Transcriptional profiling identifies an androgen receptor activity-low, stemness program associated with enzalutamide resistance.

The androgen receptor (AR) antagonist enzalutamide is one of the principal treatments for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, not all patients respond, and resistance mechanisms are largely unknown. We hypothesized that genomic and transcriptional features from metastatic CRPC biopsies prior to treatment would be predictive of de novo treatment resistance. To this end, we conducted a phase II trial of enzalutamide treatment (160 mg/d) in 36 men with metastatic CRPC. Thirty-four patients were evaluable for the primary end point of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA)50 response (PSA decline ≥50% at 12 wk vs. baseline). Nine patients were classified as nonresponders (PSA decline <50%), and 25 patients were classified as responders (PSA decline ≥50%). Failure to achieve a PSA50 was associated with shorter progression-free survival, time on treatment, and overall survival, demonstrating PSA50's utility. Targeted DNA-sequencing was performed on 26 of 36 biopsies, and RNA-sequencing was performed on 25 of 36 biopsies that contained sufficient material. Using computational methods, we measured AR transcriptional function and performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify pathways whose activity state correlated with de novo resistance. TP53 gene alterations were more common in nonresponders, although this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.055). AR gene alterations and AR expression were similar between groups. Importantly, however, transcriptional measurements demonstrated that specific gene sets-including those linked to low AR transcriptional activity and a stemness program-were activated in nonresponders. Our results suggest that patients whose tumors harbor this program should be considered for clinical trials testing rational agents to overcome de novo enzalutamide resistance.

A randomized phase 2 trial of pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab and acalabrutinib in patients with platinum-resistant metastatic urothelial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway has demonstrated clinical benefit in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC); however, response rates of 15% to 26% highlight the need for more effective therapies. Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition may suppress myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and improve T-cell activation. METHODS: The Randomized Phase 2 Trial of Acalabrutinib and Pembrolizumab Immunotherapy Dual Checkpoint Inhibition in Platinum-Resistant Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma (RAPID CHECK; also known as ACE-ST-005) was a randomized phase 2 trial evaluating the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab with or without the BTK inhibitor acalabrutinib for patients with platinum-refractory mUC. The primary objectives were safety and objective response rates (ORRs) according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Immune profiling was performed to analyze circulating monocytic MDSCs and T cells. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients were treated with pembrolizumab (n = 35) or pembrolizumab plus acalabrutinib (n = 40). The ORR was 26% with pembrolizumab (9% with a complete response [CR]) and 20% with pembrolizumab plus acalabrutinib (10% with a CR). The grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) that occurred in ≥15% of the patients were anemia (20%) with pembrolizumab and fatigue (23%), increased alanine aminotransferase (23%), urinary tract infections (18%), and anemia (18%) with pembrolizumab plus acalabrutinib. One patient treated with pembrolizumab plus acalabrutinib had high MDSCs at the baseline, which significantly decreased at week 7. Overall, MDSCs were not correlated with a clinical response, but some subsets of CD8+ T cells did increase during the combination treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatments were generally well tolerated, although serious AE rates were higher with the combination. Acalabrutinib plus pembrolizumab did not improve the ORR, PFS, or OS in comparison with pembrolizumab alone in mUC. Baseline and on-treatment peripheral monocytic MDSCs were not different in the treatment cohorts. Proliferating CD8+ T-cell subsets increased during treatment, particularly in the combination cohort. Ongoing studies are correlating these peripheral immunome findings with tissue-based immune cell infiltration.

