Single-Cell Sequencing Illuminates Thymic Development: An Updated Framework for Understanding Thymic Epithelial Tumors

Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare tumors for which treatment options are limited. The ongoing need for improved systemic therapies reflects a limited understanding of tumor biology as well as the normal thymus. The essential role of the thymus in adaptive immunity is largely effected by its epithelial compartment, which directs thymocyte (T-cell) differentiation and immunologic self-tolerance. With aging, the thymus undergoes involution whereby epithelial tissue is replaced by adipose and other connective tissue, decreasing immature T-cell production. Against this natural drive toward involution, a fraction of thymuses will instead undergo oncologic transformation, leading to the formation of TETs, including thymoma and thymic carcinoma. The rarity of these tumors restricts investigation of the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and development of rational treatment options. To this end, the development of technologies which allow deep molecular profiling of individual tumor cells permits a new window through which to view normal thymic development and contrast the malignant changes that result in oncogenic transformation. In this review, we describe the findings of recent illuminating studies on the diversity of cell types within the epithelial compartment through thymic differentiation and aging. We contextualize these findings around important unanswered questions regarding the spectrum of known somatic tumor alterations, cell of origin, and tumor heterogeneity. The perspectives informed by single-cell molecular profiling offer new approaches to clinical and basic investigation of thymic epithelial tumors, with the potential to accelerate development of improved therapeutic strategies to address ongoing unmet needs in these rare tumors.

Mesothelioma: Pleural, Version 1.2024

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that originates from the mesothelial surfaces of the pleura and other sites, and is estimated to occur in approximately 3,500 people in the United States annually. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type and represents approximately 85% of these cases. The NCCN Guidelines for Mesothelioma: Pleural provide recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up for patients with pleural mesothelioma. These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight significant updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Mesothelioma: Pleural, including revised guidance on disease classification and systemic therapy options.

Genomic Characterization and Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Peritoneal Metastases from the AACR GENIE Biopharma Collaborative Colorectal Cancer Registry

Peritoneal metastases (PM) are common in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We aimed to characterize patients with mCRC and PM from a clinical and molecular perspective using the American Association of Cancer Research Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) Biopharma Collaborative (BPC) registry. Patients' tumor samples underwent targeted next-generation sequencing. Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were collected retrospectively. Overall survival (OS) from advanced disease and progression-free survival (PFS) from start of cancer-directed drug regimen were estimated and adjusted for the left truncation bias. A total of 1,281 patients were analyzed, 244 (19%) had PM at time of advanced disease. PM were associated with female sex [OR: 1.67; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.54; P = 0.014] and higher histologic grade (OR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.08-2.71; P = 0.022), while rectal primary tumors were less frequent in patients with PM (OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.29-0.88; P < 0.001). APC occurred less frequently in patients with PM (N = 151, 64% vs. N = 788, 79%) while MED12 alterations occurred more frequently in patients with PM (N = 20, 10% vs. N = 32, 4%); differences in MED12 were not significant when restricting to oncogenic and likely oncogenic variants according to OncoKB. Patients with PM had worse OS (HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.16-1.81) after adjustment for independently significant clinical and genomic predictors. PFS from initiation of first-line treatment did not differ by presence of PM. In conclusion, PM were more frequent in females and right-sided primary tumors. Differences in frequencies of MED12 and APC alterations were identified between patients with and without PM. PM were associated with shorter OS but not with PFS from first-line treatment.

SIGNIFICANCE

Utilizing the GENIE BPC registry, this study found that PM in patients with colorectal cancer occur more frequently in females and right-sided primary tumors and are associated with worse OS. In addition, we found a lower frequency of APC alterations and a higher frequency in MED12 alterations in patients with PM.

A plain language summary of the PHAROS study: the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib for people with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

WHAT IS THIS SUMMARY ABOUT?

This is a summary of the results of a study called PHAROS. This study looked at combination treatment with encorafenib (BRAFTOVI®) and binimetinib (MEKTOVI®). This combination of medicines was studied in people with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. Metastatic means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. All people in this study had a type of NSCLC that has a change in a gene called BRAF termed a BRAF V600E mutation. A gene is a part of the DNA that has instructions for making things that your body needs to work, and the BRAF V600E mutation contributes to the growth of the lung cancer.

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?

In this study, 98 people with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC were treated with the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib (called encorafenib plus binimetinib in this summary). Before starting the study, 59 people had not received any treatment for their metastatic NSCLC, and 39 people had received previous anticancer treatment. At the time of this analysis, 44 (75%) out of 59 people who did not receive any treatment before taking encorafenib plus binimetinib had their tumors shrink or disappear. Eighteen (46%) out of 39 people who had received treatment before starting encorafenib plus binimetinib also had their tumors shrink or disappear. The most common side effects of encorafenib plus binimetinib were nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and vomiting.

WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?

These results support the use of encorafenib plus binimetinib combination treatment as a new treatment option in people with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC. The side effects of encorafenib plus binimetinib in this study were similar to the side effects seen with encorafenib plus binimetinib in people with a type of skin cancer called metastatic melanoma.

Effects of KRAS Genetic Interactions on Outcomes in Cancers of the Lung, Pancreas, and Colorectum

BACKGROUND

KRAS is among the most commonly mutated oncogenes in cancer, and previous studies have shown associations with survival in many cancer contexts. Evidence from both clinical observations and mouse experiments further suggests that these associations are allele- and tissue-specific. These findings motivate using clinical data to understand gene interactions and clinical covariates within different alleles and tissues.

METHODS

We analyze genomic and clinical data from the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative for samples from lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. For each of these cancer types, we report epidemiological associations for different KRAS alleles, apply principal component analysis (PCA) to discover groups of genes co-mutated with KRAS, and identify distinct clusters of patient profiles with implications for survival.

RESULTS

KRAS mutations were associated with inferior survival in lung, colon, and pancreas, although the specific mutations implicated varied by disease. Tissue- and allele-specific associations with smoking, sex, age, and race were found. Tissue-specific genetic interactions with KRAS were identified by PCA, which were clustered to produce five, four, and two patient profiles in lung, colon, and pancreas. Membership in these profiles was associated with survival in all three cancer types.

CONCLUSIONS

KRAS mutations have tissue- and allele-specific associations with inferior survival, clinical covariates, and genetic interactions.

IMPACT

Our results provide greater insight into the tissue- and allele-specific associations with KRAS mutations and identify clusters of patients that are associated with survival and clinical attributes from combinations of genetic interactions with KRAS mutations.

MIG6 Mediates Adaptive and Acquired Resistance to ALK/ROS1 Fusion Kinase Inhibition through EGFR Bypass Signaling

Despite the initial benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) targeting oncogenic ALK and ROS1 gene fusions in non-small cell lung cancer, complete responses are rare and resistance ultimately emerges from residual tumor cells. Although several acquired resistance mechanisms have been reported at the time of disease progression, adaptative resistance mechanisms that contribute to residual diseases before the outgrowth of tumor cells with acquired resistance are less clear. For the patients who have progressed after TKI treatments, but do not demonstrate ALK/ROS1 kinase mutations, there is a lack of biomarkers to guide effective treatments. Herein, we found that phosphorylation of MIG6, encoded by the ERRFI1 gene, was downregulated by ALK/ROS1 inhibitors as were mRNA levels, thus potentiating EGFR activity to support cell survival as an adaptive resistance mechanism. MIG6 downregulation was sustained following chronic exposure to ALK/ROS1 inhibitors to support the establishment of acquired resistance. A higher ratio of EGFR to MIG6 expression was found in ALK TKI-treated and ALK TKI-resistant tumors and correlated with the poor responsiveness to ALK/ROS1 inhibition in patient-derived cell lines. Furthermore, we identified and validated a MIG6 EGFR-binding domain truncation mutation in mediating resistance to ROS1 inhibitors but sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors. A MIG6 deletion was also found in a patient after progressing to ROS1 inhibition. Collectively, this study identifies MIG6 as a novel regulator for EGFR-mediated adaptive and acquired resistance to ALK/ROS1 inhibitors and suggests EGFR to MIG6 ratios and MIG6-damaging alterations as biomarkers to predict responsiveness to ALK/ROS1 and EGFR inhibitors.

Intracranial Outcomes of De Novo Brain Metastases Treated With Osimertinib Alone in Patients With Newly Diagnosed EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

Introduction

Patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC have a high incidence of brain metastases. The EGFR-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib has intracranial activity, making the role of local central nervous system (CNS)-directed therapies, such as radiation and surgery, less clear.

Methods

Patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC and brain metastases who received osimertinib as initial therapy after brain metastasis diagnosis were included. Individual lesion responses were assessed using adapted RANO-BM criteria. CNS progression and local progression of brain metastasis from osimertinib start were analyzed using cumulative incidence treating death as a competing risk. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methodology.

Results

There were 36 patients who had a median interval from brain metastasis diagnosis to first-line osimertinib initiation of 25 days. In total, 136 previously untreated brain metastases were tracked from baseline. Overall, 105 lesions (77.2%) had complete response and 31 had partial response reflecting best objective response of 100%. Best response occurred at a median of 96 days (range: 28-1113 d) from baseline magnetic resonance imaging. This reflects a best objective response rate of 100%. Two-year overall survival was 80%. CNS progression rates at 1-, 2-, and 3-years post-osimertinib were 21%, 32%, and 41%, respectively. Lesion-level local failure was estimated to be 0.7% and 4.7% at 1- and 2-years post-osimertinib, respectively. No clinicodemographic factors including brain metastasis number were associated with post-osimertinib progression.

