Abstract 1792: FGFR3 mediated PARP1 tyrosine 158 phosphorylation promotes PARP inhibitor resistance

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi), which induce DNA damage by inhibiting PARP1 enzymatic activity and trapping PARP on the damaged DNA, are used to eliminate BRCA1/2-mutated (BRCAm) cancer. However, clinical observations suggest that BRCAm tumors develop PARPi resistance. Current strategies to overcome PARPi resistance include impeding multiple DNA repair pathways to induce excessive DNA damage. Here, we propose a novel strategy targeting oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases to enhance PARP trapping. By developing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells with acquired talazoparib resistance, we observed a high prevalence of activated fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) kinase in these cells through kinase antibody array analysis. Mass spectrometry analysis and in vitro kinase assay suggested that FGFR3 phosphorylated PARP1 at tyrosine residues 158 and 176. Biochemistry studies suggested that only PARP1 tyrosine 158 phosphorylation contributes to PARPi resistance in the cells we developed. We then developed a monoclonal antibody against tyrosine 158 phosphorylated PARP1, and found that high-level PARP1 tyrosine 158 phosphorylation positively correlated with PARPi resistance in breast cancer patient-derived xenograft models. We further demonstrated that the combination of FGFR inhibitor and PARPi delayed DNA repair with prolonged PARP trapping. Moreover, synergy between PARPi and FGFR inhibition was observed in multiple TNBC cell lines with PARPi resistance in vitro. The combination of PARPi and FGFR inhibitor also showed synergism in vivo, and treatment with the combination of PARPi and FGFR inhibitor was tolerated in mouse models. These findings reveal that PARP1 tyrosine 158 phosphorylation facilitates resolving of the PARPi-induced PARP-trapping, and that the tyrosine 158 phosphorylated PARP1 may be an effective biomarker to indicate FGFR3 mediated PARPi resistance.

Citation Format: MeiKuang Chen, Yuan Gao, Weiya Xia, Yu-Han Wang, Jennifer K. Litton, Yu-Yi Chu, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Helen Piwnica-Worms, Banu Arun, Jordi Rodon Ahnert, Yongkun Wei, Wei-Chao Chang, Hung-Ling Wang, Coya Tapia, Constance T. Albarracin, Shao-Chun Wang, Ying-Nai Wang, Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, Chunru Lin, Liuqing Yang, Dihua Yu, Mien-Chie Hung. FGFR3 mediated PARP1 tyrosine 158 phosphorylation promotes PARP inhibitor resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1792.

Identification of biomarkers of response to preoperative talazoparib monotherapy in treatment naïve gBRCA+ breast cancers

Germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 exist in ~2–7% of breast cancer patients, which has led to the approval of PARP inhibitors in the advanced setting. We have previously reported a phase II neoadjuvant trial of single agent talazoparib for patients with germline BRCA pathogenic variants with a pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of 53%. As nearly half of the patients treated did not have pCR, better strategies are needed to overcome treatment resistance. To this end, we conducted multi-omic analysis of 13 treatment naïve breast cancer tumors from patients that went on to receive single-agent neoadjuvant talazoparib. We looked for biomarkers that were predictive of response (assessed by residual cancer burden) after 6 months of therapy. We found that all resistant tumors exhibited either the loss of SHLD2, expression of a hypoxia signature, or expression of a stem cell signature. These results indicate that the deep analysis of pre-treatment tumors can identify biomarkers that are predictive of response to talazoparib and potentially other PARP inhibitors, and provides a framework that will allow for better selection of patients for treatment, as well as a roadmap for the development of novel combination therapies to prevent emergence of resistance.

Determinants of Response to Talazoparib in Patients with HER2-Negative, Germline BRCA1/2-Mutated Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have demonstrated efficacy in tumors with germline breast cancer susceptibility genes (gBRCA) 1 and 2 mutations, but further factors influencing response to PARPi are poorly understood.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Breast cancer tumor tissue from patients with gBRCA1/2 mutations from the phase III EMBRACA trial of the PARPi talazoparib versus chemotherapy was sequenced using FoundationOne CDx.

RESULTS

In the evaluable intent-to-treat population, 96.1% (296/308) had ≥1 tumor BRCA (tBRCA) mutation and there was strong concordance (95.3%) between tBRCA and gBRCA mutational status. Genetic/genomic characteristics including BRCA loss of heterozygosity (LOH; identified in 82.6% of evaluable patients), DNA damage response (DDR) gene mutational burden, and tumor homologous recombination deficiency [assessed by genomic LOH (gLOH)] demonstrated no association with talazoparib efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, BRCA LOH status, DDR gene mutational burden, and gLOH were not associated with talazoparib efficacy; however, these conclusions are qualified by population heterogeneity and low patient numbers in some subgroups. Further investigation in larger patient populations is warranted.

Abstract P5-13-08: Identification of PD-L1+ status as a candidate predictive biomarker of response to talazoparib (TALA) in the phase 3 EMBRACA study

