Renal cell carcinoma histologic subtypes exhibit distinct transcriptional profiles.

Molecular profiling of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) tumors of clinical trial patients has identified distinct transcriptomic signatures with predictive value, yet data in non-clear cell variants (nccRCC) are lacking. We examined the transcriptional profiles of RCC tumors representing key molecular pathways, from a multi-institutional, real-world patient cohort, including ccRCC (n = 508) and centrally-reviewed nccRCC (n = 149) samples. ccRCC had increased angiogenesis signature scores compared to the heterogeneous group of nccRCC tumors (mean z-score 0.37 vs -0.99, P < 0.001), while cell cycle, fatty acid oxidation (FAO)/AMPK signaling, fatty acid synthesis (FAS)/pentose phosphate signature scores were increased in one or more nccRCC subtypes. Among both ccRCC and nccRCC tumors, T-effector scores statistically correlated with increased immune cell infiltration and were more commonly associated with immunotherapy-related markers (PD-L1+/TMB-High/MSI-High). In conclusion, this study provides evidence of differential gene transcriptional profiles among ccRCC vs nccRCC tumors, providing new insights for optimizing personalized and histology-specific therapeutic strategies for patients with advanced RCC.

Three- and Seven-month Prostate-specific Antigen Levels as Prognostic Markers for Overall Survival in Metastatic Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer: Results from SWOG S1216, a Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Androgen Deprivation Plus Orteronel or Bicalutamide.

BACKGROUND: A robust decrease in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been evaluated as a prognostic factor in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) since 2006, but the treatment of mHSPC has since evolved to include intensified therapy. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association of PSA levels at 3 (PSA-3mo) and 7 (PSA-7mo) mo with overall survival (OS) in patients with mHSPC treated with ADT combined with either bicalutamide or orteronel in the S1216 phase 3 clinical trial. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: PSA responses to treatment of patients in the S1216 trial were categorized as: complete response (CR) if PSA was ≤0.2 ng/ml, partial response if PSA was >0.2 and ≤4 ng/ml, and no response (NR) if PSA was >4 ng/ml. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: A Cox analysis (adjusted for treatment arm and three stratification factors: performance status, severity of disease, and early vs late induction) was used for OS association. While PSA-7mo association was a prespecified objective, PSA-3mo association was also evaluated. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 1251 and 1231 patients from the S1216 study were evaluable for PSA-3mo and PSA-7mo, respectively. A PSA-7mo CR was associated with improved OS compared with NR (HR: 0.20; p < 0.0001). A PSA-3mo CR showed a similar association to NR (HR: 0.34; p < 0.0001). The association of a PSA response with survival did not differ by treatment arm at either time point. CONCLUSIONS: The PSA-3mo and PSA-7mo responses were strongly associated with OS; taken with other emerging prognostic biomarkers, these markers may allow for early identification of patients at the highest risk of death, aid with counseling in clinical practice, and permit design of future clinical trials targeting these patients. PATIENT SUMMARY: A low prostate-specific antigen level at 3 or 7 mo after starting treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer predicts longer survival regardless of the first treatment given with androgen deprivation therapy.

Bispecific PSMA antibodies and CAR-T in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. The treatment paradigm for prostate cancer has evolved with the emergence of a variety of novel therapies which have improved survival; however, treatment-related toxicities are abundant and durable responses remain rare. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown modest activity in a small subset of patients with prostate cancer and have not had an impact on most men with advanced disease. The discovery of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and the understanding of its specificity to prostate cancer has identified it as an ideal tumor-associated antigen and has revived the enthusiasm for immunotherapeutics in prostate cancer. T-cell immunotherapy in the form of bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy have shown exceptional success in treating various hematologic malignancies, and are now being tested in patients with prostate cancer with drug design centered on various target ligands including not just PSMA, but others as well including six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA). This summative review will focus on the data surrounding PSMA-targeting T-cell therapies. Early clinical studies with both classes of T-cell redirecting therapies have demonstrated antitumor activity; however, there are multiple challenges with this class of agents, including dose-limiting toxicity, 'on-target, off-tumor' immune-related toxicity, and difficulty in maintaining sustained immune responses within a complex and overtly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Reflecting on experiences from recent trials has been key toward understanding mechanisms of immune escape and limitations in developing these drugs in prostate cancer. Newer generation BiTE and CAR T-cell constructs, either alone or as part of combination therapy, are currently under investigation with modifications in drug design to overcome these barriers. Ongoing innovation in drug development will likely foster successful implementation of T-cell immunotherapy bringing transformational change to the treatment of prostate cancer.

