A pan-cancer analysis of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry and gene amplification, tumor mutation burden and microsatellite instability in 48,782 cases

Comprehensively prognostic and immunological analyses of GLP-1 signaling-related genes in pan-cancer and validation in colorectal cancer

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has crucial impact on glycemic control and weight loss physiologically. GLP-1 receptor agonists have been approved for treatment of diabetes and obesity. Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists exert anticancer effect in tumorigenesis and development. However, the role and mechanism of GLP-1 signaling-related genes in pan-cancer still need further study. Methods: We comprehensively investigated the aberrant expression and genetic alterations of GLP-1 signaling-related genes in 33 cancer types. Next, GLP-1 signaling score of each patient in The Cancer Genome Atlas were established by the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. In addition, we explored the association of GLP-1 signaling score with prognostic significance and immune characteristics. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry staining were applied to verify the expression profiling of GLP-1 signaling-related genes in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Wound-healing assays and migration assays were carried out to validate the role of GLP-1 receptor agonist in CRC cell lines. Results: The expression profiling of GLP-1 signaling-related genes is commonly altered in pan-cancer. The score was decreased in cancer tissues compared with normal tissues and the lower expression score was associated with worse survival in most of cancer types. Notably, GLP-1 signaling score was strongly correlated with immune cell infiltration, including T cells, neutrophils, dendritic cells and macrophages. In addition, GLP-1 signaling score exhibited close association with tumor mutation burden, microsatellite instability and immunotherapy response in patients with cancer. Moreover, we found that the expression of GLP-1 signaling-related genes ITPR1 and ADCY5 were significantly reduced in CRC tissues, and GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide impaired the migration capacity of CRC cells, indicating its protective role. Conclusion: This study provided a preliminary understanding of the GLP-1 signaling-related genes in pan-cancer, showing the prognosis significance and potential immunotherapeutic values in most cancer types, and verified the potential anticancer effect of GLP-1 receptor agonist in CRC.

Successful pembrolizumab treatment for microsatellite instability-high thymoma: A case report

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a valuable biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report the first case of MSI-high thymoma successfully treated with pembrolizumab. This patient had pleural dissemination and was treated with two cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens including carboplatin and paclitaxel combination therapy and pemetrexed, which did not have the desired effect. Because MSI status was high by using the surgical specimen, pembrolizumab was administered as 3rd line chemotherapy. After three courses, the pleural lesions dramatically shrunk, which confirmed a partial response. Although MSI-high thymoma is rare, our results suggest the necessity to evaluate MSI status in patients with thymoma.

Preclinical imaging evaluation of a bispecific antibody targeting hPD1/CTLA4 using humanized mice

BACKGROUND

The lack of an efficient way to screen patients who are responsive to immunotherapy challenges PD1/CTLA4-targeting cancer treatment. Immunotherapeutic efficacy cannot be clearly determined by peripheral blood analyses, tissue gene markers or CT/MR value. Here, we used a radionuclide and imaging techniques to investigate the novel dual targeted antibody cadonilimab (AK104) in PD1/CTLA4-positive cells in vivo.

METHODS

First, humanized PD1/CTLA4 mice were purchased from Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. to express hPD1/CTLA4 in T-cells. Then, mouse colon cancer MC38-hPD-L1 cell xenografts were established in humanized mice. A bispecific antibody targeting PD1/CTLA4 (AK104) was labeled with radio-nuclide iodine isotopes. Immuno-PET/CT imaging was performed using a bispecific monoclonal antibody (mAb) probe 124I-AK104, developed in-house, to locate PD1+/CTLA4+ tumor-infiltrating T cells and monitor their distribution in mice to evaluate the therapeutic effect.

RESULTS

The 124I-AK104 dual-antibody was successfully constructed with ideal radiochemical characteristics, in vitro stability and specificity. The results of immuno-PET showed that 124I-AK104 revealed strong hPD1/CTLA4-positive responses with high specificity in humanized mice. High uptake of 124I-AK104 was observed not only at the tumor site but also in the spleen. Compared with PD1- or CTLA4-targeting mAb imaging, 124I-AK104 imaging had excellent standard uptake values at the tumor site and higher tumor to nontumor (T/NT) ratios.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrated the potential of translating 124I-AK104 into a method for screening patients who benefit from immunotherapy and the efficacy, as well as the feasibility, of this method was verified by immuno-PET imaging of humanized mice.

The emerging and challenging role of PD-L1 in patients with gynecological cancers: An updating review with clinico-pathological considerations

Over recent years, there has been significant progress in the development of immunotherapeutic molecules designed to block the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. These molecules have demonstrated their ability to enhance the immune response by prompting T cells to identify and suppress neoplastic cells. PD-L1 is a type 1 transmembrane protein ligand expressed on T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and antigen-presenting cells and is considered a key inhibitory checkpoint involved in cancer immune regulation. PD-L1 immunohistochemical expression in gynecological malignancies is extremely variable based on tumor stage and molecular subtypes. As a result, a class of monoclonal antibodies targeting the PD-1 receptor and PD-L1, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, has found successful application in clinical settings. In clinical practice, the standard method for identifying suitable candidates for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy involves immunohistochemical assessment of PD-L1 expression in neoplastic tissues. The most commonly used PD-L1 assays in clinical trials are SP142, 28-8, 22C3, and SP263, each of which has been rigorously validated on specific platforms. Gynecologic cancers encompass a wide spectrum of malignancies originating from the ovaries, uterus, cervix, and vulva. These neoplasms have shown variable response to immunotherapy which appears to be influenced by genetic and protein expression profiles, including factors such as mismatch repair status, tumor mutational burden, and checkpoint ligand expression. In the present paper, an extensive review of PD-L1 expression in various gynecologic cancer types is discussed, providing a guide for their pathological assessment and reporting.

Microsatellite Instability Is Insufficiently Used as a Biomarker for Lynch Syndrome Testing in Clinical Practice

PURPOSE

The pan-cancer presence of microsatellite instability (MSI)-positive tumors demonstrates its clinical utility as an agnostic biomarker for identifying immunotherapy-eligible patients. Additionally, MSI is a hallmark of Lynch syndrome (LS), the most prevalent cancer susceptibility syndrome among patients with colorectal and endometrial cancer. Therefore, MSI-high results should inform germline genetic testing for cancer-predisposing genes. However, in clinical practice, such analysis is frequently disregarded.

METHODS

A next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based technique was used for MSI analysis in 4,553 patients with various tumor types. Upon request, somatic BRAF gene analysis was conducted. In addition, hereditary testing of cancer-associated genes was performed in MSI-high cases using a capture-based NGS protocol. MLH1 promoter methylation analysis was conducted retrospectively in patients with colorectal and endometrial cancer to further investigate the origin of MSI at the tumor level.

RESULTS

The MSI positivity rate for the entire cohort was 5.27%. Endometrial, gastric, colorectal, urinary tract, and prostate cancers showed the highest proportion of MSI-high cases (15.69%, 8.54%, 7.40%, 4.55%, and 3.19%, respectively). A minority of 45 patients (22.73%) among the MSI-high cases underwent germline testing to determine whether the mismatch repair pathway deficiency was inherited. 24.44% of those who performed the genetic test carried a pathogenic variant in an LS-associated gene. Three MSI-high individuals had non-LS gene alterations, including BRCA1, BRCA2, and CDKN2A pathogenic variants, indicating the presence of non-LS-associated gene alterations among MSI-high patients.

CONCLUSION

Although MSI analysis is routinely performed in clinical practice, as many as 77% of MSI-high patients do not undergo LS genetic testing, despite international guidelines strongly recommending it. BRAF and MLH1 methylation analysis could shed light on the somatic origin of MSI in 42.50% of the MSI-high patients; however, MLH1 analysis is barely ever requested in clinical practice.

