Immune System Disorder and Cancer-Associated Cachexia

Cancer-associated cachexia (CAC) is a debilitating condition marked by muscle and fat loss, that is unresponsive to nutritional support and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Immune dysfunction, driven by cytokine imbalance, contributes to CAC progression. This review explores the potential relationship between CAC and anti-cancer immune response in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Pre-clinical studies showcase the involvement of cytokines like IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and TGF-β, in CAC. IL-6 and TNF-α, interacting with muscle and adipose tissues, induce wasting through JAK/STAT and NF-κB pathways. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) exacerbate CAC by promoting inflammation. Clinical studies confirm elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNFα) and immune markers like the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with CAC. Thus, immunomodulatory mechanisms involved in CAC may impact the anti-neoplastic immune response. Inhibiting CAC mechanisms could enhance anti-cancer therapies, notably immunotherapy. R-ketorolac, a new immunomodulator, reversed the weight loss and increased survival in mice. Combining these agents with immunotherapy may benefit patients with cancer experiencing CAC. Further research is vital to understand the complex interplay between tumor-induced immune dysregulation and CAC during immunotherapy.

Mortality burden of pre-treatment weight loss in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Cachexia, with weight loss (WL) as a major component, is highly prevalent in patients with cancer and indicates a poor prognosis. The primary objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the risk of mortality associated with cachexia (using established WL criteria prior to treatment initiation) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in studies identified through a systematic literature review. The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Embase® and PubMed were searched to identify articles on survival outcomes in adult patients with NSCLC (any stage) and cachexia published in English between 1 January 2016 and 10 October 2021. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts of identified records against predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Following a feasibility assessment, a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of cachexia, defined per the international consensus criteria (ICC), or of pre-treatment WL ≥ 5% without a specified time interval, on overall survival in patients with NSCLC was conducted using a random-effects model that included the identified studies as the base case. The impact of heterogeneity was evaluated through sensitivity and subgroup analyses. The standard measures of statistical heterogeneity were calculated. Of the 40 NSCLC publications identified in the review, 20 studies that used the ICC for cachexia or reported WL ≥ 5% and that performed multivariate analyses with hazard ratios (HRs) or Kaplan-Meier curves were included in the feasibility assessment. Of these, 16 studies (80%; n = 6225 patients; published 2016-2021) met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis: 11 studies (69%) used the ICC and 5 studies (31%) used WL ≥ 5%. Combined criteria (ICC plus WL ≥ 5%) were associated with an 82% higher mortality risk versus no cachexia or WL < 5% (pooled HR [95% confidence interval, CI]: 1.82 [1.47, 2.25]). Although statistical heterogeneity was high (I2 = 88%), individual study HRs were directionally aligned with the pooled estimate, and there was considerable overlap in CIs across included studies. A subgroup analysis of studies using the ICC (HR [95% CI]: 2.26 [1.80, 2.83]) or WL ≥ 5% (HR [95% CI]: 1.28 [1.12, 1.46]) showed consistent findings. Assessments of methodological, clinical and statistical heterogeneity indicated that the meta-analysis was robust. Overall, this analysis found that ICC-defined cachexia or WL ≥ 5% was associated with inferior survival in patients with NSCLC. Routine assessment of both weight and weight changes in the oncology clinic may help identify patients with NSCLC at risk for worse survival, better inform clinical decision-making and assess eligibility for cachexia clinical trials.

The relationship between weight gain during chemotherapy and outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

This post hoc, pooled analysis examined the relationship between different weight gain categories and overall survival (OS) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

METHODS

Data were pooled from the control arms of three phase III clinical studies (NCT00596830, NCT00254891, and NCT00254904), and the maximum weight gain in the first 3 months from treatment initiation was categorised as >0%, >2.5%, and >5.0%. Cox proportional hazard modelling of OS was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for each category, including baseline covariates, time to weight gain, and time to confirmed objective response (RECIST Version 1.0).

RESULTS

Of 1030 patients with advanced NSCLC (IIIB 11.5% and IV 88.5%), 453 (44.0%), 252 (24.5%), and 120 (11.7%) experienced weight gain from baseline of >0%, >2.5%, and >5.0%, respectively. The median time to weight gain was 23 (>0%), 43 (>2.5%), and 45 (>5.0%) days. After adjusting for a time-dependent confirmed objective response, the risk of death was reduced for patients with any weight gain (>0% vs. ≤0% [HR 0.71; 95% confidence interval-CI 0.61, 0.82], >2.5% vs. ≤2.5% [HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.64, 0.91] and >5.0% vs. ≤5.0% [HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.60, 0.99]). The median OS was 13.5 versus 8.6 months (weight gain >0% vs. ≤0%), 14.4 versus 9.4 months (weight gain >2.5% vs. ≤2.5%), and 13.4 versus 10.2 months (weight gain >5.0% vs. ≤5.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Weight gain during treatment was associated with a reduced risk of death, independent of tumour response. The survival benefit was comparable for weight gain >0%, >2.5%, and >5.0%, suggesting that any weight gain may be an early predictor of survival with implications for the design of interventional cancer cachexia studies.

The mortality burden of cachexia in patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer: A systematic literature review

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Background: Cancer-associated cachexia is a multifactorial wasting disorder characterized by anorexia, unintentional weight loss (WL, skeletal muscle mass with or without loss of fat mass), progressive functional impairment, and poor prognosis. This systematic literature review (SLR) examined the relationship between cachexia and survival in patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer. Methods: The SLR was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Embase and PubMed were searched to identify articles published in English between 1 Jan 2016 and 10 Oct 2021 reporting survival in adults with cancer and cachexia or at risk of cachexia, defined by International Consensus (IC) diagnostic criteria (Fearon et al., Lancet Oncol 2011;12:489–95) or a broader definition of any WL. Included publications were of studies in ≥100 patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer. Results: Twenty-six publications in patients with colorectal (n=13) or pancreatic cancer (n=13) met eligibility criteria. Included studies were observational and primarily from Europe and the United States. Eleven studies (42%) reported cachexia using IC criteria and 15 studies (58%) reported any WL. An association between survival and cachexia/WL was assessed across studies using multivariate (n=23) or univariate (n=3) analyses and within each study across multiple WL categories. Cachexia/WL was associated with a statistically significantly poorer survival in at least one WL category in 16 of 23 studies that used multivariate analyses and in 1 of 3 studies (33%) that used univariate analyses. Of the 17 studies demonstrating a significant association, 9 were in patients with colorectal cancer and 8 were in patients with pancreatic cancer. Conclusions: Cachexia/WL was associated with significantly poorer survival in patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer in nearly two-thirds of the studies. The classification of WL varied across and within studies (multiple categories were evaluated) and may have contributed to variability. Nonetheless, awareness of cachexia and routine assessment of weight change in clinical practice in patients with colorectal or pancreatic cancer could inform early disease management strategies that may improve prognosis.

Four-Phase, Definitive Chemoradiation for a Real-World (Poor Risk and/or Elderly) Patient Population With Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction With the incorporation of modernized radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, treatment outcomes have improved for patients with locally advanced, unresectable diseases. Elderly or poor performance status patients comprise more than half of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but they are often underrepresented or excluded in clinical trials. Split-course concurrent chemoradiotherapy can be an effective treatment, showing good adherence and a favorable toxicity profile for unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC. Method We identified locally advanced NSCLC cancer patients via a single institution retrospective study. Patients were treated using a four-phase, split-course external beam radiotherapy approach with concurrent chemotherapy. The primary endpoints analyzed were completion rate, incidence, and severity of treatment-related toxicities, progression-free survival (PFS), and median overall survival (OS). Results Thirty-nine locally advanced lung cancer patients were treated with split-course chemoradiation (CRT). The median age at diagnosis was 73 years old. Seventeen patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score of 2. Twenty-three patients had a clinical diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 10 patients were on home oxygen at the time of diagnosis. All patients completed 6000 centigrays (cGy) of radiation, and 95% of the patients completed at least three cycles of concurrent chemotherapy. No patients experienced grade 3 to 5 acute thoracic toxicities. Overall median survival was 12.7 months, and PFS was 7.5 months. Conclusion Our retrospective analysis of 39 poor risk and/or elderly patients with locoregional NSCLC treated with concurrent CRT via a split-course regimen suggests favorable oncologic outcomes and superb treatment completion rates and toleration.