Alectinib in ALK-positive, crizotinib-resistant, non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-group, multicentre, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Alectinib--a highly selective, CNS-active, ALK inhibitor-showed promising clinical activity in crizotinib-naive and crizotinib-resistant patients with ALK-rearranged (ALK-positive) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of alectinib in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC who progressed on previous crizotinib. METHODS: We did a phase 2 study at 27 centres in the USA and Canada. We enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with stage IIIB-IV, ALK-positive NSCLC who had progressed after crizotinib. Patients were treated with oral alectinib 600 mg twice daily until progression, death, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving an objective response by an independent review committee using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. Response endpoints were assessed in the response-evaluable population (ie, patients with measurable disease at baseline who received at least one dose of study drug), and efficacy and safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population (all enrolled patients). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01871805. The study is ongoing and patients are still receiving treatment. FINDINGS: Between Sept 4, 2013, and Aug 4, 2014, 87 patients were enrolled into the study (intention-to-treat population). At the time of the primary analysis (median follow-up 4·8 months [IQR 3·3-7·1]), 33 of 69 patients with measurable disease at baseline had a confirmed partial response; thus, the proportion of patients achieving an objective response by the independent review committee was 48% (95% CI 36-60). Adverse events were predominantly grade 1 or 2, most commonly constipation (31 [36%]), fatigue (29 [33%]), myalgia 21 [24%]), and peripheral oedema 20 [23%]). The most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events were changes in laboratory values, including increased blood creatine phosphokinase (seven [8%]), increased alanine aminotransferase (five [6%]), and increased aspartate aminotransferase (four [5%]). Two patients died: one had a haemorrhage (judged related to study treatment), and one had disease progression and a history of stroke (judged unrelated to treatment). INTERPRETATION: Alectinib showed clinical activity and was well tolerated in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC who had progressed on crizotinib. Therefore, alectinib could be a suitable treatment for patients with ALK-positive disease who have progressed on crizotinib. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Antioxidant micronutrients and the risk of renal cell carcinoma in the Women's Health Initiative cohort.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the eighth leading cancer among women in incidence and commonly is diagnosed at a more advanced stage. Oxidative stress has been considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of RCC. Various dietary micronutrients have antioxidant properties, including carotenoids and vitamins C and E; thus, diets rich in these nutrients have been evaluated in relation to RCC prevention. The objective of this study was to explore the correlation between antioxidant micronutrients and the risk of RCC. METHODS: In total, 96,196 postmenopausal women who enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) between 1993 and 1998 and were followed through July 2013 were included in this analysis. Dietary micronutrient intake was estimated from the baseline WHI food frequency questionnaire, and data on supplement use were collected using an interview-based inventory procedure. RCC cases were ascertained from follow-up surveys and were centrally adjudicated. The risks for RCC associated with intake of α-carotene, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, lutein plus zeaxanthin, lycopene, vitamin C, and vitamin E were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Two hundred forty women with RCC were identified during follow-up. Lycopene intake was inversely associated with RCC risk (P = .015); compared with the lowest quartile of lycopene intake, the highest quartile of intake was associated with a 39% lower risk of RCC (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.97). No other micronutrient was significantly associated with RCC risk. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that further investigation into the correlation between lycopene intake and the risk of RCC is warranted.

Targeting DNA repair with combination veliparib (ABT-888) and temozolomide in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Androgen receptor-mediated transcription is directly coupled with the induction of DNA damage, and castration-resistant tumor cells exhibit increased activity of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1, a DNA repair enzyme. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of low dose oral PARP inhibitor veliparib (ABT-888) and temozolomide (TMZ) in docetaxel-pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in a single-arm, open-label, pilot study. Patients with mCRPC progressing on at least one docetaxel-based therapy and prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 2 ng/mL were treated with veliparib 40 mg twice daily on days 1-7 and TMZ once daily (150 mg/m(2)/day cycle 1; if well tolerated then 200 mg/m(2)/day cycle 2 onwards) on days 1-5 q28 days. Patients received 2 (median) treatment cycles (range, 1-9). The primary endpoint was confirmed PSA response rate (decline ≥ 30 %). Twenty-six eligible patients were enrolled, 25 evaluable for PSA response. Median baseline PSA was 170 ng/mL. Two patients had a confirmed PSA response (8.0 %; 95 % CI: 1.0-26.0), 13 stable PSA, and 10 PSA progression. The median progression-free survival was 9 weeks (95 % CI: 7.9-17) and median overall survival 39.6 weeks (95 % CI: 26.6-not estimable). The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were thrombocytopenia (77 %), anemia (69 %), fatigue (50 %), neutropenia (42 %), nausea (38 %), and constipation (23 %). Grade 3/4 AEs occurring in > 10 % of patients were thrombocytopenia (23 %) and anemia (15 %). Veliparib and TMZ combination was well tolerated but with modest activity. Biomarker analysis supported the proof of concept that this combination has some antitumor activity in mCRPC.