Multifunctional Probe Based on "Chemical Antibody-Aptamer" for Noninvasive Detection of PD-L1 Expression in Cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy based on programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has shown significant development in treating several carcinomas, but not all patients respond to this therapy due to the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression. The sensitive and accurate quantitative analysis of in vivo PD-L1 expression is critical for treatment decisions and monitoring therapy. In the present study, an aptamer-based dual-modality positron emission tomography/near-infrared fluorescence (PET/NIRF) imaging probe was developed, and its specificity and sensitivity to PD-L1 were assessed in vitro and in vivo. The probe precursor NOTA-Cy5-R1 was prepared by using automated solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. PET/NIRF dual-modality probe [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Cy5-R1 was successfully synthesized and radiolabeled. The binding specificity of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Cy5-R1 to PD-L1 was evaluated by flow cytometry, fluorescence imaging, and cellular uptake in A375-hPD-L1 and A375 cells, and it showed good fluorescence properties and stability in vitro. In vivo PET/NIRF imaging studies illustrated that [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Cy5-R1 can sensitively and specifically bind to PD-L1 positive tumors. Meanwhile, the rapid clearance of probes from nontarget tissues achieved a high signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, changes of PD-L1 expression in NCI-H1299 xenografts treated with cisplatin (CDDP) were sensitivity monitored by [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Cy5-R1 PET imaging, and ex vivo autoradiography and western blot analyses correlated well with the change of PD-L1 expression in vivo. Overall, [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Cy5-R1 showed notable potency as a dual-modality PET/NIRF imaging probe for visualizing tumors and monitoring the dynamic changes of PD-L1 expression, which can help to direct and promote the clinical practice of ICIs therapy.

Mismatch repair deficiency and microsatellite instability in urothelial carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) occur in a subset of cancers and have been shown to confer sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI); however, there is a lack of prospective data in urothelial carcinoma (UC).

Methods and analysis

We performed a systematic review to estimate the prevalence of dMMR and MSI-H in UC, including survival and clinical outcomes. We searched for studies published up to 26 October 2022 in major scientific databases. We screened 1745 studies and included 110. Meta-analyses were performed if the extracted data were suitable.

Results

The pooled weighted prevalences of dMMR in bladder cancer (BC) and upper tract UC (UTUC) were 2.30% (95% CI 1.12% to 4.65%) and 8.95% (95% CI 6.81% to 11.67%), respectively. The pooled weighted prevalences of MSI-H in BC and UTUC were 2.11% (95% CI 0.82% to 5.31%) and 8.36% (95% CI 5.50% to 12.53%), respectively. Comparing localised versus metastatic disease, the pooled weighted prevalences for MSI-H in BC were 5.26% (95% CI 0.86% to 26.12%) and 0.86% (95% CI 0.59% to 1.25%), respectively; and in UTUC, they were 18.04% (95% CI 13.36% to 23.91%) and 4.96% (95% CI 2.72% to 8.86%), respectively. Cumulatively, the response rate in dMMR/MSI-H metastatic UC treated with an ICI was 22/34 (64.7%) compared with 1/9 (11.1%) with chemotherapy.

Conclusion

Both dMMR and MSI-H occur more frequently in UTUC than in BC. In UC, MSI-H occurs more frequently in localised disease than in metastatic disease. These biomarkers may predict sensitivity to ICI in metastatic UC and resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) clone 22C3 expression in resected colorectal cancer as companion diagnostics for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A comparison study and inter-rater agreement evaluation across proposed cut-offs and predictive (TPS, CPS and IC) scores

BACKGROUND

Expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) guides the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in several cancers. In colorectal cancer (CRC), ICI are only approved for metastatic CRC, while several studies suggest high efficacy even in operable CRC. The aim of this study was to investigate the inter-rater agreement of PD-L1 as a companion diagnostic marker.

METHODS

Specimens from resected stage I-III CRC (n = 166 tumors) were stained with PD-L1 22C3 clone. PD-L1 expression was scored by two pathologists as tumor proportion score (TPS), combined positive score (CPS) and immune cell score (IC). Inter-rater agreement was tested using three different agreement coefficients.

RESULTS

Raw scores of the two pathologists had 'good' to 'excellent' correlation. Spearman's rho for TPS=0.917 (95 %CI 0.839-0.995), for CPS=0.776 (95 %CI 0.726-0.826) and IC=0.818 (95 %CI 0.761-0.875). For TPS, kappa (κ)-agreements for both the ≥1 % and ≥10 % cutoffs had excellent correlation. For CPS the ≥1 % and ≥10 % cutoffs demonstrated κ=0.32 (95 %CI 0.12-0.51) and κ=0.36 (95 %CI 0.25-0.48) respectively. Cutoffs for IC showed κ=0.53 (95 %CI 0.18-0.79) for the ≥1 % cutoff, and κ=0.61 (95 %CI 0.48-0.73) for the ≥10 % cutoff. Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC1) showed higher agreement coefficients than κ-values for most, but not all cut-offs.

CONCLUSION

Agreement for PD-L1 was good to excellent for raw scores. Agreement variation across several criteria and cut-offs suggests the need for more robust criteria for PD-L1 as a companion diagnostic marker.

Phase II Trial of Nivolumab in Metastatic Rare Cancer with dMMR or MSI-H and Relation with Immune Phenotypic Analysis (the ROCK Trial)

PURPOSE

Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) are positive predictive markers for immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, data on the activity of nivolumab in advanced dMMR/MSI-H rare cancers and more accurate biomarkers are worth exploring.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a multicenter phase II, open-label, single-arm clinical trial to explore the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab monotherapy in patients with advanced rare cancers with dMMR/MSI-H, in parallel with immune phenotype analysis, to explore new biomarkers. A Bayesian adaptive design was applied. Characterization of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was characterized by multicolor flow cytometric analysis and CyTOF using samples collected before and after the intervention. The dMMR was identified by the complete loss of MLH1/MSH2/MSH6/PMS2.

RESULTS

From May 2018 to March 2021, 242 patients were screened, and 11 patients were enrolled, of whom 10 were included in the full analysis. Median follow-up was 24.7 months (interquartile range, 12.4-31.5). Objective response rate was 60% [95% confidence interval (CI), 26.2-87.8] by central assessment and 70% (95% CI, 34.8-93.3) by local investigators. Median progression-free survival was 10.1 months (95% CI, 0.9-11.1). No treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher were observed. Patients with a tumor mutation burden of ≥10/Mb showed a 100% response rate (95% CI, 47.8-100). Responders had increased T-bet+ PD-1+ CD4+ T cells in PBMC compared with nonresponders (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The trial met its primary endpoint with nivolumab, demonstrating clinical benefit in advanced dMMR/MSI-H rare solid cancers. Besides, the proportion of T-bet+ PD-1+ CD4+ T-cells may serve as a novel predictive biomarker.

PDL1 and molecular biomarkers expression in non-small cell lung cancer in Tunisian patients

In cancer treatment, programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors are thriving. Activated T lymphocytes expressed PD-1, it works with its ligand PD-L1 to limit T lymphocyte activation and prevent autoimmune disease. The expression of molecular biomarkers and PD-L1 in lung cancer determines the appropriate treatment strategy for patients with lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to look at the prevalence of molecular biomarkers and PD-L1 expression in a large group of Tunisian patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. We conducted an observational retrospective study in which medical/treatment history data were extracted retrospectively from medical records and archived tissue samples between January 1st 2019 and December 31st 2021. We gathered 157 patients who had recently been diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma. In 36.9%of the cases, there was no molecular genotyping. EGFR (28.6%), KRAS (5.73%), and ALK gene rearrangement were the most common genotyping mutations (3.8%). ROS1 rearrangement was not present. There was a link between EGFR and gender, HER and age, and KRAS and biopsy tissue origin. Six of the tested cases with PD-L1 met the cut-off (³50%). PD-L1 positivity was more common in solid type adenocarcinoma (1.9%) than in acinar or papillary adenocarcinoma. There were no significant differences in PD-L1 expression across clinical and demographic parameters. High PD-L1 expression and molecular abnormalities were found in 1 case of EGFR, 1 case of BRAF, and 1 case of KRAS (3 cases). All of the other specimens with abnormalities had a PD-L1 <50%. ALK, ROS1, BRAF, KRAS, and MET were found to be significantly associated with PD-L1 expression. Our study is one of the country's largest, describing a large panel of biomarkers and their clinicopathologic/histopathologic associations in Tunisian lung cancer patients. We have the same molecular profile as European patients with an EGFR mutation, which is not the most common genotype abnormality in Tunisian patients. There is only one mutation at any given time. The expression of PD-L1 is determined by the histologic type and the origin of the biopsy tissue.

