SWOG 1609 cohort 48: anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 for advanced gallbladder cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Most patients with advanced gallbladder cancer are treated with multiagent chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors offer the possibility of a durable response with less toxicity. This prospective, multicenter, open-label study was designed to evaluate the anticancer activity of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced gallbladder cancer. METHODS: Nineteen patients with advanced gallbladder cancer refractory to ≥1 previous therapy received nivolumab 240 mg intravenously every 2 weeks and ipilimumab 1 mg/kg intravenously every 6 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was confirmed radiographic overall response rate (ORR) (complete response [CR] + partial response [PR] confirmed on subsequent scan); secondary end points included unconfirmed overall response, clinical benefit rate (confirmed and unconfirmed responses + stable disease >6 months), progression-free survival, overall survival, and toxicity. RESULTS: The confirmed ORR was 16% (CR, n = 1 [5%]; PR, n = 2 [11%]); all were microsatellite stable, and the confirmed CR had undetectable programmed death-ligand 1 by immunohistochemistry. The unconfirmed ORR and clinical benefit rates were both 32%. The median duration of response was 14.8 months (range, 4-35.1+ months). The 6-month progression-free survival was 26% (95% CI, 12-55). The median overall survival was 7.0 months (95% CI, 3.9-19.1). The most common toxicities were fatigue (32%), anemia (26%), and anorexia (26%). Aspartate aminotransferase elevation was the most common grade 3/4 toxicity (11%). There was 1 possibly related death (sepsis with attendant hepatic failure). CONCLUSIONS: Ipilimumab plus nivolumab was well tolerated and showed modest efficacy with durable responses in previously treated patients with advanced gallbladder cancer. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02834013 (ClincialTrials.gov). PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This prospective study assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in 19 patients with advanced gallbladder cancer refractory to previous therapy. The combination demonstrated modest efficacy with a 16% confirmed overall response rate, durable responses, and manageable toxicities, suggesting potential benefits for this challenging patient population.

Adjuvant imatinib in high-risk resected gastrointestinal stromal tumors: Merely delaying the inevitable?

INTRODUCTION: Patients with high-risk resected gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) receiving adjuvant imatinib have improved recurrence-free survival (RFS), however whether a complete cytocidal effect exists is unknown. We investigated this using a normalized recurrence timeline measured from end of oncologic treatment (EOOT), defined as the later of resection or end of adjuvant therapy. METHODS: We reviewed patients with resected high-risk GIST at our cancer center from 2003 to 2018. RFS (measured from resection and EOOT), overall survival (OS), and time to imatinib resistance (TTIR) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling. The performance of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) GIST nomogram was assessed. RESULTS: We identified 86 patients with high-risk GIST with a median 106 months of postsurgical follow-up. One-third (n = 29; 34%) did not receive adjuvant imatinib, while 57 (66%) did for a median of 3 years. The MSK nomogram-predicted 5-year RFS for patients receiving adjuvant imatinib was similar to those who did not (29% vs. 31%, p = 0.64). When RFS was measured from EOOT, the MSK-predicted RFS was independently associated with EOOT RFS (hazard ratio 0.22, p = 0.02), while adjuvant imatinib receipt and duration were not. Neither receipt nor duration of adjuvant imatinib were associated with TTIR or OS (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with adjuvant imatinib delays, but does not clearly impact ultimate recurrence, TTIR, or OS, suggesting many patients with high-risk GIST may receive adjuvant imatinib unnecessarily. Additional studies are needed to establish the benefit of adjuvant therapy versus initiating therapy at first radiographic recurrence.

Dietary fat in relation to all-cause mortality and cancer progression and death among people with metastatic colorectal cancer: Data from CALGB 80405 (Alliance)/SWOG 80405.