PrECOG PrE0807: A Phase 1b Feasibility Trial of Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Without and with Lirilumab in Patients with Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Ineligible for or Refusing Cisplatin-based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy prior to radical cystectomy (RC) improves overall survival (OS) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, many patients are cisplatin ineligible; therefore, new treatment options are needed. Nivolumab without/with lirilumab prior to RC was investigated in cisplatin-ineligible patients in this phase 1b trial (NCT03532451) to determine its safety/feasibility. METHODS: Patients with localized MIBC received two doses of nivolumab (480 mg) alone (cohort 1) or with lirilumab (240 mg; cohort 2) prior to RC. Cohorts were enrolled sequentially. The key eligibility criteria were cT2-4aN0-1M0 stage and cisplatin ineligibility/refusal. The primary endpoint was the rate of grade (G) ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) as per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. The key secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients who underwent RC >6 wk after the last dose, CD8+ T-cell density change between pretreatment transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and post-treatment RC, ypT0N0, 6 wk. In cohorts 1 and 2, ypT0N0 rates for patients with MIBC and RC were 17% and 21%,

Analysis of urological procedures in men who died from prostate cancer using a population-based approach.

UNLABELLED: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Very few studies have examined end-of-life urological studies in men with prostate cancer. These studies reported fewer procedures in men who received primary therapy for prostate cancer. However, these studies were typically single institution or had a short follow-up period. The present study is the first population-based study examining end-of-life urological procedures and uses a geographic region encompassing 385 000 patients. Furthermore, this study incorporates both hospital- and office-based procedures. This approach has not been previously undertaken. OBJECTIVE: To determine using a population-based approach whether men with end-stage prostate cancer who had definitive primary therapy might require fewer urological interventions. Repeated urological procedures can impact health-related quality of life in patients dying from prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the Marshfield Epidemiological Study Area (MESA) database and tumour registry, we compared end-of-life interventions in men who died from prostate cancer between 1991 and 2009. Patient charts were queried for urological procedures using International Classification of Disease Modification, 9th edition (ICD9) codes for 3 years before death. Clinicopathological information was examined including whether the patient had a history of primary therapy (radiation or radical prostatectomy). RESULTS: Among 280 patients dying from prostate cancer, 52 (19%) required 153 urological procedures during the last 3 years of life. The frequency of procedures increased closer to death. The most common procedures involved nephrostomy tube (56%), Foley catheter (24%) and transurethral resection of the prostate (10%). Clinicopathological features did not predict the need for an end-of-life urological procedure. There was no difference in the frequency of upper or lower tract procedures in surgery or radiation patients compared with patients without primary therapy (P = 0.556 and P = 0.508). Using a Kaplan-Meier analysis, there were no differences between groups in the proportion of patients not requiring a procedure (n = 280; P = 0.179). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first population-based study to examine the frequency of urological procedures in patients with end-stage prostate cancer. A minority of patients (19%) required urological procedures during the final 3 years of life. A history of surgery or radiation did not influence the overall risk for urological intervention.

Gemcitabine and cisplatin plus nivolumab as organ-sparing treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a phase 2 trial.

Cystectomy is a standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but it is life-altering. We initiated a phase 2 study in which patients with MIBC received four cycles of gemcitabine, cisplatin, plus nivolumab followed by clinical restaging. Patients achieving a clinical complete response (cCR) could proceed without cystectomy. The co-primary objectives were to assess the cCR rate and the positive predictive value of cCR for a composite outcome: 2-year metastasis-free survival in patients forgoing immediate cystectomy or