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus placebo plus chemotherapy for HER2-negative advanced gastric cancer (KEYNOTE-859): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy have shown efficacy in gastric or gastro-esophageal junction cancer. We compared the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy with placebo plus chemotherapy in participants with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

KEYNOTE-859 is a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial, done at 207 medical centres across 33 countries. Eligible participants were aged 18 years and older with previously untreated histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive pembrolizumab or placebo 200 mg, administered intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 35 cycles. All participants received investigator's choice of fluorouracil (intravenous, 800 mg/m2 per day) administered continuously on days 1-5 of each 3-week cycle plus cisplatin (intravenous, 80 mg/m2) administered on day 1 of each 3-week cycle or capecitabine (oral, 1000 mg/m2) administered twice daily on days 1-14 of each 3-week cycle plus oxaliplatin (intravenous, 130 mg/m2) administered on day 1 of each 3-week cycle. Randomisation was done using a central interactive voice-response system and stratified by geographical region, PD-L1 status, and chemotherapy in permuted block sizes of four. The primary endpoint was overall survival, assessed in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, and the populations with a PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) of 1 or higher, and PD-L1 CPS of 10 or higher. Safety was assessed in the as-treated population, which included all randomly assigned participants who received at least one dose of study intervention. Here, we report the results of the interim analysis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03675737, and recruitment is complete.

FINDINGS

Between Nov 8, 2018, and June 11, 2021, 1579 (66%) of 2409 screened participants were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (pembrolizumab group; n=790) or placebo plus chemotherapy (placebo group; n=789). Most participants were male (527 [67%] of 790 participants in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group; 544 [69%] of 789 participants in the placebo plus chemotherapy group) and White (426 [54%]; 435 [55%]). Median follow-up at the data cutoff was 31·0 months (IQR 23·0-38·3). Median overall survival was longer in the pembrolizumab group than in the placebo group in the ITT population (12·9 months [95% CI 11·9-14·0] vs 11·5 months [10·6-12·1]; hazard ratio [HR] 0·78 [95% CI 0·70-0·87]; p<0·0001), in participants with a PD-L1 CPS of 1 or higher (13·0 months [11·6-14·2] vs 11·4 months [10·5-12·0]; 0·74 [0·65-0·84]; p<0·0001), and in participants with a PD-L1 CPS of 10 or higher (15·7 months [13·8-19·3] vs 11·8 months [10·3-12·7]; 0·65 [0·53-0·79]; p<0·0001). The most common grade 3-5 adverse events of any cause were anaemia (95 [12%] of 785 participants in the pembrolizumab group vs 76 [10%] of 787 participants in the placebo group) and decreased neutrophil count (77 [10%] vs 64 [8%]). Serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in 184 (23%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 146 (19%) participants in the placebo group. Treatment-related deaths occurred in eight (1%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 16 (2%) participants in the placebo group. No new safety signals were identified.

INTERPRETATION

Participants in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group had a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival with manageable toxicity compared with participants in the placebo plus chemotherapy group. Therefore, pembrolizumab with chemotherapy might be a first-line treatment option for patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

FUNDING

Merck Sharp and Dohme.

CD47: The Next Frontier in Immune Checkpoint Blockade for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

The success of PD-1/PD-L1-targeted therapy in lung cancer has resulted in great enthusiasm for additional immunotherapies in development to elicit similar survival benefits, particularly in patients who do not respond to or are ineligible for PD-1 blockade. CD47 is an immunosuppressive molecule that binds SIRPα on antigen-presenting cells to regulate an innate immune checkpoint that blocks phagocytosis and subsequent activation of adaptive tumor immunity. In lung cancer, CD47 expression is associated with poor survival and tumors with EGFR mutations, which do not typically respond to PD-1 blockade. Given its prognostic relevance, its role in facilitating immune escape, and the number of agents currently in clinical development, CD47 blockade represents a promising next-generation immunotherapy for lung cancer. In this review, we briefly summarize how tumors disrupt the cancer immunity cycle to facilitate immune evasion and their exploitation of immune checkpoints like the CD47-SIRPα axis. We also discuss approved immune checkpoint inhibitors and strategies for targeting CD47 that are currently being investigated. Finally, we review the literature supporting CD47 as a promising immunotherapeutic target in lung cancer and offer our perspective on key obstacles that must be overcome to establish CD47 blockade as the next standard of care for lung cancer therapy.

Establishment of a novel indicator of pyroptosis regulated gene transcription level and its application in pan-cancer

Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death and plays a dual role in distinct cancers. It is elusive to evaluate the activation level of pyroptosis and to appraise the involvement of pyroptosis in the occurrence and development of diverse tumors. Accordingly, we herein established an indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels based on the expression level of genes involved in pyroptosis and tried to elaborated on the association between pyroptosis and tumors across diverse tumor types. We found that pyroptosis related gene transcription levels could predict the prognosis of patients, which could act as either a favorable or a dreadful factor in diverse cancers. According to signaling pathway analyses we observed that pyroptosis played a significant role in immune regulation and tumorigenesis and had strong links with other forms of cell death. We also performed analysis on the crosstalk between pyroptosis and immune status and further investigated the predictive potential of pyroptosis level for the efficacy of immunotherapy. Lastly, we manifested that pyroptosis status could serve as a biomarker to the efficacy of chemotherapy across various cancers. In summary, this study established a quantitative indicator to evaluate pyroptosis related gene transcription levels, systematically explored the role of pyroptosis in pan-cancer. These results could provide potential research directions targeting pyroptosis, and highlighted that pyroptosis may be used to develop a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer.

Features of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in endometrial cancer based on molecular subtype

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the three most prevalent gynecological tumors affecting women and is the most prevalent gynecological malignancy in the developed world. Its incidence is rapidly increasing worldwide, mostly affecting postmenopausal women, whereas recently its prevalence has increased in younger people. EC is an immune gene disease and many studies have shown that the tumor-immunosuppressive microenvironment plays an important role in cancer progression. In recent years, findings regarding the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITME) of EC have included immune evasion mechanisms and immunotherapy, which are mostly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for EC. Recently studies on the ITME of different molecular types of EC have found that different molecular types may have different ITME. With the research on the immune microenvironment of EC, a new immunophenotype classification based on the immune microenvironment has been carried out in recent years. However, the impact of the ITME on EC remains unclear, and the immunophenotype of EC remains limited to the research stage. Our review describes recent findings regarding the ITME features of different EC molecular types. The advent of immunotherapy has brought hope for improved efficacy and prognosis in patients with advanced or recurrent EC. The efficacy and safety of ICIs combination therapy remains the focus of future research.