Conclusions

Intracranial response to osimertinib is excellent for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC with de novo, previously untreated brain metastases. Very low local failure rates support a strategy of upfront osimertinib alone in selected patients.

Analysis and Visualization of Longitudinal Genomic and Clinical Data from the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative in cBioPortal

International cancer registries make real-world genomic and clinical data available, but their joint analysis remains a challenge. AACR Project GENIE, an international cancer registry collecting data from 19 cancer centers, makes data from >130,000 patients publicly available through the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics (https://genie.cbioportal.org). For 25,000 patients, additional real-world longitudinal clinical data, including treatment and outcome data, are being collected by the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative using the PRISSMM data curation model. Several thousand of these cases are now also available in cBioPortal. We have significantly enhanced the functionalities of cBioPortal to support the visualization and analysis of this rich clinico-genomic linked dataset, as well as datasets generated by other centers and consortia. Examples of these enhancements include (i) visualization of the longitudinal clinical and genomic data at the patient level, including timelines for diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes; (ii) the ability to select samples based on treatment status, facilitating a comparison of molecular and clinical attributes between samples before and after a specific treatment; and (iii) survival analysis estimates based on individual treatment regimens received. Together, these features provide cBioPortal users with a toolkit to interactively investigate complex clinico-genomic data to generate hypotheses and make discoveries about the impact of specific genomic variants on prognosis and therapeutic sensitivities in cancer.

SIGNIFICANCE

Enhanced cBioPortal features allow clinicians and researchers to effectively investigate longitudinal clinico-genomic data from patients with cancer, which will improve exploration of data from the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative and similar datasets.

Outcomes of Combination Platinum-Doublet Chemotherapy and Anti-PD(L)-1 Blockade in KRASG12C-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

Direct KRASG12C inhibitors are approved for patients with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) in the second-line setting. The standard-of-care for initial treatment remains immune checkpoint inhibitors, commonly in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy (chemo-immunotherapy). Outcomes to chemo-immunotherapy in this subgroup have not been well described. Our goal was to define the clinical outcomes to chemo-immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC with KRASG12C mutations.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Through next-generation sequencing, we identified patients with advanced NSCLC with KRAS mutations treated with chemo-immunotherapy at 2 institutions. The primary objective was to determine outcomes and determinants of response to first-line chemo-immunotherapy among patients with KRASG12C by evaluating objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). We assessed the impact of coalterations in STK11/KEAP1 on outcomes. As an exploratory objective, we compared the outcomes to chemo-immunotherapy in KRASG12C versus non-G12C groups.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty eight patients with KRASG12C treated with first-line chemo-immunotherapy were included. ORR was 41% (95% confidence interval (CI), 32-41), median PFS was 6.8 months (95%CI, 5.5-10), and median OS was 15 months (95%CI, 11-28). In a multivariable model for PFS, older age (P = .042), squamous cell histology (P = .008), poor ECOG performance status (PS) (P < .001), and comutations in KEAP1 and STK11 (KEAP1MUT/STK11MUT) (P = .015) were associated with worse PFS. In a multivariable model for OS, poor ECOG PS (P = .004) and KEAP1MUT/STK11MUT (P = .009) were associated with worse OS. Patients with KRASG12C (N = 138) experienced similar outcomes to chemo-immunotherapy compared to patients with non-KRASG12C (N = 185) for both PFS (P = .2) and OS (P = .053).

CONCLUSIONS

We define the outcomes to first-line chemo-immunotherapy in patients with KRASG12C, which provides a real-world benchmark for clinical trial design involving patients with KRASG12C mutations. Outcomes are poor in patients with specific molecular coalterations, highlighting the need to develop more effective frontline therapies.

Clinical and Molecular Features of Long-term Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

We sought to identify features of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who achieve long-term response (LTR) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), and how these might differ from features predictive of short-term response (STR).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs between 2011 and 2022. LTR and STR were defined as response ≥ 24 months and response < 12 months, respectively. Tumor programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), next-generation sequencing (NGS), and whole-exome sequencing (WES) data were analyzed to identify characteristics enriched in patients achieving LTR compared with STR and non-LTR.

RESULTS

Among 3,118 patients, 8% achieved LTR and 7% achieved STR, with 5-year overall survival (OS) of 81% and 18% among LTR and STR patients, respectively. High TMB (≥50th percentile) enriched for LTR compared with STR (P = 0.001) and non-LTR (P < 0.001). Whereas PD-L1 ≥ 50% enriched for LTR compared with non-LTR (P < 0.001), PD-L1 ≥ 50% did not enrich for LTR compared with STR (P = 0.181). Nonsquamous histology (P = 0.040) and increasing depth of response [median best overall response (BOR) -65% vs. -46%, P < 0.001] also associated with LTR compared with STR; no individual genomic alterations were uniquely enriched among LTR patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs, distinct features including high TMB, nonsquamous histology, and depth of radiographic improvement distinguish patients poised to achieve LTR compared with initial response followed by progression, whereas high PD-L1 does not.

Mesothelioma: Peritoneal, Version 2.2023, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer originating in mesothelial surfaces of the peritoneum, pleura, and other sites. These NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) focus on peritoneal mesothelioma (PeM). The NCCN Guidelines for PeM provide recommendations for workup, diagnosis, and treatment of primary as well as previously treated PeM. The diagnosis of PeM may be delayed because PeM mimics other diseases and conditions and because the disease is so rare. The pathology section was recently updated to include new information about markers used to identify mesothelioma, which is difficult to diagnose. The term "malignant" is no longer used to classify mesotheliomas, because all mesotheliomas are now defined as malignant.

Combination Therapy With MDM2 and MEK Inhibitors Is Effective in Patient-Derived Models of Lung Adenocarcinoma With Concurrent Oncogenic Drivers and MDM2 Amplification

INTRODUCTION

Although targeted therapies have revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs), disease progression on single-agent targeted therapy against known oncogenic drivers is common, and therapeutic options after disease progression are limited. In patients with MDM2 amplification (MDM2amp) and a concurrent oncogenic driver alteration, we hypothesized that targeting of the tumor-suppressor pathway (by means of restoration of p53 using MDM2 inhibition) and simultaneous targeting of co-occurring MAPK oncogenic pathway might represent a more durably effective therapeutic strategy.

METHODS

We evaluated genomic next-generation sequencing data using the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets platform to nominate potential targets for combination therapy in LUAD. We investigated the small molecule MDM2 inhibitor milademetan in cell lines and patient-derived xenografts of LUAD with a known driver alteration and MDM2amp.

RESULTS

Of 10,587 patient samples from 7121 patients with LUAD profiled by next-generation sequencing, 6% (410 of 7121) harbored MDM2amp. MDM2amp was significantly enriched among tumors with driver alterations in METex14 (36%, p < 0.001), EGFR (8%, p < 0.001), RET (12%, p < 0.01), and ALK (10%, p < 0.01). The combination of milademetan and the MEK inhibitor trametinib was synergistic in growth inhibition of ECLC5-GLx (TRIM33-RET/MDM2amp), LUAD12c (METex14/KRASG12S/MDM2amp), SW1573 (KRASG12C, TP53 wild type), and A549 (KRASG12S) cells and in increasing expression of proapoptotic proteins PUMA and BIM. Treatment of ECLC5-GLx and LUAD12c with single-agent milademetan increased ERK phosphorylation, consistent with previous data on ERK activation with MDM2 inhibition. This ERK activation was effectively suppressed by concomitant administration of trametinib. In contrast, ERK phosphorylation induced by milademetan was not suppressed by concurrent RET inhibition using selpercatinib (in ECLC5-GLx) or MET inhibition using capmatinib (in LUAD12c). In vivo, combination milademetan and trametinib was more effective than either agent alone in ECLC5-GLx, LX-285 (EGFRex19del/MDM2amp), L13BS1 (METex14/MDM2amp), and A549 (KRASG12S, TP53 wild type).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined MDM2/MEK inhibition was found to have efficacy across multiple patient-derived LUAD models harboring MDM2amp and concurrent oncogenic drivers. This combination, potentially applicable to LUADs with a wide variety of oncogenic driver mutations and kinase fusions activating the MAPK pathway, has evident clinical implications and will be investigated as part of a planned phase 1/2 clinical trial.

The GENIE BPC NSCLC Cohort: A Real-World Repository Integrating Standardized Clinical and Genomic Data for 1,846 Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

We describe the clinical and genomic landscape of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohort of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) Biopharma Collaborative (BPC).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

A total of 1,846 patients with NSCLC whose tumors were sequenced from 2014 to 2018 at four institutions participating in AACR GENIE were randomly chosen for curation using the PRISSMM data model. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated for patients treated with standard therapies.

RESULTS

In this cohort, 44% of tumors harbored a targetable oncogenic alteration, with EGFR (20%), KRAS G12C (13%), and oncogenic fusions (ALK, RET, and ROS1; 5%) as the most frequent. Median OS (mOS) on first-line platinum-based therapy without immunotherapy was 17.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 14.9-19.5 months]. For second-line therapies, mOS was 9.2 months (95% CI, 7.5-11.3 months) for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and 6.4 months (95% CI, 5.1-8.1 months) for docetaxel ± ramucirumab. In a subset of patients treated with ICI in the second-line or later setting, median RECIST PFS (2.5 months; 95% CI, 2.2-2.8) and median real-world PFS based on imaging reports (2.2 months; 95% CI, 1.7-2.6) were similar. In exploratory analysis of the impact of tumor mutational burden (TMB) on survival on ICI treatment in the second-line or higher setting, TMB z-score harmonized across gene panels was associated with improved OS (univariable HR, 0.85; P = 0.03; n = 247 patients).