Background: Loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding components of the homologous recombination DNA damage response (DDR) machinery, notably BRCA1/2, are associated with tumor sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). In EMBRACA, the PARPi TALA improved progression-free survival (PFS) (HR [95% CI] 0.54 [0.41-0.71], P<0.001) vs chemotherapy (CT) in germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) HER2− advanced breast cancer. BRCA1/2 deficiency is associated with elevated PD-L1 expression in ovarian cancers, and PARP inhibition has been associated with PD-L1 upregulation in nonclinical models (Stewart et al, Cancer Res 2018;78:6717-25). Little is known about the potential for PD-L1 expression to modulate sensitivity to PARPi monotherapy in the clinic. Recently, a neoadjuvant study of olaparib in unselected, primary triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), demonstrated a significant correlation between PD-L1 expression (using the 22C3 antibody) and response to olaparib (Eikesdal et al, Ann Oncol 2021;32:240-9). In contrast, this EMBRACA analysis assessed the contribution of PD-L1 status to TALA sensitivity in a uniformly gBRCAm patient (pt) population. Methods: Available baseline tumor tissue blocks from 120 of 431 EMBRACA pts (28% of intent-to-treat) were sectioned and slides immunostained using SP142/Ventana anti-PD-L1 at HistoGeneX (Naperville, Illinois). PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) status was assessed as the proportion of tumor area occupied by PD-L1 stained immune cells (IC) of any intensity, with ≥1% defined as PD-L1+. The overall response rate (ORR), defined as unconfirmed complete or partial response (CR/PR), was assessed by investigators. PFS was assessed by an Independent Review Facility. Results: 92/120 (77%) tumors were evaluable for PD-L1 IHC status. Of these 92 evaluable tumors, 9/36 (25%) TNBC and 15/56 (27%) hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumors were PD-L1+ (24/92, 26% combined TNBC and HR+). In the TALA arm, the ORR was similar for PD-L1+ and PD-L1− tumors for TNBC pts: 2/5 (40%) and 6/19 (32%), respectively. In contrast, the ORR was higher for PD-L1+ vs PD-L1− tumors for HR+ pts: 11/12 (92%) vs 12/31 (39%), exact P value=0.002 (for combined TNBC and HR+, 13/17 [76%] vs 18/50 [36%], P=0.005). For the CT arm, the limited numbers evaluable for both PD-L1 and response (n=25 total), with only one response, precluded similar analysis. Based on the imbalanced results in ORR according to PD-L1 status in pts with HR+ disease, Cox regression analysis was used to explore potential associations of PD-L1 status with PFS. In the TALA arm, median PFS was similar for TNBC independent of PD-L1 status (6.3 mo and 7.0 mo, respectively; HR [95% CI] 1.207 [0.371-3.929]). Median PFS was numerically longer for PD-L1+ vs PD-L1− for HR+ tumors; this difference was not significant (20.2 mo vs 9.2 mo; HR [95% CI] 1.154 [0.395-3.367]). In the CT arm, PD-L1 status was not associated with PFS, although the PD-L1 subgroups were small (For HR+: PD-L1+, n=3; PD-L1−, n=10). Conclusions: Based on these exploratory, retrospective subgroup analyses, PD-L1 positivity by SP142/Ventana was lower in EMBRACA than previously reported in TNBC using the same scoring algorithm: 24/92 (26%) vs 369/902 (41%) in IMpassion130 (Schmid et al, Lancet Oncol 2020;21:44-59). PD-L1+ status was associated with higher ORR in HR+ EMBRACA pts receiving TALA. Interestingly, the enhanced responsiveness for PD-L1+ was not associated with improved PFS, although this assessment is complicated by low pt numbers. Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between baseline tumor PD-L1 status and sensitivity to PARPi, particularly in light of ongoing clinical studies evaluating combinations of immunotherapy and PARPi.

Citation Format: Hope S. Rugo, Joanne L. Blum, A. Douglas Laird, Sara A. Hurvitz, Johannes Ettl, Lida A. Mina, Kyung-Hun Lee, Anthony Gonçalves, Rinat Yerushalmi, Young-Hyuck Im, Miguel Martin, Louis Fehrenbacher, Henri H. Roché, Ying Chen, Silvana Lanzalone, Jijumon Chelliserry, Wolfgang Eiermann, Jennifer K. Litton. Identification of PD-L1+ status as a candidate predictive biomarker of response to talazoparib (TALA) in the phase 3 EMBRACA study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-13-08.

Outcomes After Breast Radiation Therapy in a Diverse Patient Cohort With a Germline BRCA1/2 Mutation

PURPOSE

BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant (PV) mutations confer radiation sensitivity preclinically, but there are limited data regarding breast cancer outcomes after radiation therapy (RT) among patients with documented BRCA1/2 PV mutations versus no PV mutations.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This retrospective cohort study included women with clinical stage I-III breast cancer who received definitive surgery and RT and underwent BRCA1/2 genetic evaluation at the The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Rates of locoregional recurrence (LRR), disease-specific death (DSD), toxicities, and second cancers were compared by BRCA1/2 PV status.

RESULTS

Of the 2213 women who underwent BRCA1/2 testing, 63% self-reported their race as White, 13.6% as Black/African American, 17.6% as Hispanic, and 5.8% as Asian/American Indian/Alaska Native; 124 had BRCA1 and 100 had BRCA2 mutations; and 1394 (63%) received regional nodal RT. The median follow-up time for all patients was 7.4 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.1-7.7 years). No differences were found between the groups with and without BRCA1/2 PV mutations in 10-year cumulative incidences of LRR (with mutations: 11.6% [95% CI, 7.0%-17.6%]; without mutations: 6.6% [95% CI, 5.3%-8.0%]; P = .466) and DSD (with mutations: 12.3% [95% CI, 8.0%-17.7%]; without mutations: 13.8% [95% CI, 12.0%-15.8%]; P = .716). On multivariable analysis, BRCA1/2 status was not associated with LRR or DSD, but Black/African American patients (P = .036) and Asians/American Indians/Alaska Native patients (P = .002) were at higher risk of LRR compared with White patients, and Black/African American patients were at higher risk of DSD versus White patients (P = .004). No in-field, nonbreast second cancers were observed in the BRCA1/2 PV group. Rates of acute and late grade ≥3 radiation-related toxicity in the BCRA1/2 PV group were 5.4% (n = 12) and 0.4% (n = 1), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Oncologic outcomes in a diverse cohort of patients with breast cancer who had a germline BRCA1/2 PV mutation and were treated with RT were similar to those of patients with no mutation, supporting the use of RT according to standard indications in patients with a germline BRCA1/2 PV mutation.

Breast Radiation Therapy-Related Treatment Outcomes in Patients With or Without Germline Mutations on Multigene Panel Testing

PURPOSE

Multigene panel testing has increased the detection of germline mutations in patients with breast cancer. The implications of using radiation therapy (RT) to treat patients with pathogenic variant (PV) mutations are not well understood and have been studied mostly in women with only BRCA1 or BRCA2 PVs. We analyzed oncologic outcomes and toxicity after adjuvant RT in a contemporary, diverse cohort of patients with breast cancer who underwent genetic panel testing.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 286 women with clinical stage I-III breast cancer diagnosed from 1995 to 2017 who underwent surgery, breast or chest wall RT with or without regional nodal irradiation, multigene panel testing, and evaluation at a large cancer center's genetic screening program. We evaluated rates of overall survival, locoregional recurrence, disease-specific death, and radiation-related toxicities in 3 groups: BRCA1/2 PV carriers, non-BRCA1/2 PV carriers, and patients without PV mutations.

RESULTS

PVs were detected in 25.2% of the cohort (12.6% BRCA1/2 and 12.6% non-BRCA1/2). The most commonly detected non-BRCA1/2 mutated genes were ATM, CHEK2, PALB2, CDH1, TP53, and PTEN. The median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 4.4 years (95% confidence interval, 3.8-4.9 years). No differences were found in overall survival, locoregional recurrence, or disease-specific death between groups (P > .1 for all). Acute and late toxicities were comparable across groups.

