Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Sequential Chemoradiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer: Preliminary, Translational Results from the French Neo-APBI-01 Trial.

BACKGROUND: Radiation therapy (RT), a novel approach to boost the anticancer immune response, has been progressively evaluated in the neoadjuvant setting in breast cancer (BC). PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate immunity-related indicators of response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT) in BC for better treatment personalization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data of the first 42 patients included in the randomized phase 2 Neo-APBI-01 trial comparing standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and NACRT regimen in locally advanced triple-negative (TN) and luminal B (LB) subtype BC. Clinicopathological parameters, blood counts and the derived parameters, total tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and their subpopulation, as well as TP53 mutation status, were assessed as predictors of response. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were equally assigned to each group. The pathologic complete response (pCR) was 33% and 38% in the NACT and NACRT groups, respectively, with a dose-response effect. Only one LB tumor reached pCR after NACRT. Numerous parameters associated with response were identified, which differed according to the assigned treatment. In the NACRT group, baseline hemoglobin of ≥13 g/dL and body mass index of <26 were strongly associated with pCR. Higher baseline neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio, total TILs, and T-effector cell counts were favorable for pCR. CONCLUSION: This preliminary analysis identified LB and low-TIL tumors as poor responders to the NACRT protocol, which delivered RT after several cycles of chemotherapy. These findings will allow for amending the selection of patients for the trial and help better design future trials of NACRT in BC.

Multicenter Harmonization Study of Pan-Trk Immunohistochemistry for the Detection of NTRK3 Fusions.

Pan-Trk immunohistochemistry has been described as a screening test for the detection of NTRK fusions in a broad spectrum of tumor types. However, pan-Trk testing in the clinical setting may be limited by many factors, including analytical parameters such as clones, platforms, and protocols used. This study aimed to harmonize pan-Trk testing using various clones and immunohistochemical (IHC) platforms and to evaluate the level of analytical variability across pathology laboratories. We developed several IHC pan-Trk assays using clones EPR17341 (Abcam) and A7H6R (Cell Signaling Technology) on Ventana/Roche, Agilent, and Leica platforms. To compare them, we sent unstained sections of a tissue microarray containing 9 cases with NTRK3 fusions to participating laboratories, to perform staining on Ventana/Roche (10 centers), Agilent (4 centers), and Leica (3 centers) platforms. A ready-to-use pan-Trk IVD assay (Ventana/Roche) was also performed in 3 centers. All slides were centrally and blindly reviewed for the percentage of stained tumor cells. Laboratory-developed tests with clone EPR17341 were able to detect pan-Trk protein expression in all cases, whereas lower rates of positivity were observed with clone A7H6R. Moderate to strong variability of the positive cases rate was observed with both antibodies in each IHC platforms type and each of the positivity cut points evaluated (≥1%, ≥10%, and ≥50% of stained tumor cells). The rate of false-negative cases was lower when pan-Trk staining was assessed with the lowest positivity threshold (≥1%). In conclusion, most evaluated pan-Trk IHC laboratory-developed tests were able to detect NTRK3-fusion proteins; however, a significant analytical variability was observed between antibodies, platforms, and centers.

Nestin as a Prognostic Biomarker in High-grade Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Treated by Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: High-grade epithelial ovarian cancer (HGEOC) is a heterogeneous disease and among the deadliest types of cancer. It often acquires resistance to conventional chemotherapy and its prognosis remains highly poor. The tissue protein nestin, implicated in the assembly and disassembly of intermediate filaments, has been reported to be an unfavourable prognostic factor in several cancer types. We hypothesized that HGEOC progression is regulated by the proliferation of chemoresistant cancer stem cells, in which nestin might be implicated. This preliminary study aimed to evaluate nestin as a prognostic biomarker in HGEOC treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by cytoreductive surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study (2009-2019) was conducted on 92 patients with primary ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal HGEOC who underwent NACT followed by cytoreductive surgery. Nestin expression in tissue samples was semi-quantitatively evaluated defining nestin positivity for those with histochemical score ≥30. We then evaluated the prognostic value of nestin expression. RESULTS: The median progression-free survival was similar between nestin-positive (22 months) and nestin-negative (19 months) groups (p=0.57). Interestingly, the median overall survival was shorter for the nestin-positive group (48 vs. 67 months, respectively), however the difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.43). CONCLUSION: Tissue nestin expression does not appear to be a relevant prognostic biomarker in HGEOC treated by NACT. However, we believe that prospective studies in larger cohorts should be conducted and evaluation of nestin in pre-NACT HGEOC samples needs to be explored.

