Predicting response to radical (chemo)radiotherapy with circulating HPV DNA in locally advanced head and neck squamous carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Following chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) for human papilloma virus positive (HPV+) locally advanced head and neck cancer, patients frequently undergo unnecessary neck dissection (ND) and/or repeated biopsies for abnormal PET-CT, which causes significant morbidity. We assessed the role of circulating HPV DNA in identifying 'true' residual disease. METHODS: We prospectively recruited test (n=55) and validation (n=33) cohorts. HPV status was confirmed by E7 RT-PCR. We developed a novel amplicon-based next generation sequencing assay (HPV16-detect) to detect circulating HPV DNA. Circulating HPV DNA levels post-CCRT were correlated to disease response (PET-CT). RESULTS: In pre-CCRT plasma, HPV-detect demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity, and 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity for the test (27 HPV+) and validation (20 HPV+) cohorts, respectively. Thirty-six out of 37 patients (test and validation cohort) with complete samples-set had negative HPV-detect at end of treatment. Six patients underwent ND (3) and repeat primary site biopsies (3) for positive PET-CT but had no viable tumour. One patient had positive HPV-detect and positive PET-CT and liver biopsy, indicating 100% agreement for HPV-detect and residual cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that HPV16-detect is a highly sensitive and specific test for identification of HPV DNA in plasma at diagnosis. HPV DNA post-treatment correlates with clinical response.

BCCTBbp: the Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank bioinformatics portal.

BCCTBbp (http://bioinformatics.breastcancertissue bank.org) was initially developed as the data-mining portal of the Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank (BCCTB), a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers to support and promote cutting-edge research. BCCTBbp is dedicated to maximising research on patient tissues by initially storing genomics, methylomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and microRNA data that has been mined from the literature and linking to pathways and mechanisms involved in breast cancer. Currently, the portal holds 146 datasets comprising over 227,795 expression/genomic measurements from various breast tissues (e.g. normal, malignant or benign lesions), cell lines and body fluids. BCCTBbp can be used to build on breast cancer knowledge and maximise the value of existing research. By recording a large number of annotations on samples and studies, and linking to other databases, such as NCBI, Ensembl and Reactome, a wide variety of different investigations can be carried out. Additionally, BCCTBbp has a dedicated analytical layer allowing researchers to further analyse stored datasets. A future important role for BCCTBbp is to make available all data generated on BCCTB tissues thus building a valuable resource of information on the tissues in BCCTB that will save repetition of experiments and expand scientific knowledge.

The BioMart community portal: an innovative alternative to large, centralized data repositories.

The BioMart Community Portal (www.biomart.org) is a community-driven effort to provide a unified interface to biomedical databases that are distributed worldwide. The portal provides access to numerous database projects supported by 30 scientific organizations. It includes over 800 different biological datasets spanning genomics, proteomics, model organisms, cancer data, ontology information and more. All resources available through the portal are independently administered and funded by their host organizations. The BioMart data federation technology provides a unified interface to all the available data. The latest version of the portal comes with many new databases that have been created by our ever-growing community. It also comes with better support and extensibility for data analysis and visualization tools. A new addition to our toolbox, the enrichment analysis tool is now accessible through graphical and web service interface. The BioMart community portal averages over one million requests per day. Building on this level of service and the wealth of information that has become available, the BioMart Community Portal has introduced a new, more scalable and cheaper alternative to the large data stores maintained by specialized organizations.

The pancreatic expression database: recent extensions and updates.

The Pancreatic Expression Database (PED, http://www.pancreasexpression.org) is the only device currently available for mining of pancreatic cancer literature data. It brings together the largest collection of multidimensional pancreatic data from the literature including genomic, proteomic, microRNA, methylomic and transcriptomic profiles. PED allows the user to ask specific questions on the observed levels of deregulation among a broad range of specimen/experimental types including healthy/patient tissue and body fluid specimens, cell lines and murine models as well as related treatments/drugs data. Here we provide an update to PED, which has been previously featured in the Database issue of this journal. Briefly, PED data content has been substantially increased and expanded to cover methylomics studies. We introduced an extensive controlled vocabulary that records specific details on the samples and added data from large-scale meta-analysis studies. The web interface has been improved/redesigned with a quick search option to rapidly extract information about a gene/protein of interest and an upload option allowing users to add their own data to PED. We added a user guide and implemented integrated graphical tools to overlay and visualize retrieved information. Interoperability with biomart-compatible data sets was significantly improved to allow integrative queries with pancreatic cancer data.