Relationship among DDR gene mutations, TMB and PD-L1 in solid tumour genomes identified using clinically actionable biomarker assays

The DNA damage response (DDR) pathway regulates DNA repair and cell survival, and inactivating mutations in DDR genes can increase tumour mutational burden (TMB), a predictive biomarker of treatment benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies. However, a better understanding of the relationship among specific DDR mutations, TMB and PD-L1 expression is needed to improve translational strategies. Here, we determined genomic alteration frequencies in selected DDR genes that are clinically actionable biomarkers and investigated their association with TMB and PD-L1 in bladder, colorectal, non-small cell lung, ovarian and prostate cancers using the FoundationInsights® web portal. Our results not only confirm known associations, such as mismatch repair and POLE gene mutations with high TMB, but also identify significant associations between mutations in the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling genes ARID1A and SMARCA4 and high TMB in multiple tumour types. Mutations in the ATR gene were associated with high TMB in colorectal and prostate cancers; however, associations between individual DDR mutations and high PD-L1 expression were uncommon and tumour-type specific. Finally, we found that high TMB and high PD-L1 expression were poorly associated, emphasising their independence as predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitor use.

Current and Emerging Strategies to Treat Urothelial Carcinoma

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC, bladder cancer, BC) remains a difficult-to-treat malignancy with a rising incidence worldwide. In the U.S., UCC is the sixth most incident neoplasm and ~90% of diagnoses are made in those >55 years of age; it is ~four times more commonly observed in men than women. The most important risk factor for developing BC is tobacco smoking, which accounts for ~50% of cases, followed by occupational exposure to aromatic amines and ionizing radiation. The standard of care for advanced UCC includes platinum-based chemotherapy and programmed cell death (PD-1) or programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, administered as frontline, second-line, or maintenance therapy. UCC remains generally incurable and is associated with intrinsic and acquired drug and immune resistance. UCC is lethal in the metastatic state and characterized by genomic instability, high PD-L1 expression, DNA damage-response mutations, and a high tumor mutational burden. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) achieve long-term durable responses in other cancers, their ability to achieve similar results with metastatic UCC (mUCC) is not as well-defined. Here, we discuss therapies to improve UCC management and how comprehensive tumor profiling can identify actionable biomarkers and eventually fulfill the promise of precision medicine for UCC patients.

Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Localized Genitourinary Cancers

Importance

A true revolution in the management of advanced genitourinary cancers has occurred with the discovery and adoption of immunotherapy (IO). The therapeutic benefits of IO were recently observed not to be solely confined to patients with disseminated disease but also in select patients with localized and locally advanced genitourinary neoplasms.

Observations

KEYNOTE-057 demonstrated the benefit of pembrolizumab monotherapy for treating high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer unresponsive to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), resulting in recent US Food and Drug Administration approval. Furthermore, a current phase 3 trial (Checkmate274) demonstrated a disease-free survival benefit with the administration of adjuvant nivolumab vs placebo in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma after radical cystectomy. In addition, the recent highly publicized phase 3 KEYNOTE 564 trial demonstrated a recurrence-free survival benefit of adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with high-risk localized/locally advanced kidney cancer.

Conclusions and Relevance

The adoption and integration of IO in the management of localized genitourinary cancers exhibiting aggressive phenotypes are becoming an emerging therapeutic paradigm. Clinical oncologists and scientists should become familiar with these trials and indications because they are likely to dramatically change our treatment strategies in the months and years to come.

Expression of PD-L1 and VISTA in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm With Associated Invasive Carcinoma of the Pancreas

Early detection and treatment of invasive carcinoma arising in association with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), which is biologically and (epi)genetically distinct from conventional pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, provide an opportunity to improve the prognosis of this lethal disease. Despite the successful application of programmed death (ligand) 1 (PD-[L]1)-blocking strategies in numerous cancers, the immune microenvironment of IPMN with associated invasive carcinoma remains elusive. Here, we investigated CD8+ T cells, CD68+ macrophages, PD-L1, and V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) in 60 patients with IPMN with associated invasive carcinoma using immunohistochemistry, explored their correlations with clinicopathologic variables and prognosis, and compared them with those in 76 patients with IPMN without invasive carcinoma (60 low-grade and 16 high-grade lesions). Using antibodies against CD8, CD68, and VISTA, we evaluated tumor-infiltrating immune cells in 5 high-power fields (×400) and calculated the corresponding mean counts. PD-L1 with a combined positive score of ≥1 was regarded as positive, and VISTA expression on tumor cells (TCs) was deemed positive when ≥1% of TCs showed membranous/cytoplasmic staining. A reduction of CD8+ T cells and an increase of macrophages were observed during carcinogenesis. Positive PD-L1 combined positive score and VISTA expression on TCs were 13% and 11% in the intraductal component of IPMN with associated invasive carcinoma, 15% and 12% in the associated invasive carcinoma, and 6% and 4% in IPMN without an invasive carcinoma, respectively. Interestingly, the PD-L1 positivity rate was the highest in a subset of associated invasive carcinomas (predominantly gastric-type-derived) and was associated with higher counts of CD8+ T cells, macrophages, and VISTA+ immune cells. Accumulation of VISTA+ immune cells was observed in the intraductal component of IPMN with associated invasive carcinoma compared with that of low-grade IPMN, whereas in intestinal-type IPMN with associated invasive carcinoma, the number of these cells decreased during the transition from the intraductal component to the associated invasive carcinoma. Survival analysis revealed that a higher number of macrophages predicted poorer prognosis. In conclusion, our results might help in individualized immunotherapeutic strategies for these patients.

Genomic characteristics and prognosis of lung cancer patients with MSI-H: A cohort study

BACKGROUND

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is the first pan-cancer biomarker approved to guide immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for MSI-high (MSI-H) solid tumors. In lung cancer, the MSI-H frequency is very low, and the genetic characteristics and prognosis of lung cancer with MSI-H were rarely reported.

METHODS

Next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry were used detect MSI status, tumor mutation burden (TMB) and PD-L1 expression.

RESULTS

Among 12,484 lung cancer patients screened, 66 were found with MSI-H, the proportion was as low as 0.5%. Compared with Microsatellite stability (MSS), TMB was higher in MSI-H lung cancer patients, while PD-L1 expression showed no considerable difference between MSI-H and MSS. After propensity score matching, compared with MSS, the most common companion mutations in MSI-H were TP53, BRCA2, TGFBR2, PTEN and KMT2C. In MSI-H lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutation, TGFBR2 and ERBB2 had higher mutation frequency than in MSS.

CONCLUSION

The current study reveals the genetic characteristics of MSI-H lung cancer, which advanced our understanding of MSI-H lung cancer.

Comparison of clinicopathological and genomic profiles in anal squamous cell carcinoma between Japanese and Caucasian cohorts

Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is a rare tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. We aimed to compare the genetic backgrounds and their effect on clinical outcomes between Japanese and Caucasian patients with ASCC. Forty-one patients diagnosed with ASCC at the National Cancer Center Hospital were enrolled and evaluated for clinicopathological features, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, HPV genotypes, p16 expression, PD-L1, and association of p16 status with the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Target sequencing for hotspot mutations in 50 cancer-related genes was performed using genomic DNA from 30 available samples. Of 41 patients, 34 were HPV-positive (among them, HPV 16 was predominant; 73.2%); 38 patients were p16-positive (92.7%); and 39 patients received CCRT, of whom 36 were p16-positive and three p16-negative. p16-positive patients showed better complete response than p16-negative patients. Among 28 samples, 15 showed mutations in PIK3CA, FBXW7, ABL1, TP53, and PTEN; no difference in mutation profiles between the Japanese and Caucasian cohorts was observed. Actionable mutations were detected in both Japanese and Caucasian patients with ASCC. Genetic backgrounds, such as the HPV 16 genotype and PIK3CA mutations, were common regardless of ethnicity. p16 status may be a prognostic biomarker for CCRT in Japanese patients with ASCC.

Novel markers in breast pathology

Breast pathology is an ever-expanding database of information which includes markers, or biomarkers, that detect or help treat the disease as prognostic or predictive information. This review focuses on these aspects of biomarkers which are grounded in immunohistochemistry, liquid biopsies and next-generation sequencing.

