Almonertinib Combined with Anlotinib and Temozolomide in a Patient with Recurrent Glioblastoma with EGFR L858R Mutation.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor, and patients with GBM have a universally poor prognosis. Genomic profiling has detected epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene alterations in more than half of GBMs. Major genetic events include amplification and mutation of EGFR. Interestingly, we identified an EGFR p.L858R mutation in a patient with recurrent GBM for the first time. Based on the genetic testing results, almonertinib combined with anlotinib and temozolomide was administered and obtained 12 months of progression-free survival after the diagnosis of recurrence as the fourth-line treatment. This is the first report that an EGFR p.L858R mutation was identified in a patient with recurrent GBM. Furthermore, this case report represents the first study applying the third-generation TKI inhibitor almonertinib in the treatment of recurrent GBM. The results of this study indicate that EGFR might be a new marker for the treatment of GBM with almonertinib.

Administering immunotherapy after anti-vascular targeted therapy improves overall survival of patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The Food and Drug Administration of the United States has approved several drugs for treating advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma, including anti-vascular tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Options for first-line therapy include monotherapy or combination therapy. However, selecting a suitable first-line and second-line treatments to improve overall survival remains an unresolved issue. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Patients were divided into several grouped according to the treatment sequence of TKI and anti PD-1 administration. The overall survival benefit was evaluated based on the order of administration of anti PD-1 and TKI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective propensity-matched cohort study, we identified 135 patients with mRCC treated at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022. These patients had received anti PD-1 treatment as part of their first or second line of therapy. Statistical analysis was performed from June 1, 2023, to August 1, 2023. The primary outcome measure was OS, from the date of diagnosis to death or the last follow-up. PFS was monitored during treatment. Survival analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier estimates. By comparing the complete treatment course of patients, the survival of patients in different groups was compared according to the number of immunotherapy lines. RESULTS: The final cohort comprised 135 patients, of whom 84 received first-line therapy with anti PD-1 (include 6 patients treated with anti PD-1 (tislelizumab, carrelizumab, toripalimab or sintilizumab) alone and 78 patients treated with anti PD-1 combined with anti-vascular TKI (axitinib, sunitinib, solfanitinib or pazopanib)). The remaining 51 patients were treated with anti PD-1 as second-line therapy following an initial regime of TKIs. Patients were initially categorized based on whether anti PD-1 were used in the first-line treatment. It was observed that the OS of patients receiving first-line targeted therapy was higher than those receiving first-line immunotherapy, with a median OS of 33 months versus 15 months. To investigate this outcome further, we refined the patient groups based on the administration sequence of anti PD-1 and TKIs in the treatment regimen. We found that the median PFS of patients with first-line treatments of TKI combined with anti PD-1 was 3.5 months, compared to 14.5 months when TKI combined with anti PD-1 followed first-line TKI (p=0.0092). The median PFS for second-line treatments was 6.5 months versus 15 months (p=0.0014). Similarly, the median OS was 16.66 months and 31.88 months, respectively (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that administering immunotherapy following anti-vascular therapy significantly enhances both OS and PFS compared to other sequences of therapies. This finding provides valuable insights and robust data support for clinical decision-making regarding treatment sequencing.

Olaparib Combined With Dacomitinib in Osimertinib-Resistant Brain and Leptomeningeal Metastases From Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Systematic Review.

Lung cancer patients with brain and leptomeningeal metastases usually have poor prognosis. For those patients with EGFR mutations, osimertinib, a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is the first choice of treatment. However, drug resistance to osimertinib frequently occurs; and to date, the available follow-up treatment strategies have limited efficacy. In this case study, we report that treatments with olaparib, a Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, combined with dacomitinib, a second-generation EGFR TKI, benefited a lung cancer patient with osimertinib-resistant brain and leptomeningeal metastases. This 55-year-old male patient was found to have a pL858R mutation on EGFR exon 21 combined with TP53 and ERBB2 mutations after developing drug resistance to osimertinib treatment. Based on the genetic testing results, he was treated with olaparib and dacomitinib, and obtained 6 months of progression-free survival (PFS) and 13 months of overall survival (OS) after the diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis. This case report represents the first study applying PARP inhibitor in combination with dacomitinib in the treatment of leptomeningeal metastases after osimertinib resistance.

Next Generation Sequencing in the Management of Leptomeningeal Metastases of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of Leptomeningeal Metastases (LM) from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is usually based on clinical symptoms, Cerebral-Spinal Fluid (CSF) cytology, and neuro-imaging. However, early diagnosis of LM in NSCLC is challenging due to the low sensitivity of these approaches. The Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) using CSF could help improve the diagnosis of LM and guide its treatment options. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 39-year-old male NSCLC patient with negative molecular testing results in the lung cancer tissue sample. The patient developed symptoms of LM with the negative CSF cytology and MRI; however, the NGS analysis of CSF revealed an EGFR exon 19 del mutation. The patient attained 6 months of Progression-Free Survival (PFS) by treating with erlotinib and anlotinib before the neurological symptoms appeared again. EGFR Thr790Met was positive in the CSF but negative in his plasma. The patient was then treated with osimertinib therapy and the response was maintained for more than 1 year. RESULTS & DISCUSSION: This case is the first study reporting the clinical benefit of using the combination of erlotinib and anlotinib for the treatment of LM with the EGFR 19 del, osimertinib with EGFR T790M mutation in CSF, but negative gene mutation in the blood or lung tumor biopsy specimens. Our results support that genetic analysis should be performed with CSF samples in all cases of suspected LM when the results of testing for EGFR/ALK/ROS1 mutation in blood samples or tumor biopsy specimens are negative, as these patients could benefit from treatment of TKIs in a poor prognostic setting. CONCLUSION: In parallel to current patents, NGS could be applied as a novel strategy in the managing of NSCLC patients with LM.