CONCLUSION

Oncologic and toxicity outcomes after RT in women with PV germline mutations detected by multigene pane testing are similar to those in patients without detectable mutations, supporting the use of adjuvant RT as a standard of care when indicated.

Phase Ib Dose Expansion and Translational Analyses of Olaparib in Combination with Capivasertib in Recurrent Endometrial, Triple-Negative Breast, and Ovarian Cancer

PURPOSE

On the basis of strong preclinical rationale, we sought to confirm recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, combined with the AKT inhibitor capivasertib and assess molecular markers of response and resistance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We performed a safety lead-in followed by expansion in endometrial, triple-negative breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer. Olaparib 300 mg orally twice daily and capivasertib orally twice daily on a 4-day on 3-day off schedule was evaluated. Two dose levels (DL) of capivasertib were planned: 400 mg (DL1) and 320 mg (DL-1). Patients underwent biopsies at baseline and 28 days.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients were enrolled. Seven (18%) had germline BRCA1/2 mutations. The first 2 patients on DL1 experienced dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) of diarrhea and vomiting. No DLTs were observed on DL-1 (n = 6); therefore, DL1 was reexplored (n = 6) with no DLTs, confirming DL1 as RP2D. Most common treatment-related grade 3/4 adverse events were anemia (23.7%) and leukopenia (10.5%). Of 32 evaluable subjects, 6 (19%) had partial response (PR); PR rate was 44.4% in endometrial cancer. Seven (22%) additional patients had stable disease greater than 4 months. Tumor analysis demonstrated strong correlations between response and immune activity, cell-cycle alterations, and DNA damage response. Therapy resistance was associated with receptor tyrosine kinase and RAS-MAPK pathway activity, metabolism, and epigenetics.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of olaparib and capivasertib is associated to no serious adverse events and demonstrates durable activity in ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers, with promising responses in endometrial cancer. Importantly, tumor samples acquired pre- and on-therapy can help predict patient benefit.

A phase II study of talimogene laherparepvec for patients with inoperable locoregional recurrence of breast cancer

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an immunotherapy that generates local tumor lysis and systemic antitumor immune response. We studied the efficacy of intratumoral administration of T-VEC as monotherapy for inoperable locoregional recurrence of breast cancer. T-VEC was injected intratumorally at 106 PFU/mL on day 1 (cycle 1), 108 PFU/mL on day 22 (cycle 2), and 108 PFU/mL every 2 weeks thereafter (cycles ≥ 3). Nine patients were enrolled, 6 with only locoregional disease and 3 with both locoregional and distant disease. No patient completed the planned 10 cycles or achieved complete or partial response. The median number of cycles administered was 4 (range, 3-8). Seven patients withdrew prematurely because of uncontrolled disease progression, 1 withdrew after cycle 3 because of fatigue, and 1 withdrew after cycle 4 for reasons unrelated to study treatment. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 77 days (95% CI, 63-NA) and 361 days (95% CI, 240-NA). Two patients received 8 cycles with clinically stable disease as the best response. The most common grade 2 or higher adverse event was injection site reaction (n = 7, 78%). Future studies could examine whether combining intratumoral T-VEC with concurrent systemic therapy produces better outcomes.

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer has historically been a disease for which immunotherapy was largely unavailable. Recently, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has demonstrated efficacy, including longer progression-free survival and increased overall survival in subsets of patients. Based on clinical benefit in randomized trials, ICIs in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of some patients with advanced/metastatic TNBC have been approved by the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expanding options for patients. Ongoing questions remain, however, about the optimal chemotherapy backbone for immunotherapy, appropriate biomarker-based selection of patients for treatment, the optimal strategy for immunotherapy treatment in earlier stage disease, and potential use in histological subtypes other than TNBC. To provide guidance to the oncology community on these and other important concerns, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG). The expert panel drew upon the published literature as well as their clinical experience to develop recommendations for healthcare professionals on these important aspects of immunotherapeutic treatment for breast cancer, including diagnostic testing, treatment planning, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and patient quality of life (QOL) considerations. The evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations in this CPG are intended to give guidance to cancer care providers treating patients with breast cancer.

Endocrine Treatment and Targeted Therapy for Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update

PURPOSE

To update recommendations of the ASCO systemic therapy for hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) guideline.

METHODS

An Expert Panel conducted a systematic review to identify new, potentially practice-changing data.

RESULTS

Fifty-one articles met eligibility criteria and form the evidentiary basis for the recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Alpelisib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) should be offered to postmenopausal patients, and to male patients, with HR-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, PIK3CA-mutated, ABC, or MBC following prior endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. Clinicians should use next-generation sequencing in tumor tissue or cell-free DNA in plasma to detect PIK3CA mutations. If no mutation is found in cell-free DNA, testing in tumor tissue, if available, should be used as this will detect a small number of additional patients with PIK3CA mutations. There are insufficient data at present to recommend routine testing for ESR1 mutations to guide therapy for HR-positive, HER2-negative MBC. For BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer, olaparib or talazoparib should be offered in the 1st-line through 3rd-line setting. A nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI) and a CDK4/6 inhibitor should be offered to postmenopausal women with treatment-naïve HR-positive MBC. Fulvestrant and a CDK4/6 inhibitor should be offered to patients with progressive disease during treatment with AIs (or who develop a recurrence within 1 year of adjuvant AI therapy) with or without one line of prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease, or as first-line therapy. Treatment should be limited to those without prior exposure to CDK4/6 inhibitors in the metastatic setting.Additional information can be found at www.asco.org/breast-cancer-guidelines.

Development of the PARP inhibitor talazoparib for the treatment of advanced BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutated breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutation breast cancers constitute an uncommon, but unique group of breast cancers that present at a younger age, and are underscored by genomic instability and accumulation of DNA damage. Talazoparib is a potent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that exploits impaired DNA damage response mechanisms in this population of patients and results in significant efficacy. Based on the results of the EMBRACA trial, talazoparib was approved for the treatment of patients with advanced germline BRCA1/2 mutant breast cancer.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, the authors highlight the relevant clinical trials of talazoparib, as well as, safety, tolerability, and quality of life considerations. They also examine putative response and resistance mechanisms, and rational combinatorial therapeutic strategies under development.

