Durvalumab Plus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Versus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Biliary Tract Cancer: a Real-World Retrospective, Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial reported a survival benefit with the anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated for the first time the impact on survival of adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine compared with cisplatin/gemcitabine in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analyzed population included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with durvalumab in combination with cisplatin/gemcitabine or with cisplatin/gemcitabine alone. The impact of adding durvalumab to chemotherapy in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) was investigated with univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 563 patients were included in the analysis: 213 received cisplatin/gemcitabine alone, 350 received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab. At the univariate analysis, the addition of durvalumab was found to have an impact on survival, with a median OS of 14.8 months versus 11.2 months [hazard ratio (HR) 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50-0.80, p = 0.0002] in patients who received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab compared to those who received cisplatin/gemcitabine alone. At the univariate analysis for PFS, the addition of durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine demonstrated a survival impact, with a median PFS of 8.3 months and 6.0 months (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.47-0.70, p < 0.0001) in patients who received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab and cisplatin/gemcitabine alone, respectively. The multivariate analysis confirmed that adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine is an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS, with patients > 70 years old and those affected by locally advanced disease experiencing the highest survival benefit. Finally, an exploratory analysis of prognostic factors was performed in the cohort of patients who received durvalumab: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and disease stage were to be independent prognostic factors in terms of OS. The interaction test highlighted NLR ≤ 3, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) = 0, and locally advanced disease as positive predictive factors for OS on cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab. CONCLUSION: In line with the results of the TOPAZ-1 trial, adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine has been confirmed to confer a survival benefit in terms of OS and PFS in a real-world setting of patients with advanced BTC.

A phase II/III randomized clinical trial of CisPlatin plUs Gemcitabine and Nabpaclitaxel (GAP) as pReoperative chemotherapy versus immediate resection in patIents with resecTable BiliarY Tract Cancers (BTC) at high risk for recurrence: PURITY study.

BACKGROUND: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and lethal cancers, with a 5-year survival inferior to 20%(1-3). The only potential curative treatment is surgical resection. However, despite complex surgical procedures that have a remarkable risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality, the 5-year survival rate after radical surgery (R0) is 20-40% and recurrence rates are up to ~ 75%(4-6). Up to ~ 40% of patients relapse within 12 months after resection, and half of these patient will recur systemically(4-6). There is no standard of care for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in resectable BTC, but retrospective reports suggest its potential benefit (7, 8). METHODS: PURITY is a no-profit, multicentre, randomized phase II/III trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of the combination of gemcitabine, cisplatin and nabpaclitaxel (GAP) as neoadjuvant treatment in patients with resectable BTC at high risk for recurrence. Primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant GAP followed by surgery as compared to upfront surgery, in terms of 12-month progression-free survival for the phase II part and of progression free survival (PFS) for the phase III study. Key Secondary objectives are event free survival (EFS), relapse-free survival, (RFS), overall survival (OS), R0/R1/R2 resection rate, quality of life (QoL), overall response rate (ORR), resectability. Safety analyses will include toxicity rate and perioperative morbidity and mortality rate. Exploratory studies including Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in archival tumor tissues and longitudinal ctDNA analysis are planned to identify potential biomarkers of primary resistance and prognosis. DISCUSSION: Considering the poor prognosis of resected BTC experiencing early tumor recurrence and the negative prognostic impact of R1/R2 resections, PURITY study is based on the rationale that NAC may improve R0 resection rates and ultimately patients' outcomes. Furthermore, NAC should allow early eradication of microscopic distant metastases, undetectable by imaging but already present at the time of diagnosis and avoid mortality and morbidity associated with resection for patients with rapid progression or worsening general condition during neoadjuvant therapy. The randomized PURITY study will evaluate whether patients affected by BTC at high risk from recurrence benefit from a neoadjuvant therapy with GAP regimen as compared to immediate surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PURITY is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06037980) and EuCT(2023-503295-25-00).

PROACT 2.0: A new open-source tool to improve patient-doctor communication in clinical trials.

