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Al Assaad M, Shin N, Sigouros M, Manohar J, Antysheva Z, Kotlov N, Kiriy D, Nikitina A, Kleimenov M, Tsareva A, Makarova A, Fomchenkova V, Dubinina J, Boyko A, Almog N, Wilkes D, Escalon JG, Saxena A, Elemento O, Sternberg CN, Nanus DM, Mosquera JM. Deciphering the origin and therapeutic targets of cancer of unknown primary: a case report that illustrates the power of integrative whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing analysis. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1274163. [PMID: 38318324 PMCID: PMC10838960 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1274163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) represents a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, being the third to fourth leading cause of cancer death, despite advances in diagnostic tools. This article presents a successful approach using a novel genomic analysis in the evaluation and treatment of a CUP patient, leveraging whole-exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The patient, with a history of multiple primary tumors including urothelial cancer, exhibited a history of rapid progression on empirical chemotherapy. The application of our approach identified a molecular target, characterized the tumor expression profile and the tumor microenvironment, and analyzed the origin of the tumor, leading to a tailored treatment. This resulted in a substantial radiological response across all metastatic sites and the predicted primary site of the tumor. We argue that a comprehensive genomic and molecular profiling approach, like the BostonGene© Tumor Portrait, can provide a more definitive, personalized treatment strategy, overcoming the limitations of current predictive assays. This approach offers a potential solution to an unmet clinical need for a standardized approach in identifying the tumor origin for the effective management of CUP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majd Al Assaad
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nara Shin
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Michael Sigouros
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jyothi Manohar
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | | | | | - Daria Kiriy
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, MA, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nava Almog
- BostonGene Corporation, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - David Wilkes
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joanna G. Escalon
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ashish Saxena
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Cora N. Sternberg
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - David M. Nanus
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Juan Miguel Mosquera
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Rangamuwa K, Aloe C, Christie M, Asselin-Labat ML, Batey D, Irving L, John T, Bozinovski S, Leong TL, Steinfort D. Methods for assessment of the tumour microenvironment and immune interactions in non-small cell lung cancer. A narrative review. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1129195. [PMID: 37143952 PMCID: PMC10151669 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1129195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has significantly improved outcomes in some patients, however 80-85% of patients receiving immunotherapy develop primary resistance, manifesting as a lack of response to therapy. Of those that do have an initial response, disease progression may occur due to acquired resistance. The make-up of the tumour microenvironment (TME) and the interaction between tumour infiltrating immune cells and cancer cells can have a large impact on the response to immunotherapy. Robust assessment of the TME with accurate and reproducible methods is vital to understanding mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance. In this paper we will review the evidence of several methodologies to assess the TME, including multiplex immunohistochemistry, imaging mass cytometry, flow cytometry, mass cytometry and RNA sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanishka Rangamuwa
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Kanishka Rangamuwa,
| | - Christian Aloe
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Christie
- Department of Pathology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Daniel Batey
- Personalised Oncology Division, Walter Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Lou Irving
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas John
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Steven Bozinovski
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Tracy L. Leong
- Personalised Oncology Division, Walter Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel Steinfort
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Kang SY, Heo YJ, Kwon GY, Kim KM. Expression of CD274 mRNA Measured by qRT-PCR Correlates With PD-L1 Immunohistochemistry in Gastric and Urothelial Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:856444. [PMID: 35574404 PMCID: PMC9094617 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.856444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is widely used to predict the clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, PD-L1 IHC suffers from the complexity of multiple testing platforms and different cutoff values caused by the current one drug-one diagnostic test co-development approach for ICIs. We aimed to test whether PD-L1 (CD274) mRNA expression levels measured using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) can represent PD-L1 IHC and predict responses to ICI. The FDA-approved PD-L1 IHC results with 22C3 pharmDx (gastric cancer) and SP142 (urothelial carcinoma) were compared with CD274 mRNA expression levels via qRT-PCR using the same formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 59 gastric cancer and 41 urothelial carcinoma samples. CD274 mRNA expression was identified using three independent sets of primers and TaqMan® probes targeting exon 1-2, exon 3-4, and exon 5-6. CD274 mRNA levels in spanning exon 1-2, exon 3-4, and exon 5-6 junctions of CD274 correlated well with PD-L1 expression (r2=0.81, 0.65, and 0.59, respectively). The area under the curve of exon 1-2 was the highest (0.783), followed by exon 3-4 (0.701), and exon 5-6 (0.671) of the CD274 gene against the PD-L1 combined positive score cutoff of 10. When CD274 mRNA expression was matched for response to immunotherapy, the overall response rate was higher in patients with high CD274 mRNA levels with a cutoff of 0.0722 (gastric cancer) and 0.0480 (urothelial carcinoma) than in those with low CD274 mRNA expression (P < 0.001 and P = 0.018, respectively). These results show that CD274 mRNA levels predicted ICI responses in patients with gastric or urothelial carcinomas and could be used as alternatives for PD-L1 IHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Young Kang
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - You Jeong Heo
- The Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ghee Young Kwon
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyoung-Mee Kim
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.,Center of Companion Diagnostics, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
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Venina AR, Ivantsov AO, Iyevleva AG, Kuligina ES, Preobrazhenskaya EV, Yurlov DO, Rawlinson KE, Kosmin AV, Savelov NA, Raskin GA, Imyanitov EN. PCR-based analysis of PD-L1 RNA expression in lung cancer: comparison with commonly used immunohistochemical assays. Ann Diagn Pathol 2022; 59:151968. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2022.151968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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5
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PD-L1 copy number loss in NSCLC associates with reduced PD-L1 tumour staining and a cold immunophenotype. J Thorac Oncol 2022; 17:675-687. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Vannitamby A, Saad MI, Aloe C, Wang H, Kumar B, Vlahos R, Selemidis S, Irving L, Steinfort D, Jenkins BJ, Bozinovski S. Aspirin-Triggered Resolvin D1 Reduces Proliferation and the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in a Mutant KRAS-Driven Lung Adenocarcinoma Model. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13133224. [PMID: 34203378 PMCID: PMC8268479 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 (AT-RvD1) is biosynthesised by leukocytes as a mechanism to resolve inflammation during infection and/or injury. Emerging studies reveal that AT-RvD1 also has anti-cancer properties associated with stimulating macrophage-mediated clearance of tumour debris. No study to date has investigated how AT-RvD1 influences the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in lung cancer, an established marker of poor prognosis. The biosynthesis of AT-RvD1 is dependent on the ALOX5 gene, and we reveal that ALOX5 mRNA expression was markedly reduced in lung adenocarcinoma tumours. We next utilised an oncogenic KrasG12D lung adenocarcinoma mouse model to investigate the efficacy of AT-RvD1 in vivo. We show for the first time that AT-RvD1 reduces tumour growth in the lungs of KrasG12D mice and alters the immune landscape in tumours by reducing the NLR. Abstract Tumour-associated neutrophils (TANs) can support tumour growth by suppressing cytotoxic lymphocytes. AT-RvD1 is an eicosanoid that can antagonise neutrophil trafficking instigated by ALX/FPR2 ligands such as serum amyloid A (SAA). We aimed to establish whether SAA and ALOX5 expression associates with TANs and investigate the immunomodulatory actions of AT-RvD1 in vivo. MPO-positive neutrophils were quantified in tumour blocks from lung adenocarcinoma (n = 48) and control tissue (n = 20) by IHC. Tumour expression of SAA and ALOX5 were analysed by RTqPCR and an oncogenic KrasG12D lung adenocarcinoma mouse model was used to investigate the in vivo efficacy of AT-RvD1 treatment. ALOX5 expression was markedly reduced in lung adenocarcinoma tumours. The SAA/ALOX5 ratio strongly correlated with TANs and was significantly increased in tumours harbouring an oncogenic KRAS mutation. AT-RvD1 treatment reduced tumour growth in KrasG12D mice, which was accompanied by suppressed cellular proliferation within parenchymal lesions. In addition, AT-RvD1 significantly reduced the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an established prognostic marker of poor survival in adenocarcinoma. This study identifies a novel molecular signature whereby elevated levels of SAA relative to ALOX5 favour accumulation of TANs. Furthermore, the ALOX5/5-LO enzymatic product, AT-RvD1, markedly reduced the NLR and suppressed tumour growth in KrasG12D mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Vannitamby
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
| | - Mohamed I. Saad
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton 3168, Australia; (M.I.S.); (B.J.J.)
- Department of Molecular Translational Science, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Australia
| | - Christian Aloe
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
| | - Beena Kumar
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Monash Health, Clayton 3168, Australia;
| | - Ross Vlahos
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
| | - Stavros Selemidis
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
| | - Louis Irving
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, Australia; (L.I.); (D.S.)
| | - Daniel Steinfort
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville 3050, Australia; (L.I.); (D.S.)
| | - Brendan J. Jenkins
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton 3168, Australia; (M.I.S.); (B.J.J.)