Data on diet and survival among people with metastatic colorectal cancer are limited. We examined dietary fat in relation to all-cause mortality and cancer progression or death among 1149 people in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (Alliance)/Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 80405 trial who completed a food frequency questionnaire at initiation of treatment for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. We examined saturated, monounsaturated, total and specific types (n-3, long-chain n-3 and n-6) of polyunsaturated fat, animal and vegetable fats. We hypothesized higher vegetable fat intake would be associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and cancer progression. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Over median follow-up of 6.1 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 5.3, 7.2 y), we observed 974 deaths and 1077 events of progression or death. Participants had a median age of 59 y; 41% were female and 86% identified as White. Moderate or higher vegetable fat was associated with lower risk of mortality and cancer progression or death (HRs comparing second, third and fourth to first quartile for all-cause mortality: 0.74 [0.62, 0.90]; 0.75 [0.61, 0.91]; 0.79 [0.63, 1.00]; P trend: .12; for cancer progression or death: 0.74 [0.62, 0.89]; 0.78 [0.64, 0.95]; 0.71 [0.57, 0.88]; P trend: .01). No other fat type was associated with all-cause mortality and cancer progression or death. Moderate or higher vegetable fat intake may be associated with lower risk of cancer progression or death among people with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Physical activity in recurrent colon cancer: Cancer and Leukemia Group B/SWOG 80702 (Alliance).

BACKGROUND: One in three patients with stage III colon cancer will experience tumor recurrence. It is uncertain whether physical activity during and after postoperative chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer improves overall survival after tumor recurrence. METHODS: A prospective cohort study nested within a randomized multicenter trial of patients initially diagnosed with stage III colon cancer who experienced tumor recurrence (N = 399) was conducted. Postoperative physical activity before tumor recurrence was measured. Physical activity energy expenditure was quantified via metabolic equivalent task hours per week (MET-h/week). The primary end point was overall survival after tumor recurrence. Multivariable flexible parametric survival models estimated relative and absolute effects with two-sided hypothesis tests. RESULTS: Compared with patients expending <3.0 MET-h/week of physical activity (comparable to <1.0 h/week of brisk walking), patients with ≥18.0 MET-h/week of physical activity (comparable to 6 h/week of brisk walking) had a 33% relative improvement in overall survival time after tumor recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.42-0.96). The overall survival rate at 3 years after tumor recurrence was 61.3% (95% CI, 51.8%-69.2%) with <3.0 MET-h/week of physical activity and 72.2% (95% CI, 63.1%-79.6%) with ≥18 MET-h/week of physical activity (risk difference, 10.9 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.2-20.8 percentage points). CONCLUSIONS: Higher postoperative physical activity is associated with improved overall survival after tumor recurrence in patients initially diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. These data may be relevant to patients who, despite optimal postoperative medical therapy, have a high risk of tumor recurrence.

Adjuvant Chemoradiation in Patients with Lymph Node-Positive Biliary Tract Cancers: Secondary Analysis of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial (SWOG 0809).

BACKGROUND: SWOG 0809 is the only prospective study of adjuvant chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation focusing on margin status in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) and gallbladder cancer (GBCA); however, the effects of adjuvant therapy by nodal status have never been reported in this population. METHODS: Patients with resected EHCC and GBCA, stage pT2-4, node-positive (N+) or margin-positive (R1) who completed four cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy were included. Cox regression was used to compare overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence, and distant metastasis by nodal status. DFS rates were compared with historical data via a one-sample t-test. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients [EHCC, n = 46 (66%); GBCA, n = 23 (33%)] were evaluated, with a median age of 61.7 years and an R0 rate of 66.7% and R1 rate of 33.3%. EHCC versus GBCA was more likely to be N+ (73.9% vs. 47.8%, p = 0.03). Nodal status did not significantly impact OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-4.54, p = 0.11) or DFS (HR 1.63, 95% CI 0.77-3.44, p = 0.20). Two-year OS was 70.6% for node-negative (N0) disease and 60.9% for N+ disease, while 2-year DFS was 62.5% for N0 tumors and 49.8% for N+ tumors. N+ versus N0 tumors showed higher rates of distant failure (42.2% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.04). The 2-year DFS rate in N+ tumors was significantly higher than in historical controls (49.8% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant therapy is associated with favorable outcome independent of nodal status and may impact local control in N+ patients. These data could serve as a benchmark for future adjuvant trials, including molecular-targeted agents.