Gender and weight change, skeletal muscle index(SMI) change, and survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients(pts.) receiving platinum chemotherapy

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Background: Significantly longer OS has been reported in advanced NSCLC pts. who gained weight or maintained (skeletal muscle mass) SMI during treatment with platinum containing chemotherapy. None of these studies evaluated the relationship between OS and both weight and SMI. Sex specific distributions are described for cachexia and muscle wasting. Methods: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the relationships between OS and both weight gain and SMI maintenance during front line chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC pts. Weight and SMI measurements(cm2/m2) were done at baseline and at 6, 12, & 24 weeks. OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The associations of weight and SMI with overall survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test and proportional hazards regression. Results with p < 0.05 were reported as significant. Results: Characteristics for the 88 patients were: median age – 64 years, women – 57%, caucasian – 68%, black – 25%, and adenocarcinoma histology – 63%. Weight gain (i.e., > 0%) and > 5% weight gain were observed in 50% and 11.3% of the patients, respectively. For all 88 patients the hazard ratio(HR) for OS in patients with > 0% vs < 0% weight change was 0.544 (p = 0.0164), and the HR for OS for weight > 5% vs < 5% was 0.469 (p = 0.099). The HR for OS in men for > 0% vs < 0% weight gain was 0.421(p = 0.031), and HR for OS > 5% vs < 5% weight gain was 0.421 (p = 0.031). The same analyses in women showed no significant differences. Increases in SMI > 0% and > 5% SMI were found in 48% and 35% of patients, respectively. Maintenance of SMI defined as > - 1.3% was observed in 25% of pts. The HR for OS in men with SMI maintenance versus loss was 0.230 (p = 0.031), and the HR for OS in men with SMI increase > 5% vs < 5% was 0.219 (p = 0.0267). Neither SMI gain nor maintenance were significantly related to OS in the entire patient group or in women. Conclusions: In patients treated with first line platinum doublet, as a group there were no significant relationships between weight changes or SMI changes and OS. The observation that either weight gain or SMI maintenance was associated with longer OS in men only is based on data from a small number of patients. However, if larger studies show similar results, these findings could have implications for clinical and translational research in cachexia.

Clinical and laboratory parameters associated with rapid progression in advanced NSCLC patients treated with second or third-line single agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)

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Background: While laboratory parameters including PDL1 expression and NLR are associated with outcomes in patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with ICIs, these measures have not identified patients with rapid progression (RP) defined as progressive disease within 30 days. Clinical factors including patient age and weight loss have been associated with cancer outcomes in general. Identifying clinical correlates for NSCLC patients who experience RP on ICI therapy would be useful. Methods: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate relationships between pre-treatment cachexia and inflammation and RP in NSCLC patients who received 2nd- or 3rd- line single agent ICIs. Associations of age, race, gender, smoking status, and longitudinal changes in weight and NLR (from at least 6 weeks prior to treatment initiation) with RP were analyzed by univariate and multivariate statistical (Kaplan-Meier and related) methods. Results: 195 patients were included: 59% female, 18% Black, and 78% current or former smokers. 14% of patients had RP. Black race was associated with RP (HR = 2.32, p = 0.03). 191 patients had pretreatment weight available. 63% had weight loss prior to ICI, 25% with > 5% loss. Any weight loss and weight loss > 5% over the time period ≥6 weeks prior to treatment initiation were associated with RP (HR = 3.19 and 6.40, p = 0.03 and < 0.01). 188 patients had pretreatment NLR values, 63% and 42% had NLRs > 3.5 and > 5, respectively. Pre-treatment NLR > 5 and higher baseline NLR were associated with increased risk of RP (p = 0.03 and p < 0.01). In multivariate analysis adjusted by age, smoking status and weight change, higher pre-treatment NLR is found to differentially increase RP risk for black patients (interaction HR = 1.27, p = 0.03). A model with these 5 variables provided 84.5% AUC of ROC curve (80% sensitivity, 75% sensitivity) for prognosticating RP. Conclusions: This retrospective study identified clinical variables including pre-treatment NLR > 5, weight loss > 0% & > 5%, black race, smoking status, and age that were associated with RP in previously treated advanced NSCLC patients receiving single agent ICIs. Though this requires validation with racially diverse data sets, these clinical parameters may be useful in identifying patients at high risk of RP on 2nd or 3rd line ICI therapy. Future directions include evaluating clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters in NSCLC patients treated with ICIs combined with chemotherapy and novel immunotherapy regimens, as well as single agent ICIs in the first line setting. If these clinical characteristics are associated with frequent RP in the setting of first line ICI treatment, it would be reasonable to consider novel immune strategies in this patient subset.

Cancer cachexia impact on chemotherapy dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, and survival: A qualitative systematic review

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Background: Cachexia is a syndrome of muscle wasting, weight loss, and anorexia, that frequently affects patients with advanced cancer across all major areas of oncology (surgical, medical, radiation, and chemotherapy), contributing to poorer treatment outcomes, including survival. In this qualitative systematic literature review, we reviewed the recent literature to assess the impact of cancer cachexia on chemotherapy dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, and survival. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on PubMed and Embase on November 26th, 2021, using the following search terms, among others: “cancer”, “cachexia”, “sarcopenia”, “muscle loss”, “body weight loss”, “chemotherapy”, “drug dose reduction”, “survival”, “treatment withdrawal”, and “treatment interruption”. 1,559 entries published between 2018 and 2021 were identified, of which 175 were duplicates. Publications were screened for eligibility and only original research in peer-reviewed journals were considered eligible. Inclusion criteria included: chemotherapy-specific studies; studies reporting on cachexia, body weight, or body composition changes; and studies reporting data on survival, chemotherapy dose reduction or treatment discontinuation, or occurrence of toxicities which may lead to chemotherapy dose reduction or treatment discontinuation in these patients. All studies that did not analyze the impact of cachexia on these outcomes were excluded. Results: A total of 63 studies, comprising a total of 15,832 patients, were considered eligible and selected for further analysis. The majority of analyzed studies, comprising 14,493 patients, reported associations between cancer cachexia (or its characteristics, such as weight loss or muscle wasting) and chemotherapy dose reductions in 7% of the studies, treatment discontinuation in 20% of the studies, and increased toxicity in 25% of the reports. Cachexia parameters were associated with inferior survival in 90% of the studies. The types of cancer most commonly associated with this effect were pancreatic (31% of studies), foregut (gastric, esophageal, and others, 17%), and lung cancer (14%). Conclusions: More than 70% of studies identified in the literature were retrospective assessments of patient records, while the remaining were prospective observational and interventional studies. In this review, cancer cachexia parameters were associated with reduced treatment delivery and inferior survival in multiple types of advanced cancer. These observations could have important implications for clinical practice, as early detection and successful treatment of cachexia might provide better outcomes for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Disclosure: This study was funded by Helsinn Healthcare SA. Contact: Gianluca.Ballinari@helsinn.com .

