Epidermal growth factor receptor mutation analysis in tissue and plasma from the AURA3 trial: Osimertinib versus platinum-pemetrexed for T790M mutation-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study assesses different technologies for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations from circulating tumor DNA in patients with EGFR T790M-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the AURA3 study (NCT02151981), and it evaluates clinical responses to osimertinib and platinum-pemetrexed according to the plasma T790M status. METHODS: Tumor tissue biopsy samples were tested for T790M during screening with the cobas EGFR Mutation Test (cobas tissue). Plasma samples were collected at screening and at the baseline and were retrospectively analyzed for EGFR mutations with the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 (cobas plasma), droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR; Biodesix), and next-generation sequencing (NGS; Guardant360, Guardant Health). RESULTS: With cobas tissue test results as a reference, the plasma T790M positive percent agreement (PPA) was 51% (110 of 215 samples) by cobas plasma, 58% (110 of 189) by ddPCR, and 66% (136 of 207) by NGS. Plasma T790M detection was associated with a larger median baseline tumor size (56 mm for T790M-positive vs 39 mm for T790M-negative; P < .0001) and the presence of extrathoracic disease (58% for M1b-positive vs 39% for M0-1a-positive; P = .002). Progression-free survival (PFS) was prolonged in randomized patients (tissue T790M-positive) with a T790M-negative cobas plasma result in comparison with those with a T790M-positive plasma result in both osimertinib (median, 12.5 vs 8.3 months) and platinum-pemetrexed groups (median, 5.6 vs 4.2 months). CONCLUSIONS: PPA was similar between ddPCR and NGS assays; both were more sensitive than cobas plasma. All 3 test platforms are suitable for routine clinical practice. In patients with tissue T790M-positive NSCLC, an absence of detectable plasma T790M at the baseline is associated with longer PFS, which may be attributed to a lower disease burden.

Brain exposure of osimertinib in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation non-small cell lung cancer and brain metastases: A positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging study.

Brain metastases (BMs) are associated with poor prognosis in epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Osimertinib is a third-generation, irreversible, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that potently and selectively inhibits EGFR-sensitizing and T790M resistance mutations with efficacy in EGFRm NSCLC including central nervous system (CNS) metastases. The open-label phase I positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study (ODIN-BM) assessed [11 C]osimertinib brain exposure and distribution in patients with EGFRm NSCLC and BMs. Three dynamic 90-min [11 C]osimertinib PET examinations were acquired together with metabolite-corrected arterial plasma input functions at: baseline, after first oral osimertinib 80 mg dose, and after greater than or equal to 21 days of osimertinib 80 mg q.d. treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI was performed at screening and after 25-35 days of osimertinib 80 mg q.d.; treatment effect was assessed per CNS Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and per volumetric changes in total BM using a novel analysis approach. Four patients (aged 51-77 years) completed the study. At baseline, ~1.5% injected radioactivity reached the brain (IDmax[brain] ) 22 min (median, Tmax[brain] ) after injection. Total volume of distribution (VT ) in whole brain was numerically higher compared with the BM regions. After a single oral osimertinib 80 mg dose, there was no consistent decrease in VT in whole brain or BMs. After greater than or equal to 21 days' daily treatment, VT in whole brain and BMs were numerically higher versus baseline. MRI revealed 56%-95% reduction in total BMs volume after 25-35 days of osimertinib 80 mg q.d. treatment. The [11 C]osimertinib crossed the blood-brain and brain-tumor barriers and had a high, homogeneous brain distribution in patients with EGFRm NSCLC and BMs.

Analysis of acquired resistance mechanisms to osimertinib in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer from the AURA3 trial.

Osimertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), potently and selectively inhibits EGFR-TKI-sensitizing and EGFR T790M resistance mutations. This analysis evaluates acquired resistance mechanisms to second-line osimertinib (n = 78) in patients with EGFR T790M advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from AURA3 (NCT02151981), a randomized phase 3 study comparing osimertinib with chemotherapy. Plasma samples collected at baseline and disease progression/treatment discontinuation are analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Half (50%) of patients have undetectable plasma EGFR T790M at disease progression and/or treatment discontinuation. Fifteen patients (19%) have >1 resistance-related genomic alteration; MET amplification (14/78, 18%) and EGFR C797X mutation (14/78, 18%).

High Sensitivity of Plasma Cell-Free DNA Genotyping in Cases With Evidence of Adequate Tumor Content.

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing is a compelling diagnostic tool in solid tumors and has been shown to have high positive predictive value. However, limited assay sensitivity means that negative plasma genotyping, or the absence of detection of mutation of interest, still requires reflex tumor biopsy. METHODS: We analyzed two independent cohorts of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with known canonical driver and resistance mutations who underwent plasma cfDNA genotyping. We measured quantitative features, such as maximum allelic frequency (mAF), as clinically available measures of cfDNA tumor content, and studied their relationship with assay sensitivity. RESULTS: In patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC harboring EGFR T790M, detection of driver mutation at > 1% AF conferred a sensitivity of 97% (368/380) for detection of T790M across three cfDNA genotyping platforms. Similarly, in a second cohort of patients with EGFR or KRAS driver mutations, when the mAF of nontarget mutations was > 1%, sensitivity for driver mutation detection was 100% (43/43). Combining the two NSCLC patient cohorts, the presence of nontarget mutations at mAF > 1% predicts for high sensitivity (> 95%) for identifying the presence of the known driver mutation, whereas mAF of ≤ 1% confers sensitivity of only 26%-54% across platforms. Focusing on 21 false-negative cases where the driver mutation was not detected on plasma next-generation sequencing, other mutations (presumably clonal hematopoiesis) were detected at ≤ 1% AF in 14 (67%). CONCLUSION: Plasma cfDNA genotyping is highly sensitive when adequate tumor DNA content is present. The likelihood of a false-negative cfDNA genotyping result is low in a sample with evidence of > 1% tumor content. Bioinformatic approaches are needed to further optimize the assessment of cfDNA tumor content in plasma genotyping assays.

Sequence-dependent, synergistic antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of the combination of cytotoxic drugs and enzastaurin, a protein kinase Cbeta inhibitor, in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Enzastaurin, an acyclic bisindolymaleimide, is a potent and selective competitive inhibitor of protein kinase Cbeta, which has been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis in human cancer cell lines. Gemcitabine and pemetrexed are two cytotoxic drugs that are currently used in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy. In this study, we have investigated whether the addition of enzastaurin to gemcitabine or to pemetrexed is able to increase their antitumor activity to establish an effective schedule of combined treatment. The effects on cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, intracellular mitogenic and antiapoptotic signaling pathways, and induction of apoptosis were evaluated in three different combination sequences (concomitant treatment, sequential treatment with the cytotoxic drug followed by enzastaurin, or sequential treatment with enzastaurin followed by the cytotoxic drug) in a panel of human NSCLC cell lines. The combination of enzastaurin with either gemcitabine or pemetrexed caused different antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects depending on the treatment schedule. A synergistic antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity was only obtained when chemotherapy was followed by treatment with enzastaurin. These effects were accompanied by the arrest of the surviving cancer cells in the S phase, thus limiting their ability to proceed through the cell cycle, and by a maximum inhibition in the activated, phosphorylated forms of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase. In contrast, the concomitant treatments or the sequential treatments, in which enzastaurin was given before chemotherapy, resulted in significant antagonistic effects.