EXPERT OPINION

Talazoparib has been a major advance in the treatment of germline BRCA1/2 mutation breast cancer with both clinical efficacy and improvement in quality of life compared to standard cytotoxic chemotherapy. To date, the optimal sequencing of talazoparib administration in the metastatic setting has not yet been established. A deeper understanding of response and resistance mechanisms, and more broadly, the DNA repair pathway, will lead to additional opportunities in targeting this pathway and open up therapeutic indications to a broader patient population.

Immune Phenotype and Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Increasing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is associated with higher rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the presence of TILs does not consistently predict pCR, therefore, the current study was undertaken to more fully characterize the immune cell response and its association with pCR.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We obtained pretreatment core-needle biopsies from 105 patients with stage I-III TNBC enrolled in ARTEMIS (NCT02276443) who received NAT from Oct 22, 2015 through July 24, 2018. The tumor-immune microenvironment was comprehensively profiled by performing T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) IHC, multiplex immunofluorescence, and RNA sequencing on pretreatment tumor samples. The primary endpoint was pathologic response to NAT.

RESULTS

The pCR rate was 40% (42/105). Higher TCR clonality (median = 0.2 vs. 0.1, P = 0.03), PD-L1 positivity (OR: 2.91, P = 0.020), higher CD3⁺:CD68⁺ ratio (median = 14.70 vs. 8.20, P = 0.0128), and closer spatial proximity of T cells to tumor cells (median = 19.26 vs. 21.94 μm, P = 0.0169) were associated with pCR. In a multivariable model, closer spatial proximity of T cells to tumor cells and PD-L1 expression enhanced prediction of pCR when considered in conjunction with clinical stage.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients receiving NAT for TNBC, deep immune profiling through detailed phenotypic characterization and spatial analysis can improve prediction of pCR in patients receiving NAT for TNBC when considered with traditional clinical parameters.

Early ultrasound evaluation identifies excellent responders to neoadjuvant systemic therapy among patients with triple-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Heterogeneity exists in the response of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to standard anthracycline (AC)/taxane-based neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST), with 40% to 50% of patients having a pathologic complete response (pCR) to therapy. Early assessment of the imaging response during NAST may identify a subset of TNBCs that are likely to have a pCR upon completion of treatment. The authors aimed to evaluate the performance of early ultrasound (US) after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant NAST in identifying excellent responders to NAST among patients with TNBC.

METHODS

Two hundred fifteen patients with TNBC were enrolled in the ongoing ARTEMIS (A Robust TNBC Evaluation Framework to Improve Survival) clinical trial. The patients were divided into a discovery cohort (n = 107) and a validation cohort (n = 108). A receiver operating characteristic analysis with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to model the probability of a pCR on the basis of the tumor volume reduction (TVR) percentage by US from the baseline to after 2 cycles of AC.

RESULTS

Overall, 39.3% of the patients (42 of 107) achieved a pCR. A positive predictive value (PPV) analysis identified a cutoff point of 80% TVR after 2 cycles; the pCR rate was 77% (17 of 22) in patients with a TVR ≥ 80%, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.77-0.92; P < .0001). In the validation cohort, the pCR rate was 44%. The PPV for pCR with a TVR ≥ 80% after 2 cycles was 76% (95% CI, 55%-91%), and the AUC was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.70-0.87; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The TVR percentage by US evaluation after 2 cycles of NAST may be a cost-effective early imaging biomarker for a pCR to AC/taxane-based NAST.

High tumor mutation burden fails to predict immune checkpoint blockade response across all cancer types

BACKGROUND

High tumor mutation burden (TMB-H) has been proposed as a predictive biomarker for response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), largely due to the potential for tumor mutations to generate immunogenic neoantigens. Despite recent pan-cancer approval of ICB treatment for any TMB-H tumor, as assessed by the targeted FoundationOne CDx assay in nine tumor types, the utility of this biomarker has not been fully demonstrated across all cancers.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from over 10 000 patient tumors included in The Cancer Genome Atlas were used to compare approaches to determine TMB and identify the correlation between predicted neoantigen load and CD8 T cells. Association of TMB with ICB treatment outcomes was analyzed by both objective response rates (ORRs, N = 1551) and overall survival (OS, N = 1936).

RESULTS

In cancer types where CD8 T-cell levels positively correlated with neoantigen load, such as melanoma, lung, and bladder cancers, TMB-H tumors exhibited a 39.8% ORR to ICB [95% confidence interval (CI) 34.9-44.8], which was significantly higher than that observed in low TMB (TMB-L) tumors [odds ratio (OR) = 4.1, 95% CI 2.9-5.8, P < 2 × 10^-16]. In cancer types that showed no relationship between CD8 T-cell levels and neoantigen load, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and glioma, TMB-H tumors failed to achieve a 20% ORR (ORR = 15.3%, 95% CI 9.2-23.4, P = 0.95), and exhibited a significantly lower ORR relative to TMB-L tumors (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.24-0.88, P = 0.02). Bulk ORRs were not significantly different between the two categories of tumors (P = 0.10) for patient cohorts assessed. Equivalent results were obtained by analyzing OS and by treating TMB as a continuous variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis failed to support application of TMB-H as a biomarker for treatment with ICB in all solid cancer types. Further tumor type-specific studies are warranted.

Abstract PD6-06: Radiomic phenotypes from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) parametric maps for early prediction of response to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients

Background and Purpose:Early and accurate assessment ofbreast cancer response to NAST is important for patient management. In this study, we investigated the value of radiomic phenotypes derived from semi-quantitative and quantitative DCE-MRI parametric maps for early prediction of NASTresponse in TNBC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This IRB approved study included 74 patients with stage I-III TNBC who were enrolled in the prospective ARTEMIS trial (NCT02276443). Pathologic complete response (pCR) and non-pCR were assessed by surgical histopathology after NAST (pCR=34; non-pCR=40).MRI scans were obtained at 3 time points during the NAST treatment with every 2-week anthracycline-based chemotherapy (AC): at baseline (BSL=74), post-2 cycles of AC (C2= 27) and post-4 cycles of AC (C4= 27). Patients went on to receive taxane-based chemotherapy prior to surgery. Tumor regions of interest (ROIs) were segmented by a breast radiologist at the early-phase subtractions of DCE-MRI scans using in-house developed software, followed by co-registration of the ROIs with quantitative (Ktrans, Veand Kep), and semi-quantitative DCE parametric maps (Maximum Slope Increase (MSI), Positive Enhancement Integral (PEI) and Peak Signal Enhancement Ratio (SER)).A total of 93 first order radiomic features were extracted from the tumor ROIs of each time point semi-quantitative DCE parametric map, while a total of 390 extracted radiomic features (first order-histogram features and second order grey-level-co-occurrence matrix) were extracted from each quantitative DCE parametric map using an in-house developed Matlab software.Radiomic features at each time point and changes between the 3 time points were compared between pCR and non-pCR using Wilcoxon Rank Sum test and Fisher’s exact test. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was used to determine which features predicted pCR.Logistic regression was performed for feature selection, and used to build the radiomic phenotype model. The model performance was assessed by leave-one-out cross validation and 3-fold cross validation. RESULTS:Thirty-three radiomic features from PEI map were significantly different between pCR and non-pCR. The PEI most significant features were changesbetween BSL and C4 in skewness, mean and median (AUC=0.87, 0.85 and 0.87, p=&lt;0.001, 0.001 and 0.002 respectively). Additionally, 31 MSI features were significantly different between pCR and non-pCR. The top 2 features were the interscan-change in skewness between BSL and C2 (AUC=0.80, P=0.007) and C4 standard deviation (AUC=0.80, P=0.006). Four BSL Veradiomic features were statistically significant between pCR and non-pCR with the best being range of difference variance (AUC=0.64, P=0.03). One BSL Kepfeature (Angular-Variance of Information measure of correlation-2) was able to differentiate pCR from non-pCR (AUC=0.64, P=0.04). Five C4-Ktrans features were able to differentiate pCR and non-pCR, with the most significant being mean value (AUC=0.86, P=0.001). BSL-Kepradiomic model built from 24 features (AUC=0.80, p=0.003) and combined (Ktrans, Veand Kep)C2-radiomic model consisting of 20 features (AUC=0.97, p=0.01) showed the best performance for prediction of pCR. CONCLUSIONS:Radiomic phenotypes form DCE-MRI parametric maps were useful for differentiation between pCR and non-pCR and showed promise as noninvasive imaging biomarkers for early prediction of NAST response in TNBC. Potentially, DCE-MRI radiomic features may be used for development of diagnostic predictive model for early noninvasive assessment of NAST treatment response in TNBC patients.

Citation Format: Nabil Elshafeey, Beatriz E Adrada, Rosalind P Candelaria, Abeer H Abdelhafez, Benjamin C Musall, Jia Sun, Medine Boge, Rania M.M Mohamed, Hagar S Mahmoud, Jong Bum Son, Aikaterini Kotrosou, Shu Zhang, Jessica Leung, Deanna Lane, Marion Scoggins, David Spak, Elsa Arribas, Lumarie Santiago, Gary J. Whitman, Huong T Le-Petross, Tanya W Moseley, Jason B White, Elizabeth Ravenberg, Ken-Pin Hwang, Peng Wei, Jennifer K Litton, Lei Huo, Debu Tripathy, Vicente Valero, Alastair M Thompson, Stacy Moulder, Wei T Yang, Mark D Pagel, Jingfei Ma, Gaiane M Rauch. Radiomic phenotypes from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) parametric maps for early prediction of response to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD6-06.

Abstract PD6-07: Volumetric changes on longitudinal dynamic contrast enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) as an early treatment response predictor to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients

Background and Purpose:There is currently a lack of recognized imaging criteria for prediction of treatment response to NAST in breast cancer patients with recent reports showing that breast MRI is the most accurate modality for evaluation of NAST response. DCE-MRI evaluates tumor perfusion that influences tumor enhancement at the post-contrast subtraction images and allows for more accurate measurement of changes in tumor volume during NAST. In this study, we evaluated the ability of tumor volumetric changes after 2 and 4 cycles of NAST by longitudinal ultrafast DCE-MRI to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) in TNBC undergoing NAST. Materials and Methods: Stage I-III TNBC patients enrolled in an IRB approved prospective clinical trial (ARTEMIS, NCT02276433) who had ultrafast DCE-MRI at baseline (BL, N=103), post 2 cycles (C2, N=59), and post 4 cycles (C4, N=103) of anthracycline-based NAST,and had surgery, were included in this analysis. Tumor volume was calculated using 3D measurements of the index lesion at BL, C2, and C4. Percent change of tumor volume (%TV) between BL, C2, and C4 was calculated at early (9-12 sec) and delayed (360-480 sec) phases of DCE-MRI. The largest lesion was used for analysis in patients with multicentric or multifocal disease. Demographic, clinical, and pathologic data and treatment response at surgery (pCR versus non-pCR) were documented. Receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) analysis was performed for prediction of pCR status. Positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and Youden Index were used to select %TV cut-off thresholds for pCR prediction.Results: 103 patients (median age, 53 years; range, 24-79 years) were included, 48 (47%) had pCR, and 55 (53%) had non-pCR at surgical pathology. The %TV reduction at C2 DCE-MRI was predictive of pCR on both early phase DCE MRI (AUC, 0.873; CI:0.779-0.968, p &lt; .0001) and delayed phase DCE MRI (AUC, 0.844; CI:0.742-0.947, p &lt; .0001). Optimal thresholds were as follows: 70% TV reduction on early phase DCE MRI with Youden’s index of 1.58 was able to predict pCR correctly for 79% of patients with PPV of 81%; 75% TV reduction on delayed phase with Youden’s Index of 1.44 was able to predict pCR correctly for 71% of patients with PPV of 85%.%TV reduction was also predictive of pCR at the C4 time point on both early phase DCE MRI (AUC, 0.761; CI:0.665-0.856, p &lt; .0001) and delayed phase DCE MRI (AUC, 0.737; CI:0.641-0.833, p &lt; .0001). Optimal thresholds were as follows: 90% TV reduction on early phase DCE MRI with Youden’s index of 1.43 was able to correctly predict pCR in 72% of patients with PPV of 70%; and 90% TV reduction on delayed phase with Youden’s Index of 1.34 was able to predict pCR correctly in 68% of patients with PPV of 71%.Conclusion: Our data shows that percent tumor volume reduction by DCE-MRI after 2 and 4 cycles of NAST was able to predict pCR in TNBC with high accuracy and can be used as an early imaging biomarker of NAST response prediction. Volumetric changes by longitudinal DCE-MRI can be used to differentiate chemoresistant and chemosensitive TNBC patients as early as after 2 cycles of NAST, and can help to triage patients for treatment de-escalation or targeted therapy.