Persistence in breast cancer disparities between African Americans and whites in Wisconsin.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) mortality is higher in African American women compared to white women despite having a lower incidence. The reasons for this remain unclear, despite decades of research. Reducing BC health disparities is a priority but has had limited success. OBJECTIVE: To assess progress in eliminating breast cancer-related health disparities in Wisconsin by comparing trends in breast cancer outcomes in African American and white women from 1995 to 2006 and comparing results nationally. METHODS: Age-adjusted breast cancer (BC) incidence and stage data from the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System and age-adjusted mortality data from National Center of Health Statistics were used to evaluate trends in incidence and mortality from 1995 to 2006 for African Americans and whites. The relative disparity was evaluated by rate ratios. Trends in distribution of in situ vs malignant disease were examined. National trend data were obtained from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. RESULTS: Age-adjusted incidence decreased 10% in Wisconsin compared to 7% nationally. Incidence of BC was lower in African American compared to white women. BC mortality in African American women declined in Wisconsin, but remained higher than white females. Age-adjusted mortality in Wisconsin declined approximately 23%, matching national trends. Non age-adjusted stage data trended toward a decrease in malignant, but increased in situ disease. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an overall reduction in BC mortality from 1995 to 2006, a persistent disparity in mortality remains for African American women, demonstrating no significant progress in reducing BC health disparities.

Efficacy and Safety of Rovalpituzumab Tesirine Compared With Topotecan as Second-Line Therapy in DLL3-High SCLC: Results From the Phase 3 TAHOE Study.

INTRODUCTION: DLL3, an atypical Notch ligand, is expressed in SCLC tumors but is not detectable in normal adult tissues. Rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) is an antibody-drug conjugate containing a DLL3-targeting antibody tethered to a cytotoxic agent pyrrolobenzodiazepine by means of a protease-cleavable linker. The efficacy and safety of Rova-T compared with topotecan as second-line therapy in patients with SCLC expressing high levels of DLL3 (DLL3-high) was evaluated. METHODS: The TAHOE study was an open-label, two-to-one randomized, phase 3 study comparing Rova-T with topotecan as second-line therapy in DLL3-high advanced or metastatic SCLC. Rova-T (0.3 mg/kg) was administered intravenously on day 1 of a 42-day cycle for two cycles, with two additional cycles available to patients who met protocol-defined criteria for continued dosing. Topotecan (1.5 mg/m2) was administered intravenously on days 1 to 5 of a 21-day cycle. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Patients randomized to Rova-T (n = 296) and topotecan (n = 148) were included in the efficacy analyses. The median age was 64 years, and 77% had the extensive disease at initial diagnosis. The median OS (95% confidence interval) was 6.3 months (5.6-7.3) in the Rova-T arm and 8.6 months (7.7-10.1) in the topotecan arm (hazard ratio, 1.46 [95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.82]). An independent data monitoring committee recommended that enrollment be discontinued because of the shorter OS observed with Rova-T compared with topotecan. Safety profiles for both drugs were consistent with previous reports. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with topotecan, which is the current standard second-line chemotherapy, Rova-T exhibited an inferior OS and higher rates of serosal effusions, photosensitivity reaction, and peripheral edema in patients with SCLC. A considerable unmet therapeutic need remains in this population.

Relevance of circulating hybrid cells as a non-invasive biomarker for myriad solid tumors.

Metastatic progression defines the final stages of tumor evolution and underlies the majority of cancer-related deaths. The heterogeneity in disseminated tumor cell populations capable of seeding and growing in distant organ sites contributes to the development of treatment resistant disease. We recently reported the identification of a novel tumor-derived cell population, circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), harboring attributes from both macrophages and neoplastic cells, including functional characteristics important to metastatic spread. These disseminated hybrids outnumber conventionally defined circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. It is unknown if CHCs represent a generalized cancer mechanism for cell dissemination, or if this population is relevant to the metastatic cascade. Herein, we detect CHCs in the peripheral blood of patients with cancer in myriad disease sites encompassing epithelial and non-epithelial malignancies. Further, we demonstrate that in vivo-derived hybrid cells harbor tumor-initiating capacity in murine cancer models and that CHCs from human breast cancer patients express stem cell antigens, features consistent with the potential to seed and grow at metastatic sites. Finally, we reveal heterogeneity of CHC phenotypes reflect key tumor features, including oncogenic mutations and functional protein expression. Importantly, this novel population of disseminated neoplastic cells opens a new area in cancer biology and renewed opportunity for battling metastatic disease.

A Timeline of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Approvals in Small Cell Lung Cancer.

In this commentary, we review the timeline of clinical trials and regulatory actions of approved immune checkpoint inhibitors for small cell lung cancer, discuss challenges faced by regulatory agencies, and highlight paradoxical lessons that emerge. Accelerated approvals may fail to expedite drugs to market in this setting and further research on overall survival benefit is needed to prove drug efficacy.