The use of Digital Healthcare Products is leading to significant improvements in clinical practice. Herein, we discuss the development of PROACT 2.0 (Patient Reported Opinions About Clinical Tolerability v2.0), a novel open-source mobile and web application developed at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan. It was developed in collaboration with The Christie, Manchester, in the context of work package 2 of the UpSMART Accelerator project, involving a consortium of referral cancer centers from the UK, Spain and Italy. PROACT 2.0 enhances communication between patients and healthcare providers in cancer clinical trials, allowing patients to report adverse events and side effects, and healthcare teams to collect valuable patient-reported outcome measures for treatment management. PROACT 2.0 supports text, audio, and video messaging, offering a secure, non-urgent communication channel that integrates with, or replaces, traditional methods. Its user-friendly and multilingual interface provides a new route for patient engagement and streamlines the handling of logistical information. Positive feedback from initial testing warrants future enhancements for broader applicability in cancer research and treatment.

Melanoma and sex hormones: Pathogenesis, progressive disease and response to treatments.

Cutaneous melanoma represents the fifth tumor in terms of incidence in young adults, with a major involvement of males than females. Despite the significant changes in available effective treatments for cutaneous melanoma, there is still a proportion of patients that do not benefit long-term disease control with immune checkpoint inhibitors and/or BRAF/MEK inhibitors, and eventually develop progressive disease. In addition to the emerging biomarkers under investigation to understand resistance to treatments, recent studies resumed the role of sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone and androgens) in melanoma patients. In the last decades, the impact of sex hormones has been considered controversial in melanoma patients, but actual growing preclinical and clinical evidence underline the potential influence on melanoma cells' growth, tumor microenvironment, the immune system and consequently on the course of disease.This review will provide available insights on the role of sex hormones in melanoma pathogenesis, disease progression and response/resistance to systemic treatments. We will also offer an overview on the recent studies on the theme, describing the hormonal contribution to disease response and the interaction with targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibitors in cutaneous melanoma patients, illustrating an insight into future research in this field.

Immunological characterization of a long-lasting response in a patient with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer treated with PD-1 and LAG-3 blockade.

In patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), translational research efforts are needed to improve the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. Here, we report on the immunological characterization of an exceptional, long-lasting, tumor complete response in a patient with metastatic TNBC treated with dual PD-1 and LAG-3 blockade within the phase I/II study CLAG525X2101C (NCT02460224) The pre-treatment tumor biopsy revealed the presence of a CD3+ and CD8+ cell infiltrate, with few PD1+ cells, rare CD4+ cells, and an absence of both NK cells and LAG3 expression. Conversely, tumor cells exhibited positive staining for the three primary LAG-3 ligands (HLA-DR, FGL-1, and galectin-3), while being negative for PD-L1. In peripheral blood, baseline expression of LAG-3 and PD-1 was observed in circulating immune cells. Following treatment initiation, there was a rapid increase in proliferating granzyme-B+ NK and T cells, including CD4+ T cells, alongside a reduction in myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The role of LAG-3 expression on circulating NK cells, as well as the expression of LAG-3 ligands on tumor cells and the early modulation of circulating cytotoxic CD4+ T cells warrant further investigation as exploitable predictive biomarkers for dual PD-1 and LAG-3 blockade.Trial registration: NCT02460224. Registered 02/06/2015.

Cyclic Fasting-Mimicking Diet Plus Bortezomib and Rituximab Is an Effective Treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Cyclic fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is an experimental nutritional intervention with potent antitumor activity in preclinical models of solid malignancies. FMD cycles are also safe and active metabolically and immunologically in cancer patients. Here, we reported on the outcome of FMD cycles in two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and investigated the effects of fasting and FMD cycles in preclinical CLL models. Fasting-mimicking conditions in murine CLL models had mild cytotoxic effects, which resulted in apoptosis activation mediated in part by lowered insulin and IGF1 concentrations. In CLL cells, fasting conditions promoted an increase in proteasome activity that served as a starvation escape pathway. Pharmacologic inhibition of this escape mechanism with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib resulted in a strong enhancement of the proapoptotic effects of starvation conditions in vitro. In mouse CLL models, combining cyclic fasting/FMD with bortezomib and rituximab, an anti-CD20 antibody, delayed CLL progression and resulted in significant prolongation of mouse survival. Overall, the effect of proteasome inhibition in combination with FMD cycles in promoting CLL death supports the targeting of starvation escape pathways as an effective treatment strategy that should be tested in clinical trials. SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells resist fasting-mimicking diet by inducing proteasome activation to escape starvation, which can be targeted using proteasome inhibition by bortezomib treatment to impede leukemia progression and prolong survival.