New therapies utilizing T-cell immunotherapy for patients with metastatic prostate cancer There are ongoing developments in therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Many of these developments involve the activation of the immune system to target neoplastic prostate cells and tumors. Conventional immunotherapy modalities such as checkpoint inhibitors did not provide robust response in clinical study to warrant a change to the prostate cancer treatment paradigm. However, we are now seeing various agents in the form of bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor's which influence T-cell activity and are leading to interesting and promising pre-clinical and clinical results. This review article highlights the biologic rationale for employment of T-cell redirecting therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer, and reviews much of the exciting data emerging within the field.

A Phase II Trial of Guadecitabine plus Atezolizumab in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Progressing after Initial Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

PURPOSE: On the basis of preclinical evidence of epigenetic contribution to sensitivity and resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), we hypothesized that guadecitabine (hypomethylating agent) and atezolizumab [anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)] together would potentiate a clinical response in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) unresponsive to initial immune checkpoint blockade therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We designed a single arm phase II study (NCT03179943) with a safety run-in to identify the recommended phase II dose of the combination therapy of guadecitabine and atezolizumab. Patients with recurrent/advanced UC who had previously progressed on ICI therapy with programmed cell death protein 1 or PD-L1 targeting agents were eligible. Preplanned correlative analysis was performed to characterize peripheral immune dynamics and global DNA methylation, transcriptome, and immune infiltration dynamics of patient tumors. RESULTS: Safety run-in enrolled 6 patients and phase II enrolled 15 patients before the trial was closed for futility. No dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Four patients, with best response of stable disease (SD), exhibited extended tumor control (8-11 months) and survival (>14 months). Correlative analysis revealed lack of DNA demethylation in tumors after 2 cycles of treatment. Increased peripheral immune activation and immune infiltration in tumors after treatment correlated with progression-free survival and SD. Furthermore, high IL6 and IL8 levels in the patients' plasma was associated with short survival. CONCLUSIONS: No RECIST responses were observed after combination therapy in this trial. Although we could not detect the anticipated tumor-intrinsic effects of guadecitabine, the addition of hypomethylating agent to ICI therapy induced immune activation in a few patients, which associated with longer patient survival.

Platinum-Free Systemic Therapy in First-Line Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: Mirage or Oasis in the Platinum Desert?

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors' suggested management approaches. The goal of this series was to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.The systemic treatment for metastatic urothelial carcinoma has evolved over the past decade; however, changes in the first-line setting have remained elusive and dependent on platinum-based chemotherapy regimens. Hoimes et al now present an update on the results of cohort A of the EV-103 phase Ib/II trial combining enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab in the first-line setting for patients with cisplatin-ineligible metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The efficacy results in this small, phase I cohort demonstrate an impressive response rate with the majority of patients deriving benefit in tumor control. In conjunction with the results from cohort K of EV-103, recently reported at the 2022 ESMO Congress, there is much anticipation regarding this combination as a future standard of care. However, despite this combination not including a traditional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic, it is still associated with potentially life-altering treatment-related toxicity, most notably rash and peripheral neuropathy, along with the risks of immune-related adverse events, which will need to be carefully calibrated for patients.