Medullary carcinoma of the ampulla has distinct clinicopathologic characteristics including common association with microsatellite instability and PD-L1 expression

Medullary carcinomas have not yet been fully characterized in the ampulla. Here, 359 ampullary carcinomas (ACs) were reviewed and 11 medullary-type carcinomas (3%) were found and analyzed. In addition to the diagnostic medullary pattern, 6 showed focal mucinous and 8 had focal abortive gland-like formations. They occurred in younger patients (57 versus 65 y; P = .02), had larger invasion size (mean, 3.2 versus 1.9 cm; P = .01), formed nodular polypoid or plaque-like tumors, and often lacked preinvasive component. In addition to the lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, they also had prominent eosinophils in 5 of 11 cases. Eight were papilla Vateri-NOS (not otherwise specified) tumors, 2 were ampullary-duodenal origin, 1 had a minor intra-ampullary papillary tubular neoplasm component, and none were ampullary-ductal. Although they had pushing-border infiltration, perineural and vascular invasion was common. They were strongly associated with DNA mismatch repair (MMR) protein deficient (7/11, 64%). The 5-yr survival rate (53%) appeared to be comparable with, and perhaps even better than that of nonmedullary ACs (47%), although this did not reach statistical significance (P = .47). Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression levels were assessed in 8, and all 4 that were MMR deficient were positive both by combined positive score (CPS) ≥1 and tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥1, and of the 4 MMR proficient cases, 3 were positive by CPS; 2 by TPS. Overall, only 1 of the 8 available for analysis failed to show PD-L1 positivity by CPS. In contrast, nonmedullary MMR-deficient carcinomas expressed PD-L1 in only 33% of tumors by CPS, and none by TPS. One medullary carcinoma was also EBV associated. Unlike 'medullary carcinomas' of the kidney, INI1 was retained in all 8 cases tested. In conclusion, medullary carcinomas are 3% of ACs, have a strong association with MMR-D, and may be less aggressive despite their larger size. PD-L1 expression appears to be closely associated with medullary ACs regardless of MMR status, and thus targeted therapies can be considered for all medullary carcinomas of this site.

PD-L1 expression and CD8 positive lymphocytes in human neoplasms: A tissue microarray study on 11,838 tumor samples

BACKGROUND

Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the target of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies in a growing number of tumor types, but a unanimous picture on PD-L1 expression across cancer types is lacking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed immunohistochemical PD-L1 expression in 11,838 samples from 118 human tumor types and its relationship with tumor infiltrating CD8 positive lymphocytes.

RESULTS

At a cut-off level of 10% positive tumor cells, PD-L1 positivity was seen in 85 of 118 (72%) tumor types, including thymoma (100% positive), Hodgkin's lymphoma (93%), anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (76%), Kaposi sarcoma (71%), sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma (71%), and squamous cell carcinoma of the penis (67%), cervix (65%), floor of the mouth (61%), the lung (53%), and pharynx (50%). In immune cells, PD-L1 positivity was detectable in 103 (87%) tumor types, including tumors of haematopoetic and lymphoid tissues (75% to 100%), Warthin tumors of the parotid glands (95%) and Merkel cell carcinoma (82%). PD-L1 positivity in tumor cells was significantly correlated with the number of intratumoral CD8 positive lymphocytes across all tumor types as well as in individual tumor types, including serous carcinoma of the ovary, invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, intestinal gastric adenocarcinoma, and liposarcoma (p< 0.0001 each).

CONCLUSIONS

PD-L1 expression in tumor and inflammatory cells is found in a wide range of human tumor types. Higher rates of tumor infiltrating CD8 positive lymphocytes in PD-L1 positive than in PD-L1 negative cancers suggest that the antitumor immune response may trigger tumoral PD-L1 expression.

A scoping review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of pan-tumour biomarkers (dMMR, MSI, high TMB) in different solid tumours

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved in the USA for tumours exhibiting mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), microsatellite instability (MSI), or high tumour mutational burden (TMB), with regulatory and reimbursement applications in multiple other countries underway. As the estimated budget impacts of future reimbursements depend on the size of the potential target population, we performed a scoping review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of these pan-tumour biomarkers in different cancers. We systematically searched Medline/Embase and included studies reporting the prevalence of dMMR/MSI/high TMB in solid tumours published 01/01/2018-31/01/2021. Meta-analyses were performed separately for the pan-cancer prevalence of each biomarker, and by cancer type and stage where possible. The searches identified 3890 papers, with 433 prevalence estimates for 32 different cancer types from 201 studies included in meta-analyses. The pooled overall prevalence of dMMR, MSI and high TMB (≥ 10 mutations/Mb) in pan-cancer studies was 2.9%, 2.7% and 14.0%, respectively. The prevalence profiles of dMMR/MSI and high TMB differed across cancer types. For example, endometrial, colorectal, small bowel and gastric cancers showed high prevalence of both dMMR and MSI (range: 8.7-26.8% and 8.5-21.9%, respectively) and high TMB (range: 8.5-43.0%), while cervical, esophageal, bladder/urothelial, lung and skin cancers showed low prevalence of dMMR and MSI (< 5%), but high prevalence of high TMB (range: 23.7-52.6%). For other cancer types, prevalence of all three biomarkers was generally low (< 5%). This structured review of dMMR/MSI/high TMB prevalence across cancers and for specific cancer types and stages provide timely evidence to inform budget impact forecasts in health technology assessments for drug approvals based on these pan-tumour biomarkers.

Tumor immune microenvironment in endometrial cancer of different molecular subtypes: evidence from a retrospective observational study

Objective

Tumor immune microenvironmental features may predict survival and guide treatment. This study aimed to comprehensively decipher the immunological features of different molecular subtypes of endometrial cancer.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 26 patients with primary endometrial cancer and four with recurrent disease treated in our center from December 2018 to November 2021 were included. Next-generation sequencing was performed on tumor samples. Patients were classified into four subtypes, including POLE mutant, microsatellite instability high (MSI-H), no specific molecular profile (NSMP) and TP53 mutant subtypes. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells were quantified using multiplex immunofluorescence assays.

Results

Of the 26 primary endometrial cancer cases, three were POLE mutant, six were MSI-H, eight were NSMP and nine were TP53 mutant. Of the four recurrent cases, two belonged to the NSMP subtype and two belonged to the TP53 mutant subtype. The tumor mutation burden (TMB) levels of POLE mutant and MSI-H cases were significantly higher than that of the other two subtypes (p< 0.001). We combined POLE mutant and MSI-H subtypes into the TMB high (TMB-H) subtype. The TMB-H subtype showed a high degree of infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells. In the NSMP subtype, the overall degree of intra-tumoral infiltrating immune cells was low. In the TP53 mutant subtype, the densities of both PD-L1⁺ macrophages (p = 0.047) and PD-1⁺ T cells (p = 0.034) in tumor parenchyma were the highest among the four subtypes.

Conclusion

Endometrial cancer of TMB-H, NSMP and TP53 mutant subtypes displayed phenotypes of normal immune response, absence of immune infiltration, and suppressed immune response, respectively. These features may provide mechanistic explanations for the differences in patients' prognosis and efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapies among different endometrial cancer subtypes.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Other Immune Therapies in Breast Cancer: A New Paradigm for Prolonged Adjuvant Immunotherapy

Background: Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women worldwide. Advances in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the last decade have progressively decreased the cancer mortality rate, and in recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a relevant tool against cancer. HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are considered more immunogenic and suitable for this kind of treatment due to the higher rate of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. In TNBC, genetic aberrations further favor immunogenicity due to more neo-antigens in cancer cells. Methods: This review summarizes the principal ongoing conventional and investigational immunotherapies in breast cancer. Particularly, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and their use alone or combined with DNA damage repair inhibitors (DDRis) are described. Then, the issue on immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies against HER-2 family receptors is updated. Other investigational immunotherapies include a new schedule based on the interferon beta-interleukin-2 sequence that was given in ER+ metastatic breast cancer patients concomitant with anti-estrogen therapy, which surprisingly showed promising results. Results: Based on the scientific literature and our own findings, the current evaluation of tumor immunogenicity and the conventional model of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) are questioned. Conclusions: A novel strategy based on additional prolonged adjuvant immunotherapy combined with hormone therapy or alternated with CT is proposed.