A phase II basket trial of Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors (DART) SWOG S1609: High-grade neuroendocrine neoplasm cohort.

BACKGROUND: The authors previously reported the results of the nonpancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm cohort of the SWOG S1609 DART (Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors) trial, which permitted all histologic grades and had a 44% overall response rate (ORR) among patients with high-grade disease. Here they sought to validate their findings in a dedicated prospective cohort of high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms within S1609. METHODS: A prospective, open-label, multicenter, phase 2 clinical trial of ipilimumab plus nivolumab was conducted across multiple rare tumor cohorts. The dedicated, high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasm cohort was examined here. The primary end point was the ORR according to version 1.1 of the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (defined by local pathology review) were enrolled in this cohort of S1609. The most common primary sites were unknown primaries (21%), which were followed by the rectum, gastroesophageal junction, cervix, and pancreas (11%). The median number of lines of prior therapy was 1 (range, 0-3). All patients were microsatellite-stable. The median Ki-67 value was 80%. The ORR was 26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11%-45%), and the clinical benefit rate (stable disease for ≥6 months plus partial responses plus complete responses) was 32% (95% CI, 13%-57%). The 6-month PFS rate was 32% (95% CI, 16%-61%) with a median PFS of 2.0 months (95% CI, 1.8 months to ∞) and a median OS of 8.7 months (95% CI, 6.1 months to ∞). The most common toxicities were fatigue (32%) and rash (26%), and the most common grade 3/4 immune-related adverse event was rash (15%); there were no events that required treatment discontinuation and no grade 5 events. CONCLUSIONS: Ipilimumab plus nivolumab demonstrated a 26% ORR in patients with high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms, with durable responses seen in patients with refractory disease.

Biomarker-driven therapies for previously treated squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (Lung-MAP SWOG S1400): a biomarker-driven master protocol.

BACKGROUND: The Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP; S1400) is a completed biomarker-driven master protocol designed to address an unmet need for better therapies for squamous non-small-cell lung cancer. Lung-MAP (S1400) was created to establish an infrastructure for biomarker screening and rapid regulatory intent evaluation of targeted therapies and was the first biomarker-driven master protocol initiated with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI). METHODS: Lung-MAP (S1400) was done within the National Clinical Trials Network of the NCI using a public-private partnership. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, had stage IV or recurrent squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, had previously been treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2. The study included a screening component using the FoundationOne assay (Foundation Medicine, Cambridge, MA, USA) for next-generation sequencing, and a clinical trial component with biomarker-driven substudies and non-match substudies for patients who were ineligible for biomarker-driven substudies. Patients were pre-screened and received their substudy assignment upon progression, or they were screened at progression and received their substudy assignment upon completion of testing. Patients could enrol onto additional substudies after progression on a substudy. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02154490, and all research related to Lung-MAP (S1400) is completed. FINDINGS: Between June 16, 2014, and Jan 28, 2019, 1864 patients enrolled and 1841 (98·9%) submitted tissue. 1674 (90·9%) of 1841 patients had biomarker results, and 1404 (83·9%) of 1674 patients received a substudy assignment. Of the assigned patients, 655 (46·7%) registered to a substudy. The biomarker-driven substudies evaluated taselisib (targeting PIK3CA alterations), palbociclib (cell cycle gene alterations), AZD4547 (FGFR alteration), rilotumumab plus erlotinib (MET), talazoparib (homologous recombination repair deficiency), and telisotuzumab vedotin (MET). The non-match substudies evaluated durvalumab, and nivolumab plus ipilimumab for anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1-naive disease, and durvalumab plus tremelimumab for anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 relapsed disease. Combining data from the substudies, ten (7·0%) of 143 patients responded to targeted therapy, 53 (16·8%) of 315 patients responded to anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 therapy for immunotherapy-naive disease, and three (5·4%) of 56 responded to docetaxel in the second line of therapy. Median overall survival was 5·9 months (95% CI 4·8-7·8) for the targeted therapy groups, 7·7 months (6·7-9·2) for the docetaxel groups, and 10·8 months (9·4-12·3) for the anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1-containing groups. Median progression-free survival was 2·5 months (95% CI 1·7-2·8) for the targeted therapy groups, 2·7 months (1·9-2·9) for the docetaxel groups, and 3·0 months (2·7-3·9) for the anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1-containing groups. INTERPRETATION: Lung-MAP (S1400) met its goal to quickly address biomarker-driven therapy questions in squamous non-small-cell lung cancer. In early 2019, a new screening protocol was implemented expanding to all histological types of non-small-cell lung cancer and to add focus on immunotherapy combinations for anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapy-relapsed disease. With these changes, Lung-MAP continues to meet its goal to focus on unmet needs in the treatment of advanced lung cancers. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health, and AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, and Pfizer through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.

