Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Patients with Stage IIIA/N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Completely Resected after Neoadjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiation: A Prospective, Open-Label, Single-Arm, Phase 2 Trial.

Purpose: Optimal treatment for stage IIIA/N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of adjuvant pembrolizumab for stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC completely resected after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). Materials and Methods: In this open-label, single-center, single-arm phase 2 trial, patients with stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC received adjuvant pembrolizumab for up to two years after complete resection following neoadjuvant CCRT. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety. As an exploratory biomarker analysis, we evaluated the proliferative response of blood CD39+PD-1+CD8+ T cells using fold changes in the percentage of proliferating Ki-67+ cells from days 1 to 7 of cycle 1 (Ki-67D7/D1). Results: Between October 2017 and October 2018, 37 patients were enrolled. Twelve (32%) and three (8%) patients harbored EGFR and ALK alterations, respectively. Of 34 patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 assessment, 21 (62%), 9 (26%), and 4 (12%) had a tumor proportion score of <1%, 1-50%, and ≥50%, respectively. The median follow-up was 71 months. The median DFS was 22.4 months in the overall population, with a five-year DFS rate of 29%. The OS rate was 86% at two years and 76% at five years. Patients with tumor recurrence within six months had a significantly lower Ki-67D7/D1 among CD39+PD-1+CD8+ T cells than those without (p=0.036). No new safety signals were identified. Conclusion: Adjuvant pembrolizumab may offer durable disease control in a subset of stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC patients after neoadjuvant CCRT and surgery.

Survival benefit in EGFR-wild and ALK negative NSCLC patients who participate in clinical trials compared to standard-of-care: Propensity-matched analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring EGFR mutation or ALK fusion have achieved significant survival benefit with targeted agents. In contrast, EGFR-wild type and ALK negative lung adenocarcinoma still have poor survival outcome. This study assessed the impact of participating in clinical trials on clinical outcomes in patients with EGFR-wild-type and ALK-negative lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included patients with advanced EGFR-wild-type and ALK-negative lung adenocarcinoma who received systemic treatment between March 2017 and June 2022. We compared clinical outcomes between patients who participated in clinical trials and those treated with standard-of-care (SOC) using propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Overall, 1,686 patients with EGFR-wild-type and ALK-negative advanced lung adenocarcinoma were included in the final analysis. Of these, 1,380 (81.9 %) received SOC only and 306 (18.1 %) patients were enrolled in at least one clinical trial during their cancer journey. After PSM (1:1), 612 patients were matched to the SOC (n = 306) and clinical trial (n = 306) groups. Among those who participated in clinical trials, 27.8 % and 72.2 % were included in clinical trials involving targeted therapy and immunotherapy respectively. In the clinical trial group, more patients received targeted therapy (31.7 % vs. 5.5 %, p < 0.001) and immunotherapy (88.6 % vs. 62.8 %, p < 0.001) compared to the SOC group. The median overall survival was 17.1 months (95 % confidence interval [CI], 13.2-21.4) in the SOC group and 27.3 months (95 % CI, 22.1-32.4) in the clinical trial group (hazard ratio = 0.71, [95 % CI, 0.58-0.88, P = 0.002]). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that participating in clinical trials resulted in a survival benefit that reduced the risk of death by 29.6% compared to receiving SOC in EGFR-wild-type and ALK-negative lung adenocarcinoma.

Predicting disease recurrence in limited disease small cell lung cancer using cell-free DNA-based mutation and fragmentome analyses.