Comparative Effectiveness of Front-Line Ipilimumab and Nivolumab or Axitinib and Pembrolizumab in Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is rapidly evolving with new combination therapies demonstrating improved response rates and survival. There are no head-to-head prospective trials comparing an immunotherapy doublet with an immunotherapy/tyrosine-kinase inhibitor-based combination. We compare real-world outcomes in patients treated with axitinib/pembrolizumab (axi/pembro) or ipilimumab/nivolumab (ipi/nivo). The primary endpoints were overall-survival (OS) and real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used a de-identified database to select patients diagnosed with clear cell mRCC and treated with front-line axi/pembro or ipi/nivo from 2018 to 2022. Analyses are adjusted using propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting, balancing age, gender, insurance, race, IMDC risk, and nephrectomy status. We compared survival by treatment groups using weighted and unweighted Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank tests and weighted Cox proportional hazards regressions. RESULTS: We included a total of 1506 patients with mRCC who received frontline axi/pembro (n = 547) or ipi/nivo (n = 959). Median follow-up time was 20.0 months (range: 0.2-47.6). Baseline demographics were similar between the 2 cohorts. Adjusted median OS for the full population was 28.9 months for axi/pembro and was 24.3 months for ipi/nivo (P = .09). Twenty-four-month survival was 53.8% for axi/pembro treated patients and 50.2% for ipi/nivo treated patients. rwPFS was 10.6 months for axi/pembro treated patients and 6.9 months for ipi/nivo treated patients. Treatment with axi/pembro conferred improved survival in the IMDC favorable risk strata, with no significant difference in survival observed within the full cohort. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective, real-world study of patients treated with front-line combination therapy, patients with IMDC favorable risk disease had better survival when treated with axi/pembro compared to ipi/nivo. However, survival for the entire population and the 24-month median overall survival were not statistically different between treatment groups. Longer follow-up is necessary to discern any emerging significant differences.

Influence of first-line chemotherapy regimen on survival outcomes of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma who received second-line immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic landscape for advanced urothelial carcinoma (mUC) has changed significantly since studies establishing superiority of cisplatin as first-line therapy were conducted. Most patients who are eligible now receive either maintenance or second-line immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and data comparing first-line platinum chemotherapy agents in this setting is limited. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The objective of this study was to determine the impact of first-line platinum chemotherapy agent on survival for patients who receive second-line ICI. This is a retrospective cohort study of real-world data, performed from January 1, 2015, to March 21, 2021, included patients with a diagnosis of metastatic or locally advanced urothelial carcinoma. Exposure of interest was first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy (gemcitabine and/or cisplatin or gemcitabine and/or carboplatin) followed by single-agent second-line ICI. The primary endpoint was overall survival from start of second-line therapy. RESULTS: 2,042 patients received either gemcitabine and cisplatin (gem/cis) or gemcitabine and carboplatin (gem/carbo) as first-line therapy. The primary analysis of 890 patients who received second-line single-agent ICI had a median follow-up was 24.2 months from initiation of second-line therapy. Important differences in baseline demographics and/or clinical factors between groups were age, performance status, incidence of upper tract disease, and cisplatin eligibility. Unadjusted overall survival (OS) calculated from start of second-line therapy was longer in patients who received gem/cis compared to gem/carbo followed by ICI (median 9.3 vs. 8.8 months, P = 0.0009). However, OS adjusted for covariates was not significantly different with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.79-1.13; P = 0.50). A separate time-varying covariate model also showed no association between OS and first-line gem/cis (HR 1.00 [95% CI, 0.84-1.19]) while receiving second-line ICI. CONCLUSIONS: Survival time on ICI in the second-line setting is the same regardless of choice of prior platinum agent (cisplatin vs. carboplatin) suggesting against specific synergy for one of these agents with ICI. However, a significantly greater proportion of patients in a landmark analysis had long-term benefit with cisplatin strongly supporting it is as the preferred first-line platinum agent.

Orteronel for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label Phase III Trial (SWOG-1216).