Modulation of Fexofenadine Pharmacokinetics by Osimertinib in Patients With Advanced EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Osimertinib is a potent, third-generation, irreversible, central nervous system active epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that selectively inhibits EGFR-TKI sensitizing and EGFR T790M resistance mutations. It is approved for first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations, and for patients with T790M-positive advanced NSCLC whose disease has progressed on or after EGFR-TKI therapy. This study investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) of fexofenadine (P-glycoprotein substrate) following single- and multiple-dose osimertinib in patients with advanced NSCLC who have progressed on prior EGFR-TKI therapy. This open-label, phase 1 study (NCT02908750) comprised the PK phase and continued access phase. The former comprised 2 distinct periods with a 3- to 7-day washout: treatment period 1 (n = 24, fexofenadine 120 mg, day 1) and treatment period 2 (fexofenadine 120 mg + osimertinib 80 mg single dose on days 1 and 39 and osimertinib 80 mg once daily from days 4 to 41). Patients could continue osimertinib 80 mg once daily based on investigator's discretion in the continued access phase. Fexofenadine area under the plasma concentration-time curve and maximum concentration increased by 56% (90% confidence interval [CI], 35.4-78.6) and 76% (90%CI, 49.3-108.3) following coadministration with osimertinib single dose, and by 27% (90%CI, 11.2-45.8) and 25% (90%CI, 5.6-48.1) when given with osimertinib at steady state, respectively. Following osimertinib coadministration, median fexofenadine time to maximum concentration increased by approximately 30 minutes compared with time to maximum concentration following fexofenadine alone. No new osimertinib safety findings were observed. The increase in fexofenadine exposure following osimertinib coadministration shows osimertinib as a weak P-glycoprotein inhibitor.

Osimertinib Plus Durvalumab versus Osimertinib Monotherapy in EGFR T790M-Positive NSCLC following Previous EGFR TKI Therapy: CAURAL Brief Report.

INTRODUCTION: Osimertinib is a third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Durvalumab is an anti-programmed death ligand 1 monoclonal antibody. The phase III open-label CAURAL trial (NCT02454933) investigated osimertinib plus durvalumab versus osimertinib monotherapy in patients with EGFR-TKI sensitizing and EGFR T790M mutation-positive advanced NSCLC and disease progression after EGFR-TKI therapy. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive orally administered osimertinib (80 mg once daily) with or without durvalumab (10 mg/kg administered intravenously every 2 weeks) until progression. Treatment could continue beyond progression, providing clinical benefit continued (judged by the investigator). The amended primary objective was to assess the safety and tolerability of osimertinib plus durvalumab; efficacy was an exploratory objective. RESULTS: CAURAL recruitment was terminated early because of increased incidence of interstitial lung disease-like events in the osimertinib plus durvalumab arm from the separate phase Ib TATTON trial (NCT02143466). At termination of CAURAL recruitment, 15 patients had been randomly assigned to treatment with osimertinib and 14 to treatment with osimertinib plus durvalumab. The most common AEs were diarrhea (53% [grade ≥3 in 6% of patients]) in the osimertinib arm and rash (67% [grade ≥3 in 0 patients]) in the combination arm. One patient who had been randomized to the combination arm reported grade 2 interstitial lung disease while receiving osimertinib monotherapy (after discontinuing durvalumab therapy after one dose). The objective response rates were 80% in the osimertinib arm and 64% in the combination arm. CONCLUSION: Limited patient numbers preclude formal safety and efficacy comparisons between the two treatment arms. The combination of programmed cell death 1/programmed death ligand 1 inhibitors and EGFR-TKIs as therapy for NSCLC is not well understood, but it requires a careful approach if considered in the future.

Phase Ib/II study of elisidepsin in metastatic or advanced gastroesophageal cancer (IMAGE trial).