CONCLUSIONS

The GENIE BPC cohort provides comprehensive clinicogenomic data for patients with NSCLC, which can improve understanding of real-world patient outcomes.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2023.2

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis; as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-da-living-guideline.

Early Changes in Circulating Cell-Free KRAS G12C Predict Response to Adagrasib in KRAS Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

PURPOSE

Non-invasive monitoring of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has the potential to be a readily available measure for early prediction of clinical response. Here, we report on early ctDNA changes of KRAS G12C in a Phase 2 trial of adagrasib in patients with advanced, KRAS G12C-mutant lung cancer.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We performed serial droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and plasma NGS on 60 KRAS G12C-mutant patients with lung cancer that participated in cohort A of the KRYSTAL-1 clinical trial. We analyzed the change in ctDNA at 2 specific intervals: Between cycles 1 and 2 and at cycle 4. Changes in ctDNA were compared with clinical and radiographic response.

RESULTS

We found that, in general, a maximal response in KRAS G12C ctDNA levels could be observed during the initial approximately 3-week treatment period, well before the first scan at approximately 6 weeks. 35 patients (89.7%) exhibited a decrease in KRAS G12C cfDNA >90% and 33 patients (84.6%) achieved complete clearance by cycle 2. Patients with complete ctDNA clearance at cycle 2 showed an improved objective response rate (ORR) compared with patients with incomplete ctDNA clearance (60.6% vs. 33.3%). Furthermore, complete ctDNA clearance at cycle 4 was associated with an improved overall survival (14.7 vs. 5.4 months) and progression-free survival (HR, 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS

These results support using early plasma response of KRAS G12C assessed at approximately 3 weeks to anticipate the likelihood of a favorable objective clinical response.

COVID-19 severity and cardiovascular outcomes in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with cancer and cardiovascular disease

Background

Data regarding outcomes among patients with cancer and co-morbid cardiovascular disease (CVD)/cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) after SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited.

Objectives

To compare Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related complications among cancer patients with and without co-morbid CVD/CVRF.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of patients with cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from 03/17/2020 to 12/31/2021. CVD/CVRF was defined as established CVD or no established CVD, male ≥ 55 or female ≥ 60 years, and one additional CVRF. The primary endpoint was an ordinal COVID-19 severity outcome including need for hospitalization, supplemental oxygen, intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation, ICU or mechanical ventilation plus vasopressors, and death. Secondary endpoints included incident adverse CV events. Ordinal logistic regression models estimated associations of CVD/CVRF with COVID-19 severity. Effect modification by recent cancer therapy was evaluated.

Results

Among 10,876 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with cancer (median age 65 [IQR 54-74] years, 53% female, 52% White), 6253 patients (57%) had co-morbid CVD/CVRF. Co-morbid CVD/CVRF was associated with higher COVID-19 severity (adjusted OR: 1.25 [95% CI 1.11-1.40]). Adverse CV events were significantly higher in patients with CVD/CVRF (all p<0.001). CVD/CVRF was associated with worse COVID-19 severity in patients who had not received recent cancer therapy, but not in those undergoing active cancer therapy (OR 1.51 [95% CI 1.31-1.74] vs. OR 1.04 [95% CI 0.90-1.20], pinteraction <0.001).

Conclusions

Co-morbid CVD/CVRF is associated with higher COVID-19 severity among patients with cancer, particularly those not receiving active cancer therapy. While infrequent, COVID-19 related CV complications were higher in patients with comorbid CVD/CVRF. (COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium Registry [CCC19]; NCT04354701).

Lorlatinib Tolerability and Association With Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Advanced ALK- or ROS1-Rearranged NSCLC: A Brief Report

Introduction

Treatment with lorlatinib for patients with advanced ALK- and ROS1-rearranged NSCLC (ALK+ and ROS1+ NSCLC) is associated with a unique set of adverse events (AEs) often requiring dose reduction. However, the impact of dose reductions on outcomes remains unclear and is mainly limited to analyses from prospective studies of lorlatinib in the first-line setting.

Methods

We reviewed the course of 144 patients with advanced ALK- or ROS1-rearranged NSCLC treated with lorlatinib in the second-line or later setting to assess the frequency of dose reductions resulting from treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) and the association between dose reductions and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

A total of 58 patients (40%) had TRAE-related dose reductions, most (59%) owing to neurocognitive AEs or neuropathy. Among all patients, the median PFS was 8.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.4-11.8); the median OS was 20.7 months (95% CI: 16.3-30.5). Among patients who were started on lorlatinib 100 mg/d (n = 122), a Cox regression model with the occurrence of a dose reduction as a time-dependent covariate indicated no association between dose reduction and PFS (hazard ratio = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.54-1.39) or OS (hazard ratio = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.47-1.30).

Conclusions

Lorlatinib dose reductions were not associated with inferior clinical outcomes in this multicenter analysis. Prompt identification of lorlatinib TRAEs and implementation of dose reductions may help maximize tolerability without compromising outcomes.

Randomized Phase 2 Placebo-Controlled Trial of Nintedanib for the Treatment of Radiation Pneumonitis

PURPOSE

Radiation pneumonitis (RP) is the most common dose-limiting toxicity for thoracic radiation therapy. Nintedanib is used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which shares pathophysiological pathways with the subacute phase of RP. Our goal was to investigate the efficacy and safety of nintedanib added to a prednisone taper compared with a prednisone taper alone in reducing pulmonary exacerbations in patients with grade 2 or higher (G2+) RP.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

In this phase 2, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, patients with newly diagnosed G2+ RP were randomized 1:1 to nintedanib or placebo in addition to a standard 8-week prednisone taper. The primary endpoint was freedom from pulmonary exacerbations at 1 year. Secondary endpoints included patient-reported outcomes and pulmonary function tests. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the probability of freedom from pulmonary exacerbations. The study was closed early due to slow accrual.

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients were enrolled between October 2015 and February 2020. Of 30 evaluable patients, 18 were randomized to the experimental Arm A (nintedanib + prednisone taper) and 12 to the control Arm B (placebo + prednisone taper). Freedom from exacerbation at 1 year was 72% (confidence interval, 54%-96%) in Arm A and 40% (confidence interval, 20%-82%) in Arm B (1-sided, P = .037). In Arm A, there were 16 G2+ adverse events possibly or probably related to treatment compared with 5 in the placebo arm. There were 3 deaths during the study period in Arm A due to cardiac failure, progressive respiratory failure, and pulmonary embolism.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an improvement in pulmonary exacerbations by the addition of nintedanib to a prednisone taper. Further investigation is warranted for the use of nintedanib for the treatment of RP.

Phase II, Open-Label Study of Encorafenib Plus Binimetinib in Patients With BRAFV600-Mutant Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

The combination of encorafenib (BRAF inhibitor) plus binimetinib (MEK inhibitor) has demonstrated clinical efficacy with an acceptable safety profile in patients with BRAFV600E/K-mutant metastatic melanoma. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of encorafenib plus binimetinib in patients with BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

In this ongoing, open-label, single-arm, phase II study, patients with BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC received oral encorafenib 450 mg once daily plus binimetinib 45 mg twice daily in 28-day cycles. The primary end point was confirmed objective response rate (ORR) by independent radiology review (IRR). Secondary end points included duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, time to response, and safety.

RESULTS

At data cutoff, 98 patients (59 treatment-naïve and 39 previously treated) with BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC received encorafenib plus binimetinib. Median duration of treatment was 9.2 months with encorafenib and 8.4 months with binimetinib. ORR by IRR was 75% (95% CI, 62 to 85) in treatment-naïve and 46% (95% CI, 30 to 63) in previously treated patients; median DOR was not estimable (NE; 95% CI, 23.1 to NE) and 16.7 months (95% CI, 7.4 to NE), respectively. DCR after 24 weeks was 64% in treatment-naïve and 41% in previously treated patients. Median PFS was NE (95% CI, 15.7 to NE) in treatment-naïve and 9.3 months (95% CI, 6.2 to NE) in previously treated patients. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were nausea (50%), diarrhea (43%), and fatigue (32%). TRAEs led to dose reductions in 24 (24%) and permanent discontinuation of encorafenib plus binimetinib in 15 (15%) patients. One grade 5 TRAE of intracranial hemorrhage was reported. Interactive visualization of the data presented in this article is available at the PHAROS dashboard (https://clinical-trials.dimensions.ai/pharos/).

CONCLUSION

For patients with treatment-naïve and previously treated BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC, encorafenib plus binimetinib showed a meaningful clinical benefit with a safety profile consistent with that observed in the approved indication in melanoma.

Efficacy of PD-(L)1 blockade monotherapy compared with PD-(L)1 blockade plus chemotherapy in first-line PD-L1-positive advanced lung adenocarcinomas: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Single-agent PD-(L)1 blockade (IO) alone or in combination with chemotherapy (Chemotherapy-IO) is approved first-line therapies in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) with PD-L1 expression ≥1%. These regimens have not been compared prospectively. The primary objective was to compare first-line efficacies of single-agent IO to Chemotherapy-IO in patients with advanced LUADs. Secondary objectives were to explore if clinical, pathological, and genomic features were associated with differential response to Chemotherapy-IO versus IO.