What happened to the US cancer cooperative groups? A status update ten years after the Institute of Medicine report.

The US cancer cooperative groups (cooperative groups) were founded in the 1950s to establish a standing infrastructure to conduct multi-institutional cancer clinical trials. Initially funded almost entirely by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), over the years, the research conducted by the Cooperative Groups has evolved to meet the demands of cancer clinical research, with a scope now encompassing trials to advance cancer treatment, cancer control, biomarker development and validation, and health services research, with a corresponding broadening of their funding sources. The cooperative groups are also a critical mechanism for educating the next generation of cancer clinical trialists from many different disciplines. This review outlines the overall mission, structure, and funding of the cooperative groups, beginning in 1955 when they were first established by the NCI, and describes the considerable progress against cancer achieved over the past decade.

In response: Diabetes is a risk factor for the progression and prognosis of COVID-19.

The article cited does not differentiate between Type I and Type II diabetes. More information is needed to properly assess risk.

Cetuximab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab versus carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab in advanced NSCLC (SWOG S0819): a randomised, phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: EGFR antibodies have shown promise in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly with squamous cell histology. We hypothesised that EGFR copy number by fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH) can identify patients most likely to benefit from these drugs combined with chemotherapy and we aimed to explore the activity of cetuximab with chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC who are EGFR FISH-positive. METHODS: We did this open-label, phase 3 study (SWOG S0819) at 277 sites in the USA and Mexico. We randomly assigned (1:1) eligible patients with treatment-naive stage IV NSCLC to receive paclitaxel (200 mg/m2; every 21 days) plus carboplatin (area under the curve of 6 by modified Calvert formula; every 21 days) or carboplatin plus paclitaxel and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg; every 21 days), either with cetuximab (250 mg/m2 weekly after loading dose; cetuximab group) or without (control group), stratified by bevacizumab treatment, smoking status, and M-substage using a dynamic-balancing algorithm. Co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival in patients with EGFR FISH-positive cancer and overall survival in the entire study population. We analysed clinical outcomes with the intention-to-treat principle and analysis of safety outcomes included patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT00946712). FINDINGS: Between Aug 13, 2009, and May 30, 2014, we randomly assigned 1313 patients to the control group (n=657; 277 with bevacizumab and 380 without bevacizumab in the intention-to-treat population) or the cetuximab group (n=656; 283 with bevacizumab and 373 without bevacizumab in the intention-to-treat population). EGFR FISH was assessable in 976 patients and 400 patients (41%) were EGFR FISH-positive. The median follow-up for patients last known to be alive was 35·2 months (IQR 22·9-39·9). After 194 progression-free