- Department of Molecular Translational Science, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Australia
| | - Steven Bozinovski
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia; (A.V.); (C.A.); (H.W.); (R.V.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence:
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7
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Bozinovski S, Vannitamby A, Rangamuwa K, Aujla S, Wang H, Aloe C, Irving L, Leong TT, Steinfort DP. Integrating endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy with molecular testing of immunotherapy biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2021; 10:2779-2787. [PMID: 34295677 PMCID: PMC8264344 DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-20-781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has transformed treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients leading to remarkable long-term survival benefit. However, only about 20% of advanced NSCLC patients typically respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that target the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. The only validated biomarker for ICI therapy is the PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) test, which is considered an imperfect assay due to several variables including availability and integrity of tumour tissue, variability in staining/scoring techniques and heterogeneity in PD-L1 protein expression within and across tumour biopsies. Herein, we discuss integrating minimally invasive EBUS bronchoscopy procedures with novel molecular approaches to improve accuracy and sensitivity of PD-L1 testing. EBUS guided bronchoscopy facilitates repeated sampling of tumour tissue to increase the probability of detecting PD-L1 positive tumours. Since intra-tumoural PD-L1 (CD274) copy number is reported to be less heterogeneous than PD-L1 protein detection, quantifying PD-L1 transcript levels may increase detection of PD-L1 positive tumours. PD-L1 transcript levels show excellent concordance with PD-L1 IHC scoring and multiplex digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assays that quantify absolute PD-L1 transcript copy number have been developed. ddPCR can also be automated for high throughput detection of low abundant variants with excellent sensitivity and accuracy to improve the broader application of diagnostic cut-off values. Optimizing diagnostic workflows that integrate optimal EBUS bronchoscopy procedures with emerging molecular ICI biomarker assays may improve the selection criteria for ICI therapy benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Bozinovski
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amanda Vannitamby
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kanishka Rangamuwa
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Savreet Aujla
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christian Aloe
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louis Irving
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tracy T Leong
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel P Steinfort
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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8
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Li D, Wang G, Mei X. Diagnosis of cancer at early stages based on the multiplex detection of tumor markers using metal nanoclusters. Analyst 2021; 145:7150-7161. [PMID: 33020766 DOI: 10.1039/d0an01538e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Traditional cancer diagnosis strategies are not considered by most people until the last resort, which delays many cancer treatments leading to advanced stages. Tumor marker sensors show great potential for detecting cancer because of its cost-effective and harmless checking procedures. Normally, one tumor marker is detected each time by using one type of sensor, but the accuracy to declare cancer is not always satisfied. Metal nanoclusters are ultra-small nanomaterials with low toxicity, distinct optical properties, catalytic activities, and cost-effective performance. Some metal nanoclusters have been designed to detect more than one tumor marker in a single step. The consideration of combined parameters using such facile sensing strategies has the potential to simplify the test procedure, and increase the diagnostic accuracy of early cancer. Therefore, various sensing strategies for the multiplex detection of tumor markers using metal nanoclusters are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- Department of Basic Science, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, People's Republic of China.
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9
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Imyanitov EN, Ivantsov AO, Tsimafeyeu IV. Harmonization of Molecular Testing for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Emphasis on PD-L1. Front Oncol 2020; 10:549198. [PMID: 33102215 PMCID: PMC7554524 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.549198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Comprehensive molecular testing plays a critical role in the choice of treatment for non-small lung cell cancer (NSCLC). The analysis of druggable alterations in EGFR, BRAF, MET, KRAS, ALK, ROS1, RET and NTRK1/2/3 genes is more or less standardized and can be achieved using a single diagnostic platform, e.g., next generation sequencing (NGS) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In contrast to above targets, PD-L1 testing requires the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC). There are multiple PD-L1 IHC assays, which utilize distinct antibodies and detection systems. These PD-L1 tests are tailored to distinct drugs, often rely on different thresholds and scoring guidelines, and are characterized by incomplete inter-laboratory and inter-observer reproducibility. Several studies evaluated the performance of PD-L1 RNA expression tests, as PCR-based RNA analysis is compatible with other NSCLC molecular testing platforms, can be performed in a semi-automated manner, and has a potential for proper standardization. These investigations revealed a correlation between PD-L1 protein and RNA expression; however, there were NSCLCs demonstrating decent amounts of PD-L1 transcript in the absence of PD-L1 IHC staining. Clinical studies are required to evaluate, which of the two PD-L1 testing approaches, i.e., RNA or protein expression measurement, has a better predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny N Imyanitov