Evaluation of weight gain and overall survival of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy

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Background: Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome frequently associated with cancer characterized by anorexia and unintentional weight loss, including skeletal muscle loss, fatigue, functional impairment, poor quality of life, and worse survival. The objective of this post-hoc analysis was to examine the relationship between weight gain and overall survival (OS) in patients with NSCLC treated with first-line platinum-based regimens. Methods: Data were pooled from three phase 3 clinical trials (NCT00254891, NCT00254904, and NCT00596830) conducted between Nov 2005 and Mar 2011 in patients with advanced NSCLC (stage IIIB or stage IV) treated with first-line standard-of-care (SOC) chemotherapy (control arm). Weight was recorded at baseline, prior to dosing on day 1 of each 3-week treatment cycle (up to 6 cycles), and post-treatment according to each study’s schedule. Weight gain was categorized as > 0%, > 2.5%, and > 5% increase from baseline up to 4.5 months. Cox Proportional Hazards modeling of OS including time to weight gain and time to confirmed objective response (RECIST v1.0) and baseline covariates were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for each category. Results: The total 1,030 patients from the SOC control arms were predominantly male (70.5%) with Stage IV NSCLC (88.5%) and a mean age (SD) of 60.9 (9.4) years and BMI 24.6 (4.4) kg/m2. Overall, 486 (47.2%), 299 (29.0%), and 164 (15.9%) patients experienced weight gain from baseline of > 0%, > 2.5%, and > 5%, respectively. Median time to > 0%, > 2.5%, and > 5% weight gain was 24, 43, and 64 days, respectively. After adjusting for statistically significant time-dependent confirmed objective response, the risk of death was significantly less for patients with weight gain. For patients with > 0% vs. ≤0% weight gain, HR was 0.70 (95%CI 0.61, 0.82) with median OS of 13.6 vs. 8.3 months. For patients with > 2.5% vs. ≤2.5% weight gain, HR was 0.70 (95%CI 0.59, 0.83) with median OS of 15.3 vs. 9.1 months. For patients with > 5% vs. ≤5% weight gain, HR was 0.76 (95%CI 0.61, 0.94) with a median OS of 14.4 vs. 9.8 months. Conclusions: In this pooled analysis, weight gain during treatment with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy was associated with a significantly reduced risk of death in patients with advanced NSCLC, independent of tumor response defined by RECIST criteria. The survival benefit was comparable for > 2.5% vs. > 5% weight gain. Weight gain of 2.5% may be an earlier predictor of survival outcomes and may have implications for the design of cancer cachexia trials. Clinical trial information: NCT00254891, NCT00254904, and NCT00596830.

Associations between longitudinal pretreatment BMI and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and progression-free(PFS) and overall survival(OS) in advanced NSCLC patients treated with single agent anti-PD-1/anti-PDL1 monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)

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Background: Several parameters that have been associated with outcomes in patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with anti-PD1/PDL1 mAbs include tumor PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden, and baseline NLR. Further investigation into clinical correlates of benefit with immune checkpoint inhibitors remains an unmet need. Methods: The objective of this retrospective study was to examine the potential influence of pretreatment cachexia and chronic inflammation in patients with NSCLC that received second- or third- line single agent anti-PD1/PDL1 mAbs. Weight, BMI, and NLR, as well as longitudinal changes in these variables from at least six-weeks prior to initiation of treatment were correlated with progression-free and overall survival (PFS/OS). These associations were assessed using statistical methods for time-to-event analysis. Results: 192 patients were included: 59% female, 72% Caucasian, 18% African American, 79% current or former smokers. 185 patients had pretreatment NLR values and 63% and 42% had NLR ratios > 3.5 and > 5, respectively. 187 patients had pretreatment weight and BMI available. Of these, 63% had a loss in BMI prior to initiation of anti-PD1/PDL1 mAbs, 29% with > 5% loss. Any BMI loss as well as BMI loss > 5% over the time period prior to treatment initiation were associated with shorter PFS (p < 0.01, 2.1 vs 4.37 mos for loss > 5% vs ≤ 5%) and change in BMI assessed in continuous scale was also associated with PFS (HR = 0.94, p < 0.05). Similarly, any BMI loss and BMI loss > 5% were associated with shorter OS (p < 0.01. 7.33 vs 12.23 mos for loss > 5% vs ≤ 5%) and change in BMI and baseline BMI assessed in continuous scale were additionally associated with OS (HR = 0.97 and 0.94, p < 0.05). Baseline NLR > 5 was associated with shorter PFS (p < 0.01) and baseline NLR assessed in continuous scale was negatively associated (HR = 1.01, p < 0.05). Moreover, pre-treatment NLR > 5 and baseline NLR > 3.5 were associated with shorter OS (p < 0.05). Pre-treatment NLR, baseline NLR, and %change in NLR, assessed in continuous scale, were negatively associated with OS (HR = 1.04, 1.02, 1.12, p < 0.01). Conclusions: This retrospective study identified clinical features of NLR and BMI at treatment initiation and in the immediate pre-treatment period that were associated with PFS and OS on anti-PD1/PDL1 mAbs therapy. These parameters can easily be investigated in the front-line population. They may also have utility in identifying patients that would benefit from therapeutic strategies to reverse weight loss and inhibit immunosuppressive effects associated with elevated NLR in order to increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy.

Psychosocial distress in patients with driver-mutant lung cancer

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Background: Project PRIORITY, a collaborative research study between The EGFR Resisters and the LUNGevity Foundation, found that 29% of United States respondents had clinical depression. While tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) prolong lives, the impact of an oncogene driven lung cancer diagnosis on emotional well-being is not well studied nor are resource utilization and potential contributing factors to psychosocial distress. Methods: Our primary objective was to study cancer related distress in patients (pts) with newly diagnosed oncogene driver lung cancer. The secondary objective was to correlate distress with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and body mass index loss (BMI) as a surrogate for cancer cachexia/precachexia to gauge the relationship to psychosocial distress. We retrospectively reviewed pts treated with TKI between 1/1/2008 and 2/1/2021. Sample size was based on estimates of depression in this population. A diagnosis of depression or anxiety was defined by documentation in the visit problem list, and active symptoms were based on progress note documentation. Depression and anxiety were recorded at 6 time points from diagnosis to progression on TKI, and their associations with treatment toxicities, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Association with serial BMI and NLR were assessed using longitudinal statistical models. Results: We studied 78 pts: 71.8% female, 62.8% Caucasian, 15.4% African American, 15.6% Hispanic/LatinX, and 11.5% Asian. 94.9% had an EGFR mutation, and 5.1% had an ALK mutation. Prevalence of depression at diagnosis and progression was 11.5% and 25%, with anxiety prevalence 28.2% and 40.6%, respectively. Of these pts, 22.2% had active depression symptoms and 54.5% had active anxiety symptoms at diagnosis, although symptoms were not addressed in 33.3% and 22.7%, respectively. At progression, 68.8% had active depression symptoms and 46.2% had active anxiety symptoms, but symptoms were not addressed in 6.3% and 26.9%, respectively. At diagnosis and progression, 24.4% and 35.9%, respectively, were on treatment for anxiety and/or depression. Social work and psychology evaluated 12.8% and 10.3% of all pts at diagnosis and 10.9% and 17.2% at progression. NLR > 3.5 and > 5 were not associated with depression or anxiety. A more rapid longitudinal decrease in BMI was associated with depression. Grade ≥3 toxicities were not associated with depression or anxiety. Shorter PFS and OS were associated with higher rates of depression, but not anxiety. Conclusions: In this retrospective study of an ethnically diverse patient group at an academic medical center, we found a prevalence of depression and anxiety consistent with the Project PRIORITY findings. We saw an association between depression and more rapid weight loss but did not see correlation with NLR. Prospective evaluation with accurate documentation is needed to better address these questions in future studies.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is a Predictive Biomarker in Patients with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutated Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Treated with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) Therapy

BACKGROUND

First-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a sensitizing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Despite higher response rates and prolonged progression free survival (PFS) compared with platinum doublet chemotherapy, a subset of these patients do not receive prolonged benefit from these agents. We investigate if the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other markers of cachexia and chronic inflammation correlate with worse outcomes in these patients.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective review of 137 patients with advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC treated with TKIs at Rush University Medical Center and University of Chicago Medicine from August 2011 to July 2019, with outcomes followed through July 2020. The predictive value of NLR and body mass index (BMI) was assessed at the start of therapy, and after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment by univariable and multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

On univariable analysis, NLR ≥ 5 or higher NLR on a continuous scale were both associated with significantly worse PFS and overall survival (OS) at treatment initiation, and after 6 or 12 weeks of treatment. On multivariable analysis, NLR ≥ 5 was associated with increased risk of death at 12 weeks of therapy (HR 3.002, 95% CI 1.282-7.029, p = 0.011), as was higher NLR on a continuous scale (HR 1.231, 95% CI 1.063-1.425, p = 0.0054). There was no difference in PFS and OS and amongst BMI categories though number of disease sites and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status was associated with worse PFS and OS.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with NLR ≥ 5 have a worse median PFS and median OS than patients with NLR < 5. NLR may have value as a predictive biomarker and may be useful for selecting patients for therapy intensification in the front-line setting either at diagnosis or after 12 weeks on therapy. NLR needs to be validated prospectively.