O-miner: an integrative platform for automated analysis and mining of -omics data.

High-throughput profiling has generated massive amounts of data across basic, clinical and translational research fields. However, open source comprehensive web tools for analysing data obtained from different platforms and technologies are still lacking. To fill this gap and the unmet computational needs of ongoing research projects, we developed O-miner, a rapid, comprehensive, efficient web tool that covers all the steps required for the analysis of both transcriptomic and genomic data starting from raw image files through in-depth bioinformatics analysis and annotation to biological knowledge extraction. O-miner was developed from a biologist end-user perspective. Hence, it is as simple to use as possible within the confines of the complexity of the data being analysed. It provides a strong analytical suite able to overlay and harness large, complicated, raw and heterogeneous sets of profiles with biological/clinical data. Biologists can use O-miner to analyse and integrate different types of data and annotations to build knowledge of relevant altered mechanisms and pathways in order to identify and prioritize novel targets for further biological validation. Here we describe the analytical workflows currently available using O-miner and present examples of use. O-miner is freely available at www.o-miner.org.

ESR1 F404 Mutations and Acquired Resistance to Fulvestrant in ESR1-Mutant Breast Cancer.

Fulvestrant is used to treat patients with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer, but acquired resistance is poorly understood. PlasmaMATCH Cohort A (NCT03182634) investigated the activity of fulvestrant in patients with activating ESR1 mutations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Baseline ESR1 mutations Y537S are associated with poor outcomes and Y537C with good outcomes. Sequencing of baseline and EOT ctDNA samples (n = 69) revealed 3/69 (4%) patients acquired novel ESR1 F404 mutations (F404L, F404I, and F404V), in cis with activating mutations. In silico modeling revealed that ESR1 F404 contributes to fulvestrant binding to estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) through a pi-stacking bond, with mutations disrupting this bond. In vitro analysis demonstrated that single F404L, E380Q, and D538G models were less sensitive to fulvestrant, whereas compound mutations D538G + F404L and E380Q + F404L were resistant. Several oral ERα degraders were active against compound mutant models. We have identified a resistance mechanism specific to fulvestrant that can be targeted by treatments in clinical development. SIGNIFICANCE: Novel F404 ESR1 mutations may be acquired to cause overt resistance to fulvestrant when combined with preexisting activating ESR1 mutations. Novel combinations of mutations in the ER ligand binding domain may cause drug-specific resistance, emphasizing the potential of similar drug-specific mutations to impact the efficacy of oral ER degraders in development. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 201.

Comparison of Circulating Tumor DNA Assays for Molecular Residual Disease Detection in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients who have completed treatment for early-stage breast cancer is associated with a high risk of relapse, yet the optimal assay for ctDNA detection is unknown. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The cTRAK-TN clinical trial prospectively used tumor-informed digital PCR (dPCR) assays for ctDNA molecular residual disease (MRD) detection in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. We compared tumor-informed dPCR assays with tumor-informed personalized multimutation sequencing assays in 141 patients from cTRAK-TN. RESULTS: MRD was first detected by personalized sequencing in 47.9% of patients, 0% first detected by dPCR, and 52.1% with both assays simultaneously (P < 0.001; Fisher exact test). The median lead time from ctDNA detection to relapse was 6.1 months with personalized sequencing and 3.9 months with dPCR (P = 0.004, mixed-effects Cox model). Detection of MRD at the first time point was associated with a shorter time to relapse compared with detection at subsequent time points (median lead time 4.2 vs. 7.1 months; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Personalized multimutation sequencing assays have potential clinically important improvements in clinical outcome in the early detection of MRD.

The Pancreatic Expression database: 2011 update.

The Pancreatic Expression database (PED, http://www.pancreasexpression.org) has established itself as the main repository for pancreatic-derived -omics data. For the past 3 years, its data content and access have increased substantially. Here we describe several of its new and improved features, such as data content, which now includes over 60,000 measurements derived from transcriptomics, proteomics, genomics and miRNA profiles from various pancreas-centred reports on a broad range of specimen and experimental types. We also illustrate the capabilities of its interface, which allows integrative queries that can combine PED data with a growing number of biological resources such as NCBI, Ensembl, UniProt and Reactome. Thus, PED is capable of retrieving and integrating different types of -omics, annotations and clinical data. We also focus on the importance of data sharing and interoperability in the cancer field, and the integration of PED into the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) data portal.

A global insight into a cancer transcriptional space using pancreatic data: importance, findings and flaws.