METHODS

This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria were patients with advanced LUADs with tumor PD-L1 ≥1% treated with first-line Chemotherapy-IO or IO. To compare the first-line efficacies of single-agent IO to Chemotherapy-IO, we conducted inverse probability weighted Cox proportional hazards models using estimated propensity scores.

RESULTS

The cohort analyzed included 866 patients. Relative to IO, Chemotherapy-IO was associated with improved objective response rate (ORR) (44% vs 35%, p=0.007) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with tumor PD-L1≥1% (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.97, p=0.021) or PD-L1≥50% (ORR 55% vs 38%, p<0.001; PFS HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.87, p=0.002). Using propensity-adjusted analyses, only never-smokers in the PD-L1≥50% subgroup derived a differential survival benefit from Chemotherapy-IO vs IO (p=0.013). Among patients with very high tumor PD-L1 expression (≥90%), there were no differences in outcome between treatment groups. No genomic factors conferred differential survival benefit to Chemotherapy-IO versus IO.

CONCLUSIONS

While the addition of chemotherapy to PD-(L)1 blockade increases the probability of initial response, never-smokers with tumor PD-L1≥50% comprise the only population identified that derived an apparent survival benefit with treatment intensification.

Clinical and Genomic Features of Response and Toxicity to Sotorasib in a Real-World Cohort of Patients With Advanced KRAS G12C-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

With the recent approval of the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib for patients with advanced KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is a new need to identify factors associated with activity and toxicity among patients treated in routine practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a multicenter retrospective study of patients treated with sotorasib outside of clinical trials to identify factors associated with real-world progression free survival (rwPFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity.

RESULTS

Among 105 patients with advanced KRAS G12C-mutant NSCLC treated with sotorasib, treatment led to a 5.3-month median rwPFS, 12.6-month median OS, and 28% real-world response rate. KEAP1 comutations were associated with shorter rwPFS and OS (rwPFS hazard ratio [HR], 3.19; P = .004; OS HR, 4.10; P = .003); no significant differences in rwPFS or OS were observed across TP53 (rwPFS HR, 1.10; P = .731; OS HR, 1.19; P = .631) or STK11 (rwPFS HR, 1.66; P = .098; OS HR, 1.73; P = .168) comutation status. Notably, almost all patients who developed grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (G3+ TRAEs) had previously been treated with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. Among these patients, anti-PD-(L)1 therapy exposure within 12 weeks of sotorasib was strongly associated with G3+ TRAEs (P < .001) and TRAE-related sotorasib discontinuation (P = .014). Twenty-eight percent of patients with recent anti-PD-(L)1 therapy exposure experienced G3+ TRAEs, most commonly hepatotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

Among patients treated with sotorasib in routine practice, KEAP1 comutations were associated with resistance and recent anti-PD-(L)1 therapy exposure was associated with toxicity. These observations may help guide use of sotorasib in the clinic and may help inform the next generation of KRAS G12C-targeted clinical trials.

Clinicopathologic outcomes of preoperative targeted therapy in patients with clinical stage I to III non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

Targeted therapy improves outcomes in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in the adjuvant setting, but data on its use before surgery are limited. We sought to investigate the safety and feasibility of preoperative targeted therapy in patients with operable NSCLC.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 51 patients with clinical stage I to III NSCLC who received targeted therapy, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, before surgical resection with curative intent, treated from 2004 to 2021. The primary outcome was the safety and feasibility of preoperative targeted therapy; secondary outcomes included objective response rate, major pathologic response (defined as ≤10% viable tumor) rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival.

RESULTS

Of the 51 patients included, 46 had an activating epidermal growth factor receptor gene alteration and 5 had an anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusion. Overall, 37 of 46 evaluable patients experienced at least 1 adverse event before surgery; however, only 3 patients experienced a grade 3 or 4 event. The objective response rate was 38% (17/45) for all evaluable patients and 44% (14/32) for patients with clinical stage II or III disease. The major pathologic response rate was 20% (9/44); 2 patients had a complete pathologic response. Median RFS was 3.8 years (95% CI, 2.8 to not reached). Targeted therapy alone was associated with better RFS than combination therapy (P = .009) in patients with clinical stage II or III disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative targeted therapy was well tolerated and associated with good outcomes, with or without induction chemotherapy. In addition, radiographic response and pathologic response were strongly correlated.

Brief Report: Combination of Osimertinib and Dacomitinib to Mitigate Primary and Acquired Resistance in EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinomas

PURPOSE

Primary and acquired resistance to osimertinib remain significant challenges for patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancers. Acquired EGFR alterations such as EGFR T790M or C797S mediate resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and combination therapy with dual EGFR TKIs may prevent or reverse on-target resistance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted two prospective, phase I/II trials assessing combination osimertinib and dacomitinib to address on-target resistance in the primary and acquired resistance settings. In the initial therapy study, patients received dacomitinib and osimertinib in combination as initial therapy. In the acquired resistance trial, dacomitinib with or without osimertinib was administered to patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancers with disease progression on osimertinib alone and evidence of an acquired EGFR second-site mutation.

RESULTS

Cutaneous toxicities occurred in 93% (any grade) of patients and diarrhea in 72% (any grade) with the combination. As initial therapy, the overall response to the combination was 73% [95% confidence interval (CI), 50%-88%]. No acquired secondary alterations in EGFR were observed in any patients at progression. In the acquired resistance setting, the overall response was 14% (95% CI, 1%-58%).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed no acquired secondary EGFR alterations with dual inhibition of EGFR as up-front treatment, but this regimen was associated with greater toxicity. The combination was not effective in reversing acquired resistance after development of a second-site acquired EGFR alteration. Our study highlights the need to develop better strategies to address on-target resistance in patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancers.

Genomic mapping of metastatic organotropism in lung adenocarcinoma

We analyzed 2,532 lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) to identify the clinicopathological and genomic features associated with metastasis, metastatic burden, organotropism, and metastasis-free survival. Patients who develop metastasis are younger and male, with primary tumors enriched in micropapillary or solid histological subtypes and with a higher mutational burden, chromosomal instability, and fraction of genome doublings. Inactivation of TP53, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A are correlated with a site-specific shorter time to metastasis. The APOBEC mutational signature is more prevalent among metastases, particularly liver lesions. Analyses of matched specimens show that oncogenic and actionable alterations are frequently shared between primary tumors and metastases, whereas copy number alterations of unknown significance are more often private to metastases. Only 4% of metastases harbor therapeutically actionable alterations undetected in their matched primaries. Key clinicopathological and genomic alterations in our cohort were externally validated. In summary, our analysis highlights the complexity of clinicopathological features and tumor genomics in LUAD organotropism.

Abstract 6127: MDM2 inhibition in combination with MEK inhibition in pre-clinical models of lung adenocarcinomas with MDM2 amplification

The eventual development of resistance to single-agent targeted therapies in lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) is inevitable, and new strategies are needed. We hypothesize that combination therapies aimed at a known driver and a distinct targetable alteration could prolong time on oral targeted therapy. In an analysis of 7636 patients with LUAD who underwent MSK-IMPACT large panel NGS testing, 5.5% (416/7636) harbored MDM2 amplification (MDM2amp), a known mechanism of TP53 inactivation. MDM2amp was over-represented among tumors with alterations in METex14 (34.4%, p&lt;0.001), EGFR (10%, p&lt;0.001), RET (11%, p&lt;0.05), and ALK (9.9%, p&lt;0.002). The small molecule MDM2 inhibitor milademetan (mila) caused growth inhibition as a single-agent in MDM2amp patient-derived cell lines with concurrent kinase alterations including ECLC5-GLx (MDM2amp/TRIM33::RET/TP53 wildtype (WT)) and LUAD12c (MDM2amp/METex14/KRASG12S/TP53 WT). Mila also caused growth inhibition in a cell line with KRASG12C and WT TP53 without MDM2amp (SW1573 (KRASG12C/TP53WT)), but not in cell lines with TP53 mutations (LUAD-002AS1 (KIF5B::RET/TP53P128fs, H1792 (KRASG12C/TP53 splice site mut)). Treatment of ECLC5-GLx and LUAD12c with mila resulted in restoration of ERK phosphorylation, confirming a previous report of ERK activation upon MDM2 inhibition. At 48 hours, ERK phosphorylation was suppressed by concurrent mila and MEK inhibition using trametinib (tram). In contrast, ERK phosphorylation was not suppressed by concurrent mila and KIF5B::RET inhibition using selpercatinib (in ECLC5-GLx) or MET inhibition using capmatinib (in LUAD12c). The combination of mila+tram was synergistic in slowing growth of ECLC5-GLx, LUAD12c, and SW1573 cells, and increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins PUMA and BIM, beyond that achieved by either agent alone. In ECLC5-GLx, mila+tram also caused increased apoptotic cells measured by Annexin-V compared to either agent alone (combination p&lt;0.01 compared to mila, p&lt;0.001 compared to tram). In vivo, combination mila+tram was more effective than mila or tram alone in ECLC5-GLx (p&lt;0.0001 and p&lt;0.0001, respectively), LX-285 (EGFRex19del/MDM2amp) (p&lt;0.0001 and p&lt;0.0001, respectively), and L-13BS1 (model resistant to capmatinib) (METex14/MDM2amp) (p&lt;0.05 and p&lt;0.0001, respectively). These results suggest that combined MDM2/MEK inhibition is effective in patient-derived LUAD models harboring MDM2amp. This combination, potentially applicable to LUADs with a wide variety of oncogenic driver mutations and kinase fusions will be investigated as part of a phase 1/2 clinical trial.