Prognostic performance of proteomic testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Timely assessment of patient-specific prognosis is critical to oncology care involving a shared decision-making approach, but clinical prognostic factors traditionally used in NSCLC have limitations. We examine a proteomic test to address these limitations.

METHODS

This study examines the prognostic performance of the VeriStrat blood-based proteomic test that measures the inflammatory disease state of patients with advanced NSCLC. A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, yielding cohorts in which the hazard ratio (HR) was reported for overall survival (OS) of patients with VeriStrat Poor (VSPoor) test results versus VeriStrat Good (VSGood). A study-level meta-analysis of OS HRs was performed in subgroups defined by lines of therapy and treatment regimens.

RESULTS

Twenty-four cohorts met SLR criteria. Meta-analyses in five subgroups (first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, second-line single-agent chemotherapy, first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, and second- and higher-line TKI therapy, and best supportive care) resulted in statistically significant (p ≤ .001) summary effect sizes for OS HRs of 0.42, 0.54, 0.41, 0.52, and 0.50, respectively, indicating increased OS by about two-fold for patients who test VSGood. No significant heterogeneity was seen in any subgroup (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced NSCLC patients classified VSGood have significantly longer OS than those classified VSPoor. The summary effect size for OS HRs around 0.4-0.5 indicates that the expected median survival of those with a VSGood classification is approximately 2-2.5 times as long as those with VSPoor. The robust prognostic performance of the VeriStrat test across various lines of therapy and treatment regimens has clinical implications for treatment shared decision-making and potential for novel treatment strategies.

RNA pathway enrichment in serum-based mass spectroscopy prognostic analyses

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Background: Veristrat(VS) good and poor labels were found to be prognostic in the front-line NSCLC setting with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors. Little is known about RNA expression data corresponding to these good and poor prognostic labels. Methods: Raw RNA seq expression data was obtained from TEMPUS XP RNA analysis. Sequences were filtered for allowing only genes that had an overall count of at least 20 across all samples. Samples were then processed through the EdgeR analysis in the R programming environment. Along with a Z-scored heatmap, PCA plot was also generated. Differential abundance analysis was done further filter out the genes. Benjamini-Hochberg correction was done and only genes with corrected p-value of < 0.05 were selected for further pathway analysis. 242 genes with corrected p-value < 0.05 were used. Pathway analysis was performed using the Broad Institute GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) and DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery). The gene list was ran using KEGG database in GSEA and using KEGG, BioCarta and Reactome pathway databases. Functional analyses against the KEGG and REACTOME database were reported out to determine the enriched pathways in the VS poor and VS good groups. Kaplan-Meier and Logrank were used to compare overall survival in the poor vs. good label cohorts of patients. Results: 26 patients had VS label and RNA expression data available. Nine patients had VS poor label and 17 had veristrat good label. 6(66%) VS poor 13(76%) VS good patients received anti PD1 agents during the course of their therapy. Overall survival was not significantly different between good and poor label groups in this small series. 242 genes had significantly different abundance in the VS poor vs good patients with the majority (211) over expressed in the poor label patients. Significant pathways enriched in the VS poor group included the intrinsic pathway of fibrin clot formation, platelet degranulation (DAVID), steroid hormone biosynthesis and dilated cardiomyopathy (KEGG). Systemic lupus erythematous pathway was enriched in the VS good group (KEGG). Conclusions: In this small set of front-line patients with RNA pathway analyses and known VS poor or good labels, differential expression of acute phase reactants was found in VS poor patients. DAVID and KEGG pathways were differentially enriched and may reveal potential targets to mitigate prognosis in poor risk NSCLC.

The prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

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Background: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) indicates a poor prognosis across multiple cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our study aims to validate these findings in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, and to evaluate other factors that may impact NLR. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 95 patients with advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC treated with TKIs at Rush University Medical Center and The University of Chicago Medical Center from August 2011 to August 2018. The prognostic value of NLR was assessed at the start of therapy, and after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment. The median progression free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log rank test. Spearman rank correlation was used to correlate number of disease sites with NLR at diagnosis. T test analysis compared mean NLR between patients with high grade (≥ 3) toxicity versus low or no (grades 0-2) toxicity. The relationship between NLR and body mass index (BMI) changes were analyzed using Pearson correlation. Results: At therapy start, patients with NLR < 5 (n = 57) had a mPFS of 15.3 months and a mOS of 56.7 months, while those with NLR ≥ 5 (n = 35) had a mPFS of 13.8 months ( p= 0.024) and mOS of 40.0 months ( p= 0.0056). After 6 weeks of treatment, patients with NLR < 5 (n = 69) had a mPFS of 14.6 months and mOS of 56.2 months, while those with NLR ≥ 5 (n = 23) had a mPFS of 10.0 months ( p= 0.052) and a mOS of 37.74 months ( p= 0.049). After 12 weeks of treatment, patients with NLR < 5 (n = 66) had a mPFS of 14.2 months and mOS of 54.8 months, while those with NLR ≥ 5 (n = 17) had a mPFS of 3.0 months ( p= 0.0016) and a mOS of 22.4 months ( p= 0.0012). Patients who had a decrease in NLR did not have significantly better mPFS or mOS compared to patients whose NLR increased at either 6 or 12 weeks. Baseline number of disease sites and BMI did not correlate with NLR at diagnosis. Changes in BMI did not correlate with a change in NLR at 6 weeks or at 12 weeks. There was no significant difference in NLR between patients with high grade (≥ 3) versus no or low grade (0-2) drug toxicities. Conclusions: NLR can be used as a prognostic factor to predict which EGFR mutated NSCLC patients on TKI therapy may have worse PFS or OS outcomes. Closer monitoring and potential therapeutic escalation may be beneficial in patients with elevated NLR ≥ 5. Further work studying NLR in patients being treated with a larger osimertinib cohort is ongoing.

Predictive biomarkers for response to EGFR-directed monoclonal antibodies for advanced squamous cell lung cancer

Background

Upregulated expression and aberrant activation of the epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR) are found in lung cancer, making EGFR a relevant target for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Treatment with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is associated with modest improvement in overall survival in patients with squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) who have a significant unmet need for effective treatment options. While there is evidence that using EGFR gene copy number, EGFR mutation, and EGFR protein expression as biomarkers can help select patients who respond to treatment, it is important to consider biomarkers for response in patients treated with combination therapies that include EGFR mAbs.

Design

Randomized trials of EGFR-directed mAbs cetuximab and necitumumab in combination with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or antiangiogenic therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC, including SqCLC, were searched in the literature. Results of associations of potential biomarkers and outcomes were summarized.

Results

Data from phase III clinical trials indicate that patients with NSCLC, including SqCLC, whose tumors express high levels of EGFR protein (H-score of ≥200) and/or gene copy numbers of EGFR (e.g. ≥40% cells with ≥4 EGFR copies as detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization; gene amplification in ≥10% of analyzed cells) derive greater therapeutic benefits from EGFR-directed mAbs. Biomarker data are limited for EGFR mAbs used in combination with immunotherapy and are absent when used in combination with antiangiogenic agents.