A phase 2, multicenter, open-label study of anti-LAG-3 ieramilimab in combination with anti-PD-1 spartalizumab in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

Ieramilimab, a humanized anti-LAG-3 monoclonal antibody, was well tolerated in combination with the anti-PD-1 antibody spartalizumab in a phase 1 study. This phase 2 study aimed to further investigate the efficacy and safety of combination treatment in patients with selected advanced (locally advanced or metastatic) solid malignancies. Eligible patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), mesothelioma, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were grouped depending on prior anti-PD-1/L1 therapy (anti-PD-1/L1 naive or anti-PD-1/L1 pretreated). Patients received ieramilimab (400 mg) followed by spartalizumab (300 mg) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), along with safety, pharmacokinetics, and biomarker assessments. Of 235 patients, 142 were naive to anti-PD-1/L1 and 93 were pretreated with anti-PD-1/L1 antibodies. Durable responses (>24 months) were seen across all indications for patients naive to anti-PD-1/L1 and in melanoma and RCC patients pretreated with anti-PD1/L1. The most frequent study drug-related AEs were pruritus (15.5%), fatigue (10.6%), and rash (10.6%) in patients naive to anti-PD-1/L1 and fatigue (18.3%), rash (14.0%), and nausea (10.8%) in anti-PD-1/L1 pretreated patients. Biomarker assessment indicated higher expression of T-cell-inflamed gene signature at baseline among responding patients. Response to treatment was durable (>24 months) in some patients across all enrolled indications, and safety findings were in accordance with previous and current studies exploring LAG-3/PD-1 blockade.

Epidemiology of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: a review and protocol presentation for bridging tumor registry data with the Italian association for neuroendocrine tumors (Itanet) national database.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are rare tumors with diverse clinical behaviors. Large databases like the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and national NEN registries have provided significant epidemiological knowledge, but they have limitations given the recent advancements in NEN diagnostics and treatments. For instance, newer imaging techniques and therapies have revolutionized NEN management, rendering older data less representative. Additionally, crucial parameters, like the Ki67 index, are missing from many databases. Acknowledging these gaps, the Italian Association for Neuroendocrine Tumors (Itanet) initiated a national multicenter prospective database in 2019, aiming to gather data on newly-diagnosed gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine (GEP) NENs. This observational study, coordinated by Itanet, includes patients from 37 Italian centers. The database, which is rigorously maintained and updated, focuses on diverse parameters including age, diagnostic techniques, tumor stage, treatments, and survival metrics. As of October 2023, data from 1,600 patients have been recorded, with an anticipation of reaching 3600 by the end of 2025. This study aims at understanding the epidemiology, clinical attributes, and treatment strategies for GEP-NENs in Italy, and to introduce the Itanet database project. Once comprehensive follow-up data will be acquired, the goal will be to discern predictors of treatment outcomes and disease prognosis. The Itanet database will offer an unparalleled, updated perspective on GEP-NENs, addressing the limitations of older databases and aiding in optimizing patient care. STUDY REGISTRATION: This protocol was registered in clinicaltriasl.gov (NCT04282083).

A phase II study evaluating the efficacy of enzalutamide and the role of liquid biopsy for evaluation of ARv7 in mCRPC patients with measurable metastases including visceral disease (Excalibur study).