PURPOSE: Orteronel (TAK-700) is a nonsteroidal 17,20-lyase inhibitor suppressing androgen synthesis. We evaluated the clinical benefit of orteronel when added to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. METHODS: In this open-label randomized phase III study, patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer were randomly assigned 1:1 to ADT with orteronel (300 mg oral twice daily; experimental arm) or ADT with bicalutamide (50 mg oral once daily; control arm). The primary objective was the comparison of overall survival (OS), targeting a 33% improvement in median survival. A stratified log-rank test with a one-sided P ≤ .022 would indicate statistical significance. Secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at 7 months (≤ 0.2 v 0.2 to ≤ 4 v > 4 ng/mL), and adverse event profile. RESULTS: Among 1,279 patients included in the analysis, 638 were randomly assigned to the ADT plus orteronel arm and 641 to the control arm. The median age was 68 years; 49% had extensive disease. After a median follow-up of 4.9 years, there was a significant improvement in PFS (median 47.6 v 23.0 months, hazard ratio 0.58; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.67; P < .0001) and PSA response at 7 months (P < .0001), but not in OS (median 81.1 v 70.2 months, hazard ratio 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.02; P = .040, one-sided). More grade 3/4 adverse events occurred in the experimental versus the control arms (43% v 14%). Postprotocol life-prolonging therapy was received by 77.4% of patients in the control arm and 61.3% of patients in the orteronel arm. CONCLUSION: The study did not meet the primary end point of improved OS with orteronel. The lack of correlation of PFS and PSA response with OS raises concerns over assumption of their consistent surrogacy for OS in the context of extensive postprotocol therapy in this setting.

The Role of Cytoreductive Nephrectomy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Real-World Multi-Institutional Analysis.

PURPOSE: The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) was challenged by the results of the CARMENA trial. Here we evaluate the role of CN in mRCC patients, including those receiving modern therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included patients with synchronous mRCC between 2011-2020 from the de-identified nationwide Flatiron Health database. We evaluated 3 groups: systemic therapy alone, CN followed by systemic therapy (up-front CN [uCN]) and systemic therapy followed by CN (deferred CN [dCN]). The primary outcome was median overall survival (mOS) in patients receiving systemic therapy alone vs uCN. Secondary outcome was overall survival in patients receiving uCN vs dCN. First-treatment, landmark and time-varying covariate analyses were conducted to overcome immortal time bias. Weighted Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to assess the effect of therapy on survival. RESULTS: Of 1,910 patients with mRCC, 972 (57%) received systemic therapy, 605 (32%) received uCN, 142 (8%) dCN and 191 (10%) CN alone; 433 (23%) patients received immunotherapy-based therapy. The adjusted mOS was significantly improved in first-treatment, landmark and time-varying covariate analysis (mOS 26.6 vs 14.6 months, 36.3 vs 21.1 months and 26.1 vs 12.2 months, respectively) in patients undergoing CN. Among patients receiving CN and systemic therapy, the timing of systemic therapy relative to CN was not significantly related to overall survival (HR=1.0, 95% CI 0.76-1.32, p=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support an oncologic role for CN in select mRCC patients. In patients receiving both CN and systemic therapy, the survival benefit compared to systemic alone was similar for up-front and deferred CN.

Safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and malignant ureteric obstruction.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients with carcinoma invading bladder muscle (MIBC) and ureteric obstruction can safely receive cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (C-NAC), and to determine whether such patients require relief of obstruction with a ureteric stent or percutaneous nephrostomy prior to beginning C-NAC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a single-institution retrospective analysis of MIBC patients receiving C-NAC and falling into three groups: no ureteric obstruction (NO); relieved ureteric obstruction (RO); and unrelieved ureteric obstruction (URO). To address whether patients with obstruction can safely receive C-NAC, we compared patients with NO to those with RO, with the primary outcome of premature chemotherapy discontinuation. To investigate whether patients with obstruction should have the obstruction relieved prior to NAC, we compared RO to URO patients using a primary composite outcome of grade ≥ 3 adverse events, premature chemotherapy discontinuation, dose reduction, or dose interruption. The primary outcomes were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Sensitivity analyses were performed for the RO vs URO comparison, in which patients with only mild degrees of obstruction were excluded from the URO group. RESULTS: A total of 193 patients with NO, 49 with RO, and 35 with URO were analysed. There were no statistically significant differences between those with NO and those with RO in chemotherapy discontinuation (15% vs 22%; P = 0.3) or any secondary outcome. There was no statistically significant difference between those with RO and URO in the primary composite outcome (51% vs 53%; P = 1) or any secondary outcome. CONCLUSION: Patients with ureteric obstruction can safely receive C-NAC. Relief of obstruction was not associated with increased safety of C-NAC delivery.

Sporadic Angiomyolipomas Growth Kinetics While on Everolimus: Results of a Phase II Trial.