Background: Limited disease (LD) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) potentially experience disease recurrence. We investigated the feasibility of circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based genomic and fragmentome analyses to assess the risk of recurrence. Methods: Targeted sequencing was conducted using pre-treatment and on-treatment blood samples from definitive CCRT-treated patients with LD-SCLC (n=50). Based on 12-month recurrence-free survival (RFS), patients were categorized into persistent-response (PeR, n=29) and non-PeR (n=21) groups. Fragmentome analysis was conducted using ctDNA fragments of different lengths: P1 (100-155 bp) and P2 (160-180 bp). Results: Patients with TP53 (n=15) and RB1 (n=11) mutation in on-treatment samples demonstrated significantly shorter RFS than patients with wild-type (WT) (P=0.05, P=0.0014, respectively). Fragmentome analysis of all available on-treatment samples (n=26) revealed that the non-PeR group (n=10) had a significantly higher P1 range (P=0.003) and lower P2 range (P=0.002). The areas under the curves for P1, P2, and the fragmentation ratio (P1/P2) in distinguishing the PeR and non-PeR were 0.850, 0.725, and 0.900, respectively. Using optimal cut-off, longer RFSs were found with the low-fragmentation-ratio group than with the high-fragmentation-ratio group (not reached vs. 7.6 months, P=0.002). Patients with both WT RB1 and a low-fragmentation-ratio (n=10) showed better outcomes than patients with both mutated RB1 and a high-fragmentation-ratio (n=10; hazard ratio, 7.55; 95% confidence interval: 2.14-26.6; P=0.002). Conclusions: RB1 mutations and high fragmentation ratios correlated with early disease recurrence. Analyzing ctDNA could help in predicting early treatment failure and making clinical decisions for high-risk patients.

Comprehensive analysis of transcription factor-based molecular subtypes and their correlation to clinical outcomes in small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported the predictive and prognostic value of novel transcriptional factor-based molecular subtypes in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We conducted an in-depth analysis pairing multi-omics data with immunohistochemistry (IHC) to elucidate the underlying characteristics associated with differences in clinical outcomes between subtypes. METHODS: IHC (n = 252), target exome sequencing (n = 422), and whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS, n = 189) data generated from 427 patients (86.4% males, 13.6% females) with SCLC were comprehensively analysed. The differences in the mutation profile, gene expression profile, and inflammed signatures were analysed according to the IHC-based molecular subtype. FINDINGS: IHC-based molecular subtyping, comprised of 90 limited-disease (35.7%) and 162 extensive-disease (64.3%), revealed a high incidence of ASCL1 subtype (IHC-A, 56.3%) followed by ASCL1/NEUROD1 co-expressed (IHC-AN, 17.9%), NEUROD1 (IHC-N, 12.3%), POU2F3 (IHC-P, 9.1%), triple-negative (IHC-TN, 4.4%) subtypes. IHC-based subtype showing high concordance with WTS-based subtyping and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clusterization method. IHC-AN subtype resembled IHC-A (rather than IHC-N) in terms of both gene expression profiles and clinical outcomes. Favourable median overall survival was observed in IHC-A (15.2 months) compared to IHC-N (8.0 months, adjusted HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.9, p = 0.002) and IHC-P (8.3 months, adjusted HR 1.7, 95% CI 0.9-3.2, p = 0.076). Inflamed tumours made up 25% of cases (including 53% of IHC-P, 26% of IHC-A, 17% of IHC-AN, but only 11% of IHC-N). Consistent with recent findings, inflamed tumours were more likely to benefit from first-line immunotherapy treatment than non-inflamed phenotype (p = 0.002). INTERPRETATION: This study provides fundamental data, including the incidence and basic demographics of molecular subtypes of SCLC using both IHC and WTS from a comparably large, real-world Asian/non-Western patient cohort, showing high concordance with the previous NMF-based SCLC model. In addition, we revealed underlying biological pathway activities, immunogenicity, and treatment outcomes based on molecular subtype, possibly related to the difference in clinical outcomes, including immunotherapy response. FUNDING: This work was supported by AstraZeneca, Future Medicine 2030 Project of the Samsung Medical Center [grant number SMX1240011], the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) [grant number 2020R1C1C1010626] and the 7th AstraZeneca-KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute) oncology research program.

Combination of Dabrafenib and Trametinib in Patients with Metastatic BRAFV600E-Mutated Thyroid Cancer.