Background: Up to 30% of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) develop visceral metastases, which are associated with a poor prognosis. Objectives: Efficacy of enzalutamide in mCRPC patients with measurable metastases, including visceral and/or extra-regional lymph nodes. Methods: In this phase II multicenter study, patients with mCRPC and measurable metastases received enzalutamide as the first line. Primary endpoint: 3-month (mo) disease control rate (DCR) defined as the proportion of patients with complete (CR) or partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) as per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1. Secondary endpoint: safety. Exploratory endpoint: the association between ARv7 splicing variants in basal circulating tumor cell (CTC)-enriched blood samples and treatment response/resistance using the AdnaTest ProstateCancerSelect kit and the AdnaTest ProstateCancer Panel AR-V7. Results: From March 2017 to January 2021, 68 patients were enrolled. One patient never started treatment. Median age: 72 years. A total of 52 patients (78%) received enzalutamide as a first line for mCRPC. The median follow-up was 32 months. At the 3-month assessment, 24 patients presented an SD, 1 patient achieved a CR, and 23 patients had a PR (3-mo-DCR of 72%). Discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs), disease-related death, or disease progression occurred in 9%, 6%, and 48% of patients. All patients reported at least one grade (G) 1-2 AE: the most common were fatigue (49%) and hypertension (33%). Six G3 AEs were reported: two hypertension, one seizure, one fatigue, one diarrhea, and one headache. Basal detection of ARv7 was significantly associated with poor treatment response (p = 0.034) and a nonsignificant association (p = 0.15) was observed between ARv7 detection and response assessments. At month 3, ARv7 was detected in 57%, 25%, and 15% of patients undergoing progressive disease, SD, and PR, respectively. Conclusion: The study met its primary endpoint, showing the efficacy of enzalutamide in men with mCRPC and measurable metastatic lesions in visceral and/or lymph node sites. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03103724. First Posted: 6 April 2017. First patient enrollment: 19 April 2017.

NALIRIFOX, FOLFIRINOX, and Gemcitabine With Nab-Paclitaxel as First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: The NAPOLI 3 trial showed the superiority of fluorouracil, leucovorin, liposomal irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (NALIRIFOX) over the combination of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel (GEM-NABP) as first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Analyses comparing NALIRIFOX and GEM-NABP with fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) have not yet been reported. Objective: To derive survival, response, and toxic effects data from phase 3 clinical trials and compare NALIRIFOX, FOLFIRINOX, and GEM-NABP. Data Sources: After a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and American Society of Clinical Oncology and European Society for Medical Oncology meetings' libraries, Kaplan-Meier curves were extracted from phase 3 clinical trials conducted from January 1, 2011, until September 12, 2023. Study Selection: Phase 3 clinical trials that tested NALIRIFOX, FOLFIRINOX, or GEM-NABP as first-line treatment of metastatic PDAC and reported overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) curves were selected. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Individual Participant Data reporting guidelines. Data Extraction And Synthesis: Individual patient OS and PFS data were extracted from Kaplan-Meier plots of original trials via a graphic reconstructive algorithm. Overall response rates (ORRs) and grade 3 or higher toxic effects rates were also collected. A pooled analysis was conducted, and results were validated via a network meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was OS. Secondary outcomes included PFS, ORR, and toxic effects rates. Results: A total of 7 trials with data on 2581 patients were analyzed, including 383 patients treated with NALIRIFOX, 433 patients treated with FOLFIRINOX, and 1756 patients treated with GEM-NABP. Median PFS was longer in patients treated with NALIRIFOX (7.4 [95% CI, 6.1-7.7] months) or FOLFIRINOX (7.3 [95% CI, 6.5-7.9] months; [HR], 1.21 [95% CI, 0.86-1.70]; P = .28) compared with patients treated with GEM-NABP (5.7 [95% CI, 5.6-6.1] months; HR vs NALIRIFOX, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.22-1.73]; P < .001). Similarly, GEM-NABP was associated with poorer OS (10.4 [95% CI, 9.8-10.8]; months) compared with NALIRIFOX (HR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.00-1.39]; P = .05], while no difference was observed between FOLFIRINOX (11.7 [95% CI, 10.4-13.0] months) and NALIRIFOX (11.1 [95% CI, 10.1-12.3] months; HR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.81-1.39]; P = .65). There were no statistically significant differences in ORR among NALIRIFOX (41.8%), FOLFIRINOX (31.6%), and GEM-NABP (35.0%). NALIRIFOX was associated with lower incidence of grade 3 or higher hematological toxic effects (eg, platelet count decreased 1.6% vs 11.8% with FOLFIRINOX and 10.8% with GEM-NABP), but higher rates of severe diarrhea compared with GEM-NABP (20.3% vs 15.7%). Conclusions and Relevance: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, NALIRIFOX and FOLFIRINOX were associated with similar PFS and OS as first-line treatment of advanced PDAC, although NALIRIFOX was associated with a different toxicity profile. Careful patient selection, financial toxic effects consideration, and direct comparison between FOLFIRINOX and NALIRIFOX are warranted.

