Characterization of Central Nervous System Clinico-Genomic Outcomes in ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Brain Metastases Treated with Alectinib.

INTRODUCTION: Highly effective brain-penetrant ALK-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been developed for the management of NSCLC patients with brain metastases (BM). Local therapy (LT) such as SRS or therapeutic craniotomy is increasingly being deferred for such patients. Herein we report detailed patient- and lesion-level intracranial outcomes and co-mutational genomic profiles from a cohort of NSCLC patients with BM treated with alectinib, with or without LT. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed ALK fusion-positive NSCLC patients with BMs who received alectinib at the diagnosis of BM from 1/2012 and 5/2021. Outcome variables included intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS), overall survival (OS), duration of TKI therapy, and CNS response rates. Genomic characteristics from tumor specimens were assessed with MSK-IMPACT, a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based genomic profiling assay. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients with 114 CNS lesions were included. Twelve of these patients also received contemporaneous LT (SRS, WBRT, or surgical resection). Maximal BM diameter in the TKI + LT group was greater (p < 0.003) but despite this difference, iPFS (TKI only, HR 1.21, 95 % CI 0.51-2.89; p = 0.66) and OS (TKI only, HR 5.99, 95 % CI 0.77-46.6; p = 0.052) were similar between groups and trended towards more favorable outcomes with the addition of LT. SMARCA4 co-alterations were associated with inferior OS (HR 8.76, 1.74-44.2; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that patients with ALK fusion-positive NSCLC treated with TKI + LT had larger BM and higher likelihood of pre-treatment neurologic symptoms. Despite these differences, iPFS was similar between groups. Results should be interpreted with caution as our study was limited by an underpowered sample size. SMARCA4 co-alterations were associated with inferior OS and these findings warrant further investigation.

Impact of Exercise on Susceptibility and Severity of COVID-19 in Patients with Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Modifiable lifestyle-related factors heighten the risk and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with cancer. Whether exercise lowers susceptibility or severity is not known. METHODS: We identified 944 cancer patients from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (mean age: 64; 85% female; 78% White) completing an exercise survey before receiving a confirmed positive or negative SARS-CoV-2 test. Exercise was defined as reporting moderate-intensity ≥5 days per week, ≥30 minutes/session or strenuous-intensity ≥3 days per week, ≥20 minutes/session. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between exercise and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity (i.e., composite of hospital admission or death events) with adjustment for clinical-epidemiologic covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent (230/944) of the overall cohort were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 35% (333/944) were exercisers. During a median follow-up of 10 months, 26% (156/611) of nonexercising patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 compared with 22% (74/333) of exercising patients. The adjusted OR for risk of COVID-19 was 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.96, P = 0.03] for exercisers compared with nonexercisers. A total of 20% (47/230) of COVID-19 positive patients were hospitalized or died. No difference in the risk of severe COVID-19 as a function of exercise status was observed (P > 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise may reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in patients with a history of cancer, but not its severity. IMPACT: This study provides the first data showing that exercise might lower the risk of COVID-19 in cancer patients, but further research is required.

Improved prediction of immune checkpoint blockade efficacy across multiple cancer types.

Only a fraction of patients with cancer respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment, but current decision-making procedures have limited accuracy. In this study, we developed a machine learning model to predict ICB response by integrating genomic, molecular, demographic and clinical data from a comprehensively curated cohort (MSK-IMPACT) with 1,479 patients treated with ICB across 16 different cancer types. In a retrospective analysis, the model achieved high sensitivity and specificity in predicting clinical response to immunotherapy and predicted both overall survival and progression-free survival in the test data across different cancer types. Our model significantly outperformed predictions based on tumor mutational burden, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this purpose1. Additionally, the model provides quantitative assessments of the model features that are most salient for the predictions. We anticipate that this approach will substantially improve clinical decision-making in immunotherapy and inform future interventions.

Functional landscapes of POLE and POLD1 mutations in checkpoint blockade-dependent antitumor immunity.