Purpose: BRAF mutations are detected in 30-80% of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cases. Dabrafenib and trametinib showed promising antitumor activity in patients with BRAFV600E-mutated metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with metastatic BRAFV600E-mutated thyroid cancer. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with metastatic BRAFV600E-mutated PTC. The patients received dabrafenib 150 mg twice daily and trametinib 2 mg once daily at the Samsung Medical Center. This study evaluated the progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) overall survival (OS), and safety of dabrafenib and trametinib. Results: Between December 2019 and January 2022, 27 PTC patients including 8 patients with poorly differentiated or anaplastic transformation, received dabrafenib and trametinib. The median age was 73.0 years, and the median follow-up period was 19.8 months. The majority (81.5%) had undergone thyroidectomy, while 8 patients had received prior systemic treatments. ORR was 73.1%, with 19 partial responses, and DCR was 92.3%. Median PFS was 21.7 months, and median OS was 21.7 months. Treatment-related adverse events included generalized weakness (29.6%), fever (25.9%), and gastrointestinal problems (22.2%). Dose reduction due to adverse events was required in 81.5% of the patients. Conclusion: Dabrafenib and trametinib demonstrated a high ORR with promising PFS; however, most patients with BRAFV600E-mutated metastatic PTC required a dose reduction.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in South Korea.

Importance: Valuable evidence regarding clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited to individual hospital databases or national-level registries. The common data and federated analysis framework developed through the Extensible Platform for Observational Research in Lung Cancer (EXPLORE-LC) initiative allows for research across multiple high-quality data sources, which may provide a deeper understanding of the NSCLC landscape and identification of unmet needs of subpopulations. Objective: To describe clinical characteristics, initial treatment patterns, subsequent treatment, and overall survival (OS) of patients with NSCLC in South Korea. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter cohort study included patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with NSCLC between 2014 and 2019 and followed up until March 2020 at 3 tertiary hospitals in South Korea. Clinical data were collected using a common data model and clinical data warehouse. Patients who had an initial diagnosis of nonsquamous (NSQ) or squamous (SQ) NSCLC and who had received at least 1 treatment for NSCLC were included in the study. Data were analyzed from June through November 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was clinical OS for patients with NSCLC. Secondary outcomes were clinical characteristics and treatment patterns subsequent to the diagnosis of NSCLC. Results: Among 22 101 patients with NSCLC who received anticancer treatment analyzed in this study, 17 350 patients (78.5%) had NSQ and 4751 patients (21.5%) had SQ NSCLC. Clinical characteristics and outcomes and treatment patterns were assessed for 13 084 patients with NSQ cancer who had known EGFR and ALK status (75.4%; mean [SD] 62.2 [10.5] years; 6552 males [50.1%]) and all 4751 patients with SQ cancer (mean [SD] age, 67.1 [8.6] years; 4427 males [93.2%]). More than half of patients with NSQ cancer were never smokers (7399 patients [56.6%]). Patients with SQ cancer were mostly males and former or current smokers (4235 patients [89.1%]) and were diagnosed at a later clinical stage than patients with NSQ cancer (eg, stage I: 1165 patients [24.5%] vs 5388 patients [41.2%]). Patients with EGFR-positive and ALK-positive NSQ cancer diagnosed between 2017 and 2019 had better median OS than similar patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2016 (EGFR-positive: not reached [95% CI, 35.9 months to not reached] vs 28.4 months [95% CI, 25.8 to 30.0 months]; P < .001; ALK-positive: not reached [95% CI, not reached] vs 49.5 months [95% CI, 35.1 months to not reached]; P < .001). No significant difference was observed in OS from first-line treatment for patients with SQ cancer. Conclusions and Relevance: This study, which pooled medical data from multiple clinical data warehouses to produce a large study cohort, may provide meaningful insights into the clinical practice of NSCLC and underscores the value of a common data model approach. The analyzable dataset may hold great promise for future comprehensive identification of subpopulations and unmet needs.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor use and the incidence of hepatitis B virus reactivation or immune-related hepatitis in non-small cell lung cancer patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND: The safety of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has not been thoroughly investigated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or occult hepatitis B infection (OBI). The authors analyzed the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, immune-related hepatitis and jaundice in NSCLC patients in a real-world setting. METHODS: A total of 1277 NSCLC patients treated with ICIs were analyzed. Among them, 52 patients were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (+) (group A, CHB), 759 patients were HBsAg (-)/hepatitis B core antibody immunoglobulin G (anti-HBc IgG) (+) (group B, OBI), and 466 patients were HBsAg (-)/anti-HBc IgG (-) (group C). Among the 52 patients with CHB, 38 (73.1%) were receiving antiviral therapy. The primary end point was HBV reactivation, immune-related hepatitis, and jaundice. The secondary end points included other immune-related adverse events and efficacy. RESULTS: HBV reactivation was observed in two patients (0.2%) who were both in group A (CHB). Among CHB patients who were not receiving antiviral therapy, HBV reactivation was observed in 14.3% (2 of 14 patients). The incidences of immune-related hepatitis and jaundice were comparable among the three groups. The incidence of ≥grade 3 other immune-related adverse events and efficacy were all comparable among the three groups (p > .05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: In this large, real-world cohort study, the safety and efficacy of ICIs were comparable in patients with CHB and OBI. HBV reactivation was observed in patients with CHB without antiviral therapy indicating antiviral prophylaxis should be required for them. For patients with OBI, the risk of HBV reactivation was minimal.

Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Therapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-Arm, Phase II Study.

PURPOSE: Programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have shown efficacy in metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) therapy. However, data is still limited regarding neoadjuvant immunotherapy for operable ESCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with clinical stage T2 or T3 and N0 ESCC received three cycles of nivolumab therapy every two weeks before surgical resection. The primary endpoint is major pathologic responses (MPR) rate (≤ 10% of residual viable tumor [RVT]). RESULTS: Total 20 patients completed the planned nivolumab therapy. Among them, 17 patients underwent surgery as protocol, showing MPR in two patients (MPR rate, 11.8%), including one pathologic complete response, on conventional pathologic response evaluation. Pathologic response was re-evaluated using the immune-related pathologic response criteria based on immune-related RVT (irRVT). Three patients were classified as immunologic major pathologic response (iMPR; ≤ 10% irRVT, iMPR rate: 17.6%), five as pathologic partial response (> 10% and < 90% irRVT), and nine as pathologic nonresponse (≥ 90% irRVT). The combined positive score (CPS) for PD-L1 in the baseline samples was predictable for iMPR, with the probability as 37.5% in CPS ≥ 10 (3/8) and 0% in CPS < 10 (0/9). CONCLUSION: Although the efficacy of neoadjuvant nivolumab therapy was modest in unselected ESCC patients, further researches on neoadjuvant immunotherapy are necessary in patients with PD-L1 expressed ESCC.

First-Line Alectinib vs. Brigatinib in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with ALK Rearrangement: Real-World Data.

PURPOSE: Alectinib and brigatinib are second-generation anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinases (ALKs) that are widely used as first-line therapy for treating ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Given the lack of a head-to-head comparison of these drugs as first-line therapies, this retrospective observational study aimed to compare the real-world efficacy and safety of alectinib and brigatinib. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received alectinib or brigatinib as the first-line treatment for ALK-positive advanced NSCLC were evaluated for clinical outcomes of objective response rate (ORR), intracranial ORR, time to next treatment (TTNT), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety profiles. RESULTS: Of 208 patients who received either alectinib or brigatinib as a first-line treatment, 176 received alectinib and 32 received brigatinib. At the data cutoff point, the median follow-up duration was 16.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.7 to 18.3) in the brigatinib group and 27.5 months (95% CI, 24.6 to 30.4) in the alectinib group. The ORR was 92.5% with alectinib and 93.8% for brigatinib. The intracranial ORR rates were 92.7% (38/41) and 100% (10/10), respectively. The rate of PFS at 12 months was comparable between the alectinib group and the brigatinib groups (84.4% vs. 84.1%, p=0.64), and the median TTNT, PFS, and OS were not reached in either group. Treatment-related adverse events were usually mild, and treatment discontinuation due to adverse events was rare (alectinib 4.5% vs. brigatinib 6.25%). CONCLUSION: Alectinib and brigatinib had similar clinical benefits when used as the first-line treatment of NSCLC patients with ALK rearrangement in the real world.