A signature based on chromatin regulation and tumor microenvironment infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Aims: This research aimed to construct a signature based on chromatin regulation in localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Materials & methods: Non-negative matrix factorization clustering was performed on 438 localized ccRCC cases. The immune infiltration was generated by the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis algorithm. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the significance of the differences was determined using the log-rank test. The risk score was constructed based on the expression of chromatin regulators to quantify chromatin modification. Results: A score system based on chromatin modification was established. The high-risk subtype was characterized by increased tumor mutation burden, whereas a low-risk score was characterized by an increase in chromatin regulator expression and better overall survival. Conclusion: This research has constructed a signature based on chromatin regulation in localized ccRCC.

Comprehensive analysis of PTPN gene family revealing PTPN7 as a novel biomarker for immuno-hot tumors in breast cancer

Background: The non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPN) gene family has been considered to be involved in the oncogenesis and development of multiple cancers. However, its prognostic utility and immunological relevance in breast cancer (BrCa) have not been clarified.

Methods: A transcriptional level interpretation of the expressions and prognostic values was analyzed using the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. In addition, GO and DAVID pinpoint the functional enrichment of PTPNs. Moreover, the immune correlations of PTPN7 in BrCa and pan-cancer were further investigated based on the TCGA cohort and were testified using the in-house and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts.

Results: For systematic analysis of the PTPN family, we found that the expression levels of PTPN1, PTPN6, PTPN7, PTPN18, PTPN20, and PTPN22 was promoted in tumor tissues while comparing with paraneoplastic tissues during our study. We further investigated their functions and protein-protein interactions (PPI), and these results strongly suggested that PTPN family was associated with protein dephosphorylation. Next, we performed an immunological relevance analysis and found that PTPN7 was correlated with immune infiltration, suggesting a stronger association of PTPN7 with immuno-hot tumors in BrCa. In addition, results from the in-house cohort confirmed the positive correlation between PTPN7 and PD-L1. The pan-cancer analysis revealed that PTPN7 was related to PD-L1 and CTLA-4 expression in almost all cancer types. Finally, the predictive value of PTPN7 for immunotherapy was significant in two independent GEO cohorts.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this is the first extensive research on the correlation between PTPN family expression and immune characterization in BrCa. As results, PTPN7 expression is associated with immuno-hot tumors and could be a promising predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in not only BrCa but multiple cancers.

PD-L1-Positive High-Grade Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients Respond Better to Standard Neoadjuvant Treatment-A Retrospective Study of PD-L1 Expression in Relation to Different Clinicopathological Parameters

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is typically a high-grade breast cancer with poorest clinical outcome despite available treatment modalities with chemo-, immuno- and radiotherapy. The status of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is a prognostic factor closely related to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressed on T lymphocytes modulating antitumor immunity. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are showing promising results in a subset of breast cancer patients in both neo- and adjuvant settings. Pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant treatment was found to be associated with better prognosis. We analyzed the prognostic and predictive significance of PD-L1 (SP142 assay) immunohistochemical expression on TNBC patients' samples as illustrated by pCR with regard to its relation to treatment regimen, stage, BRCA mutational status and outcome. Furthermore, we analyzed a few other clinicopathological parameters such as age, TILs and proliferation index. The study highlighted a positive role of PD-L1 evaluation for personalized pCR probability assessment. Although considerable research was made on comparison of PD-L1 level in TNBC with different patient parameters, to our best knowledge, the relation of PD-L1 status to pCR while taking treatment regimen and stage into consideration was so far not investigated.

Hospitalized cancer patients with comorbidities and low lymphocyte counts had poor clinical outcomes to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has improved survivals with a favorable toxicity profile in a variety of cancer patients. We hypothesized that hospitalized cancer patients who have acute or chronic comorbidities may have suppressed immune systems and poor clinical outcomes to ICIs. The objective of this study was to explore clinical outcomes and predictive factors of hospitalized cancer patients who received ICI therapy at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Methods

A retrospective review of electronic medical records was conducted for adult cancer patients who received an FDA-approved ICI during admission from 08/2016 to 01/2022. For each patient we extracted demographics, cancer histology, comorbidities, reasons for hospitalization, ICI administered, time from treatment to discharge, time from treatment to progression or death, and complete blood counts. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. The 95% confidence interval for survival was calculated using the exact binomial distribution. Statistical significance was defined as 2-sided p<0.05.

Results

Of 37 patients identified, 2 were excluded due to lack of complete blood counts on admission. Average hospital stay was 24.2 (95% CI 16.5, 31.9) days. Ten (27.0%) patients died during the same hospitalization as treatment. Of those who followed up, 22 (59.5%) died within 90 days of inpatient therapy. The median PFS was 0.86 (95% CI 0.43, 1.74) months and median OS was 1.55 (95% CI 0.76, 3.72) months. Patients with ≥3 comorbidities had poorer PFS (2.4 vs. 0.4 months; p=0.0029) and OS (5.5 vs. 0.6 months; p=0.0006). Pre-treatment absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) <600 cells/µL were associated with poor PFS (0.33 vs. 1.35 months; p=0.0053) and poor OS (0.33 vs. 2.34 months; p=0.0236). Pre-treatment derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) <4 was associated with good median PFS (1.6 vs. 0.4 months; p=0.0157) and OS (2.8 vs. 0.9 months; p=0.0375).

Conclusions

Administration of ICI therapy was associated with poor clinical outcomes and high rates of both inpatient mortality and 90-day mortality after inpatient ICI therapy. The presence of ≥3 comorbidities, ALC <600/μL, or dNLR >4 in hospitalized patients was associated with poor survival outcomes.

Identification and validation of an anoikis-associated gene signature to predict clinical character, stemness, IDH mutation, and immune filtration in glioblastoma

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prominent and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Anoikis is a specific form of programmed cell death that plays a key role in tumor invasion and metastasis. The presence of anti-anoikis factors is associated with tumor aggressiveness and drug resistance.

Methods

The non-negative matrix factorization algorithm was used for effective dimension reduction for integrated datasets. Differences in the tumor microenvironment (TME), stemness indices, and clinical characteristics between the two clusters were analyzed. Difference analysis, weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), univariate Cox regression, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression were leveraged to screen prognosis-related genes and construct a risk score model. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of representative genes in clinical specimens. The relationship between the risk score and the TME, stemness, clinical traits, and immunotherapy response was assessed in GBM and pancancer.

Results

Two definite clusters were identified on the basis of anoikis-related gene expression. Patients with GBM assigned to C1 were characterized by shortened overall survival, higher suppressive immune infiltration levels, and lower stemness indices. We further constructed a risk scoring model to quantify the regulatory patterns of anoikis-related genes. The higher risk score group was characterized by a poor prognosis, the infiltration of suppressive immune cells and a differentiated phenotype, whereas the lower risk score group exhibited the opposite effects. In addition, patients in the lower risk score group exhibited a higher frequency of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations and a more sensitive response to immunotherapy. Drug sensitivity analysis was performed, revealing that the higher risk group may benefit more from drugs targeting the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway.

Conclusion

We revealed potential relationships between anoikis-related genes and clinical features, TME, stemness, IDH mutation, and immunotherapy and elucidated their therapeutic value.