Circulating proteins as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and among the leading causes of cancer death in women. It is a heterogeneous group of tumours with numerous morphological and molecular subtypes, making predictions of disease evolution and patient outcomes difficult. Therefore, biomarkers are needed to help clinicians choose the best treatment for each patient. For the last years, studies have increasingly focused on biomarkers obtainable by liquid biopsy. Circulating proteins (from serum or plasma) can be used for inexpensive and minimally invasive determination of disease risk, early diagnosis, treatment adjusting, prognostication and disease progression monitoring. We provide here a review of the main published studies on serum proteins in breast cancer and elaborate on the potential of circulating proteins to be predictive and/or prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer.

Radiation therapy for triple-negative breast cancer: emerging role of microRNAs as biomarkers and radiosensitivity modifiers. A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy (RT) for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment is currently delivered in the adjuvant setting and is under investigation as a booster of neoadjuvant treatments. However, TNBC radioresistance remains an obstacle, so new biomarkers are needed to select patients for any integration of RT in the TNBC therapy sequence. MicroRNAs (miRs) are important regulators of gene expression, involved in cancer response to ionizing radiation (IR) and assessable by tumor tissue or liquid biopsy. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the relationships between miRs and response to radiation in TNBC, as well as their potential predictive and prognostic values. METHODS: A thorough review of studies related to miRs and RT in TNBC was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. We searched for original English articles that involved dysregulation of miRs in response to IR on TNBC-related preclinical and clinical studies. After a rigorous selection, 44 studies were chosen for further analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-five miRs were identified to be TNBC related, out of which 21 were downregulated, 13 upregulated, and 2 had a double-side expression in this cancer. Expression modulation of many of these miRs is radiosensitizing, among which miR-7, -27a, -34a, -122, and let-7 are most studied, still only in experimental models. The miRs reported as most influencing/reflecting TNBC response to IR are miR-7, -27a, -155, -205, -211, and -221, whereas miR-21, -33a, -139-5p, and -210 are associated with TNBC patient outcome after RT. CONCLUSION: miRs are emerging biomarkers and radiosensitizers in TNBC, worth further investigation. Dynamic assessment of circulating miRs could improve monitoring and TNBC RT efficacy, which are of particular interest in the neoadjuvant and the high-risk patients' settings.

WISP2/CCN5 Suppresses Vasculogenic Mimicry through Inhibition of YAP/TAZ Signaling in Breast Cancer Cells.

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formed by aggressive tumor cells to create vascular networks connected with the endothelial cells, plays an important role in breast cancer progression. WISP2 has been considered as a tumor suppressor protein; however, the relationship between WISP2 and VM formation remains unclear. We used the in vitro tube formation assay and in vivo immunohistochemical analysis in a mouse model, and human breast tumors were used to evaluate the effect of WISP2 on VM formation. Here we report that WISP2 acts as a potent inhibitor of VM formation in breast cancer. Enforced expression of WISP2 decreased network formation while knockdown of WISP2 increased VM. Mechanistically, WISP2 increased retention of oncogenic activators YAP/TAZ in cytoplasm, leading to decreased expression of the angiogenic factor CYR61. Studies using an in vivo mouse model and human breast tumors confirmed the in vitro cell lines data. In conclusion, our results indicate that WISP2 may play a critical role in VM and highlight the critical role of WISP2 as a tumor suppressor.

Immune microenvironment in patients with mismatch-repair-proficient oligometastatic colorectal cancer exposed to chemotherapy: the randomized MIROX GERCOR cohort study.

