Epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small cell lung Cancer and Choroidal metastases: long-term outcome and response to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Spontaneous regression of choroidal metastasis from renal cell carcinoma

Purpose

To report a case of an elderly man who presented with a choroidal metastasis from renal cell carcinoma that spontaneously regressed prior to any local or systemic treatment.

Observations

An 82-year-old man without a history of metastatic cancer was referred to the ocular oncology service for evaluation of a newly noted amelanotic choroidal lesion. Examination and imaging findings were concerning for choroidal metastasis. Systemic workup revealed previously undiagnosed widely metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The lesion spontaneously regressed prior to the initiation of any treatment for his tumor.

Conclusions and importance

This is a unique case of choroidal metastases from renal cell carcinoma that spontaneously regressed prior to medical or surgical treatment of the primary tumor.

Effect of the First-Line Therapy with Osimertinib for a Metastatic Choroidal Tumor in Advanced-Stage Lung Cancer: A Case Report

Although the advent of molecular-targeted drugs has improved the prognosis of various cancers, the long-term prognosis and side effects as the first-line therapy for metastatic choroidal tumors remain unclear. We describe a case in which the first-line therapy of osimertinib has shown long-term successful and minimum side effect responses for metastatic choroidal tumors in a patient with advanced-stage lung cancer. The patient was a 62-year-old man who complained of foggy vision and visual field defects in his left eye for 1 month. When he visited his local doctor, a serous retinal detachment was noted in the left eye, and he was referred to our hospital for further examination. The patient had no history of systemic disease. A fundus examination of his left eye showed a slightly elevated choroidal lesion along with the superior retinal vascular arcade. Optical coherence tomography showed a serous retinal detachment around the lesion. Fluorescein angiography showed that the site of the lesion had spotty and mottled hyperfluorescence in the early phase and ring hypofluorescence in the late phase. We suspected a metastatic choroidal tumor and performed a whole-body computed tomography scan, which indicated lung cancer and metastasis to the left iliac bone. The patient was referred to the department of respiratory medicine of our hospital, and after a thorough examination, a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (stage IV-B, epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] gene mutation positive) was made. Treatment with osimertinib was initiated, and shrinkage of the primary tumor was observed. The elevated choroidal lesion and serous retinal detachment resolved after 2 months of treatment, and no recurrence was observed during the 20 months of treatment. The use of osimertinib as primary treatment for EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer was found to significantly reduce the size of metastatic choroidal tumors and to have a relatively long-lasting antitumor effect without serious ocular complications.

Outcomes of Intraocular Metastasis From Lung Cancer in the Era of Targeted Therapy: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Metastasis to intraocular structures is a serious problem in lung cancer. Due to its rarity, however, limited information is available regarding the outcomes of treatment and prognosis. Literature often suggests a poor prognosis. We review current literature on the outcomes of systemic therapy and prognostic factors.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of English literature published during 2009 to 2022 identified via Medline and Google Scholar search. Publications reporting on tumor response in the eyes or overall survival of patients with intraocular metastasis due to lung cancer were included. Pooled analysis of patients receiving systemic therapy was performed, utilizing individual-level patient data.

RESULTS

A total of 79 publications contributed 92 patients into the analysis. Choroid was the most affected intraocular structure, in 82% of patients. Histology was small cell in 13% and non-small cell in 87%. Targeted therapy was utilized in 45% of patients. A pooled analysis demonstrated that the median overall survival was 27 months (95% CI: 21.8-32.2). Visual response among those with reported assessment showed that 92% of them had stable or improved vision while 8% experienced worsening of vision. Several factors including the year of treatment, age, targeted therapy, and radiation showed a significant association with survival. The strongest predictor of improved survival was the receipt of targeted therapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.31 (95% CI: 0.14-0.71), P = .005.

CONCLUSIONS

For lung cancer patients with intraocular metastasis, systemic therapy can produce a favorable outcome. Particularly when a targeted therapy is feasible, long-term survival can be achieved.