Citation Format: Gaiane Margishvili Rauch, Adrada E Beatriz, Rosalind P Candelaria, Nabil Elshafeey, Abeer H Abdelhafez, Benjamin C Musall, Jia Sun, Medina Boge, Rania M.M Mohamed, Jong Bum Son, Shu Zhang, Jessica Leung, Deanna Lane, Marion Scoggins, David Spak, Elsa Arribas, Lumarie Santiago, Gary J Whitman, Huong T. Le-Petross, Tanya W Moseley, Jason B. White, Elizabeth Ravenberg, Ken-Pin Hwang, Peng Wei, Lei Huo, Jennifer K Litton, Vicente Valero, Debu Tripathy, Alastair M Thompson, Mark D Pagel, Jingfei Ma, Wei T Yang, Stacy Moulder. Volumetric changes on longitudinal dynamic contrast enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) as an early treatment response predictor to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD6-07.

Functional Tumor Volume by Fast Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI for Predicting Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is useful for diagnosis and assessment of treatment response in breast cancer. Fast DCE MRI offers a higher sampling rate of contrast enhancement curves in comparison to conventional DCE MRI, potentially characterizing tumor perfusion kinetics more accurately for measurement of functional tumor volume (FTV) as a predictor of treatment response.

PURPOSE

To investigate FTV by fast DCE MRI as a predictor of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) response in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

STUDY TYPE

Prospective.

POPULATION/SUBJECTS

Sixty patients with biopsy-confirmed TNBC between December 2016 and September 2020.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

A 3.0 T/3D fast spoiled gradient echo-based DCE MRI ASSESSMENT: Patients underwent MRI at baseline and after four cycles (C4) of NAST, followed by definitive surgery. DCE subtraction images were analyzed in consensus by two breast radiologists with 5 (A.H.A.) and 2 (H.S.M.) years of experience. Tumor volumes (TV) were measured on early and late subtractions. Tumors were segmented on 1 and 2.5-minute early phases subtractions and FTV was determined using optimized signal enhancement thresholds. Interpolated enhancement curves from segmented voxels were used to determine optimal early phase timing.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Tumor volumes were compared between patients who had a pathologic complete response (pCR) and those who did not using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

About 26 of 60 patients (43%) had pCR. FTV at 1 minute after injection at C4 provided the best discrimination between pCR and non-pCR, with AUC (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 0.85 (0.74,0.95) (P < 0.05). The 1-minute timing was optimal for FTV measurements at C4 and for the change between C4 and baseline. TV from the early phase at C4 also yielded a good AUC (95%CI) of 0.82 (0.71,0.93) (P < 0.05).

DATA CONCLUSION

FTV and TV measured at 1 minute after injection can predict response to NAST in TNBC.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: 4.

Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic, Version 2.2021, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

The NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic focus primarily on assessment of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants associated with increased risk of breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer and recommended approaches to genetic testing/counseling and management strategies in individuals with these pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. This manuscript focuses on cancer risk and risk management for BRCA-related breast/ovarian cancer syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Carriers of a BRCA1/2 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant have an excessive risk for both breast and ovarian cancer that warrants consideration of more intensive screening and preventive strategies. There is also evidence that risks of prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer are elevated in these carriers. Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a highly penetrant cancer syndrome associated with a high lifetime risk for cancer, including soft tissue sarcomas, osteosarcomas, premenopausal breast cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma, and brain tumors.

Talazoparib versus chemotherapy in patients with germline BRCA1/2-mutated HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: final overall survival results from the EMBRACA trial

BACKGROUND

In EMBRACA, talazoparib prolonged progression-free survival versus chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.542 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.413-0.711]; P < 0.0001) and improved patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2)-mutated advanced breast cancer (ABC). We report final overall survival (OS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This randomized phase III trial enrolled patients with gBRCA1/2-mutated HER2-negative ABC. Patients received talazoparib or physician's choice of chemotherapy. OS was analyzed using stratified HR and log-rank test and prespecified rank-preserving structural failure time model to account for subsequent treatments.

RESULTS

A total of 431 patients were entered in a randomized study (287 talazoparib/144 chemotherapy) with 412 patients treated (286 talazoparib/126 chemotherapy). By 30 September 2019, 216 deaths (75.3%) occurred for talazoparib and 108 (75.0%) chemotherapy; median follow-up was 44.9 and 36.8 months, respectively. HR for OS with talazoparib versus chemotherapy was 0.848 (95% CI 0.670-1.073; P = 0.17); median (95% CI) 19.3 months (16.6-22.5 months) versus 19.5 months (17.4-22.4 months). Kaplan-Meier survival percentages (95% CI) for talazoparib versus chemotherapy: month 12, 71% (66% to 76%)/74% (66% to 81%); month 24, 42% (36% to 47%)/38% (30% to 47%); month 36, 27% (22% to 33%)/21% (14% to 29%). Most patients received subsequent treatments: for talazoparib and chemotherapy, 46.3%/41.7% received platinum and 4.5%/32.6% received a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, respectively. Adjusting for subsequent PARP and/or platinum use, HR for OS was 0.756 (95% bootstrap CI 0.503-1.029). Grade 3-4 adverse events occurred in 69.6% (talazoparib) and 64.3% (chemotherapy) patients, consistent with previous reports. Extended follow-up showed significant overall improvement and delay in time to definitive clinically meaningful deterioration in global health status/quality of life and breast symptoms favoring talazoparib versus chemotherapy (P < 0.01 for all), consistent with initial analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In gBRCA1/2-mutated HER2-negative ABC, talazoparib did not significantly improve OS over chemotherapy; subsequent treatments may have impacted analysis. Safety was consistent with previous observations. PRO continued to favor talazoparib.

A phase II study of Mirvetuximab Soravtansine in triple-negative breast cancer

Folate receptor alpha (FRα) has been reported to be expressed in up to 80% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) with limited expression in normal tissues, making it a promising therapeutic target. Mirvetuximab soravtansine (mirvetuximab-s) is an antibody drug conjugate which has shown promise in the treatment of FRα-positive solid tumors in early phase clinical trials. Herein, are the results of the first prospective phase II trial evaluating mirvetuximab-s in metastatic TNBC. Patients with advanced, FRα-positive TNBC were enrolled on this study. Mirvetuximab-s was administered at a dose of 6.0 mg/kg every 3 weeks. 96 patients with advanced TNBC consented for screening. FRα staining was performed on tumor tissue obtained from 80 patients. The rate of FRα positivity by immunohistochemistry was 10.0% (8/80). Two patients were treated on study, with best overall responses of stable disease in one and progressive disease in the other. Adverse events were consistent with earlier studies. The study was terminated early due to the low rate of FRα positivity in the screened patient population and lack of disease response in the two patients treated. The observed rate of FRα positivity was considerably lower than previously reported and none of the patients had a partial or complete response. Treatment with mirvetuximab-s should only be further explored in TNBC if an alternate biomarker strategy is developed for patient selection on the basis of additional preclinical data.