survival events in the cetuximab group and 198 in the control group in the EGFR FISH-positive subpopulation, progression-free survival did not differ between treatment groups (hazard ratio [HR] 0·92, 95% CI 0·75-1·12; p=0·40; median 5·4 months [95% CI 4·5-5·7] vs 4·8 months [3·9-5·5]). After 570 deaths in the cetuximab group and 593 in the control group, overall survival did not differ between the treatment groups in the entire study population (HR 0·93, 95% CI 0·83-1·04; p=0·22; median 10·9 months [95% CI 9·5-12·0] vs 9·2 months [8·7-10·3]). In the prespecified analysis of EGFR FISH-positive subpopulation with squamous cell histology, overall survival was significantly longer in the cetuximab group than in the control group (HR 0·58, 95% CI 0·36-0·86; p=0·0071), although progression-free survival did not differ between treatment groups in this subgroup (0·68, 0·46-1·01; p=0·055). Overall survival and progression-free survival did not differ among patients who were EGFR FISH non-positive with squamous cell histology (HR 1·04, 95% CI 0·78-1·40; p=0·77; and 1·02, 0·77-1·36; p=0·88 respectively) or patients with non-squamous histology regardless of EGFR FISH status (for EGFR FISH-positive 0·88, 0·68-1·14; p=0·34; and 0·99, 0·78-1·27; p=0·96; respectively; and for EGFR FISH non-positive 1·00, 0·85-1·17; p=0·97; and 1·03, 0·88-1·20; p=0·69; respectively). The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were decreased neutrophil count (210 [37%] in the cetuximab group vs 158 [25%] in the control group), decreased leucocyte count (103 [16%] vs 74 [20%]), fatigue (81 [13%] vs 74 [20%]), and acne or rash (52 [8%] vs one [<1%]). 59 (9%) patients in the cetuximab group and 31 (5%) patients in the control group had severe adverse events. Deaths related to treatment occurred in 32 (6%) patients in the cetuximab group and 13 (2%) patients in the control group. INTERPRETATION: Although this study did not meet its primary endpoints, prespecified subgroup analyses of patients with EGFR FISH-positive squamous-cell carcinoma cancers are encouraging and support continued evaluation of anti-EGFR antibodies in this subpopulation. FUNDING: National Cancer Institute and Eli Lilly and Company.

Next steps for adolescent and young adult oncology workshop: An update on progress and recommendations for the future.

Each year, 70,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) between ages 15 and 39 years in the United States are diagnosed with cancer. In 2006, a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Progress Review Group (PRG) examined the state of science associated with cancer among AYAs. To assess the impact of the PRG and examine the current state of AYA oncology research, the NCI, with support from the LIVESTRONG Foundation, sponsored a workshop entitled "Next Steps in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology" on September 16 and 17, 2013, in Bethesda, Maryland. This report summarizes the findings from the workshop, opportunities to leverage existing data, and suggestions for future research priorities. Multidisciplinary teams that include basic scientists, epidemiologists, trialists, biostatisticians, clinicians, behavioral scientists, and health services researchers will be essential for future advances for AYAs with cancer.

Phase 2 study of MK-2206, an allosteric inhibitor of AKT, as second-line therapy for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer: A SWOG cooperative group trial (S1005).