Biomarker-driven phase 2 umbrella trial: Clinical efficacy of olaparib monotherapy and combination with ceralasertib (AZD6738) in small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Based on a high incidence of genomic alteration in the cell cycle and DNA damage and response (DDR)-related pathways in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), the clinical efficacy of the DDR-targeting agent olaparib (PARP inhibitor) as monotherapy and in combination with ceralasertib (ATR inhibitor) in relapsed or refractory SCLC was evaluated. METHODS: As part of a phase 2 biomarker driven umbrella study, patients with SCLC and predefined DDR gene alterations who failed to benefit from prior platinum-based regimens were allocated to the olaparib monotherapy arm and nonbiomarker-selected patients were allocated to the olaparib and ceralasertib combination arm. RESULTS: In the olaparib monotherapy arm (n = 15), the objective response rate was 6.7% (one partial response), and the disease control rate was 33.3%, including three patients with stable disease. The median progression-free survival was 1.3 months (95% CI, 1.2-NA). In the combination arm (n = 26), the objective response rate and disease control rate were 3.8% and 42.3%, respectively, with one partial response and 10 patients with stable disease. The median progression-free survival was 2.8 months (95% CI, 1.8-5.4). Treatment was generally well tolerated except for one fatal case of neutropenic fever in the combination arm. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting DDR pathways with olaparib as a single agent or in combination with ceralasertib did not meet the predefined efficacy end point. However, disease stabilization was more evident in the combination arm. Further investigation of the combination of olaparib in SCLC should be performed with diverse combinations and patient selection strategies to maximize efficacy.

Phase III, Randomized Study of Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab and Chemotherapy in Patients With EGFR- or ALK-Mutated Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (ATTLAS, KCSG-LU19-04).

PURPOSE: In the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a driver mutation, the role of anti-PD-(L)1 antibody after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) remains unclear. This randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase III study evaluates the efficacy of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, paclitaxel, and carboplatin (ABCP ) in EGFR- or ALK-mutated NSCLC that progressed before TKI therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the clinical efficacy of ABCP followed by maintenance therapy with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab with pemetrexed plus carboplatin or cisplatin (PC) followed by pemetrexed maintenance. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: A total of 228 patients with activating EGFR mutation (n = 215) or ALK translocation (n = 13) were enrolled from 16 sites in the Republic of Korea and randomly assigned at 2:1 ratio to either ABCP (n = 154) or PC arm (n = 74). The median follow-up duration was 26.1 months (95% CI, 24.7 to 28.2). Objective response rates (69.5% v 41.9%, P < .001) and median PFS (8.48 v 5.62 months, hazard ratio [HR], 0.62 [95% CI, 0.45 to 0.86]; P = .004) were significantly better in the ABCP than PC arm. PFS benefit increased as PD-L1 expression increased, with an HR of 0.47, 0.41, and 0.24 for PD-L1 ≥1%, ≥10%, and ≥50%, respectively. Overall survival was similar between ABCP and PC arm (20.63 v 20.27 months, HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.69 to 1.46]; P = .975). The safety profile of the ABCP arm was comparable with that previously reported, with no additional safety signals, but higher rates of treatment-related adverse events were observed compared with the PC arm. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first randomized phase III study to demonstrate the clinical benefit of anti-PD-L1 antibody in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy in patients with EGFR- or ALK-mutated NSCLC who have progressed on relevant targeted therapy.

Clinical Practice Recommendations for the Use of Next-Generation Sequencing in Patients with Solid Cancer: A Joint Report from KSMO and KSP.

In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based genetic testing has become crucial in cancer care. While its primary objective is to identify actionable genetic alterations to guide treatment decisions, its scope has broadened to encompass aiding in pathological diagnosis and exploring resistance mechanisms. With the ongoing expansion in NGS application and reliance, a compelling necessity arises for expert consensus on its application in solid cancers. To address this demand, the forthcoming recommendations not only provide pragmatic guidance for the clinical use of NGS but also systematically classify actionable genes based on specific cancer types. Additionally, these recommendations will incorporate expert perspectives on crucial biomarkers, ensuring informed decisions regarding circulating tumor DNA panel testing.

Real-World Outcomes of Immunotherapy in Second- or Later-Line Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Actionable Genetic Alterations.

INTRODUCTION: While the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with actionable genetic alterations (AGAs) is modest, certain patients demonstrate improved survival. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the benefits of ICIs in NSCLC patients with diverse AGAs and verify the predictive biomarkers of ICI efficacy. METHODS: From January 2018 to July 2022, this study compared the progression-free survival (PFS) of NSCLC patients with different AGAs treated with ICI monotherapy as second- or later-line therapy at Samsung Medical Center. To ascertain the predictors of ICIs efficacy, we adjusted ICIs' effects on PFS in terms of clinical and molecular biomarkers. RESULTS: EGFR (46.0%) was the most prevalent mutation in 324 patients. In multivariate analysis, PD-L1 positivity (tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 1%) (HR = 0.41) and the use of steroids for immune-related adverse events (HR = 0.46) were positive factors for ICI therapy in the AGAs group. Co-existing mutation of STK11 with KRAS mutation (HR = 4.53) and TP53 with MET mutation (HR = 9.78) was negatively associated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of ICI treatment varied across AGA subtypes, but patients with KRAS, MET, and BRAF mutations demonstrated relatively long-duration benefits of ICI therapy. PD-L1 was a significant positive predictive biomarker in all AGA groups.

