Afatinib and Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ALPHA Study): A Phase II Study with Biomarker Analysis.
Clin Cancer Res
; 28(8): 1560-1571, 2022 04 14.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35046059
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
EGFR pathway inhibition may promote anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) responses in preclinical models, but how EGFR inhibition affects tumor antigen presentation during anti-PD-1 monotherapy in humans remain unknown. We hypothesized that afatinib, an irreversible EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, would improve outcomes in patients treated with pembrolizumab for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by promoting antigen presentation and immune activation in the tumor microenvironment. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
The ALPHA study (NCT03695510) was a single-arm, Phase II study with Simon's 2-stage design. Afatinib and pembrolizumab were administered to patients with platinum-refractory, recurrent, or metastatic HNSCC. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). The study applied gene expression analysis using a NanoString PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel and next-generation sequencing using FoundationOne CDx.RESULTS:
From January 2019 to March 2020, the study enrolled 29 eligible patients. Common treatment-related adverse events were skin rash (75.9%), diarrhea (58.6%), and paronychia (44.8%). Twelve patients (41.4%) had an objective partial response to treatment. The median progression-free survival was 4.1 months, and the median overall survival was 8.9 months. In a paired tissue analysis, afatinib-pembrolizumab were found to upregulate genes involved in antigen presentation, immune activation, and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Unaltered methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and EGFR amplification may predict the clinical response to the therapy.CONCLUSIONS:
Afatinib may augment pembrolizumab therapy and improve the ORR in patients with HNSCC. Bioinformatics analysis suggested the enhancement of antigen presentation machinery in the tumor microenvironment.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Carcinoma de Células Escamosas
/
Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Cancer Res
Assunto da revista:
NEOPLASIAS
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Taiwan