In the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors, understanding the metastatic microenvironment of proficient mismatch repair/microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) is of paramount importance to both prognostication and the development of more effective novel therapies. In this study, primary and paired metastasis tissue samples were collected from patients with resectable metastatic CRC treated with adjuvant FOLFOX or peri-operative chemotherapy in the MIROX phase III prospective study. In total, 74 cancer tissues were stained for CD3, CD8, Forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3), programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1, invasive front, stromal, intra-epithelial compartments), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1, tumor, immune cells). The immune profiling of primary CRC had a limited value to predict the immune context of paired metastases for all markers but CD3+. The expression of CD8 and PD-L1 was higher in metastases after neoadjuvant FOLFOX. In metastases, both CD3 T cells at the invasive front and PD-L1 expressions on immune cells were predictive of better disease-free survival. These results show that the effect of FOLFOX on modifying the immune microenvironment in resected CRC metastases and measurement of PD-L1 expression and tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells in pMMR/MSS metastatic tissue samples could improve treatment strategies of metastatic CRC patients.

RNA sequencing reveals the differential expression profiles of RNA in metastatic triple negative breast cancer and identifies SHISA3 as an efficient tumor suppressor gene.

Breast cancer metastasis is the second leading cause of female mortality worldwide. Because of the heterogeneity within the group, metastatic biomarkers for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) providing predictive and prognosis values are urgently needed. Using RNA-Seq, we analyzed the transcriptome profiles of two groups of TNBCs tumors with or without distant metastasis. Whole transcriptome sequencing identified a set of genes implicated in TNBC metastasis with major roles in cell-cell adhesion, immune-modulation, and Wnt/ß-catenin pathways. We further selected the SHISA3 gene and studied its biological significance through a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. SHISA3 is a tumor suppressor gene, involved in several types of cancer. However, little is known concerning the role of SHISA3 in TNBC. Our in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that overexpression of SHISA3 inhibits TNBCs cell proliferation, metastasis and colony formation, and TNBC growth in xenografts. Mechanistically, SHISA3 inhibits TNBCs development and growth via downregulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Taken together, these results identified SHISA3 as a novel tumor suppressor gene in TNBC and suggest that SHISA3 could serve as a therapeutic target for TNBC patients.

STING protects breast cancer cells from intrinsic and genotoxic-induced DNA instability via a non-canonical, cell-autonomous pathway.

STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) is an endoplasmic reticulum-anchored adaptor of the innate immunity best known to trigger pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in response to pathogen infection. In cancer, this canonical pathway can be activated by intrinsic or drug-induced genomic instability, potentiating antitumor immune responses. Here we report that STING downregulation decreases cell survival and increases sensitivity to genotoxic treatment in a panel of breast cancer cell lines in a cell-autonomous manner. STING silencing impaired DNA Damage Response (53BP1) foci formation and increased DNA break accumulation. These newly identified properties were found to be independent of STING partner cGAS and of its canonical pro-inflammatory pathway. STING was shown to partially localize at the inner nuclear membrane in a variety of breast cancer cell models and clinical tumor samples. Interactomics analysis of nuclear STING identified several proteins of the DNA Damage Response, including the three proteins of the DNA-PK complex, further supporting a role of STING in the regulation of genomic stability. In breast and ovarian cancer patients that received adjuvant chemotherapy, high STING expression is associated with increased risk of relapse. In summary, this study highlights an alternative, non-canonical tumor-promoting role of STING that opposes its well-documented function in tumor immunosurveillance.

Recurrence biomarkers of triple negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and anti-EGFR antibodies.

To find metastatic recurrence biomarkers of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and anti-EGFR antibodies (NAT), we evaluated tumor genomic, transcriptomic, and immune features, using MSK-IMPACT assay, gene arrays, Nanostring technology, and TIL assessment on H&E. Six patients experienced a rapid fatal recurrence (RR) and other 6 had later non-fatal recurrences (LR). Before NAT, RR had low expression of 6 MHC class I and 13 MHC class II genes but were enriched in upregulated genes involved in the cell cycle-related pathways. Their TIL number before NAT in RR was very low (<5%) and did not increase after treatment. In post-NAT residual tumors, RR cases showed high expression of SOX2 and CXCR4. Our results indicate that high expression of cell cycle genes, combined with cold immunological phenotype, may predict strong TNBC resistance to NAT and rapid progression after it. This biomarker combination is worth validation in larger studies.

Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated With Favorable Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: A Study on 120 Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly heterogeneous, but still most of the patients are treated by the anthracycline/taxane-based neoadjuvant therapy (NACT). Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are a strong predictive and prognostic biomarker in TNBC, however are not always available. Peripheral blood counts, which reflect the systemic inflammatory/immune status, are easier to obtain than TILs. We investigated whether baseline white cell or platelet counts, as well as, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) or Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) could replace baseline TILs as predictive or prognostic biomarkers in a series of TNBC treated by standard NACT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty patients uniformly treated by FEC/taxane NACT in a tertiary cancer care center were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of pathological complete response (pCR: ypT0/Tis, ypN0) or the presence of pCR and/small residual disease (ypT0/Tis/T1ab, ypN0) were considered as good responses in data analysis. Baseline/pre-NACT blood count, NLR, PLR and TILs were evaluated as predictors of response, distant recurrence rate and distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS). RESULTS: TILs ≥30% and ≥1.5% were best predictors of pCR and distant recurrence risk, respectively (p = 0.007, p = 0.012). However, in this cohort, pCR status was not significantly associated with recurrence. Only the ensemble of patients with pCR and small residual disease had lower recurrence risk and longer survival DRFS (p = 0.042, p = 0.024, respectively) than the rest of the cohort (larger residual disease). The only parameter which could predict the pCR/small residual disease status was PLR: patients with values lower than 133.25 had significantly higher chance of reaching that status after NACT (p = 0.045). However, no direct correlation could be established between baseline PLR and metastatic recurrence. No correlation either was found between TIL and individual blood counts, or between TILs and NLR or PLR. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, TILs retained their pCR predictive value; however PLR was a better predictor of the ensemble of responses which had good outcome in terms of less distant recurrences or longer DRFS (pCR or small residual disease). Thus, baseline PLR is worth further, prospective investigation together with baseline TILs, as it might indicate a good TNBC response to NACT when TILs are unavailable.

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in non-invasive breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as a biomarker in non-invasive breast cancer is unclear. This meta-analysis assessed the prognostic impact of TIL levels in patients with non-invasive breast cancer. METHODS: Systematic literature search was performed to identify studies assessing local recurrence in patients with non-invasive breast cancer according to TIL levels (high vs. low). Subgroup analyses per local recurrence (invasive and non-invasive) were performed. Secondary objectives were the association between TIL levels and non-invasive breast cancer subtypes, age, grade and necrosis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted from each study and a pooled analysis was conducted with random-effect model. RESULTS: Seven studies (N = 3437) were included in the present meta-analysis. High-TILs were associated with a higher likelihood of local recurrence (invasive or non-invasive, N = 2941; OR 2.05; 95%CI, 1.03-4.08; p = 0.042), although with a lower likelihood of invasive local recurrence (N = 1722; OR 0.69; 95%CI, 0.49-0.99; p = 0.042). High-TIL levels were associated with triple-negative (OR 3.84; 95%CI, 2.23-6.61; p < 0.001) and HER2-positive (OR 6.27; 95%CI, 4.93-7.97; p < 0.001) subtypes, high grade (OR 5.15; 95%CI, 3.69-7.19; p < 0.001) and necrosis (OR 3.09; 95%CI, 2.33-4.10; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High-TIL levels were associated with more aggressive tumours, a higher likelihood of local recurrence (invasive or non-invasive) but a lower likelihood of invasive local recurrence in patients with non-invasive breast cancer.