Real-world clinical evidence of lazertinib use in acquired EGFR T790M mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Lazertinib is a third generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) designed to overcome EGFR T790M mutation. Currently, lazertinib is approved for usage in the acquired EGFR T790M mutation population based on promising clinical and safety profiles. In this study, we evaluated the clinical outcomes of lazertinib in acquired EGFR T790M mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in a real-world clinical setting. Methods: Clinical outcomes of 103 patients treated with lazertinib, from July 2021 to August 2022, for NSCLC with acquired EGFR T790M mutation were retrospectively analyzed. EGFR T790M mutation was confirmed using either a cell-free EGFR test (48.5%) or a tissue-based test (51.5%). Results: The median follow-up duration was 11.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.4-13.1], and 58.3% of patients remained on treatment at the time point of data analysis. The objective response rate was 72.8%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached, and the PFS rates at 6 and 12 months were 81.7% and 65.1%, respectively. The median PFS in a subgroup treated with lazertinib based on T790M-positive tissue was significantly longer than that in a subgroup treated based on T790M-positive plasma (not reached vs. 14.5 months) (hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% CI: 0.21-0.87). Related to adverse events, there was no treatment-related mortality. However, the lazertinib dose was adjusted in 39 patients (37.9%), including 10 patients (9.7%) with permanent discontinuation. Peripheral sensory-motor related adverse events were observed in 65 patients (63.1%) (paresthesia: n=58; muscle cramping: n=24), leading to dose reduction and permanent discontinuation in 17 (16.5%) and 5 (4.9%) patients, respectively. There was no difference in PFS between the groups with and without dose-adjustment (P=0.40). Conclusions: Our result demonstrates the real-world clinical efficacy of lazertinib in acquired EGFR T790M mutation. Although dose reduction due to adverse events was not uncommon, it did not impair clinical efficacy of lazertinib.

A multicenter, phase II trial of GC1118, a novel anti-EGFR antibody, for recurrent glioblastoma patients with EGFR amplification.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of GC1118, a novel anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody, in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) patients with EGFR amplification. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase II trial. Recurrent GBM patients with EGFR amplification were eligible: EGFR amplification was determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis when a sample had both the EGFR/CEP7 ratio of ≥2 and a tight cluster EGFR signal in ≥10% of recorded cells. GC1118 was administered intravenously at a dose of 4 mg/kg once weekly. The primary endpoint was the 6-month progression-free survival rate (PFS6). Next-generation sequencing was performed to investigate the molecular biomarkers related to the response to GC1118. RESULTS: Between April 2018 and December 2020, 21 patients were enrolled in the study and received GC1118 treatment. Eighteen patients were eligible for efficacy analysis. The PFS6 was 5.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.3%-25.8%, Wilson method). The median progression-free survival was 1.7 months (range: 28 days-7.2 months) and median overall survival was 5.7 months (range: 2-22.0 months). GC1118 was well tolerated except skin toxicities. Skin rash was the most frequent adverse event and four patients experienced Grade 3 skin-related toxicity. Genomic analysis revealed that the immune-related signatures were upregulated in patients with tumor regression. CONCLUSION: This study did not meet the primary endpoint (PFS6); however, we found that immune signatures were significantly upregulated in the tumors with regression upon GC1118 therapy, which signifies the potential of immune-mediated antitumor efficacy of GC1118.