Conclusions

Therapy with EGFR-directed mAbs in combination with chemotherapy is associated with greater clinical benefits in patients with NSCLC, including SqCLC, whose tumors express high levels of EGFR protein and/or have increased EGFR gene copy number. These data support validating the role of these as biomarkers to identify those patients who derive the greatest clinical benefit from EGFR mAb therapy. However, data on biomarkers for EGFR-directed mAbs combined with immunotherapy or antiangiogenic agents remain limited.

Severe Exacerbation of Myasthenia Gravis Associated with Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy

Monoclonal antibodies that target either PD-1 or PD-L1 have recently been approved for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. These antibodies are immune checkpoint inhibitors which have been shown to exacerbate Myasthenia Gravis (MG) and other autoimmune diseases. While effective in preventing tumor cells from evading immune attack, immune checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab, an antibody directed against the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) receptor located on T-cells, may also cause immune dysregulation and could cause or potentiate pre-existing autoimmune conditions. We present a patient with latent ocular MG treated with nivolumab for her stage IV non-small cell lung cancer who developed generalized MG and severe myasthenic crisis. Providers must be aware of the risks inherent to these novel therapies since they can have life-threatening effects.

Changes in skeletal muscle mass during PD-1 and PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor therapy in advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients

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Background: Severe skeletal muscle loss (sarcopenia) is a principle property of cancer cachexia and is found to be a hallmark of poor prognosis in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). With the latest advancements of PD-1 and PD-L1 checkpoint immunotherapy, we aim to examine changes in sarcopenia before and after treatment with these agents. Methods: : In this study, patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC receiving PD-1 and PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors were evaluated. CT images obtained before and after treatment were used for skeletal muscle analyses with the SliceOmatic software (Tomovision) at the level of the first lumbar vertebra. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was assessed by measuring the cross-sectional muscle area, normalized to patient height. Height, weight, disease progression status, and overall survival (OS) was extracted from EPIC under an IRB-approved protocol. Data was then compared with baseline and clinical outcome was used for survival analysis. Results: In 100 pre-treatment subjects (48% women, mean age of 68), patients with < 32 cm2/m2 SMI had a significantly lower OS (median OS = 1.41 mo, n = 16) compared to those with SMI > 32 cm2/m2 (median OS = 9.44 mo, n = 84, p = 0.024). In 74 patients with pre- and post-treatment data, (avg 2.66 mo interval) an increase of > 5% SMI from baseline occurred in 17 (23%) patients, while a decrease of > 5% SMI from baseline occurred in 26 (35%) patients. Mean reduction in SMI from pre- to post-immunotherapy was 0.921 cm2/m2 while median reduction in SMI was 1.087 cm2/m2. Conclusions: Patients with high pretreatment SMI had a significantly greater overall survival when compared to those with low pretreatment SMI. Two-thirds of patients experienced stability or increase in SMI during immunotherapy. These results suggest that immune checkpoint inhibitors may dampen mechanisms of cancer cachexia in some patients.

Mature, real world progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) milestones in stage IV, non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer patients (nsqNSCLC) treated with first line pemetrexed(Pem)/platinum(Plat) followed by pem+/-bevacizumab(Bev) maintenance

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Background: Pemetrexed maintenance therapy is associated with superior survival in stage IV nsqNSCLC patients. We have observed long term disease control in some patients treated with at least one cycle of Pem/Plat with potential for maintenance pem. There are no reports of data regarding long term PFS and OS in patients treated with Pem regimens. The objectives of our retrospective analysis are to determine the frequency of long term disease control on Pem maintenance and to identify parameters associated with longer PFS/OS. Methods: We included all patients with Stage IV nsqNSCLC who received at least one cycle of pem/plat between May 2010 and Nov 2013. We identified 240 patients from our database and analyzed their demographics, lab values, dates of therapy, and dates of progression. PFS/OS was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and associations with patient characteristics were assessed by log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards analysis. The shortest potential follow up was 5 years. Results: Median age was 66 years, 60% were female, and 72% were Caucasian. Baseline ECOG performance status was 0(22%), 1(50%) and ≥ 2(22%). Median PFS was 6.2 months. At 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of follow up absence of disease progression was seen in 33%, 14%, 7.5%, 4%, and 3%, respectively. Additionally, in terms of OS at 1-5 years, we observed 54.5%, 35%, 21%, 14%, and 11%. Lower baseline neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was strongly associated with improved PFS when using NLR≤5 vs > 5 (median PFS 13.2 mo vs 5.6 mo) Additionally, baseline Hemoglobin (mean = 12.03 g/dL, HR = .904, p = .0046) and Albumin (mean 3.3 g/dL, HR = .7722, p = .024) were associated with better PFS. Conclusions: The similarity in median PFS in our patients (6.2 mo) and clinical trial data suggests that our group of real world patients did not have uniquely favorable baseline characteristics. However, the patients most likely to reach long PFS/OS milestones had favorable baseline prognostic indicators suggesting that this patient subset might also be most likely to benefit from the recently approved regimen which combined Pembrolizumab with Pemetrexed/Carboplatin.

Real-world tumor response (rwTR) to ramucirumab plus docetaxel (R+D) post platinum-based (Pt) and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients (pts)

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Background: In REVEL, adding ramucirumab to docetaxel improved response rates among Pt-treated aNSCLC pts. This observational study evaluated rwTR in aNSCLC pts treated with R+D after Pt & ICI or other (non-ICI) therapies. Methods: Adult aNSCLC pts receiving 2L/3L R+D between 3/1/15 & 6/30/18, after 1L/2L Pt therapy, with ≥ 1 documented rwTR assessment, & ≥ 3 months of potential follow-up were selected from the Flatiron Health EHR-derived de-identified database (n = 172). Based on prior ICI exposure, pts were assigned to either the R+D post-ICI or the R+D post non-ICI [other] unmatched cohort. Study endpoints during R+D therapy included real-world (rw) objective response rate [rwORR], rw disease control rate [rwDCR], rw time to first response [rwTTFR], rw duration of response [rwDOR] & rw best response [rwBR]. Results: Overall, median age was 66.0 years and most pts were male (54.7%), white (70.3%), treated in the community (99.4%), had nonsquamous histology (79.7%), were stage IV at diagnosis (70.9%), had a low (≤ 1) Charlson comorbidity index (90.7%) & ECOG ≤ 1 (57.6%). Among tested pts, most were negative for EGFR (93.0%), ALK (94.9%) ROS1 (96.6%), or PD-L1 (75.0%). Baseline characteristics were similar between cohorts. Table shows significant differences in rwBR & rwDCR when stratified by cohort. Conclusions: Pts receiving R+D in the post-ICI setting had improved rwDCR compared to the R+D post-Other group, driven by a greater proportion of rwPR & a higher rate of rwSD as rwBR. The proportion of rwPD as rwBR was lower in R+D post-ICI pts. rwTR rates were generally similar to tumor response outcomes reported in REVEL. Understanding impact on OS is warranted given the increasing use of ICIs in earlier lines of therapy. [Table: see text]

Correlating the effects of VeriStrat result, anti-PD1 therapy, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

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Background: Biodesix VeriStrat (VS) is a mass spectrometry assay found to be prognostic in previously treated and front-line NSCLC patients. A label assigns a “good” or “poor” result and is believed to in part represent host inflammatory reaction to tumor. This study looks to correlate VS good (VS-G) or poor (VS-P) label with the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and outcomes in front-line NSCLC patients who were screened for actionable mutations as part of a companion diagnostic. Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted of 76 patients with advanced NSCLC who had pretreatment VS testing. Included patients had at least 3-month follow up. Chi squared analysis was used to correlate VS label with patient characteristics and Cox proportional hazards was used to correlate PFS with VS label, NLR and other baseline characteristics in patients receiving anti-PD1 targeted therapy as part of their first treatment. Results: Median PFS was 6.31 months (follow up range 3-17 months). Of 76 tested patients, 23 never received treatment and 47 received anti-PD1 therapy. 51 had VS-G and 23 had VS-P (2 indeterminate). Using two standard NLR cutoffs of 3.5 and 5, 29 and 47, and 42 and 34 had values above and below the cutoff, respectively. VS-G vs VS-P correlated with performance status (PS) as well as NLR at both cut points and on a continuous scale. (P = 0.031, 0.043, 0.045, and 0.056 respectively, VS-G correlating with good PS and low NLR). There was no correlation with PDL1 or body mass index. On multivariate analysis VS label and NLR were also associated with PFS and OS (P = < 0.001 and P = 0.046). Among a subset of 47 patients treated with ICIs, VS-G and NLR < 5 were associated with longer PFS (P = 0.010 and 0.010) though PDL1 result was not. Conclusions: This is the first description of the performance of the VS mass spectrometry assay in front-line patients whose regimen included an anti-PD1 agent. The VS label was able to predict for PFS in this patient population despite relatively short follow up. VS-G label also correlated with low NLR by multiple methods analyzed. Further evaluation of the impact of cytotoxic chemotherapy to anti-PD1 is warranted.