INSTIGO Trial: Evaluation of a Plasma Protein Profile as a Predictive Biomarker for Metastatic Relapse of Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 10-20% of breast cancers but has no specific therapy. While TNBC may be more sensitive to chemotherapy than other types of breast cancer, it has a poor prognosis. Most TNBC relapses occur during the five years following treatment, however predictive biomarkers of metastatic relapse are still lacking. High tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) levels before and after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) are associated with lower relapse risk and longer survival but TILs assessment is highly error-prone and still not introduced into the clinic. Therefore, having reliable biomarker of relapse, but easier to assess, remains essential for TNBC management. Searching for such biomarkers among serum/plasma proteins, circulating tumoral DNA (ctDNA) and blood cells appear relevant. METHODS: This single-centre and prospective study aims to discover predictive biomarkers of TNBC relapse and particularly focuses on plasma proteins. Blood samples will be taken at diagnosis, on the day of first-line or post-NAC surgery, on the day of radiotherapy start, then 6 months and one year after radiotherapy. A blood sample will be taken at the time of metastatic relapse diagnosis. Blood samples will be used for circulating protein quantification, blood cell counts and circulating tumour DNA quantification. A tumour RNA signature, based on the analysis of the RNA expression of 6 genes, will also be tested from the initial biopsy taken routinely. In NAC patients, TILs quantity will be assessed on TNBC pre-treatment biopsy and surgical specimen. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: INSTIGO belongs to category 2 interventional research on humans. This study has been approved by the SUD-EST IV ethics committee and is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Study findings will be published in peer-reviewed medical journals. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04438681.

New insight into the role of ANXA1 in melanoma progression: involvement of stromal expression in dissemination.

ANXA1, first described in the context of inflammation, appears to be deregulated in many cancers and increased in melanomas compared with melanocytes. To date, few studies have investigated the role of ANXA1 in melanoma progression. Furthermore, this protein is expressed by various cell types, including immune and endothelial cells. We therefore analyzed the specific roles of ANXA1 using melanoma and stromal cells in two human cell lines (A375-MA2 and SK-MEL-28) in vitro and in Anxa1 null C57Bl6/J mice bearing B16Bl6 tumors. We report decreased proliferation in both ANXA1 siRNA A375-MA2 and SK-MEL-28, but cell-dependent effects of ANXA1 in migration in vitro. However, we also observed a significant decrease of B16Bl6 tumor growth associated with a reduction of Ki-67 positive cells in Anxa1 null mice compared with wild-type mice. Interestingly, we also found a significant reduction of spontaneous metastases, which can be attributed to decreased angiogenesis concomitantly with greater immune cell presence in the Anxa1 null stromal context. This study highlights the pejorative role of ANXA1 in both tumor and stromal cells in melanoma, due to its involvement in proliferation and angiogenesis.

Anti-tumoral activity of the Pan-HER (Sym013) antibody mixture in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer models.

Chemoresistance, particularly to gemcitabine, is a major challenge in pancreatic cancer. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptors 2 and 3 (HER2, HER3) are expressed in many tumors, and they are relevant therapeutic targets due to their synergistic interaction to promote tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance. Cocktails of antibodies directed against different targets are a promising strategy to overcome these processes. Here, we found by immunohistochemistry that these three receptors were co-expressed in 11% of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We then developed gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cell models (SW-1990-GR and BxPC3-GR) and one patient-derived xenograft (PDX2846-GR) by successive exposure to increasing doses of gemcitabine. We showed that expression of EGFR, HER2 and HER3 was increased in these gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer models, and that an antibody mixture against all three receptors inhibited tumor growth in mice and downregulated HER receptors. Finally, we demonstrated that the Pan-HER and gemcitabine combination has an additive effect in vitro and in mice xenografted with the gemcitabine-sensitive or resistant pancreatic models. The mixture of anti-EGFR, HER2 and HER3 antibodies is a good candidate therapeutic approach for gemcitabine-sensitive and -resistant pancreatic cancer.

Breast conservation and axillary management after primary systemic therapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer: the Lucerne toolbox.

