CRP≥10 mg/L (CRP-H). Patients with CRP-H achieved shorter OS (8.6 vs 14.8 months; p=0.006), shorter PFS (3.3 vs 6.6 months; p=0.013), and lower ORR (24.7% vs 46.3%; p=0.015). After adjusting for relevant clinical variables, CRP-H was confirmed as an independent predictor of increased risk of death (HR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.09 to 2.11) and lower probability of achieving disease response (OR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.89). In cohort B, RNA-seq analysis demonstrated higher IL-6 expression on tumor cells of non-responders, along with a shorter PFS (p<0.05) and enrichment of the purinergic pathway. Within the TCGA LUAD cohort, tumor IL-6 expression strongly correlated with the adenosine signature (R=0.65; p<2.2e-16). Plasma analysis in cohort C demonstrated that CRP-H patients had a greater median baseline level of A2aR (6.0 ng/mL vs 1.3 ng/mL; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates CRP as a readily available blood-based prognostic biomarker in ICI-treated NSCLC. Additionally, we elucidate a potential link of the CRP/IL-6 axis with the immunosuppressive adenosine signature pathway that could drive inferior outcomes to ICIs in NSCLC and also offer novel therapeutic avenues.

Role of human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 in treatment resistance of anaplastic lymphoma kinase translocated non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have revolutionized the treatment of ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and therapy resistance occurs in virtually all patients. Multiple TKI resistance mechanisms have been characterized, including ERBB receptor coactivation. In this study, we investigated the role of HER3 in ALK TKI resistance. METHODS: In vitro studies were carried out using ALK+ NSCLC cell lines H3122, H2228, and DFCI032. Pharmacological co-targeting of ALK and HER3 was investigated with ALK and ERBB TKIs, and HER3 knockdown was achieved using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Co-localization of ALK and HER3 was investigated by immunoprecipitation (IP) and proximity ligation assay (PLA) in vitro and in vivo using six ALK+ NSCLC tumor samples. RESULTS: In all tested cell lines, combined targeting with ALK and pan-ERBB TKI resulted in marked inhibition of colony formation and long-term (72 h) downregulation of pAKT levels. HER3 knockdown resulted in multiple effects on ALK+ cell lines, including the downregulation of ALK expression and visible morphological changes (H2228). Co-immunoprecipitation (IP) and proximation ligation assay (PLA) experiments provided evidence that both ALK and HER3 could interact in vitro, and this finding was verified by PLA using ALK+ NSCLC tumors. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that HER3 may mediate TKI resistance in ALK+ NSCLC. Interestingly, we were able to show that both translocated ALK and HER3 could interact. Joint targeting of ALK and HER3 could be further investigate in ALK+ NSCLC.

Targeting collagen XVIII improves the efficiency of ErbB inhibitors in breast cancer models.

The tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) critically regulates cancer progression and treatment response. Expression of the basement membrane component collagen XVIII (ColXVIII) is induced in solid tumors, but its involvement in tumorigenesis has remained elusive. We show here that ColXVIII was markedly upregulated in human breast cancer (BC) and was closely associated with a poor prognosis in high-grade BCs. We discovered a role for ColXVIII as a modulator of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (ErbB) signaling and show that it forms a complex with ErbB1 and -2 (also known as EGFR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]) and α6-integrin to promote cancer cell proliferation in a pathway involving its N-terminal portion and the MAPK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT cascades. Studies using Col18a1 mouse models crossed with the mouse mammary tumor virus-polyoma virus middle T antigen (MMTV-PyMT) mammary carcinogenesis model showed that ColXVIII promoted BC growth and metastasis in a tumor cell-autonomous manner. Moreover, the number of mammary cancer stem cells was significantly reduced in the MMTV-PyMT and human cell models upon ColXVIII inhibition. Finally, ablation of ColXVIII substantially improved the efficacy of ErbB-targeting therapies in both preclinical models. In summary, ColXVIII was found to sustain the stemness properties of BC cells and tumor progression and metastasis through ErbB signaling, suggesting that targeting ColXVIII in the tumor milieu may have important therapeutic potential.

Previous radiotherapy improves treatment responses and causes a trend toward longer time to progression among patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events.

BACKGROUND: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequently encountered by patients during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment and are associated with better treatment outcomes. The sequencing of radiotherapy (RT) and ICIs is widely used in current clinical practice, but its effect on survival has remained unclear. METHODS: In a real-world multicenter study including 521 patients who received ICI treatment for metastatic or locally advanced cancer, RT schedules and timing, irAEs, time to progression, overall survival, and treatment responses were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Patients who received previous RT and developed irAE (RT +/AE +) had the best overall response rate (ORR 44.0%). The ORR was 40.1% in the RT -/AE + group, 26.7% in the RT -/AE - group and 18.3% in the RT + /AE - group (p < 0.001). There was a significantly longer time to progression (TTP) in the RT + /AE + group compared to the RT -/AE - and RT + /AE - groups (log rank p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), but the trend toward longer TTP in the RT + /AE + group did not reach statistical significance in pairwise comparison to that in the RT -/AE + group. Preceding RT timing and intent had no statistically significant effect on TTP. In a multivariate model, ECOG = 0 and occurrence of irAEs remained independent positive prognostic factors for TTP (HR 0.737; 95% CI 0.582-0.935; p = 0.012, and HR 0.620; 95% CI 0.499-0.769; p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Better ORR and a trend toward longer TTP were demonstrated for patients with RT preceding ICI treatment and development of irAEs, which suggests that RT may boost the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy in patients with metastatic cancers.

Trends in cost of treatment of lung cancer patients in 2014-2019 in Finland - a descriptive register study.

AIM: The aim of this descriptive study is to analyze the cost for the treatment of NSCLC and SCLC patients (2014-2019) in Finland. The primary objective is to understand recent (2014-2019) cost developments. METHODS: The study is retrospective and based on hospital register data. The study population consists of NSCLC and SCLC patients diagnosed in four out of the five Finnish university hospitals. The final sample included 4047 NSCLC patients and 766 SCLC patients. RESULTS: Cost of the treatment in lung cancer is increasing. Both the average cost of the first 12 months as well as the first 24 months after diagnosis increases over time. For patients diagnosed in 2014, the average cost of the first 24 months was 19,000 €and for those diagnosed in 2015 22,000 €. The annual increase in the nominal 24-month costs was 10.4% for NSCLC and 7.3% for SCLC patients. CONCLUSION: The average cost per patient has increased annually for both NSCLC and SCLC. Possible explanations to the cost increase are increased medicine costs (especially in NSCLC), and the increased percentage of patients being actively treated.

The prognostic and predictive roles of plasma C-reactive protein and PD-L1 in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Anti-PD-(L)1 agents have revolutionized the treatment paradigms of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while predictive biomarkers are limited. It has been previously shown that systemic inflammation, indicated by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level, is associated with a poor prognosis in anti-PD-(L)1 treated. The aim of the study was to analyze the prognostic and predictive value of CRP in addition to traditional prognostic and predictive markers and tumor PD-L1 score. METHODS: We identified all NSCLC patients (n = 329) who had undergone PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) analysis at Oulu University Hospital 2015-22. CRP levels, treatment history, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy details, and survival were collected. The patients were categorized based on CRP levels (≤10 vs. >10) and PD-L1 TPS scores (<50 vs. ≥50). RESULTS: In the whole cohort (n = 329), CRP level of ≤10 mg/L was associated with improved survival in univariate (HR 0.30, Cl 95% 0.22-0.41) and multivariate analyzes (HR 0.44, CI 95% 0.28-0.68). With ICI treated (n = 70), both CRP of ≤10 and PD-L1 TPS of ≥50 were associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) in univariate (HR 0.51, CI 95% 0.27-0.96; HR 0.54, CI 95% 0.28-1.02) and multivariate (HR 0.48, CI 95% 0.26-0.90; HR 0.50, CI 95% 0.26-0.95) analyzes. The combination (PD-L1 TPS ≥50 and CRP >10) carried a high negative predictive value with a median PFS of 4.11 months (CI 95% 0.00-9.63), which was similar to patients with low PD-L1 (4.11 months, CI 95% 2.61-5.60). CONCLUSIONS: Adding plasma CRP levels to PD-L1 TPS significantly increased the predictive value of sole PD-L1. Furthermore, patients with high CRP beard little benefit from anti-PD-(L)1 therapies independent of PD-L1 score. The study highlights the combined evaluation of plasma CRP and PD-L1 TPS as a negative predictive marker for ICI therapies.

ePRO symptom follow-up of colorectal cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy is feasible and enhances the quality of patient care: a prospective multicenter study.