Real-world economic burden of rapid disease progression (RDP) in patients (pts) with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC)

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Background: RDP on initial therapy imposes significant clinical burden among pts with aNSCLC. This retrospective claims study provides estimates of the economic burden associated with RDP during subsequent therapy following RDP v non-RDP on platinum-based (Pt) therapy. Methods: Adult Medicare Advantage or commercially insured aNSCLC pts receiving a subsequent line of therapy (LOT) from 03/2015 to 08/2017 after initial Pt therapy were identified in the Optum Research Database and assigned to unmatched RDP & non-RDP cohorts based on Pt treatment duration (≤ 12 and > 12 weeks, respectively) as a surrogate. All-cause healthcare costs were inflation adjusted to 2017 US$ and computed as per patient per month (PPPM) during the subsequent LOT. Total costs were the sum of medical (inpatient, ambulatory, ER, and other costs) and outpatient pharmacy costs. Results: Patient characteristics were similar between RDP (n = 751) and non-RDP (n = 1,304) cohorts, with mean age of 68 years for the total study sample (n = 2,055). Overall, nivolumab was the most common subsequent regimen post Pt; 40% of the total study sample. While duration of subsequent LOTs was shorter for RDP pts (Kaplan-Meier median, 167 v 192 days and log rank test P = 0.03), mean systemic therapy drug costs were similar ($10,516 v $9,642, P = 0.14) during the LOT and PPPM total costs for RDP pts were $4,103 higher than those for non-RDP pts, driven by higher PPPM costs for inpatient stays and ambulatory visits (Table). Conclusions: This study sheds light on the significant economic burden of aNSCLC that rapidly progresses, and may inform management strategies to improve outcomes and lower downstream costs for RDP pts. Future research should continue to explore unmet needs for RDP pts, including underlying cost drivers, to provide context for the rapidly changing aNSCLC treatment landscape.[Table: see text]

Real-world (rw) clinical outcomes for advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients (pts) treated with second line (2L) ramucirumab plus docetaxel (R+D) post frontline (1L) platinum based chemotherapy plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (Pt + ICI)

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Background: R+D is approved for use in pts with aNSCLC after Pt chemotherapy. With recent approvals, ICI can now be added to Pt chemotherapy (Pt + ICI) in 1L. This retrospective observational study provides an exploratory view of baseline characteristics and rw clinical effectiveness outcomes for pts receiving 2L R+D post 1L Pt + ICI. Methods: All adult pts treated with 2L R+D after 1L Pt + ICI therapy between 03/01/2015 and 06/30/2018, with ≥ 3 months follow up, were selected from the Flatiron Health EHR-derived de-identified database (n = 15). Rw clinical endpoints during R+D therapy included rw objective response rate (rwORR), rw disease control rate (rwDCR), rw best response, as well as Kaplan-Meier estimates of rw time to first response & rw duration of response. Results: Median age was 62 years, 10 pts (66.6%) were aged < 65 years, 11 (73.3%) were men, 3 (20.0%) had no history of smoking, 14 (93.3%) had non-squamous histology, 4 (26.7%) were EGFR positive, 3 (20.0%) were KRAS positive and 6 (85.7%) were PD-L1 negative. Of the 8 pts with a documented rw tumor response assessment, 3 (37.5%) had partial response (PR), 3 (37.5%) had stable disease (SD), & 2 (25.0%) had progressive disease as their rw best response. The rwORR (PR or complete response [CR]) & rwDCR (PR, CR, or SD) were 37.5% and 75.0%, respectively. Among responding pts, median time to first response was 2.2 months (95% CI, 1.3 - not reached [NR]) & median duration of response was 2.3 months (95% CI, 1.5 - NR). Patient numbers were too small (n = 15) and duration of follow-up was too short (3.4 months [IQR, 0.7 - 5.4]) to make robust estimation of overall survival or rw progression free survival. Conclusions: Data from this small patient cohort in US community practice are not conclusive and should be considered exploratory, but do show high rates of rw objective response and rw disease control rates during 2L R+D following 1L Pt + ICI. Data with larger sample sizes and additional follow-up are needed to better understand outcomes of R+D following the addition of ICI to 1L Pt chemotherapy regimens.

Real-world clinical burden of aggressive disease (AD) in advanced/metastatic non small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC)

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Background: Clinical trials have shown that aNSCLC patients (pts) with AD, including those with rapid disease progression (RDP) on initial therapy (time to progression ≤ 12 weeks), have poor prognosis. This retrospective study evaluates the real world clinical burden associated with AD, defined as the difference in clinical effectiveness outcomes during subsequent treatment following RDP v non-RDP on platinum-based (Pt) therapy. Methods: Adult aNSCLC pts receiving standard post-Pt progression therapy (immune checkpoint inhibitors, single agent chemo, ramucirumab) between 03/01/2015 and 06/30/2018, after Pt therapy, with ≥ 3 months of potential follow up, were identified in the Flatiron EHR-derived deidentified database and assigned to RDP (n = 158) and non-RDP (n = 518) cohorts. Real-world tumor response (rwTR) was collected using technology-enabled abstraction. Overall survival (OS) from start of 1L, and real-world (rw) progression free survival (PFS) & rw tumor response outcomes (rw objective response rate [rwORR], rw disease control rate [rwDCR], rw time to first response [rwTTFR], rw duration of response [rwDOR] & rw best response [rwBR]) during post-Pt progression therapy were estimated. Results: Of 676 eligible pts, 23% had RDP. Clinical outcomes in the RDP and non-RDP cohorts are shown in table. Conclusions: Findings from this real world cohort underscore the clinical burden & unmet medical need for more effective treatment strategies in pts with aggressive aNSCLC pts who rapidly progress on initial therapy. As the treatment landscape evolves, characterization of these pts is warranted to identify potential risk factors. [Table: see text]

Associations between baseline serum biomarker levels and cachexia/precachexia in pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

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Background: We previously reported associations of pretreatment serum biomarkers with clinical outcomes in a cohort of advanced NSCLC patients that progressed on front-line therapy. This study aims to elucidate mechanisms underlying cancer cachexia/ pre-cachexia by evaluating relationships between baseline serum biomarker values and sequential changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in NSCLC patients. Methods: We used Luminex immunobead assays to survey 101 protein biomarkers in sera from advanced NSCLC (n = 138) collected prior to their salvage regimen. Serial parameters associated with cancer cachexia included body weight, BMI, and NLR. Outcome variables (progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)) were extracted with full IRB-approval. Biomarkers were evaluated as continuous variables with the cachexia surrogates using Pearson correlations, whereas associations of PFS and OS were accomplished with the Cox PH test. Results: High baseline values of BMI and low baseline NLR were associated with both OS and PFS (each p < 0.05), though weight failed to reach significance. PFS and OS were similarly associated with percent changes (relative to baseline) in weight (p < 0.01), BMI (p < 0.01), and NLR (p < 0.001). Thirteen biomarkers were found to be associated (p < 0.05) with baseline BMI values, including positive correlations with leptin, sol.VEGFR2, and c-peptide and inverse correlations with adiponectin, ferritin, ghrelin, IGFBP-1 and IL-8; fifteen biomarkers were associated with baseline NLR (all p < 0.05), including positive correlations with visfatin, insulin, and serum amyloid A and inverse correlations with IGF-II. Fifteen biomarkers were found to be associated (p < 0.05) in common with percent weight and BMI changes, including positive correlations with IGFBP-3 and inverse correlations with insulin, FGF-2, TNF-alpha, and resistin. Only prolactin and placental growth factor were found to be associated (p < 0.05) with percent change in NLR. Conclusions: A series of circulating protein biomarkers primarily connected with metabolic regulation and systemic inflammation/ acute phase response were found to be associated with cachexia/ pre-cachexia in NSCLC patients. Additional cohorts are currently being tested to verify these findings.