PURPOSE: Everolimus decreases tumor volume of renal angiomyolipomas in patients with tuberous sclerosis. No prospective data are available regarding the effect of everolimus on the growth kinetics in patients with sporadic angiomyolipomas. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of everolimus in the volumetric reduction of sporadic angiomyolipomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multi-institutional, prospective, phase II trial, enrolled patients with 3 cm or larger sporadic angiomyolipomas who were candidates for surgical resection or percutaneous angioembolization. Patients received 10 mg everolimus daily for 4 planned 28-day cycles. Response was defined as a 25% or greater volumetric reduction of patient angiomyolipoma. Baseline, 4, 6 and 12-month volumetric analyses were performed using magnetic resonance imaging. Everolimus was discontinued in those with less than 25% volumetric reduction after 4 cycles. Those with 25% or greater volumetric reduction received 2 additional cycles. The primary outcomes were the efficacy of everolimus in the volumetric reduction of angiomyolipomas by 25% or more, and the safety and tolerability of everolimus. RESULTS: Overall 20 patients were enrolled at 5 centers. Of these patients 11 (55%) completed 4 cycles and 7 (35%) completed 6 cycles. Efficacy was demonstrated, with 10 of 18 (55.6%) patients exhibiting a 25% or greater reduction in tumor volume at 4 months (median 58.5%) and 10 of 14 (71.4%) patients exhibiting a 25% or greater reduction in tumor volume at 6 months (median 58.2%). Four (20%) patients were withdrawn due to protocol defined toxicities and 8 (40%) self-withdrew from the study due to side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Everolimus was effective in causing volumetric reduction of angiomyolipomas by 25% or greater in most patients but was associated with a high rate of treatment discontinuation.

Defects in DNA Repair Genes Confer Improved Long-term Survival after Cisplatin-based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has demonstrated an overall survival (OS) benefit in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, only a subset of patients (25-50%) have a pathologic complete response at cystectomy. Using a cohort of 58 patients from two phase 2 trials, our group previously reported that mutations in the ATM, RB1, and FANCC genes correlate with complete response to cisplatin-based NAC, and consequently improve OS and disease-specific survival (DSS). These trials enrolled patients with T2-4 (N0 or N1) MIBC and treated them with accelerated/dose-dense NAC with methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, and cisplatin, or gemcitabine and cisplatin, with a plan for curative cystectomy. Updated long-term follow-up (median 74 mo) shows that significantly greater OS and DSS was maintained for patients with ATM, RB1, or FANCC mutations. The 5-yr survival rate for patients with at least one mutation was 85%, compared to 45% for patients without a mutation. On the basis of the associations with response and long-term OS and DSS, we propose that these alterations may be useful as predictive biomarkers to allow clinicians to prioritize patients who are most likely to benefit from NAC before radical cystectomy. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report we looked at outcomes for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) who had mutations in a set of DNA damage repair genes (ATM, RB1, FANCC) compared to those who did not. We found that patients who had at least one mutation in one of these genes survived longer after receiving cisplatin chemotherapy before surgery than patients who did not.

Efficacy of Split Schedule Versus Conventional Schedule Neoadjuvant Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (NAC; 70 mg/m2) is standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (MIBC). Many patients (pts) cannot receive cisplatin because of renal impairment, and administration of cisplatin 35 mg/m2 on day 1 + 8 or 1 + 2 (i.e., split schedule) is a commonly used alternative. In this retrospective analysis, we compared complete (pT0) and partial (

Evolving landscape of the treatment of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

The management of advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has evolved over the past decade with the introduction of targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Recently, studies of dual checkpoint inhibition and of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition combined with checkpoint inhibition have shown promising results, adding newer options to the treatment armamentarium for advanced RCC. Specifically, therapies combining checkpoint inhibitors of different classes and combining VEGF inhibitors with checkpoint inhibitors have gained much interest, and results from studies of several other combinations are awaited. These and previously approved treatments offer multiple options to patients with advanced RCC. In this review, we discuss the efficacy and safety results from the pivotal trials of these therapies, how the trial data can guide selection of the most appropriate therapy, and how to consider sequencing therapies in the care of patients with advanced RCC.