Despite the increasing wealth of available data, the structure of cancer transcriptional space remains largely unknown. Analysis of this space would provide novel insights into the complexity of cancer, assess relative implications in complex biological processes and responses, evaluate the effectiveness of cancer models and help uncover vital facets of cancer biology not apparent from current small-scale studies. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of pancreatic cancer-expression space by integrating data from otherwise disparate studies. We found (i) a clear separation of profiles based on experimental type, with patient tissue samples, cell lines and xenograft models forming distinct groups; (ii) three subgroups within the normal samples adjacent to cancer showing disruptions to biofunctions previously linked to cancer; and (iii) that ectopic subcutaneous xenografts and cell line models do not effectively represent changes occurring in pancreatic cancer. All findings are available from our online resource for independent interrogation. Currently, the most comprehensive analysis of pancreatic cancer to date, our study primarily serves to highlight limitations inherent with a lack of raw data availability, insufficient clinical/histopathological information and ambiguous data processing. It stresses the importance of a global-systems approach to assess and maximise findings from expression profiling of malignant and non-malignant diseases.

Predicting Response to Radical Chemoradiotherapy with Circulating HPV DNA (cHPV-DNA) in Locally Advanced Uterine Cervix Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The majority of locally advanced cervical cancers (LaCC) are causally related to HPV. We sought to investigate the utility of an ultra-sensitive HPV-DNA next generation sequencing (NGS) assay-panHPV-detect-in LaCC treated with chemoradiotherapy, as a marker of treatment response and persistent disease. METHOD: Serial blood samples were collected from 22 patients with LaCC before, during and after chemoradiation. The presence of circulating HPV-DNA was correlated with clinical and radiological outcomes. RESULTS: The panHPV-detect test demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 88% (95% CI-70-99%) and 100% (95% CI-30-100%), respectively, and correctly identified the HPV-subtype (16, 18, 45, 58). After a median follow up of 16 months, and three relapses all had detectable cHPV-DNA at 3 months post-CRT despite complete response on imaging. Another four patients with radiological partial or equivocal response and undetectable cHPV-DNA at the 3-month time point did not go on to develop relapse. All patients with radiological CR and undetectable cHPV-DNA at 3-months remained disease free. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the panHPV-detect test shows high sensitivity and specificity for detecting cHPV-DNA in plasma. The test has potential applications in assessment of the response to CRT and in monitoring for relapse, and these initial findings warrant validation in a larger cohort.

A role for macrophages under cytokine control in mediating resistance to ADI-PEG20 (pegargiminase) in ASS1-deficient mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20; pegargiminase) depletes arginine and improves survival outcomes for patients with argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1)-deficient malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Optimisation of ADI-PEG20-based therapy will require a deeper understanding of resistance mechanisms, including those mediated by the tumor microenvironment. Here, we sought to reverse translate increased tumoral macrophage infiltration in patients with ASS1-deficient MPM relapsing on pegargiminase therapy. METHODS: Macrophage-MPM tumor cell line (2591, MSTO, JU77) co-cultures treated with ADI-PEG20 were analyzed by flow cytometry. Microarray experiments of gene expression profiling were performed in ADI-PEG20-treated MPM tumor cells, and macrophage-relevant genetic "hits" were validated by qPCR, ELISA, and LC/MS. Cytokine and argininosuccinate analyses were performed using plasma from pegargiminase-treated patients with MPM. RESULTS: We identified that ASS1-expressing macrophages promoted viability of ADI-PEG20-treated ASS1-negative MPM cell lines. Microarray gene expression data revealed a dominant CXCR2-dependent chemotactic signature and co-expression of VEGF-A and IL-1α in ADI-PEG20-treated MPM cell lines. We confirmed that ASS1 in macrophages was IL-1α-inducible and that the argininosuccinate concentration doubled in the cell supernatant sufficient to restore MPM cell viability under co-culture conditions with ADI-PEG20. For further validation, we detected elevated plasma VEGF-A and CXCR2-dependent cytokines, and increased argininosuccinate in patients with MPM progressing on ADI-PEG20. Finally, liposomal clodronate depleted ADI-PEG20-driven macrophage infiltration and suppressed growth significantly in the MSTO xenograft murine model. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our data indicate that ADI-PEG20-inducible cytokines orchestrate argininosuccinate fuelling of ASS1-deficient mesothelioma by macrophages. This novel stromal-mediated resistance pathway may be leveraged to optimize arginine deprivation therapy for mesothelioma and related arginine-dependent cancers.