Real-world characterization of advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients (pts) with rapid disease progression (RDP)

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Background: Despite advances in therapy, recent observational data shows that aNSCLC pts with RDP continue to have a poor prognosis. This retrospective, observational study characterizes the demographic, molecular, & treatment profile of pts with RDP. Methods: Adult aNSCLC pts receiving first-line (1L) platinum-based (Pt) therapy between 01/2014 - 12/2018 were identified in the COTA Real-World Evidence database and assigned to RDP (n = 280) & non-RDP (n = 1,212) cohorts based on time to progression during 1L Pt therapy (≤ 12 and > 12 weeks, respectively). Results: Of 1,492 eligible pts, the incidence of RDP was 19%. Mean age (±SD) was 64.6 (10.9) and 66.1 (10.2) in the RDP and non-RDP group, respectively (p = 0.04). Data showed RDP patients had higher percentage of stage IV disease at diagnosis (77 v 72, p < 0.01), higher histologic grade G3/G4 (37 v 29, p = 0.01), and PD-L1 negative (< 1% expression) status (p = 0.01). Table shows molecular profiling across cohorts. No notable difference in treatment patterns across 1L and 2L was observed. Conclusions: This study identifies stage IV disease at diagnosis, higher grade, & PD-L1 negative ( < 1% expression) as potential risk factors for RDP. A better understanding of this poor prognosis cohort may offer an opportunity to better optimize therapies & outcomes. [Table: see text]

Decreasing BMI/weight immediately prior to starting anti-PD-1/PDL-1 monoclonal antibodies for treatment for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer is associated with shorter progression-free survival

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Background: Currently, prognostic markers associated with immunotherapy treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic NSCLC include PDL-1 expression, tumor mutational burden (TBM), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). In this study we examine the influence of pretreatment changes in weight, BMI, and NLR in 237 patients treated with anti-PD-1/PDL-1 therapy (ICI) at our institution. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of previously-treated stage IV NSCLC patients who received ICI. Pretreatment (≥ 6 weeks before starting therapy) values of weight, BMI, and NLR were compared to baseline values and NLR was analyzed as continuum and according to standard cutoffs of 3.5 and 5. The same variables were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using the Log-Rank test. Results: 237 patients were analyzed: 45% were male, 73% were Caucasian, 72% were former smokers, and 25% were age ≥ 75 years. 148 patients had pretreatment NLR values. Of these, 32% had a ratio < 3.5 and 54% had ratio < 5. 34% had increased NLR at baseline, the majority of which (48/77) had a > 5% increase. 187 patients had pretreatment weight and BMI. Of these, 14% had a pretreatment BMI < 20. 71% had a negative change in BMI and 29% had a > 5% decrease in BMI. 65% had a negative change in weight and 26% had a > 5% decrease in weight. BMI decrease greater than 5% (p = 0.0039), negative weight change (p = 0.0371), and pretreatment NLR > 5 (p = 0.0136) were associated with shorter PFS. Change in NLR trended towards decreased PFS but was not statistically significant (p = 0.07) though only 77 of 237 patients had both values available. There was no statistical PFS difference between patients less than or ≥ 75 years old. Conclusions: The results suggest that decrease in pretreatment BMI and weight along with high baseline NLR are associated with significantly shorter PFS in NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1/PDL-1 therapy. If confirmed, these observations raise the possibility that specific treatment which reverses cancer associated weight loss might enhance effectiveness of immunotherapy.

EGFR-Mutant Adenocarcinomas That Transform to Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Other Neuroendocrine Carcinomas: Clinical Outcomes

PURPOSE

Approximately 3% to 10% of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) -mutant non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) undergo transformation to small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), but their clinical course is poorly characterized.

METHODS

We retrospectively identified patients with EGFR-mutant SCLC and other high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas seen at our eight institutions. Demographics, disease features, and outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

We included 67 patients-38 women and 29 men; EGFR mutations included exon 19 deletion (69%), L858R (25%), and other (6%). At the initial lung cancer diagnosis, 58 patients had NSCLC and nine had de novo SCLC or mixed histology. All but these nine patients received one or more EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor before SCLC transformation. Median time to transformation was 17.8 months (95% CI, 14.3 to 26.2 months). After transformation, both platinum-etoposide and taxanes yielded high response rates, but none of 17 patients who received immunotherapy experienced a response. Median overall survival since diagnosis was 31.5 months (95% CI, 24.8 to 41.3 months), whereas median survival since the time of SCLC transformation was 10.9 months (95% CI, 8.0 to 13.7 months). Fifty-nine patients had tissue genotyping at first evidence of SCLC. All maintained their founder EGFR mutation, and 15 of 19 with prior EGFR T790M positivity were T790 wild-type at transformation. Other recurrent mutations included TP53, Rb1, and PIK3CA. Re-emergence of NSCLC clones was identified in some cases. CNS metastases were frequent after transformation.

CONCLUSION

There is a growing appreciation that EGFR-mutant NSCLCs can undergo SCLC transformation. We demonstrate that this occurs at an average of 17.8 months after diagnosis and cases are often characterized by Rb1, TP53, and PIK3CA mutations. Responses to platinum-etoposide and taxanes are frequent, but checkpoint inhibitors yielded no responses. Additional investigation is needed to better elucidate optimal strategies for this group.

An open-label, phase II study of the polo-like kinase-1 (Plk-1) inhibitor, BI 2536, in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

OBJECTIVES

This phase II, open-label study was designed to evaluate the response rate to the polo-like kinase 1 (Plk-1) inhibitor BI 2536 in patients with sensitive-relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response, and safety.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients were treated with the recommended phase II dose of 200mg of BI 2536 intravenously every 21days. This was a two-stage design with an early stopping rule in place if responses were not seen in at least 2 of the first 18 enrolled patients.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Twenty-three patients were enrolled in the study and 21 patients were evaluable for response. No responses were observed and all 23 patients have progressed. The median PFS was 1.4 months. Treatment was generally well tolerated and the most frequent adverse events were neutropenia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. BI 2536 is not effective in the treatment of sensitive relapsed SCLC. The criteria for expanding the trial to the second stage were not achieved, and the study was terminated for a lack of efficacy.

Clinician Perspectives on Current Issues in Lung Cancer Drug Development

Recent advances in molecularly targeted therapy and immunotherapy offer a glimmer of hope for potentially realizing the dream of personalized therapy for lung cancer. This article highlights current questions in clinical trial design, enrollment strategies and patient focused drug development, with particular emphasis on unique issues in trials of targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: a review

Lung cancer remains the single deadliest cancer both in the US and worldwide. The great majority of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is attributed to cigarette smoking, which fortunately is declining alongside cancer incidence. While we have been at a therapeutic plateau for advanced squamous cell lung cancer patients for several decades, recent observations suggest that we are on the verge of seeing incremental survival improvements for this relatively large group of patients. Current studies have confirmed an expanding role for immunotherapy [including programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibition], a potential opportunity for VEGFR inhibition, and even future targets in fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and PI3K-AKT that collectively should improve survival as well as quality of life for those affected by squamous cell lung cancer over the next decade.