Longitudinal Monitoring of Circulating Tumor DNA From Plasma in Patients With Curative Resected Stages I to IIIA EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: For patients with early stage EGFR-mutant-positive (EGFR-M+) NSCLC, curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is considered the standard of care. This study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of longitudinal monitoring of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a valuable biomarker for early detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) and provides identification of the group at high risk for recurrence in resected stages I to IIIA EGFR-M+ NSCLC. METHODS: Between August 2015 and October 2017, a total of 278 patients with curative resected, stages I to IIIA (American Joint Committee on Cancer seventh version) common EGFR-M+ NSCLC were analyzed. Radiological follow-up was accompanied with longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA using a droplet-digital polymerase chain reaction from baseline (preoperative), 4 weeks after curative surgery, and follow-up per protocol until 5 years. The primary outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS) according to the status of ctDNA positivity at landmark points and the sensitivity of longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA. RESULTS: Among 278 patients, preoperative baseline ctDNA was detected in 67 (24%) patients: 23% (stage IA), 18% (IB), 18% (IIA), 50% (IIB), and 42% (IIIA) (p = 0.06). Of patients with baseline ctDNA, 76% (51 of 67) had clearance at 4 weeks after surgery (postoperative). Patients were classified into the following three groups; group A, baseline ctDNA negative (n = 211) versus group B, baseline ctDNA positive but postoperative MRD negative (n = 51) versus group C, baseline ctDNA positive and postoperative MRD positive (n = 16). The 3-year DFS rate was significantly different among the three groups (84% for group A, 78% for group B, and 50% for group C, p = 0.02). After adjusting for clinicopathologic variables, ctDNA still remains an independent risk factor for DFS along with stage (p < 0.001) and micropapillary subtype (p = 0.02). With longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA, MRD was detected before radiological recurrence in 69% of patients with exon 19 deletion and in 20% with L858R mutation. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that patients with baseline ctDNA-positive or MRD-positive status were associated with poor DFS in curative resected stages I to IIIA EGFR-M+ NSCLC and that longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA, a noninvasive method, might be useful to detect early recurrence before radiological recurrence.

A phase 2 multicenter study of docetaxel-PM and trastuzumab-pkrb combination therapy in recurrent or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is uncommon but is the most aggressive subtype of salivary gland carcinomas. The high positivity rate for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) led to an investigation of the efficacy of HER2-targeted agents. Docetaxel-PM (polymeric micelle) is a low-molecular-weight, nontoxic, biodegradable, and docetaxel-loaded micellar formulation. Trastuzumab-pkrb is a biosimilar to trastuzumab. METHODS: This was a multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase 2 study. Patients with HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] score of ≥2+ and/or HER2/chromosome enumeration probe 17 [CEP17] ratio of ≥2.0) advanced SDCs were enrolled. Patients received docetaxel-PM (75 mg/m2 ) and trastuzumab-pkrb (8 mg/kg in the first cycle and 6 mg/kg in subsequent cycles) every 3 weeks. Primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). RESULTS: A total of 43 patients were enrolled. The best objective responses were partial response in 30 (69.8%) patients and stable disease in 10 (23.3%) patients, leading to an ORR of 69.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53.9-82.8) and a disease control rate of 93.0% (80.9-98.5). Median progression-free survival, duration of response, and overall survival were 7.9 (6.3-9.5), 6.7 (5.1-8.4), and 23.3 (19.9-26.7) months, respectively. Patients with HER2 IHC score of 3+ or HER2/CEP17 ratio ≥2.0 demonstrated better efficacies compared to those with HER2 IHC score of 2+. Thirty-eight (88.4%) patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAE). Because of TRAE, nine (20.9%), 14 (32.6%), and 19 (44.2%) patients required temporary discontinuation, permanent discontinuation, or dose reduction, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of docetaxel-PM and trastuzumab-pkrb demonstrated promising antitumor activity with a manageable toxicity profile in HER2-positive advanced SDC. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is uncommon but is the most aggressive subtype of salivary gland carcinomas. SDC shares morphological and histological similarities with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast, which led to an investigation of hormonal receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu expression status in SDC. In this study, patients with HER2-positive SDC were enrolled and treated with combination of docetaxel-polymeric micelle and trastuzumab-pkrb. Promising antitumor activities were shown with objective response rate of 69.8%, disease control rate of 93.0%, median progression-free survival of 7.9 months, median duration of response of 6.7 months, and median overall survival of 23.3 months.