The Impact of Smoking and TP53 Mutations in Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients with Targetable Mutations-The Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC2).

Purpose: Multiplex genomic profiling is standard of care for patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas. The Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) is a multi-institutional effort to identify and treat oncogenic driver events in patients with lung adenocarcinomas.Experimental Design: Sixteen U.S. institutions enrolled 1,367 patients with lung cancer in LCMC2; 904 were deemed eligible and had at least one of 14 cancer-related genes profiled using validated methods including genotyping, massively parallel sequencing, and IHC.Results: The use of targeted therapies in patients with EGFR, ERBB2, or BRAF p.V600E mutations, ALK, ROS1, or RET rearrangements, or MET amplification was associated with a survival increment of 1.5 years compared with those with such mutations not receiving targeted therapy, and 1.0 year compared with those lacking a targetable driver. Importantly, 60 patients with a history of smoking derived similar survival benefit from targeted therapy for alterations in EGFR/ALK/ROS1, when compared with 75 never smokers with the same alterations. In addition, coexisting TP53 mutations were associated with shorter survival among patients with EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 alterations.Conclusion: Patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung and an oncogenic driver mutation treated with effective targeted therapy have a longer survival, regardless of prior smoking history. Molecular testing should be performed on all individuals with lung adenocarcinomas irrespective of clinical characteristics. Routine use of massively parallel sequencing enables detection of both targetable driver alterations and tumor suppressor gene and other alterations that have potential significance for therapy selection and as predictive markers for the efficacy of treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 24(5); 1038-47. ©2017 AACR.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Organ Transplant Patients.

Modulation of T-cell activity through blockade of coinhibitory molecules has revolutionized the treatment of various malignancies. Several immune checkpoint inhibitors are currently Food and Drug Administration approved which target various coinhibitory pathways including cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death 1 receptor (PD-1), and programmed cell death ligand-1. Clinical trials that lead to the Food and Drug Administration approval of these agents often excluded patients with an organ transplant. Excluding these patients was deliberate due to concern that immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy could lead to graft rejection. The PD-1 and CTLA-4 pathways are essential to downregulate our immune system in the setting of T-cell activation to prevent autoimmunity. Furthermore, both pathways are implicated in transplanted organ tolerance and modulation of the pathways may inadvertently lead to peripheral transplant rejection. Currently, there are no guidelines for the treatment of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the setting of a prior organ transplant. Thus far, there are only 10 reported cases of patients in the literature who were treated in this setting. Two additional cases are reported herein, including 1 patient with a prior cardiac transplant receiving nivolumab for non-small cell lung cancer. Of the 12 cases, 4 patients experienced organ rejection. From these observations, the authors hypothesize factors that affect safety and of this treatment modality in this patient population. These factors include the integral role of the PD-1 pathway compared with the CTLA-4 pathway in organ acceptance, sequential implementation of different immune checkpoint inhibitor classes, length of time with a transplant before therapy, strength of immunosuppressive agents to prevent organ transplant rejection, and immunogenicity of the particular organ grafted. Although limited cases have been reported, there are circumstances in which immune checkpoint inhibitors have been used in the setting of organ transplantation without resulting in organ rejection. A thorough discussion with the patient of the potential risks, including graft rejection, and benefits of this therapy is necessary before beginning this treatment. More research is needed to explore the safety and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the setting of organ transplantation.

Molecular Testing in Patients With Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer and Its Impact on Clinical Decision Making.