Baseline Mutations and ctDNA Dynamics as Prognostic and Predictive Factors in ER-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE: Prognostic and predictive biomarkers to cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitors are lacking. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can be used to profile these patients and dynamic changes in ctDNA could be an early predictor of treatment efficacy. Here, we conducted plasma ctDNA profiling in patients from the PEARL trial comparing palbociclib+fulvestrant versus capecitabine to investigate associations between baseline genomic landscape and on-treatment ctDNA dynamics with treatment efficacy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Correlative blood samples were collected at baseline [cycle 1-day 1 (C1D1)] and prior to treatment [cycle 1-day 15 (C1D15)]. Plasma ctDNA was sequenced with a custom error-corrected capture panel, with both univariate and multivariate Cox models used for treatment efficacy associations. A prespecified methodology measuring ctDNA changes in clonal mutations between C1D1 and C1D15 was used for the on-treatment ctDNA dynamic model. RESULTS: 201 patients were profiled at baseline, with ctDNA detection associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS)/overall survival (OS). Detectable TP53 mutation showed worse PFS and OS in both treatment arms, even after restricting population to baseline ctDNA detection. ESR1 mutations were associated with worse OS overall, which was lost when restricting population to baseline ctDNA detection. PIK3CA mutations confer worse OS only to patients on the palbociclib+fulvestrant treatment arm. ctDNA dynamics analysis (n = 120) showed higher ctDNA suppression in the capecitabine arm. Patients without ctDNA suppression showed worse PFS in both treatment arms. CONCLUSIONS: We show impaired survival irrespective of endocrine or chemotherapy-based treatments for patients with hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer harboring plasma TP53 mutations. Early ctDNA suppression may provide treatment efficacy predictions. Further validation to fully demonstrate clinical utility of ctDNA dynamics is warranted.

Circulating Tumor DNA Markers for Early Progression on Fulvestrant With or Without Palbociclib in ER+ Advanced Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: There are no established molecular biomarkers for patients with breast cancer receiving combination endocrine and CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i). We aimed to determine whether genomic markers in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can identify patients at higher risk of early progression on fulvestrant therapy with or without palbociclib, a CDK4/6i. METHODS: PALOMA-3 was a phase III, multicenter, double-blind randomized controlled trial of palbociclib plus fulvestrant (n = 347) vs placebo plus fulvestrant (n = 174) in patients with endocrine-pretreated estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Pretreatment plasma samples from 459 patients were analyzed for mutations in 17 genes, copy number in 14 genes, and circulating tumor fraction. Progression-free survival (PFS) was compared in patients with circulating tumor fraction above or below a prespecified cutoff of 10% and with or without a specific genomic alteration. All statistical tests were 2-sided. RESULTS: Patients with high ctDNA fraction had worse PFS on both palbociclib plus fulvestrant (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17 to 2.24; P = .004) and placebo plus fulvestrant (HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.21 to 2.59; P = .004). In multivariable analysis, high-circulating tumor fraction was associated with worse PFS (HR = 1.20 per 10% increase in tumor fraction, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.32; P < .001), as was TP53 mutation (HR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.27 to 2.65; P = .001) and FGFR1 amplification (HR = 2.91, 95% CI = 1.61 to 5.25; P < .001). No interaction with treatment randomization was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment ctDNA identified a group of high-risk patients with poor clinical outcome despite the addition of CDK4/6 inhibition. These patients might benefit from inclusion in future trials of escalating treatment, with therapies that may be active in these genomic contexts.

Genomic profile of advanced breast cancer in circulating tumour DNA.

The genomics of advanced breast cancer (ABC) has been described through tumour tissue biopsy sequencing, although these approaches are limited by geographical and temporal heterogeneity. Here we use plasma circulating tumour DNA sequencing to interrogate the genomic profile of ABC in 800 patients in the plasmaMATCH trial. We demonstrate diverse subclonal resistance mutations, including enrichment of HER2 mutations in HER2 positive disease, co-occurring ESR1 and MAP kinase pathway mutations in HR + HER2- disease that associate with poor overall survival (p = 0.0092), and multiple PIK3CA mutations in HR + disease that associate with short progression free survival on fulvestrant (p = 0.0036). The fraction of cancer with a mutation, the clonal dominance of a mutation, varied between genes, and within hotspot mutations of ESR1 and PIK3CA. In ER-positive breast cancer subclonal mutations were enriched in an APOBEC mutational signature, with second hit PIK3CA mutations acquired subclonally and at sites characteristic of APOBEC mutagenesis. This study utilises circulating tumour DNA analysis in a large clinical trial to demonstrate the subclonal diversification of pre-treated advanced breast cancer, identifying distinct mutational processes in advanced ER-positive breast cancer, and novel therapeutic opportunities.