A systematic pan-cancer analysis of the gasdermin (GSDM) family of genes and their correlation with prognosis, the tumor microenvironment, and drug sensitivity

Background: Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death process mediated by the gasdermin (GSDM) protein. However, limited research has been conducted to comprehensively analyze the contribution of the GSDM family in a pan-cancer setting.

Methods: We systematically evaluated the gene expression, genetic variations, and prognostic values of the GSDM family members. Furthermore, we investigated the association between the expression of GSDM genes and immune subtypes, the tumor microenvironment (TME), the stemness index, and cancer drug sensitivities by means of a pan-cancer analysis.

Results: GSDM genes were highly upregulated in most of the tested cancers. Low-level mutation frequencies within GSDM genes were common across the examined types of cancer, and their expression levels were associated with prognosis, clinical characteristics, TME features, and stemness scores in several cancer types, particularly those of the urinary system. Importantly, we found that the expressions of GSDMB, GSDMC, and GSDMD were higher in kidney carcinomas, and specifically kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC); which adversely impacted the patient outcome. We showed that GSDMD was potentially the most useful biomarker for KIRC. The drug sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the expressions of GSDM genes were correlated with the sensitivity of tumor cells to treatment with chemotherapy drugs nelarabine, fluphenazine, dexrazoxane, bortezomib, midostaurin, and vincristine.

Conclusion: GSDM genes were associated with tumor behaviors and may participate in carcinogenesis. The results of this study may therefore provide new directions for further investigating the role of GSDM genes as therapeutic targets in a pan-cancer setting.

Evolution of predictive and prognostic biomarkers in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer

Despite new therapeutic options, advanced gastric cancer remains associated with a poor prognosis compared with other cancers. Recent gains in the treatment of gastric cancer were accompanied by the identification of novel biomarkers associated with various cellular pathways and corresponding diagnostic technologies. It is expected that the standardization of clinical workflow and technological refinements in biomarker assessment will support greater personalization and further improve treatment outcomes. In this article, we review the current state of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in gastric cancer.

The Multi-Dimensional Biomarker Landscape in Cancer Immunotherapy

The field of immuno-oncology is now at the forefront of cancer care and is rapidly evolving. The immune checkpoint blockade has been demonstrated to restore antitumor responses in several cancer types. However, durable responses can be observed only in a subset of patients, highlighting the importance of investigating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and cellular heterogeneity to define the phenotypes that contribute to resistance as opposed to those that confer susceptibility to immune surveillance and immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize how some of the most widely used conventional technologies and biomarkers may be useful for the purpose of predicting immunotherapy outcomes in patients, and discuss their shortcomings. We also provide an overview of how emerging single-cell spatial omics may be applied to further advance our understanding of the interactions within the TME, and how these technologies help to deliver important new insights into biomarker discovery to improve the prediction of patient response.

Unraveling the Immune Microenvironment of Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Implications for Autoimmunity and Treatment

Thymic Epithelial Tumors (TETs) represent a rare tumor family, originating from the epithelial component of the thymus gland. Clinicopathologically, they are segregated into six major subtypes, associated with distinct histological features and clinical outcomes. Their emergence and evolution are accompanied by the generation of a complex tumor microenvironment (TME), dominated by phenotypically and functionally divergent immune cellular subsets, in different maturation states and in analogies that vary significantly among different subtypes. These heterogenous leukocyte populations exert either immune-permissive and tumor-suppressive functions or vice versa, and the dynamic equilibrium established among them either dictates the tumor immune milieu towards an immune-tolerance state or enables the development of a productive spontaneous tumoricidal response. The immunologically “hot” microenvironment, defining a significant proportion of TETs, makes them a promising candidate for the implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). A number of phase I and II clinical trials have already demonstrated significant, type-specific clinical efficacy of PD-L1 inhibitors, even though substantial limitations in their utilization derive from their immune-mediated adverse effects. Moreover, the completed clinical studies involved relatively restricted patient samples and an expansion in the enrolled cohorts is required, so that more trustworthy conclusions regarding the benefit from ICIs in TETs can be extracted.

Reshaping the systemic tumor immune environment (STIE) and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to enhance immunotherapy efficacy in solid tumors

The development of combination immunotherapy based on the mediation of regulatory mechanisms of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is promising. However, a deep understanding of tumor immunology must involve the systemic tumor immune environment (STIE) which was merely illustrated previously. Here, we aim to review recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics for the studies of STIE, TIME, and their interactions, which may reveal heterogeneity in immunotherapy responses as well as the dynamic changes essential for the treatment effect. We review the evidence from preclinical and clinical studies related to TIME, STIE, and their significance on overall survival, through different immunomodulatory pathways, such as metabolic and neuro-immunological pathways. We also evaluate the significance of the STIE, TIME, and their interactions as well as changes after local radiotherapy and systemic immunotherapy or combined immunotherapy. We focus our review on the evidence of lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, aiming to reshape STIE and TIME to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.

Role of Artificial Intelligence in Radiogenomics for Cancers in the Era of Precision Medicine

Simple Summary

Recently, radiogenomics has played a significant role and offered a new understanding of cancer’s biology and behavior in response to standard therapy. It also provides a more precise prognosis, investigation, and analysis of the patient’s cancer. Over the years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has provided a significant strength in radiogenomics. In this paper, we offer computational and oncological prospects of the role of AI in radiogenomics, as well as its offers, achievements, opportunities, and limitations in the current clinical practices.

Abstract

Radiogenomics, a combination of “Radiomics” and “Genomics,” using Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently emerged as the state-of-the-art science in precision medicine, especially in oncology care. Radiogenomics syndicates large-scale quantifiable data extracted from radiological medical images enveloped with personalized genomic phenotypes. It fabricates a prediction model through various AI methods to stratify the risk of patients, monitor therapeutic approaches, and assess clinical outcomes. It has recently shown tremendous achievements in prognosis, treatment planning, survival prediction, heterogeneity analysis, reoccurrence, and progression-free survival for human cancer study. Although AI has shown immense performance in oncology care in various clinical aspects, it has several challenges and limitations. The proposed review provides an overview of radiogenomics with the viewpoints on the role of AI in terms of its promises for computational as well as oncological aspects and offers achievements and opportunities in the era of precision medicine. The review also presents various recommendations to diminish these obstacles.

PD-L1 expression and overall survival in Asian and western patients with gastric cancer

Aim: Data are limited on PD-L1 expression and its association with overall survival (OS) in gastric cancer (GC) patients receiving routine care in different regions. Materials & methods: In a retrospective study, PD-L1 expression was assayed using the 22C3 pharmDx on GC tumor samples collected between 2003 and 2017 at South Korean and US cancer centers. PD-L1 positivity was defined as combined positive score (CPS) ≥1. The relationship between PD-L1 and OS was analyzed. Results: Of 574 GC tumor samples, 67.4% were CPS ≥1 (68.7% in Korean and 65.7% in US patients). PD-L1 expression was not associated with OS (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.75-1.17). Conclusion: PD-L1 prevalence and its association with OS was similar between South Korean and US GC patients.

Challenges and the Evolving Landscape of Assessing Blood-Based PD-L1 Expression as a Biomarker for Anti-PD-(L)1 Immunotherapy

While promising, PD-L1 expression on tumor tissues as assessed by immunohistochemistry has been shown to be an imperfect biomarker that only applies to a limited number of cancers, whereas many patients with PD-L1-negative tumors still respond to anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy. Recent studies using patient blood samples to assess immunotherapeutic responsiveness suggests a promising approach to the identification of novel and/or improved biomarkers for anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss the advances in our evolving understanding of the regulation and function of PD-L1 expression, which is the foundation for developing blood-based PD-L1 as a biomarker for anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy. We further discuss current knowledge and clinical study results for biomarker identification using PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells, exosomes, and soluble forms of PD-L1 in the peripheral blood. Finally, we discuss key challenges for the successful development of the potential use of blood-based PD-L1 as a biomarker for anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy.