BACKGROUND: The AKT inhibitor MK-2206 at a dose of 60 mg every other day was evaluated in gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancers. METHODS: Patients who had progressed after first-line treatment were eligible. Pertinent eligibility criteria included adequate organ function, a fasting serum glucose level ≤ 150 mg/dL, and less than grade 2 malabsorption or chronic diarrhea. MK-2206 was given orally (60 evaluable patients required). The primary endpoint was overall survival, and a median survival of 6.5 months (power, 89%; significance level, 0.07) was considered encouraging for further investigation. RESULTS: Seventy patients were included in the final analyses. The median age was 59.8 years (range, 30.4-86.7 years); 70% were male, 89% were white, and 7% were Asian. There were 2 deaths possibly related to the study drug (cardiac arrest and respiratory failure). Grade 4 adverse events included hyperglycemia, anemia, and lung infection (1 each). Grade 3 adverse events occurred in < 5% of patients except for fatigue (6%). Other adverse events (all grades) included anemia (17%), anorexia (30%), diarrhea (26%), fatigue (50%), hyperglycemia (30%), nausea (40%), vomiting (22%), dry skin (19%), maculopapular rash (30%), and acneiform rash (13%). The response rate was 1%, the median progression-free survival was 1.8 months (95% confidence interval, 1.7-1.8 months), and the median overall survival was 5.1 months (95% confidence interval, 3.7-9.4 months) CONCLUSIONS: MK-2206 as second-line therapy was well tolerated by an unselected group of patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancers, but it did not have sufficient activity (response rate, 1%; overall survival, 5.1 months) to warrant further testing in this population.

S0502: A SWOG Phase III Randomized Study of Imatinib, With or Without Bevacizumab, in Patients With Untreated Metastatic or Unresectable Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.

LESSONS LEARNED: Despite having significant rationale, S0502 failed to accrue for a number of reasons.Vetting a trial first, with scientific experts and funding agencies, does not guarantee success, especially when dealing with a rare tumor and/or one with an existing highly effective therapy.In the present case, adding an intravenous drug to an oral medication as part of a regimen expected to be continued for many years likely decreased patient (and physician) convenience and, thus, interest in the study. BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate, a potent inhibitor of the KIT and PDGFR tyrosine kinases, is highly effective in the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). However, most imatinib-treated tumors eventually become resistant, accounting for a median progression-free survival of 19-23 months. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) correlates with poor prognosis in GIST; bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against VEGF, is effective in a variety of solid tumors. We postulated combination therapy with imatinib plus bevacizumab would benefit patients with advanced GIST, particularly those reliant on VEGFA-dependent angiogenesis. METHODS: Patients with metastatic or surgically unresectable GIST were eligible for this phase III open-label clinical trial, S0502. At registration, patients were randomly assigned to either imatinib 400 mg (standard) or 800 mg (patients with exon 9 KIT mutations), or imatinib plus bevacizumab, 7.5 mg/kg i.v. every 3 weeks. Patients were treated to progression, symptomatic deterioration, unacceptable toxicity, treatment delay greater than 4 weeks, or patient choice to withdraw from the study. The primary objective was to determine whether the addition of bevacizumab to imatinib would improve progression-free survival (PFS) in first-line treatment of incurable GIST. RESULTS: S0502 opened on April 15, 2008. As of fall 2009, only 12 patients from at least 178 eligible SWOG centers plus those participating through Cancer Trials Support Unit had been entered in the study. Despite an aggressive promotion scheme involving the other cooperative groups and a major GIST patient advocacy group, accrual remained slow. The trial was closed on October 1, 2009, having accrued only 2% of the 572 patients planned. No scientific conclusions were forthcoming because of the small number of patients entered in the study. Two patients of the 6 in the combination arm reported grade 3 toxicities, 1 with proteinuria and 1 with fatigue, upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and anemia. CONCLUSION: No conclusions may be drawn from this trial and, thus, the combination of imatinib plus bevacizumab cannot be recommended for use.

Dual blockade of epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 signaling in metastatic pancreatic cancer: phase Ib and randomized phase II trial of gemcitabine, erlotinib, and cixutumumab versus gemcitabine plus erlotinib (SWOG S0727).