Citation Format: Arielle Elkrief, Vladimir Markov, Álvaro Quintanal-Villalonga, Rebecca Caeser, Pawel Sobczuk, Emily Cheng, Alexander Drilon, Gregory J. Riely, William W. Lockwood, Elisa de Stanchina, Charles M. Rudin, Igor Odintsov, Romel Somwar. MDM2 inhibition in combination with MEK inhibition in pre-clinical models of lung adenocarcinomas with MDM2 amplification [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6127.

Abstract 5185: Intratumoral Escherichia is associated with response to single-agent immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The impact of the intratumoral microbiome on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy in patients (pts) with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. In preclinical studies, the presence of lung intratumoral Escherichia was associated with a proinflammatory tumor microenvironment and decreased metastases within lung tissue. We sought to detect intratumoral bacteria in pts with advanced NSCLC using hybrid capture-based, next generation sequencing (NGS). We studied 849 pts treated with ICI-based therapy who underwent NGS at our center. We extracted unmapped reads from BAM files, and these were queried for bacteria (blastn alignment using the NCBI database). Putative environmental contaminants were subtracted from the analysis using “no template” controls (n=2,539) to exclude possible artifactual false positives. A custom E.Coli fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe was used to visualize Escherichia within the tumors after co-registration with H&E. In 849 pts, a median of 30 bacterial reads was detected per sample (inter-quartile range (18-85)). Among 68 pts with paired primary/metastatic samples, the bacterial spectra were similar in both sites, suggesting that tumor resident bacteria might travel with cancer cells to distant sites. Antibiotic use within 30 days of tumor sampling was associated with decreased intratumoral bacterial diversity (p=0.023 by Inverse Simpson, p=0.038 by Shannon). Intratumoral Escherichia was associated with better PFS (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.62-0.98, p=0.036), and OS (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95, p=0.017) in pts treated with single-agent ICI, but not combination Chemo/ICI. In a multivariable model adjusting for prognostic features in NSCLC including PD-L1 tumor proportion score, the presence of intratumoral Escherichia was associated with better PFS (p=0.040) and OS (p=0.045) upon single-agent ICI therapy. Escherichia appeared to be intracellular based on co-registration of FISH staining and serial H&E sections. These findings warrant further investigation of the possible inter-relationships between intratumoral Escherichia, tumor immune micro-environment, and ICI therapeutic outcomes.

Citation Format: Arielle Elkrief, Anita S. Bowman, Ayyuce Begum Bektas, Wenfei Kang, Katia Manova-Todorova, Jacklynn V. Egger, Hira Rizvi, Daniel Kelly, Eric Chan, Eric Rosiek, Fan Ning, Gregory J. Riely, Álvaro Quintanal Villalonga, Snjezana Dogan, Umesh Bhanot, Mithat Gonen, Matthew D. Hellmann, Adam J. Schoenfeld, Charles M. Rudin, Marc Ladanyi, Chad M. Vanderbilt. Intratumoral Escherichia is associated with response to single-agent immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5185.

Abstract 4260: Understanding genomic and social determinants of cancer immunotherapy outcome across ancestry

Compared with previous standards of care, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has brought significant improvements in survival and quality of life for lung cancer patients. However, only a small proportion of these patients respond durably. People with different ancestries differ probabilistically in genetic factors, environmental exposures, and socio-economic conditions. Whether patients of different ancestry benefit equally from ICIs remains unclear.

We studied the impact of genomic ancestry, tumor genomics, and social determinants of health (SDH) factors and factors that are impacted from SDH including recorded race/ethnicity, inferred low-income status from patient zip codes, exposure to smoking, and BMI on ICI response, defined by cancer progression-free survival (PFS, minimum 6 months FU), for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with MSK-IMPACT targeted panel sequencing. This FDA approved assay includes matched tumor-white blood cell sequencing to distinguish germline from somatic variants and has been applied to 1,802 NSCLC patients who received ICI treatment, including 81 and 117 patients with at least 80% of African (AFR) and East Asian (EAS) ancestry, respectively. Moreover, 173 samples were derived from admixed patients with more than one major ancestry.

We first used a natural language processing (NLP) model to obtain PFS from free-text clinical notes. A multivariable cox proportional hazard model was then used to associate PFS with ancestry, race, smoking status, ICI drug regimen, PD-L1 status, disease stage, tumor mutational burden (TMB), inferred income, and BMI. Neither genetic ancestry nor self-reported race/ethnicity was associated with the PFS. Moreover, ICI drug regimen types, low-income status, and BMI were not associated with PFS in our cohort. TMB-high was associated with longer PFS across all ancestries, although TMB was lower in patients with EAS ancestry (Median 7.9 vs. 5.3 mut/Mb, p&lt;0.001).

These results suggest that the benefits of ICI extend across ancestry, race, and income lines in a single institution, arguing for more equitable patient access to these medications. We also show that TMB is a generalizable biomarker for ICI outcome across ancestries. However, more diverse patient populations are needed to understand whether there is ancestry-specificity in other ICI outcome biomarkers.

Citation Format: Christopher J. Fong, Michele Waters, Karl Pichotta, Justin Jee, Devika R. Jutagir, David Ma, Tomin Perea-Chamblee, Susie Kim, Kanika Arora, Brooke Mastrogiacomo, Thinh Tran, Steven Maron, Mirella Altoe, Anisha Luthra, Joseph Kholodenko, Arfath Patha, Doori Rose, Michael F. Berger, Gregory J. Riely, Nikolaus Schultz, Sanna Goyert, Adam Schoenfeld, Francesca Gany, Jian Carrot-Zhang. Understanding genomic and social determinants of cancer immunotherapy outcome across ancestry. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4260.

Abstract 4259: Identification of anti-neoplastic therapy given before initial visit at a referral center using natural language processing applied to medical oncology initial consultation notes

Anticancer therapy changes tumor physiology and genomics, making it a key variable in cancer studies. Although antineoplastics given at a single institution may be available in research-ready format, treatment at external institutions prior to receiving care at academic medical centers, common among patients at these centers, is often only described in free-text clinical notes, necessitating manual curation for downstream analysis. To overcome this bottleneck, we trained and validated natural language processing (NLP) models using initial consult notes to identify whether patients had received treatment at external institutions and studied the impact of these putative treatments on tumor genomics.

Training data were derived from the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative (BPC) for 2,663 patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) across four cancer types. For each patient, we selected initial visits with medical and radiation oncologists based on an a priori note prioritization scheme and determined “ground-truth” prior external medications based on manually curated BPC administration records, whitelisting MSK-given medications. We trained logistic regression and clinical longformer models to identify external treatment receipt and evaluated model performance with 5-fold cross-validation. The clinical longformer model performed best across evaluation metrics, with an average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.972, macro-averaged precision/recall of 0.854/0.902 and macro-averaged F1 score of 0.876. Re-review of discrepant cases suggested that 75% of “false positives” may be due to curation error.

We used our model to infer treatment status in a pan-cancer cohort with tumor genomic profiling using our institutional sequencing platform. Out of 48,447 patients, 11,900 were predicted to have received external treatment. Patients with putative external treatment had higher alteration frequencies in resistance-related genes than untreated patients and comparable to known pre-treated patients, including ESR1 in patients with breast cancer, AR in patients with prostate cancer, and EGFR T790M in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Patients with putative external treatments, similar to known pre-treated patients, had shorter survival compared to treatment-naïve patients of the same cancer type.

NLP can abstract external treatment status from clinical notes. When applied at scale, our model could help mitigate confounding variables and identify relationships between clinicogenomic variables and anticancer therapy.

Citation Format: Thinh N. Tran, Karl B. Pichotta, Si-Yang Liu, Christopher Fong, Anisha Luthra, Brooke Mastrogiacomo, Steven Maron, Deborah Schrag, Sohrab P. Shah, Pedram Razavi, Bob T. Li, Gregory J. Riely, Nikolaus Schultz, Justin Jee. Identification of anti-neoplastic therapy given before initial visit at a referral center using natural language processing applied to medical oncology initial consultation notes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4259.

Abstract 5721: Automated annotation for large-scale clinicogenomic models of lung cancer treatment response and overall survival

The digitization of health records and prompt availability of tumor DNA sequencing results offer a chance to study the determinants of cancer outcomes with unprecedented richness; however, abstraction of key attributes from free text presents a major limitation to large-scale analyses. Using natural language processing (NLP), we derived sites of metastasis, prior treatment at outside institutions, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels, and smoking status from records of patients with tumor sequencing to create a richly annotated clinicogenomic cohort. We sought to define whether combining features would improve models of overall survival (OS) and treatment response as validated in a multi-institution, manually curated cohort. We leveraged the manually curated AACR GENIE Biopharma Collaborative (BPC) dataset to train NLP algorithms to abstract the aforementioned features from overlapping records available at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). All models achieved precision and recall &gt; 0.85. We deployed these algorithms to records of all MSK patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and tumor profiling with our FDA-authorized institutional targeted sequencing platform (N=7,015). These labels were combined with genomic, demographic, histopathologic, internal treatment and staging data to train random survival forests (RSF) to predict OS and time-to-next-treatment (TTNT) for molecularly targeted and immunotherapies. RSFs trained on the MSK NSCLC cohort were validated with the curated, non-MSK BPC NSCLC cohort (N=977). The addition of NLP-derived variables to genomic features enhanced RSF predictive power for OS (c-index, 10x bootstrap 95%CI: 0.58, 0.57-0.59 vs 0.75, 0.74-0.76 combined) and targeted and immunotherapy TTNT. The size of the MSK NSCLC cohort enabled discovery of associations between metastatic sites, PD-L1 status, genomics, and TTNTs not apparent in the smaller BPC cohort. We measured the added predictive value of variables not available in BPC with MSK-only cross-validation analyses. White blood cell differential counts and additional tissue genomic features including tumor mutational burden and fraction genome altered added minimally, while circulating tumor DNA sequencing added prognostic power for OS over other factors including disease burden

Using NLP we present a large NSCLC cohort with rich clinicoradiographic annotation, leading to superior models of patient outcomes. Our data uncovers associations not observed in smaller, manually curated cohorts and provides a foundation for further research in therapy choice and prognostication.