Triplet Therapy with Palbociclib, Taselisib, and Fulvestrant in PIK3CA-Mutant Breast Cancer and Doublet Palbociclib and Taselisib in Pathway-Mutant Solid Cancers.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) and PI3K inhibitors synergize in PIK3CA-mutant ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer models. We conducted a phase Ib trial investigating the safety and efficacy of doublet CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib plus selective PI3K inhibitor taselisib in advanced solid tumors, and triplet palbociclib plus taselisib plus fulvestrant in 25 patients with PIK3CA-mutant, ER-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The triplet therapy response rate in PIK3CA-mutant, ER-positive HER2-negative cancer was 37.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 18.8-59.4]. Durable disease control was observed in PIK3CA-mutant ER-negative breast cancer and other solid tumors with doublet therapy. Both combinations were well tolerated at pharmacodynamically active doses. In the triplet group, high baseline cyclin E1 expression associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS; HR = 4.2; 95% CI, 1.3-13.1; P = 0.02). Early circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics demonstrated high on-treatment ctDNA association with shorter PFS (HR = 5.2; 95% CI, 1.4-19.4; P = 0.04). Longitudinal plasma ctDNA sequencing provided genomic evolution evidence during triplet therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: The triplet of palbociclib, taselisib, and fulvestrant has promising efficacy in patients with heavily pretreated PIK3CA-mutant ER-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. A subset of patients with PIK3CA-mutant triple-negative breast cancer derived clinical benefit from palbociclib and taselisib doublet, suggesting a potential nonchemotherapy targeted approach for this population.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1.

Next Generation Sequencing Assay for Detection of Circulating HPV DNA (cHPV-DNA) in Patients Undergoing Radical (Chemo)Radiotherapy in Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ASCC).

Background: Following chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for human papilloma virus positive (HPV+) anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC), detection of residual/recurrent disease is challenging. Patients frequently undergo unnecessary repeated biopsies for abnormal MRI/clinical findings. In a pilot study we assessed the role of circulating HPV-DNA in identifying "true" residual disease. Methods: We prospectively collected plasma samples at baseline (n = 21) and 12 weeks post-CRT (n = 17). Circulating HPV-DNA (cHPV DNA) was measured using a novel next generation sequencing (NGS) assay, panHPV-detect, comprising of two primer pools covering distinct regions of eight high-risk HPV genomes (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, and 58) to detect circulating HPV-DNA (cHPV DNA). cHPV-DNA levels post-CRT were correlated to disease response. Results: In pre-CRT samples, panHPV-detect demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for HPV associated ASCC. PanHPV-detect was able to demonstrate cHPV-DNA in 100% (9/9) patients with T1/T2N0 cancers. cHPV-DNA was detectable 12 weeks post CRT in just 2/17 patients, both of whom relapsed. 1/16 patients who had a clinical complete response (CR) at 3 months post-CRT but relapsed at 9 months and 1/1 patient with a partial response (PR). PanHPV-detect demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity in predicting response to CRT. Conclusion: We demonstrate that panHPV-detect, an NSG assay is a highly sensitive and specific test for the identification of cHPV-DNA in plasma at diagnosis. cHPV-DNA post-treatment may predict clinical response to CRT.

Inactivating NF1 Mutations Are Enriched in Advanced Breast Cancer and Contribute to Endocrine Therapy Resistance.

PURPOSE: Advanced breast cancer (ABC) has not been subjected to the same degree of molecular scrutiny as early primary cancer. Breast cancer evolves with time and under the selective pressure of treatment, with the potential to acquire mutations with resistance to treatment and disease progression. To identify potentially targetable mutations in advanced breast cancer, we performed prospective molecular characterization of a cohort of patients with ABC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Biopsies from patients with advanced breast cancer were sequenced with a 41 genes targeted panel in the ABC Biopsy (ABC-Bio) study. Blood samples were collected at disease progression for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, along with matched primary tumor to assess for acquisition in ABC in a subset of patients. RESULTS: We sequenced 210 ABC samples, demonstrating enrichment compared with primary disease for potentially targetable mutations in HER2 (in 6.19% of samples), AKT1 (7.14%), and NF1 (8.10%). Of these enriched mutations, we show that NF1 mutations were frequently acquired in ABC, not present in the original primary disease. In ER-positive cancer cell line models, loss of NF1 resulted in endocrine therapy resistance, through both ER-dependent and -independent mechanisms. NF1 loss promoted ER-independent cyclin D1 expression, which could be therapeutically targeted with CDK4/6 inhibitors in vitro. Patients with NF1 mutations detected in baseline circulating tumor DNA had a good outcome on the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib and fulvestrant. CONCLUSIONS: Our research identifies multiple therapeutic opportunities for advanced breast cancer and identifies the previously underappreciated acquisition of NF1 mutations.