PURPOSE: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is the lethal form of the disease. Many groups have performed mutational or immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing in metastatic CRPC to identify treatment targets. However, the frequency with which mutational or IHC data have an impact on clinical decision making and the outcomes of molecularly guided therapy in CRPC are largely unknown. We report our institution's experience with mutational and IHC testing in patients with metastatic CRPC and its impact on clinical decision making and patient outcomes. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2015, 59 patients with CRPC underwent metastatic tissue biopsies and were genotyped with a 37-cancer gene panel in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified laboratory. PTEN expression by IHC testing was also measured in 35 of these samples. A retrospective chart review was performed to determine whether the genomic information was acted upon and the outcome of patients whose treatment was guided by molecular testing. RESULTS: Forty-six of 59 patients with CRPC (78.0%) had biopsies with adequate tumor for mutational testing. Thirty-one of 46 subjects (67.4%) had mutations identified by sequencing. Of the 35 patients with CRPC whose biopsies were evaluated for PTEN expression by IHC testing, 13 had PTEN loss. Two patients had treatment on the basis of molecular testing, and one of these subjects had greater tumor control with molecularly guided therapy than his immediate prior therapy. CONCLUSION: Targeted sequencing and IHC can identify clinically informative molecular abnormalities in CRPC. Despite this, a small minority of patients in our series underwent therapies guided by mutational or IHC testing. Actionability of abnormalities identified in metastatic CRPC may be improved with access to clinical trials, insurance approval for unapproved uses of existing anticancer drugs, and larger gene sequencing panels that include more frequently mutated genes.

Early evidence of anti-PD-1 activity in enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer.

While programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors have shown clear anti-tumor efficacy in several solid tumors, prior results in men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) showed no evidence of activity. Here we report unexpected antitumor activity seen in mCRPC patients treated with the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab. Patients with evidence of progression on enzalutamide were treated with pembrolizumab 200 mg IV every 3 weeks for 4 doses; pembrolizumab was added to standard dose enzalutamide. Three of the first ten patients enrolled in this ongoing phase II trial experienced rapid prostate specific antigen (PSA) reductions to ≤ 0.2 ng/ml. Two of these three patients had measurable disease upon study entry; both achieved a partial response. There were three patients with significant immune-related adverse events. One had grade 2 myositis, one had grade 3 hypothyroidism, and one had grade 2 hypothyroidism. None of these patients had a response. Two of the three responders had a baseline tumor biopsy. Immunohistochemistry from those biopsies showed the presence of CD3+, CD8+, and CD163+ leukocyte infiltrates and PD-L1 expression. Genetic analysis of the two responders revealed markers of microsatellite instability in one. The surprising and robust responses seen in this study should lead to re-examination of PD-1 inhibition in prostate cancer.

Personalizing prostate cancer therapy: the way forward.

Advances in genomic sequencing and molecular characterization are improving our understanding of the biology of prostate cancer and challenging us to translate emerging data into meaningful clinical outcomes. Several recently approved treatments for advanced prostate cancer extend survival; however, these therapies are not personalized based on predictive biomarkers. Innovative strategies for early phase drug testing that harness our growing knowledge of important prognostic markers and emerging predictive biomarkers are needed. In this review we discuss new strategies to assess drug response in early phase clinical trial testing.

NLR is predictive of upstaging at the time of radical cystectomy for patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict pathologic upstaging and nonorgan-confined (NOC) (≥pT3) disease. METHODS AND MATERIALS: After institutional review board approval, the records of consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma from 2002 to 2012 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital were reviewed. A total of 102 patients with NLR within 100 days of surgery were eligible for analysis. The primary outcome was difference in stage from preoperative assessment to time of RC. Differences in preoperative NLR between groups were evaluated with an unequal variance t test. A univariate analysis assessed whether NLR, preoperative stage, grade, associated lymphovascular invasion, preoperative hydronephrosis, gender, previous pelvic radiotherapy, previous intravesical bladder cancer treatments, or nodal stage were related to upstaging. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship of NLR to upstaging and relative organ-confined (≤pT2) and NOC disease. RESULTS: Of 390 consecutive patients undergoing RC, 102 patients met study criteria. Overall, 55 (53.9%) patients were upstaged, 25 (25.5%) were unchanged, and 21 (20.6%) were downstaged. Fifty-one patients (50%) were upstaged to more advanced disease (≥pT3). NLR and preoperative hydronephrosis were significantly related to pathologic tumor staging. NLR, preoperative hydronephrosis, and preoperative tumor stage were significantly related to upstaging to NOC disease. Patients who were upstaged to≥pT3 demonstrated statistically significant greater NLRs (4.33±0.87) compared with patients who remained at≤pT2 stage (2.66±0.29) (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative NLR is a simple measurement that can be used to identify high-risk patients who may be upstaged at the time of RC and may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy.