Urachal carcinoma: a large retrospective multicentric study from the French Genito-Urinary Tumor Group.

Introduction: Urachal cancer (UrC) is a rare, non-urothelial malignancy. Its natural history and management are poorly understood. Although localized to the bladder dome, the most common histological subtype of UrC is adenocarcinoma. UrC develops from an embryonic remnant, and is frequently diagnosed in advanced stage with poor prognosis. The treatment is not standardized, and based only on case reports and small series. This large retrospective multicentric study was conducted by the French Genito-Urinary Tumor Group to gain a better understanding of UrC. Material and Methods: data has been collected retrospectively on 97 patients treated at 22 French Cancer Centers between 1996 and 2020. Results: The median follow-up was 59 months (range 44-96). The median age at diagnosis was 53 years (range 20-86), 45% were females and 23% had tobacco exposure. For patients with localized disease (Mayo I-II, n=46) and with lymph-node invasion (Mayo III, n=13) median progression-free-survival (mPFS) was 31 months (95% CI: 20-67) and 7 months (95% CI: 6-not reached (NR)), and median overall survival (mOS) was 73 months (95% CI: 57-NR) and 22 months (95% CI: 21-NR) respectively. For 45 patients with Mayo I-III had secondary metastatic progression, and 20 patients were metastatic at diagnosis. Metastatic localization was peritoneal for 54% of patients. Most patients with localized tumor were treated with partial cystectomy, with mPFS of 20 months (95% CI: 14-49), and only 12 patients received adjuvant therapy. Metastatic patients (Mayo IV) had a mOS of 23 months (95% CI: 19-33) and 69% received a platin-fluorouracil combination treatment. Conclusion: UrC is a rare tumor of the bladder where patients are younger with a higher number of females, and a lower tobacco exposure than in standard urothelial carcinoma. For localized tumor, partial cystectomy is recommended. The mOS and mPFS were low, notably for patients with lymph node invasion. For metastatic patients the prognosis is poor and standard therapy is not well-defined. Further clinical and biological knowledge are needed.

Circulating L-arginine predicts the survival of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: The discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the systemic approach to cancer treatment. Most patients receiving ICIs, however, do not derive benefits. Therefore, it is crucial to identify reliable predictive biomarkers of response to ICIs. One important pathway in regulating immune cell reactivity is L-arginine (ARG) metabolism, essential to T-cell activation. We therefore aimed to evaluate the association between baseline plasma ARG levels and the clinical benefit of ICIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The correlation between ARG levels and clinical ICI activity was assessed by analyzing plasma samples obtained before treatment onset in two independent cohorts of patients with advanced cancer included in two institutional molecular profiling programs (BIP, NCT02534649, n = 77; PREMIS, NCT03984318, n = 296) and from patients in a phase 1 first-in-human study of budigalimab monotherapy (NCT03000257). Additionally, the correlation between ARG levels and ICI efficacy in preclinical settings was evaluated using a syngeneic mouse model of colorectal cancer responsive to ICIs. Using matched peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) plasma samples, we analyzed the correlation between ARG levels and PBMC features through multiplexed flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: In both discovery and validation cohorts, low ARG levels at baseline (<42 µM) were significantly and independently associated with a worse clinical benefit rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Moreover, at the preclinical level, the tumor rejection rate was significantly higher in mice with high baseline ARG levels than in those with low ARG levels (85.7% versus 23.8%; P = 0.004). Finally, PBMC immunophenotyping showed that low ARG levels were significantly associated with increased programmed death-ligand 1 expression in several immune cell subsets from the myeloid lineage. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that baseline ARG levels predict ICI response. Plasma ARG quantification may therefore represent an attractive biomarker to tailor novel therapeutic regimens targeting the ARG pathway in combination with ICIs.

Impact of acetaminophen on the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Acetaminophen (APAP) use has been associated with blunted vaccine immune responses. This study aimed to assess APAP impact on immunotherapy efficacy in patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Exposure to APAP was assessed by plasma analysis and was correlated with clinical outcome in three independent cohorts of patients with advanced cancer who were treated with immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs). The immunomodulatory effects of APAP were evaluated on a preclinical tumor model and on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors. RESULTS: Detectable plasma APAP levels at treatment onset were associated with a significantly worse clinical outcome in ICB-treated cancer patients, independently of other prognostic factors. APAP significantly reduced ICB efficacy in the preclinical MC38 model, as well as the production of PD-1 blockade-related interferon-γ secretion by human PBMCs. Moreover, reduction of ICB efficacy in vivo was associated with significantly increased tumor infiltration by regulatory T cells (Tregs). Administration of APAP over 24 h induced a significant expansion of peripheral Tregs in healthy individuals. In addition, interleukin-10, a crucial mediator of Treg-induced immune suppression, was significantly up-regulated upon treatment with ICB in cancer patients taking APAP. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides strong preclinical and clinical evidence of the role of APAP as a potential suppressor of antitumor immunity. Hence, APAP should be used with caution in patients treated with ICB.

Is There a Role for Percutaneous Ablation for Early Stage Lung Cancer? What Is the Evidence?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For patients with early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), thermal ablation (TA) has become in the least two decades an option of treatment used worldwide for patients with comorbidities who are not surgical candidates. Here, we review data published with different TA techniques: radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA) and cryoablation. This paper reviews also the comparison that has been made between TA and stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT). RECENT FINDINGS: A majority of retrospective studies, the absence of comparative studies, and the variety of techniques make difficult to get evident data. Nevertheless, these stand-alone techniques have demonstrated local efficacy for tumors less than 3 cm and good tolerance on fragile patients. Many recent reviews and database analyses show that outcomes after TA (mainly RFA and MWA) are comparable to SBRT in terms of survival rates. For patients who are unfit for surgery, TA has demonstrated interesting results for safety, benefits in overall survival, and acceptable local control.