Safety and antitumor activity of metformin plus lanreotide in patients with advanced gastro-intestinal or lung neuroendocrine tumors: the phase Ib trial MetNET2.

In retrospective studies, metformin use has been associated with better clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with advanced, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WDNETs). However, prospective evidence of metformin safety and activity is lacking. Here, we conducted the first-in-human phase Ib MetNET2 trial to investigate the safety and antitumor activity of metformin in combination with the somatostatin analog lanreotide autogel (ATG) in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with advanced WDNETs of the gastrointestinal (GI) or thoracic tract. Enrolled patients received lanreotide ATG 120 mg plus oral metformin, up to a maximum dosage of 2550 mg/day. We enrolled 20 patients, of whom 18 (90%) and 2 (10%) had WDNETs of the GI and thoracic tract, respectively. Fourteen patients (70%) were non-diabetic. With a 5% incidence of SAEs, the study met its primary objective of demonstrating treatment safety. With a median follow-up of 39 months (95% CI 28-NE), median PFS was 24 months (95% CI 16-NE), with 12-month and 24-month PFS probability of 75% (95% CI 58-97) and 49% (95% CI 31-77), respectively. We found no statistically significant PFS differences between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Among exploratory analyses, the presence of tumor genomic alterations in DNA damage pathways was associated with trend towards worse PFS, whereas a precocious reduction of HOMA-IR index and plasma cholesterol concentration showed a trend towards an association with better PFS. In conclusion, metformin plus lanreotide ATG is a safe and well tolerated combination treatment that is associated with promising antitumor activity in both non-diabetic and diabetic patients with WDNETs, and that warrants further investigation in larger clinical trials.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes predict clinical outcomes in hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Background: Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) combined with Endocrine Therapy (ET) are the standard treatment for patients with Hormone Receptor-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (HR+/HER2- aBC). Objectives: While CDK4/6i are known to reduce several peripheral blood cells, such as neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelets, the impact of these modulations on clinical outcomes is unknown. Design: A multicenter, retrospective-prospective Italian study. Methods: We investigated the association between baseline peripheral blood cells, or their early modifications (i.e. 2 weeks after treatment initiation), and the progression-free survival (PFS) of HR+/HER2- aBC patients treated with ETs plus CDK4/6i. Random Forest models were used to select covariates associated with patient PFS among a large list of patient- and tumor-related variables. Results: We evaluated 638 HR+/HER2- aBC patients treated with ET plus CDK4/6i at six Italian Institutions between January 2017 and May 2021. High baseline lymphocyte counts were independently associated with longer PFS [median PFS (mPFS) 20.1 versus 13.2 months in high versus low lymphocyte patients, respectively; adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR): 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.92; p = 0.0144]. Moreover, patients experiencing a lower early reduction of lymphocyte counts had significantly longer PFS when compared to patients undergoing higher lymphocyte decrease (mPFS 18.1 versus 14.5 months; aHR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.73-0.93; p = 0.0037). Patients with high baseline lymphocytes and undergoing a lower reduction, or even an increase, of lymphocyte counts during CDK4/6i therapy experienced the longest PFS, while patients with lower baseline lymphocytes and undergoing a higher decrease of lymphocytes had the lowest PFS (mPFS 21.4 versus 11 months, respectively). Conclusion: Baseline and on-treatment modifications of peripheral blood lymphocytes have independent prognostic value in HR+/HER2- aBC patients. This study supports the implementation of clinical strategies to boost antitumor immunity in patients with HR+/HER2- aBC treated with ETs plus CDK4/6i.