Tumor necrosis by pretreatment breast MRI: association with neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) response in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)

PURPOSE

To determine if tumor necrosis by pretreatment breast MRI and its quantitative imaging characteristics are associated with response to NAST in TNBC.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 85 TNBC patients (mean age 51.8 ± 13 years) with MRI before NAST and definitive surgery during 2010-2018. Each MRI included T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted (DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging. For each index carcinoma, total tumor volume including necrosis (TTV), excluding necrosis (TV), and the necrosis-only volume (NV) were segmented on early-phase DCE subtractions and DWI images. NV and %NV were calculated. Percent enhancement on early and late phases of DCE and apparent diffusion coefficient were extracted from TTV, TV, and NV. Association between necrosis with pathological complete response (pCR) was assessed using odds ratio (OR). Multivariable analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of necrosis with T stage and nodal status at staging. Mann-Whitney U tests and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess performance of imaging metrics for discriminating pCR vs non-pCR.

RESULTS

Of 39 patients (46%) with necrosis, 17 had pCR and 22 did not. Necrosis was not associated with pCR (OR, 0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-2.3) and was not an independent prognostic factor when combined with T stage and nodal status at staging (P = 0.46). None of the imaging metrics differed significantly between pCR and non-pCR in patients with necrosis (AUC < 0.6 and P > 0.40).

CONCLUSION

No significant association was found between necrosis by pretreatment MRI or the quantitative imaging characteristics of tumor necrosis and response to NAST in TNBC.

Abstract CT072: Exploration of impact of tumor BRCA zygosity and genomic loss-of-heterozygosity (gLOH) on efficacy in Phase 3 EMBRACA study of talazoparib in patients (pts) with HER2-negative (HER2−) advanced breast cancer (ABC) and a germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) mutation

Background: Loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding components of the homologous recombination machinery, notably BRCA1/2, are associated with tumor sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. In EMBRACA, the PARP inhibitor talazoparib (TALA) demonstrated a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) (HR [95% CI] 0.54 [0.41-0.71], P &lt; 0.001) vs physician's choice of chemotherapy (PCT) in pts with HER2− ABC and a gBRCA1/2 mutation.

Methods: Baseline tumor tissue (primary or metastatic sites) from 308 pts (71%) in the intent-to-treat population was sequenced using the FoundationOne CDx NGS panel. Mutations summarized below were known/likely pathogenic single-nucleotide variants, insertions, deletions, or rearrangements. Additional exploratory computational analyses pertinent to homologous recombination deficiency were performed, including somatic-germline-zygosity (SGZ) and gLOH assessments.

Results: 296/308 (96%) of evaluable pts exhibited ≥1 tumor BRCA mutation, with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations mainly mutually exclusive (4/308 [1%] pts had both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations). Of 12 pts with no apparent BRCA mutations, 7 exhibited tumor BRCA copy number alterations deemed pathogenic and 2 had BRCA single-nucleotide variants deemed of unknown pathogenicity. 195/236 (83%) BRCA-mutant (BRCAm) pts evaluable for BRCA LOH status were predicted to exhibit BRCA LOH by SGZ analysis. The potential impact of tumor BRCA mutational zygosity on PFS was explored in the TALA arm calculating HR by Cox proportional hazards model, comparing 122 pts with BRCA LOH with 27 pts without BRCA LOH. This analysis demonstrated no difference in PFS [HR (95% CI): 1.152 (0.680-1.951); P = 0.597)]. gLOH scores were variable, but mostly high: median (range), 21.8% (0.0, 52.7) and 20.5% (0.2, 40.5) for TALA and PCT arms, respectively. The potential association of gLOH scores with selected measures of efficacy was explored. Within both arms gLOH was similar in those pts achieving vs pts not achieving clinical benefit as defined by complete response, partial response, or stable disease ≥24 wks per RECIST v.1.1 as determined by investigator (P = 0.976 and 0.492, respectively, using 2-tailed t-test). In both arms, pts with gLOH ≥ median vs gLOH &lt; median exhibited similar PFS: HR (95% CI) 1.247 (0.828-1.879) for TALA; 1.238 (0.693-2.211) for PCT, with HR &lt;1 favoring gLOH ≥ median.

Conclusions: Selection based on gBRCA mutational status is appropriate to identify HER2− ABC pts with potential for clinical benefit with PARP inhibitors, with tumor BRCA zygosity and gLOH not impacting outcome (within the gBRCAm subset). Additional exploratory correlative analyses are ongoing and will be reported.

Citation Format: Jennifer K. Litton, A. Douglas Laird, Hope S. Rugo, Johannes Ettl, Sara A. Hurvitz, Miguel Martin, Henri Roché, Young-Hyuck Im, Annabel Goodwin, Joanne L. Blum, Wolfgang Eiermann, Ying Chen, Silvana Lanzalone, Jijumon Chelliserry, Akos Czibere, Lee A. Albacker, Garrett M. Frampton, Lida A. Mina. Exploration of impact of tumor BRCA zygosity and genomic loss-of-heterozygosity (gLOH) on efficacy in Phase 3 EMBRACA study of talazoparib in patients (pts) with HER2-negative (HER2−) advanced breast cancer (ABC) and a germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) mutation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT072.