PURPOSE: To determine the recommended dose and antitumor activity of single-agent elisidepsin as a 24-h intravenous (i.v.) infusion fortnightly [biweekly, d1 and 15 every 4 weeks (q4wk); Arm A, dose-intensity strategy] or as a 3-h i.v. infusion weekly (d1, 8, 15 and 22 q4wk; Arm B, dose-density strategy) in adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pretreated esophageal, gastroesophageal junction and gastric cancer. METHODS: Patients were randomized to one of two elisidepsin dosing schedules. Phase Ib starting doses were 8.0 mg flat dose (FD) in Arm A and 3.0 mg FD in Arm B. Phase II subsequently explored antitumor activity of both dosing schedules at the respective recommended doses. RESULTS: Forty-four patients received elisidepsin: 12 in stage Ib and 32 in stage II. The recommended doses were defined as 10 mg FD (Arm A) and 3.75 mg FD (Arm B). Both schedules were well tolerated. Most adverse events were mild or moderate, reversible and predictable with no meaningful differences between schedules. The pharmacokinetic profiles of both schedules were similar to those reported previously in patients with solid tumors treated with a comparable dose. An interim analysis found tumor control in one patient receiving elisidepsin fortnightly, and in none given elisidepsin weekly; patient accrual was therefore discontinued due to lack of efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Both schedules at the recommended doses presented an acceptable safety profile, but lack of response means that we do not recommend further evaluation of single-agent elisidepsin as chemotherapy for unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic gastroesophageal cancer.

Poly(ADPR)polymerase-1 signalling of the DNA damage induced by DNA topoisomerase I poison in D54(p53wt) and U251(p53mut) glioblastoma cell lines.

Glioblastomas are widely characterised by the mutation of the p53 gene and p53 disruption sensitizes glioblastoma cells to DNA topoisomerase I (TOPO I) inhibitor-mediated apoptosis. We investigated the effects of combined treatments with the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor Topotecan and the poly(ADPR)polymerase-1 inhibitor NU1025 in D54(p53wt) and U251(p53mut) glioblastoma cell lines. Analysis of cell growth and cell cycle kinetics showed a synergistic anti-proliferative effect of 10 nM TPT and 10 microM NU1025 and a G2/M block of the cell cycle. We also evaluated, the influence of TPT+/-NU1025 treatment on PARP-1 and p53 activity. We got evidences of a TPT-dependent increase of PARP-1 auto-modification level in both the cells. Moreover, in the D54(p53wt) cells we found that in co-treatments NU1025 incremented the TPT-dependent stimulation of p53 transcriptional activity and increased the p21 nuclear amount. Conversely, in U251(p53mut) cells we found that NU1025 incremented the TPT-dependent apoptosis characterised by PARP-1 proteolysis. Our findings suggest that the modulation of PARP-1 can be considered a strategy in the potentiation of the chemotherapeutic action of TOPO I poisons in glioblastoma cells apart from their p53 status.

Synergistic antitumour effect of raltitrexed and 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid combination in human cancer cells.

5-Fluorouracil, usually in combination with folinic acid, is widely used in the treatment of both colorectal and head and neck squamous cell cancer patients. Since 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid and the antifolate thymidylate synthase inhibitor; raltitrexed have distinct mechanisms of action and toxicity profiles, we have evaluated the potential synergistic antitumor interaction between these two agents combined with a sequential schedule of administration in KB (wt-p53) and Cal27 (mut-p53) head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, and LoVo (wt-p53) and HT29 (mut-p53) colorectal cell lines. The combination between a 24-h exposure to raltitrexed followed by a 4-h exposure to 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid was globally synergistic, as assessed by the median effect principle and combination index. A specific contribution of folinic acid to the cytotoxic effect of the raltitrexed/5-fluorouracil combination was clearly demonstrated by the evaluation of the potentiation factor. In all cell lines, a 1.5- up to 17-fold reduction in the IC50 of both raltitrexed and 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid was observed in the combination setting compared with the concentrations of the each drug used alone. Moreover, we demonstrated that raltitrexed/5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid induced a distinct S-phase block of the cell cycle, as well as a potentiation of the apoptotic cell death, compared with 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid or raltitrexed/5-fluorouracil combination. This preclinical work represents, at least to our knowledge, the first demonstration of a synergistic interaction between raltitrexed and 5-fluorouracil modulated by folinic acid, and could represent a rationale for further clinical investigation of raltitrexed/5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid combination.