Antitumor Activity and Safety of Dostarlimab Monotherapy in Patients With Mismatch Repair Deficient Solid Tumors: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

Importance: Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) occurs in various cancers, and these tumors are attractive candidates for anti-programmed cell death 1 therapies, such as dostarlimab, a recently approved immune checkpoint inhibitor. Objective: To assess the antitumor activity and safety of dostarlimab in patients with advanced or recurrent dMMR solid tumors. Design, Setting, And Participants: The GARNET trial was a phase 1, open-label, single-group, multicenter study that began enrolling May 8, 2017. Participants had advanced or recurrent dMMR and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or polymerase epsilon (POLE)-altered solid tumors. The data cut for this interim analysis was from November 1, 2021, with median follow-up of 27.7 months. Interventions: Patients received 500 mg of dostarlimab intravenously every 3 weeks for 4 doses, then 1000 mg every 6 weeks until disease progression, discontinuation, or withdrawal. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary objective was to evaluate objective response rate and duration of response in patients with dMMR solid tumors by blinded independent central review using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. Results: The efficacy population included 327 patients (median [range] age, 63 [24-85] years; 235 [71.9%] female; 7 [2.1%] Asian, 6 [1.8%] Black, and 206 [63.0%] White patients), with 141 patients (43.1%) with dMMR endometrial cancer, 105 patients (32.1%) with dMMR colorectal cancer, and 81 patients (24.8%) with other dMMR tumor types. All patients had at least 1 previous line of therapy. Objective response rate assessed per blinded independent central review for dMMR solid tumors was 44.0% (95% CI, 38.6% to 49.6%). Median duration of response was not reached (range, ≥1.18 to ≥47.21 months); 72.2% of responders (104 of 144) had a response lasting 12 or more months. Median progression-free survival was 6.9 months (95% CI, 4.2 to 13.6 months); probability of progression-free survival at 24 months was 40.6% (95% CI, 35.0% to 46.1%). Median overall survival was not reached (95% CI, 31.6 months to not reached). The most frequent immune-related adverse events were hypothyroidism (25 [6.9%]), alanine aminotransferase increase (21 [5.8%]), and arthralgia (17 [4.7%]). No new safety concerns were identified. Conclusions And Relevance: In this nonrandomized controlled trial, dostarlimab was a well-tolerated treatment option with rapid, robust, and durable antitumor activity in patients with diverse dMMR solid tumors. These findings suggest that dostarlimab provides meaningful long-term benefit in a population with high unmet need. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02715284.

High bone tumor burden to identify advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with survival benefit upon bone targeted agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Bone-targeted agents (BTA), such as denosumab (DN) and zoledronic acid (ZA), have historically reduced the risk of skeletal related events in cancer patients with bone metastases (BM), with no improvement in survival outcomes. In the immunotherapy era, BM have been associated with poor prognosis upon immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Currently, the impact of bone tumor burden on survival upon BTAs in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients treated with ICI remains unknown. METHODS: Data from ICI-treated aNSCLC patients with BM (4/2013-5/2022) in one institution were retrospectively collected. BTA-ICI concurrent treatment was defined as BTA administration at any time before or within 90 days from ICI start. High bone tumor burden (HBTB) was defined as ≥ 3 sites of BM. Median OS (mOS) was estimated with Kaplan-Meier. Aikaike's information criterion (AIC) was used to select the best model for data analysis adjusted for clinical variables. RESULTS: Of 134 patients included, 51 (38 %) received BTA. At a mFU of 39.6 months (m), BTA-ICIs concurrent treatment did not significantly impact on mOS [8.3 m (95% CI 3.9-12.8) versus (vs) 6.8 m (95% CI 4.0-9.6) p = 0.36]; these results were confirmed after adjustment for clinical variables selected by AIC. A multivariate model showed a significant interaction between BTA use and HBTB or radiation therapy to BM. In subgroup analyses, only HBTB confirmed to be associated with significantly longer mOS [8.3 m (95% CI 2.4-14.2) vs 3.5 m (95% CI 2.9-4.1), p = 0.003] and mPFS [3.0 m (95% CI 1.6-4.4) vs 1.8 m (95% CI 1.6-2.0) p = 0.001] upon BTA-ICI concurrent treatment, with the most pronounced OS benefit observed for DN-ICI concurrent regimen [15.2 m (95% CI 0.1-30.7) vs 3.5 m (95% CI 2.9-4.1) p = 0.002]. CONCLUSIONS: In the immunotherapy era, HBTB can identify patients experiencing survival benefit with BTA, especially with DN-ICI combination. HBTB should be included as a stratification factor in the upcoming trials assessing BTA and ICI combinations in patients with aNSCLC and BM.