Citation Format: Justin Jee, Chris Fong, Karl Pichotta, Thinh Tran, Anisha Luthra, Mirella Altoe, Steven Maron, Ronglai Shen, Si-Yang Liu, Michele Waters, Joseph Kholodenko, Brooke Mastrogiacomo, Susie Kim, A Rose Brannon, Michael F. Berger, Axel Martin, Jason Chang, Anton Safonov, Jorge S. Reis-Filho, Deborah Schrag, Sohrab P. Shah, Pedram Razavi, Bob T. Li, Gregory J. Riely, Nikolaus Schultz. Automated annotation for large-scale clinicogenomic models of lung cancer treatment response and overall survival. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5721.

Molecular Biomarkers of Disease Outcomes and Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance to First-Line Osimertinib in Advanced EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancers

INTRODUCTION

Preferred first-line treatment for patients with metastatic EGFR-mutant lung cancer is osimertinib, yet it is not known whether patient outcomes may be improved by identifying and intervening on molecular markers associated with therapeutic resistance.

METHODS

All patients with metastatic EGFR-mutant lung cancer treated with first-line osimertinib at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (n = 327) were identified. Available pretreatment and postprogression tumor samples underwent targeted gene panel sequencing and mutational signature analysis using SigMA algorithm. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

Using multivariate analysis, baseline atypical EGFR (median PFS = 5.8 mo, p < 0.001) and concurrent TP53/RB1 alterations (median PFS = 10.5 mo, p = 0.015) were associated with shorter PFS on first-line osimertinib. Of 95 patients with postprogression biopsies, acquired resistance mechanisms were identified in 52% (off-target, n = 24; histologic transformation, n = 14; on-target, n = 12), with MET amplification (n = 9), small cell lung transformation (n = 7), and acquired EGFR amplification (n = 7), the most frequently identified mechanisms. Although there was no difference in postprogression survival on the basis of identified resistance (p = 0.07), patients with subsequent second-line therapy tailored to postprogression biopsy results had improved postprogression survival (hazard ratio = 0.09, p = 0.006). The paired postprogression tumors had higher tumor mutational burden (p = 0.008) and further dominant APOBEC mutational signatures (p = 0.07) compared with the pretreatment samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer treated with first-line osimertinib have improved survival with treatment adaptation on the basis of identified mechanisms of resistance at time of progression using tissue-based genomic analysis. Further survival gains may be achieved using risk-based treatment adaptation of pretreatment genomic alterations.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Version 2.2023

The NCCN Guidelines for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) provide recommendations for management of disease in patients with NSCLC. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on neoadjuvant and adjuvant (also known as perioperative) systemic therapy options for eligible patients with resectable NSCLC.

Safety and clinical activity of atezolizumab plus erlotinib in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Acquired resistance limits long-term epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) efficacy in patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in whom anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) efficacy is also limited. We hypothesized that combining atezolizumab with erlotinib could enhance antitumor immunity and extend efficacy in these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This open-label phase Ib trial was conducted in adults aged ≥18 years who had advanced, unresectable NSCLC. Stage 1 (safety evaluation) enrolled EGFR TKI-naive patients regardless of EGFR status. Stage 2 (expansion) enrolled patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with ≤1 prior non-EGFR TKI therapy. Patients received 150 mg erlotinib orally once daily. After a 7-day erlotinib run-in, atezolizumab 1200 mg was administered intravenously every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the safety and tolerability of the combination in all patients; secondary endpoints included antitumor activity per RECIST 1.1 in stage 2 patients.

RESULTS

At the data cut-off on 7 May 2020, 28 patients (8 in stage 1, 20 in stage 2) were assessable for safety. No dose-limiting toxicities or grade 4 or 5 treatment-related adverse events occurred. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 46% of patients; the most common were increased alanine aminotransferase, diarrhea, pyrexia, and rash (each in 7% of patients). Serious adverse events occurred in 50% of patients. Pneumonitis (grade 1) was reported in a single patient (4%). The objective response rate was 75% [95% confidence interval (CI) 50.9% to 91.3%]), median response duration was 18.9 months (95% CI 9.5-40.5 months), median progression-free survival was 15.4 months (95% CI 8.4-39.0 months), and median overall survival was not estimable (NE) (95% CI 34.6-NE).

CONCLUSIONS

Atezolizumab combined with erlotinib demonstrated a tolerable safety profile and encouraging, durable clinical activity in patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Without Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.2

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis, as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See Appendix 1 (online only) for disclaimers and other important information. Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-non-da-living-guideline.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.2

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis, as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See Appendix 1 (online only) for disclaimers and other important information. Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-da-living-guideline.

Real-world clinicopathological and molecular characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes in patients with KRAS G12C–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer in AACR Project GENIE

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Background: KRAS mutation accounts for ~37% of colorectal cancer (CRC), with KRAS G12C occurring in ~3% of CRC tumors. KRAS G12C mutation is associated with poorer prognosis in terms of real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to other KRAS mutations and KRAS wild-type. As KRAS G12C mutated metastatic CRC (mCRC) is recognized as a discrete potentially druggable target, there is a need to further describe this patient population. This retrospective cohort study provides real-world clinicopathological and molecular characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes (OS, rwPFS) in patients with KRAS G12C mutated mCRC. Methods: Adult (≥18 years old) patients diagnosed between 01 January 2009 and 01 February 2019 with KRAS G12C mutated mCRC were assessed from three US academic centers in AACR Project GENIE: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Patient characteristics and treatment patterns were reported, and median OS and rwPFS by line of therapy (LOT) were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method, including exploratory analyses by co-mutation profile. Results: Among 71 mCRC patients, median age at initial diagnosis was 52.1 years, 59% were women, 83% were White, and 68% had initial stage 4 disease. Co-mutations with an oncogenic, likely oncogenic, or predicted oncogenic OncoKB annotation were assessed, and the most commonly observed were APC in 79% of patients, TP53 in 63%, and PIK3CA in 20%. Only 8% of patients had high tumor mutational burden (>10 mut/Mb), and no patients had microsatellite instability-high among those measured (n=48). Most patients (71%) had evidence of surgical resection in the metastatic setting. Nearly all (93%) patients had received systemic therapy: 15 (23%) had only one LOT, 20 (30%) had only two LOTs, and 31 (47%) had three or more. Most patients received oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based regimens in the first two LOTs. Median OS from the start of first LOT was 33.5 months (95% CI: 26.9, 37.1), 20.7 months (95% CI: 6.4, 23.2) from start of second LOT, and 15.8 months (95% CI: 3.1, 23.4) from start of third LOT. Median rwPFS from start of first LOT was 20.9 months (95% CI: 8.4, 32.0), 4.0 months (95% CI: 2.2, 9.7) from start of second LOT, and 3.1 months (95% CI: 1.1, 7.2) from start of third LOT. Patients with FBXW7 co-mutation had shorter OS and patients with PIK3CA co-mutation had longer rwPFS, compared to those with KRAS G12C alone. Conclusions: In this select patient cohort with KRAS G12C mutated mCRC from US academic centers, outcomes, particularly rwPFS, were poor in later lines of therapy. Frontline OS and rwPFS were longer than in other similar studies, which may be attributable to the young median age and high proportion of surgical resection in the metastatic setting observed in this cohort.

Molecular Characterization of Acquired Resistance to KRASG12C-EGFR Inhibition in Colorectal Cancer

With the combination of KRASG12C and EGFR inhibitors, KRAS is becoming a druggable target in colorectal cancer. However, secondary resistance limits its efficacy. Using cell lines, patient-derived xenografts, and patient samples, we detected a heterogeneous pattern of putative resistance alterations expected primarily to prevent inhibition of ERK signaling by drugs at progression. Serial analysis of patient blood samples on treatment demonstrates that most of these alterations are detected at a low frequency except for KRASG12C amplification, a recurrent resistance mechanism that rises in step with clinical progression. Upon drug withdrawal, resistant cells with KRASG12C amplification undergo oncogene-induced senescence, and progressing patients experience a rapid fall in levels of this alteration in circulating DNA. In this new state, drug resumption is ineffective as mTOR signaling is elevated. However, our work exposes a potential therapeutic vulnerability, whereby therapies that target the senescence response may overcome acquired resistance.

SIGNIFICANCE

Clinical resistance to KRASG12C-EGFR inhibition primarily prevents suppression of ERK signaling. Most resistance mechanisms are subclonal, whereas KRASG12C amplification rises over time to drive a higher portion of resistance. This recurrent resistance mechanism leads to oncogene-induced senescence upon drug withdrawal and creates a potential vulnerability to senolytic approaches. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1.