Phase II Trial of Combined Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab with Proton Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This phase II study investigated whether durvalumab/tremelimumab with proton therapy improves the objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) in heavily treated recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who previously received more than one chemotherapy, including at least one platinum-based regimen, and who had at least two measurable lesions were enrolled. Patients received 1,500 mg durvalumab intravenously combined with 75 mg tremelimumab intravenously every 4 weeks for four cycles followed by 1,500 mg durvalumab every 4 weeks. After one cycle of the durvalumab/tremelimumab treatment, proton therapy was given with a total dose of 25 Gy in 5 Gy daily fractions to one of the measurable lesions. We also assessed the ORR in the target lesion outside the radiation field to evaluate the abscopal effect. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were enrolled between March 2018 and July 2020. With 8.6 months of follow-up, the ORR was 22.6% (7/31), including one complete response and six partial responses. The median OS was 8.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5 to 14.3) and the median PFS was 2.4 months (95% CI, 0.6 to 4.2). Among the 23 evaluable patients who completed proton therapy, the ORR was 30.4% (7/23). The median OS was 11.1 months (95% CI, 6.5 to 15.8), and the median PFS was 3.7 months (95% CI, 1.6 to 5.7). Grade 3 or higher adverse events were observed in six patients (19.4%) as follows: anemia (n=1), constipation (n=1), electrolyte imbalances (n=2), hyperglycemia (n=1), and pneumonia (n=1). CONCLUSION: The combination of durvalumab/tremelimuab with proton therapy was tolerated well and had encouraging anti-tumor efficacy in non-irradiated tumor lesions of heavily treated HNSCC patients.

Expanded Access Program Pralsetinib in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Rearranged during Transfection (RET) Gene Rearrangement.

PURPOSE: Rearranged during transfection (RET) gene rearrangement is a well-known driver event in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pralsetinib is a selective inhibitor of RET kinase and has shown efficacy in oncogenic RET-altered tumors. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of expanded access program (EAP) use of pralsetinib in pretreated, advanced NSCLC patients with RET rearrangement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received pralsetinib as part of the EAP at Samsung Medical Center were evaluated through a retrospective chart review. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) ver. 1.1 guidelines. Secondary endpoints were duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety profiles. RESULTS: Between April 2020 and September 2021, 23 of 27 patients were enrolled in the EAP study. Two patients who were not analyzed due to brain metastasis and two patients whose expected survival was within 1 month were excluded from the analysis. After a median follow-up period of 15.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.0 to 21.2), ORR was 56.5%, the median PFS was 12.1 months (95% CI, 3.3 to 20.9), and the 12-month OS rate was 69.6%. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were edema (43.5%) and pneumonitis (39.1%). A total of 8.7% of patients experienced extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. TRAEs with a common grade of three or worse were neutropenia (43.5%) and anemia (34.8%). Dose reduction was required in nine patients (39.1%). CONCLUSION: Pralsetinib presents a clinical benefit when used in patients with RET-rearranged NSCLC, consistent with a pivotal study.

Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Copy Number Alteration as an Adjunct Biomarker of Response to Immunotherapy in Advanced NSCLC.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the value of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) copy number (CN) alteration as an additional biomarker to standard immunohistochemistry (IHC) in predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Before ICI monotherapy, tumor PD-L1 CN alteration (gain, neutral, or loss) was called using whole-exome sequencing data and compared with IHC results (tumor proportion score ≥50, 1-49, or 0). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were correlated with both biomarkers. In addition, the impact of CN alteration was further evaluated in two independent cohorts using next-generation sequencing panel. RESULTS: A total of 291 patients with advanced-stage NSCLC met the study inclusion criteria. Although the IHC classification distinguished the best responsive group (tumor proportion score ≥ 50), the CN-based classification distinguished the worst responsive group (CN loss) from the others (PFS, p = 0.020; overall survival, p = 0.004). After adjusting for IHC results, CN loss was an independent risk factor for progression (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.73, p = 0.049) and death (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.39, 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.85, p = 0.022). A risk classification system was developed on the basis of IHC and CN profiles, which outperformed the conventional IHC system. In the validation cohorts, CN loss determined by next-generation sequencing panel was independently associated with worse PFS after ICI treatment, revealing its practical value. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to directly compare CN alterations with IHC results and survival outcomes after anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. Tumor PD-L1 CN loss can serve as an adjunct biomarker to predict the lack of response. Prospective studies are required to further validate this biomarker.