- Department of Tumor Growth Biology, N.N. Petrov Institute of Oncology, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Department of Clinical Genetics, St.-Petersburg Pediatric Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Alexandr O Ivantsov
- Department of Tumor Growth Biology, N.N. Petrov Institute of Oncology, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Department of Clinical Genetics, St.-Petersburg Pediatric Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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10
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Steinfort DP, Kranz S, Dowers A, Leas L, Dimitriadis V, Pham K, Hsu A, Bozinovski S, Irving LB, Loveland P, Christie M. Sensitive molecular testing methods can demonstrate NSCLC driver mutations in malignant pleural effusion despite non-malignant cytology. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2019; 8:513-518. [PMID: 31555523 DOI: 10.21037/tlcr.2019.07.05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) may be diagnosed by cytologic evaluation of pleural fluid, though false negative results can occur. Pleural effusions may provide a source of tumour material for genotyping in lung cancer patients. Detection of MPE may be improved through use of highly sensitive molecular techniques. We identified five patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with initial pleural fluid samples that were non-malignant on cytology, but were subsequently clinically confirmed to have MPE. Tumour mutation status was confirmed via routine testing of diagnostic clinical specimens. Cytologically negative pleural fluid cell-block specimens were analysed by amplicon-based parallel sequencing (APS) for somatic mutations commonly detected in NSCLC, and selected cases by improved and complete enrichment CO-amplification at lower denaturation temperature PCR (ICECOLD PCR) for known mutations. Mutations were detected in three out of three (sensitivity 100%) cytologically non-malignant pleural fluids from patients with a known mutation: two patients with known Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) mutation demonstrated the same KRAS mutation in their pleural fluids by APS, both at approximately 2% mutant allele frequency. In one patient with a known KRAS mutation, ICECOLD PCR detected the same KRAS variant at 0.7% frequency. No mutations were detected in patients with wild-type findings from reference samples (specificity 100%). Sensitive DNA sequencing methods can detect cancer-driver mutations in cytologically non-malignant pleural fluid specimens from NSCLC patients with MPE. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques for improvement of diagnostic assessment of pleural effusions in patients with lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Steinfort
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sevastjan Kranz
- Department of Pathology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Anthony Dowers
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Leakhena Leas
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Voula Dimitriadis
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Kym Pham
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Arthur Hsu
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Steven Bozinovski
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Louis B Irving
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Paula Loveland
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Michael Christie
- Department of Pathology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia.,Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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11
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Vannitamby A, Hendry S, Irving L, Steinfort D, Bozinovski S. Novel multiplex droplet digital PCR assay for scoring PD-L1 in non-small cell lung cancer biopsy specimens. Lung Cancer 2019; 134:233-237. [PMID: 31319986 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2019.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become integrated into the clinical management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using RTqPCR, we have previously identified a gene expression panel that detected presence of malignant cells (MMP9:TIMP3 ratio) and quantified PD-L1 transcript levels in small biopsy specimens. However, RTqPCR has diagnostic limitations as it does not generate absolute copy number and is not readily multiplexed. To address this, we have developed a multiplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS Biopsies obtained from NSCLC patients (n = 48 adenocarcinoma and n = 40 squamous cell carcinoma) and control lung biopsy specimens (n = 20) were analysed. Absolute MMP9, TIMP3 and PD-L1 transcript copy numbers were determined within a single assay by multiplex ddPCR using Taqman primers and the QX200 Droplet Digital PCR System. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Using our optimised triplex ddPCR assay, the MMP9:TIMP3 ratio was significantly elevated in NSCLC biopsies and using a cut-off of >0.028, was 99% (95% CI; 80.5-94.5) sensitive and 80% specific for identifying malignant biopsies. The PD-L1:TIMP3 ratio significantly associated with PD-L1 tumour cell immunohistochemistry staining (r = 0.539, p < 0.0001) and was significantly higher in biopsies with >50% PD-L1 tumour cell staining (p < 0.0001). In summary, a major advantage of our workflow is that it can accurately quantify PD-L1 tumour levels and provide sufficient nucleic acid for screening additional targetable mutations such as EGFR, ALK and ROS1 from a single small biopsy, thereby potentially avoiding the need for re-biopsy. Future studies will need to determine diagnostic ddPCR values that are predictive of clinical response to PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Vannitamby
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shona Hendry
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louis Irving
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel Steinfort
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steven Bozinovski
- School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
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