Abstract CT150: A first-in-human phase I study of the OX40 agonist GSK3174998 (GSK998) +/- pembrolizumab in patients (Pts) with selected advanced solid tumors (ENGAGE-1)

Background: OX40 is a costimulatory receptor transiently expressed on the surface of activated T cells and some innate immune cells (e.g. NK cells). OX40 agonists have been shown to increase antitumor immunity and improve tumor-free survival in preclinical models, demonstrating increased efficacy when given in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. GSK998 is a humanized IgG1 agonistic OX40 monoclonal antibody. Methods: ENGAGE-1 (NCT02528357) is a Phase 1 dose escalation study evaluating safety, PK, PD, and clinical activity of GSK998 (0.003-10 mg/kg IV Q3W) alone (Part 1) and in combination with pembrolizumab 200 mg IV Q3W (Part 2) in pts with previously treated advanced solid tumors: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma (MEL), bladder cancer, soft tissue sarcoma (STS), triple-negative breast cancer, and MSI-high colorectal carcinoma. Dose escalation used a continuous reassessment method and 4-week DLT period. Results: A total of 138 pts were enrolled (45 Part 1, 96 Part 2; 3 crossed over from Part 1). Two DLTs occurred in Part 2 only (G3 non-malignant pleural effusion 0.03 mg/kg; G1 myocarditis 10 mg/kg); MTD was not established. Most common (≥10%) treatment-related AEs (mostly G1-2) were diarrhea, fatigue (Part 1) and fatigue, nausea (Part 2). GSK998 demonstrated target engagement in the periphery as evidenced by PK and receptor occupancy (RO); a dose of 0.3 mg/kg was the threshold for linear PK & peripheral RO saturation over the 3-wk dose interval and was selected for further clinical evaluation in MEL, STS, and NSCLC in Part 2 expansion. Clinical responses and SD ≥24 weeks were observed in both PD-1/L1 naïve and experienced pts: Part 1 (1 PR, 1 SD; both 0.3 mg/kg) and Part 2 (2 CR, 7 PR, 9 SD; 0.01-3 mg/kg); Part 2 clinical responses were not correlated with baseline tumor PD-L1 expression levels; including one MEL pt with PD-L1 TPS=0 who progressed on prior CTLA-4/PD-1 treatment and had a CR (&gt;18mo). Overall, peripheral and tumor expression of OX40 was low (&lt;2% total cells in tumor were OX40 +ve). MultiOmyxTM data from tumor biopsies suggested increased NK/decreased Treg involvement in some responders. Conclusions: GSK998 +/- pembrolizumab was well tolerated, with evidence of target engagement; monotherapy clinical activity was limited. While combination responses may not be significantly greater than expected for pembrolizumab alone, responses were observed in some PD-1/L1 experienced pts and some with low PD-L1 expression. Given the low OX40 expression observed and preclinical evidence that increased expression improves activity of OX40 agonism, ongoing clinical evaluation of GSK998 will assess whether concurrent immune-stimulation or immunogenic cell death impacts OX40 expression and increases the efficacy of this agent. Combinations with TLR4 and ICOS agonists and an anti-BCMA antibody-drug conjugate are ongoing.

Citation Format: Sophie Postel-Vinay, Vincent K. Lam, Willeke Ros, Todd M. Bauer, Aaron R. Hansen, Daniel C. Cho, F. Stephen Hodi, Jan H.M. Schellens, Jennifer K. Litton, Sandrine Aspeslagh, Karen A. Autio, Frans L. Opdam, Meredith McKean, Neeta Somaiah, Stephane Champiat, Mehmet Altan, Anna Spreafico, Osama Rahma, Elaine M. Paul, Christoph M. Ahlers, Helen Zhou, Herbert Struemper, Shelby A. Gorman, Maura Watmuff, Kaitlin M. Yablonski, Niranjan Yanamandra, Michael J. Chisamore, Emmett V. Schmidt, Axel Hoos, Aurélien Marabelle, Jeffrey S. Weber, John V. Heymach. A first-in-human phase I study of the OX40 agonist GSK3174998 (GSK998) +/- pembrolizumab in patients (Pts) with selected advanced solid tumors (ENGAGE-1) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT150.

Abstract 1497: Longitudinal response and selection under neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): Profiling results from a randomized trial (ARTEMIS; NCT02276443)

Background: The heterogeneity of TNBC results in a spectrum of responses to NAST: 30-40% of patients (pts) have a pathologic complete response (pCR) with an excellent prognosis. Several methods have been used to measure and evaluate residual disease, including ultrasound, MRI scans, histo-pathology. In addition to these, we hypothesize that comprehensive molecular profiling of longitudinal biopsies, with an integrative evaluation of sub-clonal selection and changes in molecular pathways, will serve as a critical biomarker for chemotherapy, and subsequent targeted therapy trials.

Methods: Pts with stage I-III TNBC began a planned 4 cycles of Adriamycin-based chemo (AC). Biopsies were performed pre (mandatory) and post (optional) AC. Volumetric change by ultrasound (VUS) at completion of AC (or progression) was calculated. Pts with sensitive disease received subsequent taxane-based (T) therapy. Pts with insensitive disease were offered phase II trials. Pathologic response was assessed at surgical resection in 85 pts (Training N=55, Validation N=30). Matched samples, pre and post AC (N = 85 pts) underwent transcriptomic and genomic profiling. Samples were classified into six previously identified ARTEMIS subtypes of TNBC (ART-Type) and immune deconvolution and estimation were performed using RNA-Seq profiles. Multiplex IHC using the Vectra platform is being used to validate results from bulk RNASeq experiments. Somatic mutations and copy-number changes were evaluated using, Mutect2, Sequenza (and FACETs), and PhyloWGS (and PyClone).

Results: Predominately, tumors reacted to AC in 4 different patterns with variation in immune and EMT related pathways. Enrichment of EMT (Group 4) was associated with poor prognosis and higher RCB (10.3% vs 42% pCR rates, p&lt;0.05). The global changes in transcription led to ART-Type switching in all subtypes (44% of pts), except LAR subtype. This subtype was enriched in Group 3 (low overall change), and associated with PIK3CA mutations. MYC amplification was more prevalent (40%) in Group 4, associated with higher EMT and poor prognosis than other groups (28%). Multiple time points were leveraged to constrain sub-clonal clustering and enhance the accuracy of phylogenetic tree construction. Significant sub-clonal selection was detected in 22% of evaluable cases with pre and post biopsies (N=55), with analysis of the validation cohort underway. Molecular subtypes were marginally associated with overall and progression-free survival.

Conclusions: Molecular profiling of longitudinal TNBC samples reveals distinct response patterns in tumors and their micro-environments upon treatment with AC. Integrative analysis of genomic and transcriptomic changes can lead to better stratification of response to NAST. These patterns were indicative of pathologic response in the initial cohort (N=55). Analysis of the second cohort (N=30) will be presented as a validation cohort.

Citation Format: Sahil Seth, Lei Huo, Gaiane M. Rauch, Beatriz Adrada, Helen Piwnica-Worms, Bora Lim, Alastair M. Thompson, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Timothy Heffernan, Jennifer K. Litton, William F. Symmans, Giulio F. Draetta, Andrew P. Futreal, Jeffrey T. Chang, Stacy L. Moulder. Longitudinal response and selection under neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): Profiling results from a randomized trial (ARTEMIS; NCT02276443) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1497.