Sorafenib inhibits the imatinib-resistant KITT670I gatekeeper mutation in gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

PURPOSE: Resistance is commonly acquired in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor who are treated with imatinib mesylate, often due to the development of secondary mutations in the KIT kinase domain. We sought to investigate the efficacy of second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as sorafenib, dasatinib, and nilotinib, against the commonly observed imatinib-resistant KIT mutations (KIT(V654A), KIT(T670I), KIT(D820Y), and KIT(N822K)) expressed in the Ba/F3 cellular system. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In vitro drug screening of stable Ba/F3 KIT mutants recapitulating the genotype of imatinib-resistant patients harboring primary and secondary KIT mutations was investigated. Comparison was made to imatinib-sensitive Ba/F3 KIT mutant cells as well as Ba/F3 cells expressing only secondary KIT mutations. The efficacy of drug treatment was evaluated by proliferation and apoptosis assays, in addition to biochemical inhibition of KIT activation. RESULTS: Sorafenib was potent against all imatinib-resistant Ba/F3 KIT double mutants tested, including the gatekeeper secondary mutation KIT(WK557-8del/T670I), which was resistant to other kinase inhibitors. Although all three drugs tested decreased cell proliferation and inhibited KIT activation against exon 13 (KIT(V560del/V654A)) and exon 17 (KIT(V559D/D820Y)) double mutants, nilotinib did so at lower concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results emphasize the need for tailored salvage therapy in imatinib-refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors according to individual molecular mechanisms of resistance. The Ba/F3 KIT(WK557-8del/T670I) cells were sensitive only to sorafenib inhibition, whereas nilotinib was more potent on imatinib-resistant KIT(V560del/V654A) and KIT(V559D/D820Y) mutant cells than dasatinib and sorafenib.

Acquired resistance to imatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumor occurs through secondary gene mutation.

Most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) have an activating mutation in either KIT or PDGFRA. Imatinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor and achieves a partial response or stable disease in about 80% of patients with metastatic GIST. It is now clear that some patients with GIST develop resistance to imatinib during chronic therapy. To identify the mechanism of resistance, we studied 31 patients with GIST who were treated with imatinib and then underwent surgical resection. There were 13 patients who were nonresistant to imatinib, 3 with primary resistance, and 15 with acquired resistance after initial benefit from the drug. There were no secondary mutations in KIT or PDGFRA in the nonresistant or primary resistance groups. In contrast, secondary mutations were found in 7 of 15 (46%) patients with acquired resistance, each of whom had a primary mutation in KIT exon 11. Most secondary mutations were located in KIT exon 17. KIT phosphorylation was heterogeneous and did not correlate with clinical response to imatinib or mutation status. That acquired resistance to imatinib in GIST commonly occurs via secondary gene mutation in the KIT kinase domain has implications for strategies to delay or prevent imatinib resistance and to employ newer targeted therapies.