BACKGROUND: Targeting a single pathway in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) is unlikely to affect its natural history. We tested the hypothesis that simulataneous targeting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF-1R) pathways would significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) by abrogating reciprocal signaling that promote drug resistance METHODS: This was a phase Ib/II study testing cixutumumab, combined with erlotinib and gemcitabine (G) in patients with untreated metastatic PC. The control arm was erlotinib plus G. The primary end point was PFS. Eligibility included performance status 0/1 and normal fasting blood glucose. Polymorphisms in genes involved in G metabolism and in the EGFR pathway were also studied RESULTS: The phase I results (n = 10) established the safety of cixutumumab 6 mg/kg/week intravenously, erlotinib 100 mg/day orally, and G 1000 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. In the RP2 portion (116 eligible patients; median age, 63), the median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 3.6 and 7.0 months, respectively, on the cixutumumab arm, and 3.6 and 6.7 months, respecively, on the control arm. Major grades 3 and 4 toxicities with cixutumumab and control were elevation of transaminases, 12% and 6%, respectively; fatigue, 16% and 12%, respectively; gastrointestinal, 35% and 28%, respectively; neutropenia, 21% and 10%, respectively; and thrombocytopenia, 16% and 7%, respecively. Grade 3/4 hyperglycemia was seen in 16% of patients on cixutumumab. Grade 3 or 4 skin toxicity was similar in both arms of the study (< 5%). No significant differences in PFS by genotype were seen for any of the polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: Adding the IGF-1R inhibitor cixutumumab to erlotinib and G did not lead to longer PFS or OS in metastatic PC.

Polymorphisms in folate-metabolizing enzymes and response to 5-fluorouracil among patients with stage II or III rectal cancer (INT-0144; SWOG 9304).

BACKGROUND: Recurrence and toxicity occur commonly among patients with rectal cancer who are treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The authors hypothesized that genetic variation in folate-metabolizing genes could play a role in interindividual variability. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the associations between genetic variants in folate-metabolizing genes and clinical outcomes among patients with rectal cancer treated with 5-FU. METHODS: The authors investigated 8 functionally significant polymorphisms in 6 genes (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase [MTHFR] [C677T, A1298C], SLC19A1 [G80A], SHMT1 [C1420T], dihydrofolate reductase [DHFR] [Del19bp], TS 1494del,and TSER) involved in folate metabolism in 745 patients with TNM stage II or III rectal cancer enrolled in a phase 3 adjuvant clinical trial of 3 regimens of 5-FU and radiotherapy (INT-0144 and SWOG 9304). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant associations noted between polymorphisms in any of the genes and overall survival, disease-free survival (DFS), and toxicity in the overall analyses. Nevertheless, there was a trend toward worse DFS among patients with the variant allele of MTHFR C677T compared with wild-type, particularly in treatment arm 2, in which patients with the MTHFR C677T TT genotype had worse overall survival (hazards ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.93 [P = .03]) and DFS (hazards ratio, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-3.03 [P = .02]) compared with those with homozygous wild-type. In addition, there was a trend toward reduced hematological toxicity among patients with variants of SLC19A1 G80A in treatment arm 1 (P for trend, .06) and reduced esophagitis/stomatitis noted among patients with variants of TSER in treatment arm 3 (P for trend, .06). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variability in folate-metabolizing enzymes was found to be associated only to a limited degree with clinical outcomes among patients with rectal cancer treated with 5-FU.