Characterization and management of adverse events observed with mobocertinib (TAK-788) treatment for EGFR exon 20 insertion-positive non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Mobocertinib has demonstrated durable clinical benefit in platinum-pretreated patients (PPP) with epidermal growth factor receptor exon 20 insertion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Pooled safety analysis of two studies included patients with NSCLC (N = 257) treated with the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of mobocertinib (160 mg once daily). We report overall safety (treatment-emergent adverse events [TEAEs]) in the RP2D population; characterization of GI and skin-related events in 114 PPP from a phase 1/2 study (NCT02716116); and clinical activity in PPP with and without dose reductions due to TEAEs.

RESULTS

In the RP2D population (N = 257), the most common TEAEs were diarrhea (93%), nausea (47%), rash (38%), and vomiting (37%). In PPP (N = 114), median times to diarrhea onset and resolution were 5 and 2 days, respectively. Median times to onset and resolution of skin-related events were 9 and 78 days, respectively. Among PPP with (n = 29) or without (n = 85) dose reductions due to TEAEs, overall response rates were 21% and 31% and median durations of response were 5.7 and 17.5 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

GI and skin-related events are common with mobocertinib; minimizing dose reductions with proactive management may improve clinical outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02716116; NCT03807778.

Interplay of Immunosuppression and Immunotherapy Among Patients With Cancer and COVID-19

Importance

Cytokine storm due to COVID-19 can cause high morbidity and mortality and may be more common in patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy (IO) due to immune system activation.

Objective

To determine the association of baseline immunosuppression and/or IO-based therapies with COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm in patients with cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This registry-based retrospective cohort study included 12 046 patients reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from March 2020 to May 2022. The CCC19 registry is a centralized international multi-institutional registry of patients with COVID-19 with a current or past diagnosis of cancer. Records analyzed included patients with active or previous cancer who had a laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction and/or serologic findings.

Exposures

Immunosuppression due to therapy; systemic anticancer therapy (IO or non-IO).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was a 5-level ordinal scale of COVID-19 severity: no complications; hospitalized without requiring oxygen; hospitalized and required oxygen; intensive care unit admission and/or mechanical ventilation; death. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of cytokine storm.

Results

The median age of the entire cohort was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR], 54-74) years and 6359 patients were female (52.8%) and 6598 (54.8%) were non-Hispanic White. A total of 599 (5.0%) patients received IO, whereas 4327 (35.9%) received non-IO systemic anticancer therapies, and 7120 (59.1%) did not receive any antineoplastic regimen within 3 months prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Although no difference in COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm was found in the IO group compared with the untreated group in the total cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.13, and aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.41-1.93, respectively), patients with baseline immunosuppression treated with IO (vs untreated) had worse COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm (aOR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.38-8.01, and aOR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.71-11.38, respectively). Patients with immunosuppression receiving non-IO therapies (vs untreated) also had worse COVID-19 severity (aOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.36-2.35) and cytokine storm (aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.42-3.79).

Conclusions and Relevance

This cohort study found that in patients with cancer and COVID-19, administration of systemic anticancer therapies, especially IO, in the context of baseline immunosuppression was associated with severe clinical outcomes and the development of cytokine storm.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04354701.

Mobocertinib (TAK-788) in EGFR Exon 20 Insertion+ Metastatic NSCLC: Patient-Reported Outcomes from EXCLAIM Extension Cohort

Mobocertinib, an oral, first-in-class epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor selective for EGFR exon 20 insertions (ex20ins), achieved durable responses in adults with previously treated EGFR ex20ins+ metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) in the EXCLAIM extension cohort of a phase 1/2 study (N = 96; NCT02716116). We assessed patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with mobocertinib 160 mg once daily (28-day cycles) in EXCLAIM (N = 90) with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) v3.0, lung cancer module (QLQ-LC13), EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire, and selected PRO Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) questionnaire. Median treatment duration was 6.8 (range, 0.0-18.8) months (median follow-up: 13.0 [0.7-18.8] months; data cutoff: 1 November 2020). Clinically meaningful improvements in lung cancer symptoms measured by EORTC QLQ-LC13 were observed for dyspnea (54.4% of patients), cough (46.7%), and chest pain (38.9%), evident at cycle 2 and throughout treatment (least-squares mean [LSM] changes from baseline: dyspnea, -3.2 [p = 0.019]; cough, -9.3 [p < 0.001]; chest pain, -8.2 [p < 0.001]). EORTC QLQ-C30 results indicated no statistically significant changes in global health status/quality of life (LSM change from baseline: -1.8 [p = 0.235]). On symptom scores, significant worsening from baseline was observed for diarrhea (LSM change from baseline: +34.1; p < 0.001) and appetite loss (+6.6; p = 0.004), while improvements were observed for dyspnea (LSM change from baseline: -5.1 [p = 0.002]), insomnia (-6.5 [p = 0.001]), and constipation (-5.7 [p < 0.001]). EQ-5D-5L health status was maintained. Common PRO-CTCAE symptoms were diarrhea, dry skin, rash, and decreased appetite (mostly low grade); in the first 24 weeks of treatment, 64.4% of patients had worsening diarrhea frequency and 67.8% had worsening dry skin severity. Overall, PROs with mobocertinib showed clinically meaningful improvement in lung cancer-related symptoms, with health-related quality of life maintained despite changes in some adverse event symptom scales.

Clinical Trial Participation Among Older Adult Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries With Cancer

Importance

Clinical trials play a critical role in the development of novel cancer therapies, and precise estimates of the frequency with which older adult patients with cancer participate in clinical trials are lacking.

Objective

To estimate the proportion of older adult Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries with cancer who participate in interventional cancer clinical trials, using a novel population-based methodology.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this retrospective cohort study evaluating clinical trial participation among older adult patients with cancer from January 1, 2014, through June 30, 2020, claims data from Medicare FFS were linked with the ClinicalTrials.gov to determine trial participation through the unique National Clinical Trial (NCT) identifier. The proportion of patients with newly diagnosed or newly recurrent cancer in 2015 participating in an interventional clinical trial and receiving active cancer treatment from January 2014 to June 2020 was estimated. Data analysis was performed from November 18, 2020, to November 1, 2021.

Exposures

Patients with cancer aged 65 years or older with Medicare FFS insurance, with and without active cancer treatment.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Enrollment in clinical trials among all patients with cancer 65 years and older and among patients receiving active cancer treatments as defined by the presence of at least 1 NCT identifier corresponding to an interventional cancer clinical trial in Medicare claims.

Results

Among 1 150 978 patients (mean [SD] age, 75.7 [8.4] years; 49.9% men and 50.1% women) with newly diagnosed or newly recurrent cancer in 2015, 12 028 (1.0%) patients had a billing claim with an NCT identifier indicating enrollment in an interventional cancer clinical trial between January 2014 and June 2020. In a subset of 429 343 patients with active cancer treatment, 8360 (1.9%) were enrolled in 1 or more interventional trials. Patients enrolled in a trial tended to be younger, male, a race other than Black, and residing in zip codes with high median incomes.

Conclusions and Relevance

Findings of this cohort study show that clinical trial enrollment among older adult patients with cancer remains low, with only 1.0% to 1.9% of patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent cancer in 2015 participating in an interventional cancer clinical trial as measured by the presence of NCT identifiers in Medicare claims. These data provide a contemporary estimate of trial enrollment, persistent disparities in trial participation, and only limited progress in trial access over the past 2 decades.

Genomic analysis of early-stage lung cancer reveals a role for TP53 mutations in distant metastasis

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have distant metastases have a poor prognosis. To determine which genomic factors of the primary tumor are associated with metastasis, we analyzed data from 759 patients originally diagnosed with stage I-III NSCLC as part of the AACR Project GENIE Biopharma Collaborative consortium. We found that TP53 mutations were significantly associated with the development of new distant metastases. TP53 mutations were also more prevalent in patients with a history of smoking, suggesting that these patients may be at increased risk for distant metastasis. Our results suggest that additional investigation of the optimal management of patients with early-stage NSCLC harboring TP53 mutations at diagnosis is warranted in light of their higher likelihood of developing new distant metastases.

Genomic Landscapes and Hallmarks of Mutant RAS in Human Cancers

The RAS family of small GTPases represents the most commonly activated oncogenes in human cancers. To better understand the prevalence of somatic RAS mutations and the compendium of genes that are coaltered in RAS-mutant tumors, we analyzed targeted next-generation sequencing data of 607,863 mutations from 66,372 tumors in 51 cancer types in the AACR Project GENIE Registry. Bayesian hierarchical models were implemented to estimate the cancer-specific prevalence of RAS and non-RAS somatic mutations, to evaluate co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity, and to model the effects of tumor mutation burden and mutational signatures on comutation patterns. These analyses revealed differential RAS prevalence and comutations with non-RAS genes in a cancer lineage-dependent and context-dependent manner, with differences across age, sex, and ethnic groups. Allele-specific RAS co-mutational patterns included an enrichment in NTRK3 and chromatin-regulating gene mutations in KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Integrated multiomic analyses of 10,217 tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) revealed distinct genotype-driven gene expression programs pointing to differential recruitment of cancer hallmarks as well as phenotypic differences and immune surveillance states in the tumor microenvironment of RAS-mutant tumors. The distinct genomic tracks discovered in RAS-mutant tumors reflected differential clinical outcomes in TCGA cohort and in an independent cohort of patients with KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer that received immunotherapy-containing regimens. The RAS genetic architecture points to cancer lineage-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be leveraged for rationally combining RAS-mutant allele-directed therapies with targeted therapies and immunotherapy.