Patients with Rare Cancers in the Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP) Benefit from Genomics-Guided Treatment

PURPOSE

Patients with rare cancers (incidence less than 6 cases per 100,000 persons per year) commonly have less treatment opportunities and are understudied at the level of genomic targets. We hypothesized that patients with rare cancer benefit from approved anticancer drugs outside their label similar to common cancers.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

In the Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP), patients with therapy-refractory metastatic cancers harboring an actionable molecular profile are matched to FDA/European Medicines Agency-approved targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Patients are enrolled in parallel cohorts based on the histologic tumor type, molecular profile and study drug. Primary endpoint is clinical benefit (complete response, partial response, stable disease ≥ 16 weeks).

RESULTS

Of 1,145 submitted cases, 500 patients, including 164 patients with rare cancers, started one of the 25 available drugs and were evaluable for treatment outcome. The overall clinical benefit rate was 33% in both the rare cancer and nonrare cancer subgroup. Inactivating alterations of CDKN2A and activating BRAF aberrations were overrepresented in patients with rare cancer compared with nonrare cancers, resulting in more matches to CDK4/6 inhibitors (14% vs. 4%; P ≤ 0.001) or BRAF inhibitors (9% vs. 1%; P ≤ 0.001). Patients with rare cancer treated with small-molecule inhibitors targeting BRAF experienced higher rates of clinical benefit (75%) than the nonrare cancer subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive molecular testing in patients with rare cancers may identify treatment opportunities and clinical benefit similar to patients with common cancers. Our findings highlight the importance of access to broad molecular diagnostics to ensure equal treatment opportunities for all patients with cancer.

Targeting immune checkpoints in gynecologic cancer: updates & perspectives for pathologists

Checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy is increasingly used in the treatment of gynecologic cancers, and most often targets the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. Pathologists should be familiar with the biomarkers required to determine candidacy for these treatments based on existing FDA approvals, including mismatch repair protein immunohistochemistry, microsatellite instability testing, tumor mutation burden testing, and PD-L1 immunohistochemistry. This review summarizes the rationale behind these treatments and their associated biomarkers and delivers guidance on how to utilize and readout these tests. It also introduces additional biomarkers which may provide information regarding immunotherapeutic vulnerability in the future such as neoantigen load; POLE mutation status; and immunohistochemical expression of immunosuppressive checkpoints like LAG-3, TIM-3, TIGIT, and VISTA; immune-activating checkpoints such as CD27, CD40, CD134, and CD137; enzymes such as IDO-1 and adenosine-related compounds; and MHC class I.

Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) as Immunotherapy Biomarker in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer constitutes the most common malignant neoplasm in women around the world. Approximately 12% of patients are diagnosed with metastatic stage, and between 5 and 30% of early or locally advanced BC patients will relapse, making it an incurable disease. PD-L1 ligation is an immune inhibitory molecule of the activation of T cells, playing a relevant role in numerous types of malignant tumors, including BC. The objective of the present review is to analyze the role of PD-L1 as a biomarker in the different BC subtypes, adding clinical trials with immune checkpoint inhibitors and their applicable results. Diverse trials using immunotherapy with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 in BC, as well as prospective or retrospective cohort studies about PD-L1 in BC, were included. Despite divergent results in the reviewed studies, PD-L1 seems to be correlated with worse prognosis in the hormone receptor positive subtype. Immune checkpoints inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have achieved great response rates in TNBC patients, especially in combination with chemotherapy, making immunotherapy a new treatment option in this scenario. However, the utility of PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker in the rest of BC subtypes remains unclear. In addition, predictive differences have been found in response to immunotherapy depending on the stage of the tumor disease. Therefore, a better understanding of tumor microenvironment, as well as identifying new potential biomarkers or combined index scores, is necessary in order to make a better selection of the subgroups of BC patients who will derive benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

OUP accepted manuscript

Background

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusions

OUP accepted manuscript

Background

We sought to characterize response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) across various CD274 copy number gain and loss thresholds and identify an optimal cutoff.

Materials and Methods

A de-identified nationwide (US) real-world clinico-genomic database was leveraged to study 621 non-squamous NSCLC patients treated with ICI. All patients received second-line ICI monotherapy and underwent comprehensive genomic profiling as part of routine clinical care. Overall survival (OS) from start of ICI, for CD274 copy number gain and loss cohorts across varying copy number thresholds, were assessed.

Results

Among the 621 patients, patients with a CD274 CN greater than or equal to specimen ploidy +2 (N = 29) had a significantly higher median (m) OS when compared with the rest of the cohort (N = 592; 16.1 [8.9-37.3] vs 8.6 [7.1-10.9] months, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.6 [0.4-1.0], P-value = .05). Patients with a CD274 copy number less than specimen ploidy (N = 299) trended toward a lower mOS when compared to the rest of the cohort (N = 322; 7.5 [5.9-11.3] vs 9.6 [7.9-12.8] months, HR = 0.9 [0.7-1.1], P-value = .3).

Conclusion

This work shows that CD274 copy number gains at varying thresholds predict different response to ICI blockade in non-squamous NSCLC. Considering these data, prospective clinical trials should further validate these findings, specifically in the context of PD-L1 IHC test results.

Pan-cancer landscape of CD274 (PD-L1) rearrangements in 283,050 patient samples, its correlation with PD-L1 protein expression, and immunotherapy response

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) benefit patients with multiple cancer types, however, additional predictive biomarkers of response are needed. CD274 (programmed cell death ligand-1, PD-L1) gene rearrangements are positively associated with PD-L1 expression and may confer benefit to ICI, thus a pan-cancer characterization of these alterations is needed.

METHODS

We analyzed 283,050 patient samples across multiple tumor types that underwent comprehensive genomic profiling for activating CD274 rearrangements and other alterations. The DAKO 22C3 Tumor Proportion Scoring (TPS) method was used for PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing in a small subset with available data (n=55,423). A retrospective deidentified real-world clinico-genomic database (CGDB) was examined for ICI treatment outcomes. We also report a detailed case of CD274-rearranged metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma.

RESULTS

We identified 145 samples with functional rearrangements in CD274. There were significant enrichments for PIK3CA, JAK2, PDCD1LG2, CREBBP, and PBRM1 co-mutations (ORs=2.1, 16.7, 17.8, 3.6, and 3.4, respectively, p<0.01). Genomic human papillomavirus (HPV)-16, Epstein-Barr virus, and mismatch repair genes also co-occurred (OR=6.2, 8.4, and 4.3, respectively, p<0.05). Median tumor mutational burden (TMB) was higher compared with CD274 wild-type samples (7.0 vs 3.5 mutations/Mb, p=1.7e-11), with disease-specific TMB enrichment in non-small cell lung, colorectal, unknown primary, and stomach cancers. PD-L1 IHC skewed toward positivity (N=39/43 samples with ≥1% positivity). Of eight patients from the CGDB, three remained on ICI treatment after 6 months. Separately, one patient with metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma experienced a pathologic complete response on chemoimmunotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

CD274 gene rearrangements are associated with increased PD-L1 IHC scores, higher TMB, and potential clinical benefit in ICI-treated patients with cancer.

Biomarkers of immunotherapy response in breast cancer beyond PD-L1

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have modified the treatment algorithm in a variety of cancer types, including breast cancer. Nevertheless, optimal selection of ideal candidates to these drugs remains an unmet need. Although PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry seems to be the most promising biomarker to date, its predictive ability is far from ideal. Thus, the development of new predictive biomarkers is essential for a better selection of patients. Here, we discuss potential biomarkers beyond PD-L1 that could play an important role in precision cancer immunotherapy.