Successful response to first-line treatment with osimertinib for choroidal metastasis from EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer

Purpose

Describe the use of osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, as the first-line treatment in a patient with choroidal and central nervous system metastases from EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Observations

A 68-year-old man presented with an amelanotic choroidal lesion in the left eye concerning for choroidal metastasis. Systemic evaluation identified widely metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung with EGFR exon 19 mutation. Within one month of initiating treatment with osimertinib, there was complete resolution of the subretinal fluid over the choroidal lesion and decreased thickness of the lesion. At follow-up after three months of treatment, the lesion was clinically involuted. Positron emission tomography at two months and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain at three months showed significant interval decrease in size and activity of the primary right lung lesion, central nervous system lesions, and other metastatic sites with no new metastatic lesions. After 17 months of follow up, the lesion remained involuted.

Conclusions and Importance

Osimertinib may be considered as a first-line treatment option in patients with choroidal metastases from an EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Treatment of Choroidal Metastasis from Epidermal Growth Factor Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with First-line Osimertinib Therapy

Purpose

To illustrate the regression of a metastatic lesion through ophthalmic imaging and correlating findings with standard chest imaging and treatment with osimertinib, an oral chemotherapy agent specific to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor + Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (EGFR+ NSCLC).

Case Report

A 63-year-old Asian male presented to ophthalmology with a complaint of left blurry vision. Initial ophthalmic exam revealed a choroidal lesion and imaging results highlighted a spiculated lung mass with brain and bony metastases. Osimertinib was chosen for its specificity and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Follow-up ophthalmic and radiographic imaging were repeated over the course of treatment.

Conclusion

After the initiation of osimertinib, ophthalmic and computed tomography imaging highlighted the regression of the ocular metastatic disease and primary malignancy, respectively.Osimertinib is an effective first-line treatment of EGFR+ NSCLC and corresponding metastatic sites. Additionally, ophthalmic imaging can be used to monitor general response to chemotherapy agents when ocular metastasis is identified.

The role of ERBB4 mutations in the prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have witnessed the achievements of convincing clinical benefits that feature the significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) of patients suffering from advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to reports recently. Sensitivity to immunotherapy is related to several biomarkers, such as PD-L1 expression, TMB level, MSI-H and MMR. However, a further investigation into the novel biomarkers of the prognosis on ICIs treatment is required. In addition, there is an urgent demand for the establishment of a systematic hazard model to assess the efficacy of ICIs therapy for advanced NSCLC patients.

METHODS

In this study, the gene mutation and clinical data of NSCLC patients was obtained from the TCGA database, followed by the analysis of the detailed clinical information and mutational data relating to two advanced NSCLC cohorts receiving the ICIs treatment from the cBioPortal of Cancer Genomics. The Kaplan-Meier plot method was used to perform survival analyses, while selected variables were adopted to develop a systematic nomogram. The prognostic significance of ERBB4 in pan-cancer was analyzed by another cohort from the cBioPortal of Cancer Genomics.

RESULTS

The mutation frequencies of TP53 and ERBB4 were 54% and 8% in NSCLC, respectively. The mutual exclusive analysis in cBioPortal has indicated that ERBB4 does show co-occurencing mutations with TP53. Patients with ERBB4 mutations were confirmed to have better prognosis for ICIs treatment, compared to those seeing ERBB4 wild type (PFS: exact p = 0.017; OS: exact p < 0.01) and only TP53 mutations (OS: p = 0.021). The mutation status of ERBB4 and TP53 was tightly linked to DCB of ICIs treatment, PD-L1 expression, TMB value, and TIICs. Finally, a novel nomogram was built to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs therapy.

CONCLUSION

ERBB4 mutations could serve as a predictive biomarker for the prognosis of ICIs treatment. The systematic nomogram was proven to have the great potential for evaluating the efficacy of ICIs therapy for advanced NSCLC patients.