SIGNIFICANCE

The complex genomic landscape of RAS-mutant tumors is reflective of selection processes in a cancer lineage-specific and context-dependent manner, highlighting differential therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be clinically translated.

Overall survival with circulating tumor DNA-guided therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing guides therapy decisions but has been studied mostly in small cohorts without sufficient follow-up to determine its influence on overall survival. We prospectively followed an international cohort of 1,127 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and ctDNA-guided therapy. ctDNA detection was associated with shorter survival (hazard ratio (HR), 2.05; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.74-2.42; P < 0.001) independently of clinicopathologic features and metabolic tumor volume. Among the 722 (64%) patients with detectable ctDNA, 255 (23%) matched to targeted therapy by ctDNA sequencing had longer survival than those not treated with targeted therapy (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.52-0.76; P < 0.001). Genomic alterations in ctDNA not detected by time-matched tissue sequencing were found in 25% of the patients. These ctDNA-only alterations disproportionately featured subclonal drivers of resistance, including RICTOR and PIK3CA alterations, and were associated with short survival. Minimally invasive ctDNA profiling can identify heterogeneous drivers not captured in tissue sequencing and expand community access to life-prolonging therapy.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline

PURPOSE

To provide evidence-based recommendations updating the 2021 ASCO and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) guideline on systemic therapy for patients with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with driver alterations.

METHODS

ASCO updated recommendations on the basis of an ongoing systematic review of randomized control trials from 2020 to 2021.

RESULTS

This guideline update reflects changes in evidence since the previous update. Two studies provide the evidence base. Outcomes of interest include efficacy and safety.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For patients with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement, a performance status (PS) of 0-2, and previously untreated NSCLC, clinicians should offer alectinib or brigatinib or lorlatinib. For patients with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement, a PS of 0-2, and previously untreated NSCLC, if alectinib, brigatinib, or lorlatinib are not available, clinicians should offer ceritinib or crizotinib. For patients with a RET rearrangement, a PS of 0-2, and previously untreated NSCLC, clinicians may offer selpercatinib or pralsetinib. In second line, for patients with a RET rearrangement who have not received RET-targeted therapy, clinicians may offer selpercatinib or pralsetinib.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/thoracic-cancer-guidelines.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Without Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline

PURPOSE

To provide evidence-based recommendations updating the 2020 ASCO and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) guideline on systemic therapy for patients with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer without driver alterations.

METHODS

ASCO updated recommendations on the basis of an ongoing systematic review of randomized clinical trials from 2018 to 2021.

RESULTS

This guideline update reflects changes in evidence since the previous update. Five randomized clinical trials provide the evidence base. Outcomes of interest include efficacy and safety.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In addition to 2020 options for patients with high programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression (tumor proportion score [TPS] ≥ 50%), nonsquamous cell carcinoma (non-SCC), and performance status (PS) 0-1, clinicians may offer single-agent atezolizumab. With high PD-L1 expression (TPS ≥ 50%), non-SCC, and PS 0-1, clinicians may offer nivolumab and ipilumumab alone or nivolumab and ipilimumab plus chemotherapy. With negative (0%) and low positive PD-L1 expression (TPS 1%-49%), non-SCC, and PS 0-1, clinicians may offer nivolumab and ipilimumab alone or nivolumab and ipilimumab plus chemotherapy. With high PD-L1 expression, SCC, and PS 0-1, clinicians may offer single-agent atezolizumab. With high PD-L1 expression, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and PS 0-1, clinicians may offer nivolumab and ipilimumab alone or in combination with two cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. With negative and low positive PD-L1 expression, SCC, and PS 0-1, clinicians may offer nivolumab and ipilimumab alone or in combination with two cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. With non-SCC who received an immune checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapy as first-line therapy, clinicians may offer second-line paclitaxel plus bevacizumab. With non-SCC, who received chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, clinicians should offer the options of third-line single-agent pemetrexed, docetaxel, or paclitaxel plus bevacizumab.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/thoracic-cancer-guidelines.

Systemic and Oligo-Acquired Resistance to PD-(L)1 Blockade in Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

Clinical patterns and the associated optimal management of acquired resistance to PD-(L)1 blockade are poorly understood.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

All cases of metastatic lung cancer treated with PD-(L)1 blockade at Memorial Sloan Kettering were reviewed. In acquired resistance (complete/partial response per RECIST, followed by progression), clinical patterns were distinguished as oligo (OligoAR ≤ 3 lesions of disease progression) or systemic (sAR). We analyzed the relationships between patient characteristics, burden/location of disease, outcomes, and efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

RESULTS

Of 1,536 patients, 312 (20%) had an initial response and 143 developed AR (9% overall, 46% of responders). OligoAR was the most common pattern (80/143, 56%). Baseline tumor mutational burden, depth of response, and duration of response were significantly increased in oligoAR compared with sAR (P < 0.001, P = 0.03, P = 0.04, respectively), whereas baseline PD-L1 and tumor burden were similar. Post-progression, oligoAR was associated with improved overall survival (median 28 months vs. 10 months, P < 0.001) compared with sAR. Within oligoAR, post-progression survival was greater among patients treated with locally-directed therapy (e.g., radiation, surgery; HR, 0.41; P = 0.039). Fifty-eight percent of patients with oligoAR treated with locally-directed therapy alone are progression-free at last follow-up (median 16 months), including 13 patients who are progression-free more than 2 years after local therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

OligoAR is a common and distinct pattern of acquired resistance to PD-(L)1 blockade compared with sAR. OligoAR is associated with improved post-progression survival and some cases can be effectively managed with local therapies with durable benefit.

Brief Report: Safety and Antitumor Activity of Alectinib Plus Atezolizumab From a Phase 1b Study in Advanced ALK-Positive NSCLC

Introduction

Alectinib is a preferred first-line treatment option for advanced ALK-positive NSCLC. Combination regimens of alectinib with immune checkpoint inhibitors are being evaluated for synergistic effects.

Methods

Adults with treatment-naive, stage IIIB/IV, or recurrent ALK-positive NSCLC were enrolled into a two-stage phase 1b study. Patients received alectinib 600 mg (twice daily during cycle 1 and throughout each 21-d cycle thereafter) plus atezolizumab 1200 mg (d8 of cycle 1 and then d1 of each 21-d cycle). Primary objectives were to evaluate safety and tolerability of alectinib plus atezolizumab. Secondary objectives included assessments of antitumor activity.

Results

In total, 21 patients received more than or equal to 1 dose of alectinib or atezolizumab. As no dose-limiting toxicities were observed in stage 1 (n = 7), the starting dose and schedule were continued into stage 2 (n = 14). Median duration of follow-up was 29 months (range: 1-39). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 57% of the patients, most often rash (19%). No grade 4 or 5 treatment-related adverse events were reported. Confirmed objective response rate was 86% (18 of 21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 64-97). Median progression-free survival was not estimable (NE) (95% CI: 13 mo-NE), neither was median overall survival (95% CI: 33 mo-NE).

Conclusions

The combination of alectinib and atezolizumab is feasible, but increased toxicity was found compared with the individual agents. With small sample sizes and relatively short follow-up, definitive conclusions regarding antitumor activity cannot be made.

SRC Family Kinase Inhibition Targets YES1 and YAP1 as Primary Drivers of Lung Cancer and as Mediators of Acquired Resistance to ALK and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors

The identification of novel oncogenic driver alterations and novel mechanisms of acquired resistance (AR) is the key for further development of personalized therapy. The current study investigates the potential role of YES1 amplification as a primary driver of tumorigenesis and of YES1/YAP1 amplifications as mediators of AR to ALK and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Adagrasib in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Harboring a KRASG12C Mutation

BACKGROUND

Adagrasib, a KRAS^G12C inhibitor, irreversibly and selectively binds KRAS^G12C, locking it in its inactive state. Adagrasib showed clinical activity and had an acceptable adverse-event profile in the phase 1-1b part of the KRYSTAL-1 phase 1-2 study.

METHODS

In a registrational phase 2 cohort, we evaluated adagrasib (600 mg orally twice daily) in patients with KRAS^G12C -mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and anti-programmed death 1 or programmed death ligand 1 therapy. The primary end point was objective response assessed by blinded independent central review. Secondary end points included the duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety.

RESULTS

As of October 15, 2021, a total of 116 patients with KRAS^G12C -mutated NSCLC had been treated (median follow-up, 12.9 months); 98.3% had previously received both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Of 112 patients with measurable disease at baseline, 48 (42.9%) had a confirmed objective response. The median duration of response was 8.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2 to 13.8), and the median progression-free survival was 6.5 months (95% CI, 4.7 to 8.4). As of January 15, 2022 (median follow-up, 15.6 months), the median overall survival was 12.6 months (95% CI, 9.2 to 19.2). Among 33 patients with previously treated, stable central nervous system metastases, the intracranial confirmed objective response rate was 33.3% (95% CI, 18.0 to 51.8). Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 97.4% of the patients - grade 1 or 2 in 52.6% and grade 3 or higher in 44.8% (including two grade 5 events) - and resulted in drug discontinuation in 6.9% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with previously treated KRAS^G12C -mutated NSCLC, adagrasib showed clinical efficacy without new safety signals. (Funded by Mirati Therapeutics; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03785249.).