A New Risk Prediction Model for Venous Thromboembolism and Death in Ambulatory Lung Cancer Patients.

(1) Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent complication in ambulatory lung cancer patients during chemotherapy and is associated with increased mortality. (2) Methods: We analyzed 568 newly diagnosed metastatic lung cancer patients prospectively enrolled in the HYPERCAN study. Blood samples collected before chemotherapy were tested for thrombin generation (TG) and a panel of hemostatic biomarkers. The Khorana risk score (KRS), new-Vienna CATS, PROTECHT, and CONKO risk assessment models (RAMs) were applied. (3) Results: Within 6 months, the cumulative incidences of VTE and mortality were 12% and 29%, respectively. Patients with VTE showed significantly increased levels of D-dimer, FVIII, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, and TG. D-dimer and ECOG performance status were identified as independent risk factors for VTE and mortality by multivariable analysis and utilized to generate a risk score that provided a cumulative incidence of VTE of 6% vs. 25%, death of 19% vs. 55%, and in the low- vs. high-risk group, respectively (p < 0.001). While all published RAMs significantly stratified patients for risk of death, only the CATS and CONKO were able to stratify patients for VTE. (4) Conclusions: A new prediction model was generated to stratify lung cancer patients for VTE and mortality risk, where other published RAMs failed.

Assessing the safety and activity of cabozantinib combined with lanreotide in gastroenteropancreatic and thoracic neuroendocrine tumors: rationale and protocol of the phase II LOLA trial.

BACKGROUND: Well-differentiated (WD) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a group of rare neoplasms with limited therapeutic options. Cabozantinib is an inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases with a pivotal role in NET pathogenesis, including c-MET and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2). LOLA is the first prospective phase II trial aiming to assess the safety and activity of cabozantinib combined with lanreotide in WD NETs of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP), thoracic and of unknown origin. METHODS: This is a multicenter, open-label, double-cohort, non comparative, non-randomized, three-stage phase II trial. Eligible patients have to meet the following inclusion criteria: diagnosis of advanced or metastatic, progressive, non-functioning WD thoracic NETs, GEP-NETs or NETs of unknown origin with Ki67 ≥ 10%; positive 68 Ga-PET uptake or somatostatin receptor 2 immunohistochemical (IHC) stain; maximum 1 prior systemic regimen for metastatic disease. Two cohorts will be considered: pNETs and carcinoids (typical or atypical lung and thymus NETs, gastro-intestinal NETs or NETs of unknown origin). In stage I, the primary objective is to find the optimal dose of cabozantinib in combination with lanreotide and to evaluate the safety of the combination (percentage of patients experiencing grade 3-5 toxicities according to NCI-CTCAE version 5.0). Starting dose of cabozantinib is 60 mg/day continuously, plus lanreotide 120 mg every 28 days. In stage II and III, co-primary endpoints are safety and overall response rate (ORR) according to RECIST version 1.1. The uninteresting antitumor activity is fixed in ORR ≤ 5%. Secondary endpoints are progression-free survival and overall survival. Exploratory objectives include the assessment of c-MET, AXL and VEGFR2 IHC expression, to identify predictive or prognostic tissue biomarkers. Enrolment started in July 2020, with an expected trial duration of 42 months comprehensive of accrual, treatment and follow-up. Considering a drop-out rate of 5%, the maximum number of enrolled patients will be 69. DISCUSSION: Supported by a solid rationale, the trial has the potential to generate milestone data about the synergistic effects of cabozantinib plus lanreotide in a group of NET patients with relatively aggressive disease and limited therapeutic options. TRIAL REGISTRATION: LOLA is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04427787) and EudraCT (2019-004506-10).

Comparative Genomic Analysis and Clinical Outcomes of BRAF-mutated Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers.