PURPOSE: Electronic (e) patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown to improve the quality of life and survival in chemotherapy treated advanced cancer patients. We hypothesized that multidimensional ePRO centered approach could improve symptom management, streamline patient flow, and optimize the use of healthcare resources. METHODS: In this multicenter trial (NCT04081558), colorectal cancer (CRC) patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy as adjuvant or in the first- or second-line setting in advanced disease were included in the prospective ePRO cohort, while a comparative retrospective cohort was collected from the same institutes. The investigated tool consisted of a weekly e-symptom questionnaire integrated to an urgency algorithm and laboratory value interface, which generated semi-automated decision support for chemotherapy cycle prescription and individualized symptom management. RESULTS: Recruitment to the ePRO cohort occurred 1/2019-1/2021 (n = 43). The comparator group (n = 194) consisted of patients treated in the same institutes 1-7/2017. The analysis was limited to adjuvant treated (n = 36 and n = 35). The feasibility of the ePRO follow-up was good with 98% reporting easy usage and 86% improved care, while health care personnel valued the easy use and logical workflow. In the ePRO cohort, 42% needed a phone call before planned chemotherapy cycles, while this was 100% in the retrospective cohort (p = 1.4e-8). Peripheral sensory neuropathy was detected significantly earlier with ePRO followed (p = 1e-5) but did not translate to earlier dose reduction, delays, or unplanned therapy termination compared to the retrospective cohort. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the investigated approach is feasible and streamlines workflow. Earlier symptom detection may improve the quality in cancer care.

Assessment of chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity using a point-of-care nerve conduction study device.

BACKGROUND: Management for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) includes prompt recognition and dose reduction or discontinuation of the neurotoxic agents. CIPN remains under-detected in routine clinical practice and better methods for its early detection are warranted. AIMS: To evaluate the feasibility of a point-of-care device in the early detection of CIPN. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cancer patients (n = 12) scheduled to receive neurotoxic chemotherapy docetaxel, oxaliplatin (OX), or vincristine were recruited for the pilot study (NCT04778878). The patients were assessed with a point-of-care nerve conduction study device (Mediracer® NCS), EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 and NPSI questionnaires, and healthcare professional-assessed CTCAE-based grading at baseline and thereafter every 6-weeks up to 18 weeks or until chemotherapy discontinuation. The set-up of point-of-care device was easy but it only provide successful NCS measurement results in 55% of the patients. The factors related to failed measurement were older age, more frequent comorbidities, and a history of smoking. With the follow-up measurements, decreasing median nerve mean conduction velocity and amplitude, and increasing median nerve mean distal latency were detected on OX-patients. Of the used questionnaires, NPSI was found to be non-feasible with majority of the patients failing to complete the questionnaire while CIPN20 was feasible on all the subjects. CIPN20 score did not show any changes in the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Point-of-care assessment for NCS was feasible but measurements frequently failed especially on patients with pre-existing high-risk for neuropathy. OX-treated showed decreasing NCS results while other measures were unable to access the change. The system should be further validated with a larger patient cohort preferably treated with OX and low-risk for pre-existing neuropathy.

Circulating tumor DNA is a prognostic biomarker in metastatic melanoma patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy and BRAF inhibitor.

BACKGROUND: Detectable circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been associated with worse prognosis in melanoma patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied plasma ctDNA as a prognostic biomarker in 19 patients with metastatic melanoma and a detectable tumor mutation (13 BRAF, 5 NRAS, and 1 KRAS). Patients had received chemotherapy, interferon-alpha, and vemurafenib in a prospective clinical trial. Mutant allele frequency (MAF %) was determined with droplet digital PCR from pretreatment and sequential plasma samples. RESULTS: Higher pretreatment plasma ctDNA levels (MAF ≥3%) and detectable plasma ctDNA levels (MAF >0%) at the time of radiologically confirmed best objective response were associated with poor prognosis even when accounting for other relevant prognostic factors including performance status, tumor mutation, metastasis stage, and lactate dehydrogenase levels in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: Higher pretreatment plasma ctDNA levels and sustained detectable plasma ctDNA levels during treatment indicated poor prognosis in metastatic melanoma patients.

Osimertinib in non-small cell lung cancer with uncommon EGFR-mutations: a post-hoc subgroup analysis with pooled data from two phase II clinical trials.

