The learning curve of lateral access lumbar interbody fusion in an Asian population: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: Lateral access lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) is a minimally invasive technique that has an increasing popularity. It offers unique advantages and circumvents risk of certain serious complications encountered in other conventional spinal approaches. This study provides a statistical analysis defining the lateral access learning curve in the Asian population. METHODS: This prospective study included 32 consecutive patients who underwent LLIF from April 2012 to August 2014. The surgeries were performed by two senior spine surgeons and follow-up was conducted at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 9 months and 1 year post-operation. RESULTS: The breakpoint in operating time occurred at the 22nd level operated, from a mean of 71 min in the early phase group to a mean of 42 min in the steady state group. LLIF at L4/5 level is technically more demanding but technically feasible as competency is achieved. CONCLUSIONS: During the learning process, there was no compromise of perioperative or clinical outcomes. It should be feasibly incorporated into a spine surgeon's repertoire of procedures for the lumbar spine.

Phase II trial of HER-Vaxx, a B cell peptide-based vaccine, in HER2-overexpressing advanced gastric cancer patients under platinum-based chemotherapy (HERIZON).

PURPOSE: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, Phase II study (HERIZON; NCT02795988) was conducted to evaluate the clinical and immunological efficacy of HER-Vaxx (IMU-131), a B-cell, peptide-based vaccine targeting HER2 overexpressed in 6%-30% of gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (GEAs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (n=36) with GEA were treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy (n=17) or HER-Vaxx plus chemotherapy (n=19), using the recommended Phase 2 dose for the vaccine. Overall survival (OS; primary endpoint), safety, progression-free survival (PFS), and clinical response (secondary endpoints), and vaccine-induced HER2-specific antibody levels in serum and correlation with tumor response rates (exploratory endpoints) were investigated. RESULTS: A 40% OS benefit (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.60; median OS: 13.9 months; 80% CI:7.52-14.32) for patients treated with HER-Vaxx plus chemotherapy compared with OS of 8.31 months (80% CI:6.01-9.59) in patients that received chemotherapy-alone. Along with this, a 20% PFS difference was obtained for the vaccination arm (HR: 0.80; 80% CI:0.47, 1.38). No additional toxicity due to HER-Vaxx was observed. The vaccine induced high levels of HER2-specific total IgG and IgG1 antibodies (P<0.001 vs. controls), that significantly correlated with tumor reduction (IgG, P=0.001; IgG1, P=0.016), had a significant capacity in inhibiting phosphorylation of the intracellular HER2-signalling pathways, mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and decreased immunosuppressive FOXP3+ Tregs. CONCLUSIONS: HER-Vaxx plus standard chemotherapy exhibits an excellent safety profile and improves OS. Furthermore, vaccine-induced immune response was significantly associated with reduced tumor size compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy. The presented vaccination approach may substitute for treatment with trastuzumab, upon unavailability or toxicity, based on further evidence of equivalent treatment efficacy.

CF33-hNIS-anti-PD-L1 oncolytic virus followed by trastuzumab-deruxtecan in a patient with metastatic triple negative breast cancer: a case study.

Prognosis of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) remains poor despite recent advances in therapeutic options. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has shown promising efficacy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer, which is defined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) 1+ or 2+ and lack of HER2 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and initial evidence of efficacy of intratumoral administration of CF33-hNIS-anti-PD-L1 (CHECKvacc) against mTNBC. Oncolytic virus CHECKvacc intratumoral injection is currently undergoing investigation in patients with mTNBC as a single agent (NCT05081492). The patient was enrolled on the clinical trial CHECKvacc for the Treatment of Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer, received a single dose of CHECKvacc, and discontinued the study due to lack of immediate response. We report a case of a patient with mTNBC who was heavily pretreated and presented with extensive dermal metastasis. Two dermal metastasis biopsies in 2021 showed HER2 0 by IHC. The patient received a single dose of CHECKvacc and discontinued the study due to lack of immediate response. Twenty-five days later, the patient received treatment with T-DXd, and her tumor regressed significantly. The patient's disease-free survival was 10 months (December 2021-October 2022). The sequential treatment with intratumoral injection of CHECKvacc followed by T-DXd may have significant clinical activity in select patients with heavily pretreated mTNBC. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05081492.

Clinical and Immunologic Responses to a B-Cell Epitope Vaccine in Patients with HER2/neu-Overexpressing Advanced Gastric Cancer-Results from Phase Ib Trial IMU.ACS.001.

PURPOSE: HER2/neu is overexpressed in up to 30% of gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (GEA) and linked to poor prognosis. Recombinant mAbs to treat HER2/neu-overexpressing cancers are effective with limitations, including resistance and toxicity. Therefore, we developed a therapeutic B-cell epitope vaccine (IMU-131/HER-Vaxx) consisting of three fused B-cell epitopes from the HER2/neu extracellular domain coupled to CRM197 and adjuvanted with Montanide. This phase Ib study aimed to evaluate the optimal/safe dose leading to immunogenicity and clinical responses (https//clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02795988). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 14 patients with HER2/neu-overexpressing GEA were enrolled, and dose escalation (10, 30, 50 µg) was performed in three cohorts (C). Immunogenicity was evaluated by HER2-specific Abs and cellular responses, clinical responses by CT scans according to RECIST version 1.1. RESULTS: IMU-131 was safe without vaccine-related significant local/systemic reactions or serious adverse events. A total of 11 of 14 patients were evaluable for changes in tumor size and vaccine-specific immune responses. One patient showed complete, 5 partial responses, and 4 stable diseases as their best response. HER2-specific IgG levels were dose dependent. In contrast to patients in C1 and C2, all patients in C3 mounted substantial HER2-specific Ab levels. In addition, cellular vaccine responses, such as Th1-biased cytokine ratios and reduced regulatory T cell numbers, were generated. Progression-free survival was prolonged in C3, correlating with the vaccine-specific humoral and cellular responses. CONCLUSIONS: IMU-131 was well tolerated and safe. The induced HER2-specific Abs and cellular responses were dose dependent and correlated with clinical responses. The highest dose (50 µg) was recommended for further evaluation in a phase II trial, with chemotherapy + IMU-131 or chemotherapy alone, which is currently ongoing.