Primary systemic therapy is increasingly used in the treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer, but few guidelines specifically address optimal locoregional therapies. Therefore, we established an international consortium to discuss clinical evidence and to provide expert advice on technical management of patients with early-stage breast cancer. The steering committee prepared six working packages to address all major clinical questions from diagnosis to surgery. During a consensus meeting that included members from European scientific oncology societies, clinical trial groups, and patient advocates, statements were discussed and voted on. A consensus was reached in 42% of statements, a majority in 38%, and no decision in 21%. Based on these findings, the panel developed clinical guidance recommendations and a toolbox to overcome many clinical and technical requirements associated with the diagnosis, response assessment, surgical planning, and surgery of patients with early-stage breast cancer. This guidance could convince clinicians and patients of the major clinical advancements purported by primary systemic therapy, the use of less extensive and more targeted surgery to improve the lives of patients with breast cancer.

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density is associated with favourable outcome in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The established role of morphological evaluation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. We aimed to determine TIL association with the outcome for ICIs and for chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective study of a nivolumab cohort of 221 patients treated between November 2012 and February 2017 and a chemotherapy cohort of 189 patients treated between June 2009 and October 2016. Patients with available tissue for stromal TIL evaluation were analysed. The presence of a high TIL count (high-TIL) was defined as ≥10% density. The primary end-point was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Among the nivolumab cohort, 64% were male, with median age of 63 years, 82.3% were smokers, 77% had performance status ≤1 and 63% had adenocarcinoma histology. High-TIL was observed in 22% patients and associated with OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.48; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.28-0.81) and progression-free survival [PFS] (HR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.25-0.64). Median PFS was 13.0 months (95% CI: 5.0-not reached) with high-TIL versus 2.2 months (95% CI: 1.7-3.0) with the presence of a low TIL count (low-TIL). Median OS for high-TIL was not reached (95% CI: 12.2-not reached) versus 8.4 months (95% CI: 5.0-11.6) in the low-TIL group. High-TIL was associated with the overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) (both, P < .0001). Among the chemotherapy cohort, 69% were male, 89% were smokers, 86% had performance status ≤1 and 90% had adenocarcinoma histology. High-TIL was seen in 37%. Median PFS and OS were 5.7 months (95% CI: 4.9-6.7) and 11.7 months (95% CI: 9.3-13.0), respectively, with no association with TILs. CONCLUSIONS: High-TIL was associated with favourable outcomes in a real-world immunotherapy cohort of patients with NSCLC, but not with chemotherapy, suggesting that TILs may be useful in selecting patients for immunotherapy.

PERCEPTION Trial protocol: Comparison of predictive and prognostic capacities of neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple negative breast cancer affects 10% to 20% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to its characteristics, treatment strategies are limited and metastatic recurrences are common in the first 5 years after treatment. However, not all patients affected by this disease develop metastases. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes have shown to be reliable predictive biomarkers of treatment response and metastatic recurrences. However, we need to develop simpler and faster ways to predict response to cytotoxic treatment and the possibility of eventual cancer relapse by identifying new biomarkers. Recently, new studies are emerging, suggesting a predictive role of circulating blood cells in different types of cancer. In this study, we will assess the correlation between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and different elements of the blood count in patients diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. METHODS: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the peripheral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the amount of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, assessed in triple negative breast cancer patients at diagnosis. Secondary objectives include evaluation of the correlation between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes at diagnosis and the baseline absolute neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts, as well as the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio. The triple negative breast cancer patients will be enrolled in the PERCEPTION trial during the first year after the treatment completion. Two supplementary blood tests, at 12 months after the end of treatment and at the time of the first metastatic recurrence, will be performed. DISCUSSION: The discovery of new prognostic and predictive biomarkers is crucial for triple negative breast cancer. We set up the PERCEPTION clinical trial in order to evaluate certain blood counts as early biomarkers and to assess their correlation with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Demonstration of comparative predictive and/or prognostic capacities of peripheral blood counts and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes would allow introduction of the former as simple and cheap biomarkers in triple negative breast cancer patient management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The PERCEPTION study has been registered in the French National Agency of Medical Security registry on the 2nd of July 2019 under the number 2019-A01861-56 and in the ClinicalTrials.org registry under the number NCT04068623.