Clonal diversity of MYC amplification evaluated by fluorescent in situ hybridisation and digital droplet polymerase chain reaction in oesophagogastric cancer: Results from a prospective clinical trial screening programme.

INTRODUCTION: The MYC proto-oncogene is among the most commonly dysregulated genes in human cancers. We report screening data from the iMYC trial, an ongoing phase II study assessing ibrutinib monotherapy in advanced pretreated MYC- and/or HER2-amplified oesophagogastric cancer, representing the first attempt to prospectively identify MYC amplifications in this tumour type for the purposes of therapeutic targeting. METHODS: Screening utilising a fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) assay for assessment of tumour MYC amplification has been instituted. An experimental digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay to assess MYC amplification in both tumour and circulating-tumour (ct)DNA has been developed and investigated. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-five archival tumour specimens have undergone successful FISH analysis with 23% displaying evidence of MYC amplification. Intertumour heterogeneity was observed, with the percentage of cancer cells harbouring MYC amplification ranging widely between samples (median 51%, range 11-94%). Intratumoural clonal diversity of MYC amplification was also observed, with a significant degree of variance in amplification ratios (Bartlett's test for equal variance p < 0.001), and an association between greater variance in MYC amplification and improved outcome with prior first-line chemotherapy. ddPCR was most accurate in quantifying MYC amplification in tumour-derived DNA from cases with a high proportion (>70%) of amplified cells within the tumour specimen but was not reliable in samples containing a low proportion of amplified cells or in ctDNA. CONCLUSIONS: Our results illustrate the utility of FISH to assess MYC amplification prospectively for a biomarker-selected trial by providing reliable and reproducible results in real time, with a high degree of heterogeneity of MYC amplification observed. We show that ddPCR can potentially detect high-level MYC amplifications in tumour tissue.

Assessment of Molecular Relapse Detection in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Importance: Current treatment cures most cases of early-stage, primary breast cancer. However, better techniques are required to identify which patients are at risk of relapse. Objective: To assess the clinical validity of molecular relapse detection with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis in early-stage breast cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective, multicenter, sample collection, validation study conducted at 5 United Kingdom medical centers from November 24, 2011, to October 18, 2016, assessed patients with early-stage breast cancer irrespective of hormone receptor and ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu) status who were receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery or surgery before adjuvant chemotherapy. The study recruited 170 women, with mutations identified in 101 patients forming the main cohort. Secondary analyses were conducted on a combined cohort of 144 patients, including 43 patients previously analyzed in a proof of principle study. Interventions: Primary tumor was sequenced to identify somatic mutations, and personalized tumor-specific digital polymerase chain reaction assays were used to monitor these mutations in serial plasma samples taken every 3 months for the first year of follow-up and subsequently every 6 months. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was relapse-free survival analyzed with Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: In the main cohort of 101 female patients (mean [SD] age, 54 [11] years) with a median follow-up of 35.5 months (interquartile range, 27.9-43.0 months), detection of ctDNA during follow-up was associated with relapse (hazard ratio, 25.2; 95% CI, 6.7-95.6; P < .001). Detection of ctDNA at diagnosis, before any treatment, was also associated with relapse-free survival (hazard ratio, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.2-27.1; P = .01). In the combined cohort, ctDNA detection had a median lead time of 10.7 months (95% CI, 8.1-19.1 months) compared with clinical relapse and was associated with relapse in all breast cancer subtypes. Distant extracranial metastatic relapse was detected by ctDNA in 22 of 23 patients (96%). Brain-only metastasis was less commonly detected by ctDNA (1 of 6 patients [17%]), suggesting relapse sites less readily detectable by ctDNA analysis. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that detection of ctDNA during follow-up is associated with a high risk of future relapse of early-stage breast cancer. Prospective studies are needed to assess the potential of molecular relapse detection to guide adjuvant therapy.