Defects in pathways governing genomic fidelity have been linked to improved response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB). Pathogenic POLE/POLD1 mutations can cause hypermutation, yet how diverse mutations in POLE/POLD1 influence antitumor immunity following ICB is unclear. Here, we comprehensively determined the effect of POLE/POLD1 mutations in ICB and elucidated the mechanistic impact of these mutations on tumor immunity. Murine syngeneic tumors harboring Pole/Pold1 functional mutations displayed enhanced antitumor immunity and were sensitive to ICB. Patients with POLE/POLD1 mutated tumors harboring telltale mutational signatures respond better to ICB than patients harboring wild-type or signature-negative tumors. A mutant POLE/D1 function-associated signature-based model outperformed several traditional approaches for identifying POLE/POLD1 mutated patients that benefit from ICB. Strikingly, the spectrum of mutational signatures correlates with the biochemical features of neoantigens. Alterations that cause POLE/POLD1 function-associated signatures generate T cell receptor (TCR)-contact residues with increased hydrophobicity, potentially facilitating T cell recognition. Altogether, the functional landscapes of POLE/POLD1 mutations shape immunotherapy efficacy.

The association between tumor mutational burden and prognosis is dependent on treatment context.

In multiple cancer types, high tumor mutational burden (TMB) is associated with longer survival after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The association of TMB with survival outside of the immunotherapy context is poorly understood. We analyzed 10,233 patients (80% non-ICI-treated, 20% ICI-treated) with 17 cancer types before/without ICI treatment or after ICI treatment. In non-ICI-treated patients, higher TMB (higher percentile within cancer type) was not associated with better prognosis; in fact, in many cancer types, higher TMB was associated with poorer survival, in contrast to ICI-treated patients in whom higher TMB was associated with longer survival.

Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mutational burden as biomarkers of tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has demonstrated clinical benefit for a wide range of cancer types. Because only a subset of patients experience clinical benefit, there is a strong need for biomarkers that are easily accessible across diverse practice settings. Here, in a retrospective cohort study of 1714 patients with 16 different cancer types treated with ICI, we show that higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is significantly associated with poorer overall and progression-free survival, and lower rates of response and clinical benefit, after ICI therapy across multiple cancer types. Combining NLR with tumor mutational burden (TMB), the probability of benefit from ICI is significantly higher (OR = 3.22; 95% CI, 2.26-4.58; P < 0.001) in the NLR low/TMB high group compared to the NLR high/TMB low group. NLR is a suitable candidate for a cost-effective and widely accessible biomarker, and can be combined with TMB for additional predictive capacity.

Gemcitabine-Related Pneumonitis in Pancreas Adenocarcinoma--An Infrequent Event: Elucidation of Risk Factors and Management Implications.

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine-related pneumonitis (GRP) has been reported relatively frequently for pancreas cancer in the literature; however, underlying risk factors and optimal management remain to be defined. We studied a cohort of patients with GRP and investigated potential predisposing factors in pancreatic cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total 2440 patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were identified between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2012, and were screened for grade 2 or higher GRP in an institutional tumor registry and using an ICD billing code database. Demographic and clinical information was extracted by electronic chart review. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients (1.1%) with GRP were identified. Incidence of grade 2, 3, and 4 reactions were 7 (25%), 18 (64%), and 3 (11%), respectively. No GRP-related mortality was observed. Twenty-one patients (75%) reported a history of cigarette smoking. Seventeen patients (61%) were alcohol users. Six patients (21%) were either regular or heavy drinkers. Most patients (93%) had either locally advanced or metastatic disease. Three patients (11%) underwent a diagnostic bronchoscopy, and in 1 patient a diagnosis of organizing pneumonia was established. Morbidity was significant; 3 patients (11%) required treatment in the intensive care unit. All hospitalized patients received steroid treatment. CONCLUSION: GRP is relatively uncommon but incurs significant morbidity. Potential risk factors include advanced-stage disease, along with smoking and alcohol consumption and possibly underlying lung disease. We recommend a high level of clinical alertness regarding the diagnosis, early pulmonary referral, and cessation of gemcitabine on suspicion of GRP.