Background: Osimertinib is standard of care for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The efficacy of the drug in patients with mutations other than the common deletion in exon 19 and L858R in exon 21 is largely unknown. Methods: We identified patients with uncommon EGFR-mutations from two prospective clinical phase II, single-arm studies for previously treated patients and untreated patients, respectively, and pooled data for this analysis. All patients received treatment with osimertinib 80 mg daily until radiological progression or death. The primary endpoint of both trials was objective response rate (ORR), with progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and intracranial efficacy as key secondary endpoints. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) was analysed before and two weeks after treatment initiation in the first line cohort. Results: Of 299 enrolled patients in the two trials, 21 patients with uncommon mutations were identified; 12 patients had a single mutation (G719X or L861Q), one patient had L861Q and an exon 20 insertion, and 8 patients had compound mutations with G719X and either L861Q or S768I. Three of the 10 pretreated patients had the T790M resistance mutation. ORR was 47.6% and disease control rate (DCR) 85.7%. The median duration of response (DoR) was 7.9 months. Among 11 patients treated with osimertinib in first line, ORR was 63.6% vs. 30.0% of 10 previously treated patients. The median PFS was 5.5 months in both groups. Patients with G719X-compound mutations had a higher response rate (62.5% vs. 38.5%), a longer median PFS (13.7 vs. 3.5 months) and median OS (29.3 vs. 7.5 months) than patients with other mutations. Most first line treated patients (81.8%) displayed a reduction in ctDNA after two weeks of treatment. Conclusions: Osimertinib demonstrates activity in patients with uncommon EGFR-mutations, and especially for G719X-compound mutations.

Association of Rare Immune-Related Adverse Events to Survival in Advanced Cancer Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Real-World Single-Center Cohort Study.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with immune-related (ir) adverse events (AEs) resembling autoimmune diseases. In this retrospective cohort study of patients (pts) treated with ICIs at Oulu University Hospital from 2014-2020, we analysed the spectrum of severe irAEs and their prognostic nature, focusing on rare irAEs. Pts (n = 173) with lung cancer (n = 76, 43.9%), melanoma (n = 56, 32.4%), renal and bladder cancers (n = 34, 19.7%), head and neck cancers (n = 4, 2.3%), SCC (n = 2, 1.2%), and CRC (n = 1, 0.6%) receiving single anti-PD-(L)1 (n = 160) or combination (ICI-ICI n = 9, ICI-chemotherapy n = 4) therapy were included. The survival analysis focused on single anti-PD-(L)1-treated patients with melanoma, lung cancer, and renal and bladder cancers (n = 142). Grade ≥ 3 irAEs of multiple aetiology occurred in 29 patients treated with single-PD-L1 therapy (20.4%), which was associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 0.50, CI 0.31-0.78) but not overall survival (OS) (HR 0.88, CI 0.52-1.50). Rare grade ≥ 3 events occurred in 10 (7.0%) pts with no association with PFS (HR 0.90, CI 0.42-1.94). Hence, the presence of rare grade ≥ 3 irAEs was associated with a tendency for inferior OS (HR 1.44, CI 0.66-3.11). Pts with rare grade ≥ 3 irAEs had inferior OS, possibly reflecting the delay in diagnostic workflow and the treatment of irAEs. One explanation for the high incidence of irAEs could be the Finnish population-based genetic variation affecting the immune system.

Trends in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Finland 2014-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality in the Western world. However, emerging treatment options and more patients directed to active treatments might improve the outcomes. Here, we retrospectively studied the patient characteristics and treatment practices for NSCLC in Finland 2014-2019 with a special focus on changes in trends over time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The cohort consisted of patients diagnosed with NSCLC in Finland 2014-2018. Cancer treatments for the patients were followed until the end of 2019. The data, both structured and unstructured, were collected from electronic medical records of four university hospitals in Finland. RESULTS: Of the study population (n = 4047), 65% had adenocarcinoma and 29% squamous cell carcinoma. The share of patients who had not received any active treatment (except palliative radiotherapy) decreased from 32% to 18% between 2014-18. The percentage of patients receiving surgery increased slightly from 22.7% to 24% and for patients receiving chemotherapy or immuno-oncological (IO) treatments from 29% to 41.2% and from 0.8% to 8%, respectively between, 2014-18. However, the time of treatment for patients receiving systemic cancer treatments did not change during the same time period. DISCUSSION: The current study suggests a trend in NSCLC towards more active treatment approaches in 2014-18.