PURPOSE: BRAF mutations are rare in biliary tract cancers (BTC), but are of interest given the recent developments in targeted therapy for BTC. We investigated the clinical outcomes in a cohort of BRAF-mutant advanced BTC treated with first-line chemotherapy. Furthermore, we investigated the genomic landscape of BRAF class I, II, and III mutations in the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) subgroup of BTC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed two nonoverlapping cohorts. We examined the genomic landscape of BRAF-mutated iCCA in a "genomic cohort" [187 class I, 82 class II, 113 class III BRAF mutants and 8,026 wildtype (WT)]. We also analyzed median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on first-line chemotherapy in a separate multi-institutional "clinical cohort" of patients with BTC (including iCCA and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA) and gallbladder cancer; 41 class I, 32 class II+III BRAF mutants and 1,042 WT). RESULTS: In the entire BTC clinical cohort, the median PFS was shorter for class I [HR, 2.11 (P < 0.001)] and class II+III [HR, 1.72 (P = 0.007)] as compared with BRAF WT. OS was also shorter in class I [HR, 2.04 (P = 0.011)] and class II+III [HR, 1.86 (P = 0.002)] as compared with BRAF WT. In the iCCA subgroup, class I alterations were mutually exclusive with FGFR2, IDH1/2, ERBB2, and KRAS mutations. Class II+III mutations appear to be mutually exclusive with FGFR2 and KRAS. CONCLUSIONS: In BTC, all classes of BRAF mutations are associated with a worse prognosis. BRAF mutations occur in 5% of iCCA subgroup and may be mutually exclusive with other targetable mutations.

Exploring the Role of Immunotherapy-Based Treatments for Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Novel Driver Alterations.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy (IO) single agent or combined with chemotherapy (CT-IO) is the standard treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) without driver alterations. IO efficacy in patients with novel driver alterations is not well reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of aNSCLC patients treated with IO or CT-IO in any line from January 2016 to September 2022 were retrospectively collected. Patients harboring novel driver alterations (m-cohort), including MET exon 14 skipping, BRAF (V600E or atypical), RET rearrangements, HER2 point mutations/exon 20 insertions or uncommon EGFR mutations/EGFR exon 20 insertions, and wild type patients (wt-cohort) were eligible. Clinico-pathological data were extracted from Institutional databases and compared through chi square or Fisher's exact test. Survivals were estimated through Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. RESULTS: m-cohort and wt-cohort included 84 and 444 patients, respectively. Progression free survival (PFS) was 5.53 vs. 4.57 months (P= .846) and overall survival (OS) was 25.1 vs. 9.37 months, (P < .0001) for m-cohort compared to wt-cohort. Within the m-cohort, BRAF atypical mutations had the better outcomes (Overall Response Rate [ORR], PFS), targeted agents timing did not affect response to IO and CT-IO had better ORR and disease control rate (DCR) compared to IO single agent (P = .0160 and P = .0152). In the PD-L1≥50% group, first line IO single agent resulted in inferior ORR (P = .027) and PFS (P = .022) in m-cohort compared to wt-cohort. CONCLUSION: IO based treatments seem not detrimental for patients harboring novel driver alteration. Adding CT could improve modest responses to IO alone. Confirmation on larger datasets is required.

Breast cancers arising in subjects with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations: Different biological and clinical entities with potentially diverse therapeutic opportunities.

Breast cancers (BCs) arising in carriers of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants (PVs) have long been considered as indistinguishable biological and clinical entities. However, the loss of function of BRCA1 or BRCA2 proteins has different consequences in terms of tumor cell reliance on estrogen receptor signaling and tumor microenvironment composition. Here, we review accumulating preclinical and clinical data indicating that BRCA1 or BRCA2 inactivation may differentially affect BC sensitivity to standard systemic therapies. Based on a different crosstalk between BRCA1 or BRCA2 and the ER pathway, BRCA2-mutated Hormone Receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced BC may be less sensitive to endocrine therapy (ET) plus CDK 4/6 inhibitors (CDK 4/6i), whereas BRCA2-mutated triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) may be especially sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors. If validated in future prospective studies, these data may have relevant clinical implications, thus establishing different treatment paths in patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 PVs.