Effect of M1a and M1b category in metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: In 2009, the American Joint Committee on Cancer version 7 staging system introduced the M1 subclassifications M1a (single metastatic site) and M1b (peritoneal or multiple metastatic sites). The study objectives were to evaluate the prognostic effect of site of metastasis and M1a/b category among patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer and synchronous metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed pathologic or clinical category M1 colorectal cancer referred to the British Columbia Cancer Agency between 1999 and 2007 were included. Demographic, tumor, treatment, and outcome data were prospectively collected, and prognostic factors were identified. Univariate Cox models were used to assess the prognostic impact of individual sites of metastasis and to determine the effect of M1a/b category on overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Among 2,049 eligible patients, 70% had M1a and 30% M1b category disease. The most common sites of common single sites of metastasis included liver (56%), lung (5.3%), and peritoneum (3.6%). Metastasis to a single organ or site, including peritoneum, was associated with improved OS compared with multiple sites of metastasis. In multivariate analysis, M1b category conferred inferior survival and hazard ratio (HR) 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22, 1.55), along with age >70 and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 3-4. Resection of primary tumor was associated with improved survival, HR 0.46 (95% CI: 0.41, 0.52). Results were similar in subgroup analysis of patients undergoing resection of their primary tumor when histology, tumor, and node category were included. CONCLUSION: The results lend support to the introduction of M1a/b colorectal cancer categories. Consideration may be given to classifying patients with solitary peritoneal metastasis only as M1a rather than M1b category. Further refinement of category M1a to reflect resectability of metastasis at initial diagnosis may improve prognostication.

Novel Approach to Accelerate Lung Cancer Research: Lung-MAP and the Potential of Public-Private Partnerships.

The National Cancer Institute recently found that death rates for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reduced by over 6% overall in recent years. This reduction in mortality has been accompanied by an average increase in overall survival and largely credited to the therapeutic advancements for the effective treatment of NSCLC. Numerous molecular alterations have been identified in NSCLC that have enabled the development of new drugs capable of targeting these changes and efficiently kill cancerous cells. New treatments to modulate patients' immune systems have been shown to be effective in stimulating natural immune cells to have an improved anti-cancer effect. While these types of approaches to treat cancer are providing new options for patients, leadership from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized that the expansion of targeted therapy in NSCLC presented significant promise, but evaluation of the safety and efficacy of these new drugs would be slowed if new models for conducting clinical studies were not identified. Specifically, the FDA recommended that a comprehensive approach be implemented to identify the patients that are the best candidates for these, and other new treatments based upon the molecular characteristics of their tumors, and more efficiently conduct the clinical studies necessary to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new drugs. To address this growing challenge, leading lung cancer experts and stakeholders across academia, government, industry, and patient advocacy came together to design a clinical research approach that could serve as a sustainable infrastructure for new lung cancer treatments called the Lung Cancer Master Protocol.

HER2 Gene Expression Levels Are Predictive and Prognostic in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Enrolled in CALGB/SWOG 80405.

PURPOSE: The phase III Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/SWOG 80405 trial found no difference in overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving first-line chemotherapy in combination with either bevacizumab or cetuximab. We investigated the potential prognostic and predictive value of HER2 amplification and gene expression using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and NanoString data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Primary tumor DNA from 559 patients was profiled for HER2 amplification by NGS (FoundationOne CDx). Tumor tissue from 925 patients was tested for NanoString gene expression using an 800-gene panel. OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were the time-to-event end points. RESULTS: High HER2 expression (dichotomized at median) was associated with longer PFS (11.6 v 10 months, P = .012) and OS (32 v 25.3 months, P = .033), independent of treatment. An OS benefit for cetuximab versus bevacizumab was observed in the high HER2 expression group (P = .02), whereas a worse PFS for cetuximab was seen in the low-expression group (P = .019). When modeled as a continuous variable, increased HER2 expression was associated with longer OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.83 [95% CI, 0.75 to 0.93]; adjusted P = .0007) and PFS (HR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.74 to 0.91]; adjusted P = .0002), reaching a plateau effect after the median. In patients with HER2 expression lower than median, treatment with cetuximab was associated with worse PFS (HR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.71]; adjusted P = .0027) and OS (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.02 to 1.59]; adjusted P = .03) compared with that with bevacizumab. A significant interaction between HER2 expression and the treatment arm was observed for OS (Pintx = .017), PFS (Pintx = .048), and objective response rate (Pintx = .001). CONCLUSION: HER2 gene expression was prognostic and predictive in CALGB/SWOG 80405. HER2 tumor expression may inform treatment selection for patients with low HER2 favoring bevacizumab- versus cetuximab-based therapies.