Randomized phase II study of cetuximab and bevacizumab in combination with two regimens of paclitaxel and carboplatin in chemonaive patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION

We conducted a phase II study of dual-agent monoclonal antibody therapy consisting of cetuximab and bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer.

METHODS

Patients with stage IIIB/IV nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer randomly received cetuximab (400 mg/m initially, 250 mg/m weekly thereafter) plus bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) for six cycles combined with paclitaxel (200 mg/m) and carboplatin (area under the curve 6) for either six cycles (six-cycle arm) or the first three cycles (three-cycle arm) (one cycle = 3 weeks). The primary objective was progression-free survival (PFS), estimated separately for each treatment arm.

RESULTS

In 121 patients, the median PFS was 6.05 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.65, 7.03) in the six-cycle arm and 4.50 months (95% CI: 4.01, 5.42) in the three-cycle arm. Respective median overall survival times were 12.06 months (95% CI: 9.40, 19.25) and 11.63 months (95% CI: 6.64, 17.61). The tumor response rate was 51.7% (95% CI: 39.0%, 64.3%) and 44.3% (95% CI: 31.8%, 56.7%) in the six-cycle and three-cycle arms, respectively, with corresponding median response durations of 4.86 months (95% CI: 4.30, 7.16) and 3.94 months (95% CI: 2.92, 4.47). Quality of life was consistent across arms. Cetuximab-related grade 3/4 events in greater than 5% of patients (six-cycle arm, three-cycle arm) were dermatitis acneiform (6.9%; 8.6%) and fatigue (13.8%; 5.2%). Three patients died during the study from drug-related adverse events (one in the six-cycle arm and two in the three-cycle arm).

CONCLUSIONS

Both the regimens showed expected PFS and numerically comparable overall survival. Quality of life was similar in the two arms, and both the regimens were well tolerated.

Epithelial to mesenchymal markers and clinical outcomes on erlotinib in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer patients

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Background: An epithelial phenotype in NSCLC is associated with improved sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). The best method to identify this subset is unknown (Richardson Anticancer Research 2012, Byers Clin Cancer Res 2012). This retrospective study correlates E-cadherin (Ecad) and vimentin (vim) immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression with outcomes in advanced NSCLC patients (pts) treated with erlotinib (E). Methods: Advanced NSCLC pts that received E were included if sufficient tumor was available from diagnosis. IHC scores for E-cad and vim were generated by multiplying frequency (0-4) by intensity (0-4). Log Rank was used to correlate IHC expression with progression free and overall survival (PFS, OS). Results were compared to a subset of pts with tissue from primary surgical NSCLC resection who later received E for recurrent disease. Results: 159 advanced NSCLC pts treated with E had tissue from diagnosis and IHC analysis. There was no correlation with PFS or OS on E and high/low vim or Ecad expression. Subtracting the IHC scores (vim minus ecad) created a difference score. A low difference score (n = 62) correlated with prolonged PFS (2.6 vs 1.9 months, p = .014 HR 1.52) compared with a high score, n = 97. Low difference score trended toward prolonged OS (p=.46) 33 of the patients had tissue available from primary surgical resection. The invasive front was examined for membranous E-cad and cytoplasmic vim (Allred score 0-8). Patients with low vim (< 4) and Ecad (>5), n= 19, trended toward prolonged PFS and OS on E compared with patients with high vim (>5) and low Ecad (<6), n=10 (4.2 vs 1.6 months and 15.5 vs 6.5 months, respectively, p=NS). Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis, using unselected, frequently small tissue specimens, the expression of ecad or vim alone by IHC did not correlate with outcomes for E treated patients. A complicated difference score (vimentin score minus ecadherin score) did correlate with PFS on E. Examining EMT markers at the invasive edge of resected NSCLC tumors might more accurately assess EMT activity and its relationship to outcomes when these pts are recommended EGFR-TKIs.

DNA repair gene promoter methylation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with DNA damaging agents

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Background: Approximately 75% of NSCLC patients are advanced at time of diagnosis. Treatments include regimens of DNA-damaging and alkylating agents. Previous in vitro studies have shown that loss of BRCA1 and BRCA2 function through promoter methylation increases sensitivity to sapacitabine, suggesting that tumor cells may be protected by repair systems including BRCA-RAD50 and MGMT pathways induced by DNA damage. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of DNA repair gene promoter methylation on outcome of NSCLC patients treated with DNA damaging agents. DNA repair gene promoter hypermethylation may sensitize tumor cells to DNA damaging agents. Methods: The patient group of 240 patients included 135 early stage and 105 late stage (III/IV) cases. Chemotherapy regimens of late stage patients included carboplatin, cisplatin and gemcitabine, as well as other non-DNA damaging agents. Mean overall survival (OS) was 43.7 months. DNA was extracted from micro-dissected primary tumor, bisulfite converted and assessed by pyrosequencing to quantify methylation of cytosine nucleotides along the MGMT, BRCA1 and BRCA2 promoters. Results: Overall average methylation values were 8.4%, 7.3% and 8.3% for MGMT, BRCA1, BRCA2 respectively (compared to 3.2%, 3.6% and 7.3%, respectively, in nonmalignant lung tissue). Percent promoter methylation levels were not significantly correlated with age, gender, smoking status nor histology, with the exception of higher MGMT promoter methylation in smokers. Hypermethylation (greater than 10%) of BRCA1 and BRCA2 promoter was not significantly associated with survival in late stage patients (6.6 mos vs 6.8 mos; p=0.533) in this patient group, however, superior survival was observed with BRCA2 promoter hypermethylation when early stage patients were included (29.3 mos vs median not reached; p=0.045). Promoter hypermethylation of MGMTwas significantly associated with lower five-year survival rate in early stage patients (p=0.022). Conclusions: These data suggest epigenetic control of DNA repair gene expression can affect response to therapy. Further studies on specific treatment regimens will be required to definitively assess these effects.

Randomized phase III trial of pemetrexed (Pem)+carboplatin (Cb)+bevacizumab (Bev) followed by maintenance Pem+Bev (Pem arm) versus paclitaxel (Pac)+Cb+Bev followed by maintenance Bev (Pac arm) in patients (pts) with stage IIIb/IV nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsNSCLC) (POINTBREAK): African American (AA) subset

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Background: AAs with lung cancer (LC) have shorter survival than Caucasians (Cs). Despite a higher LC incidence among AAs than Cs (74.7 vs 64.4/100,000), AAs are underrepresented in clinical trials. There are no reports of randomized LC prospective trials reporting AA results. In POINTBREAK, we enrolled AAs at the same rate as the US incidence of NSCLC in AAs. We report efficacy/safety of AAs in both arms and efficacy/safety of AA and C within the Pem Arm. Methods: Data from AAs and Cs enrolled in POINTBREAK were analyzed. AAs in both arms were evaluated in a pre-specified analysis. Hazard ratio and p-values were derived from a multivariate Cox-PH model by adjusting stratification factors. Results: Of 939 randomized pts, 94 were AA and 805 were C. Demographics were comparable between AA/intent-to-treat populations (%): 56/53 male, 65/52 ≤65 years, 87/88 ever smoker, 86/90 stage IV, 43/44 Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0. The table shows efficacy results. Among AAs, drug-related grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) include (Pem Arm %/Pac Arm %): anemia (7.3/0), thrombocytopenia (9.8/4.0), fatigue (4.9/4.0), neutropenia (31.7/44.0), febrile neutropenia (0/4.0). Within Pem Arm, drug-related grade 3/4 AEs (AA%/ C%) were anemia (7.3/15.9), thrombocytopenia (9.8/25.5), fatigue (4.9/11.5), neutropenia (31.7/25.3), febrile neutropenia (0/1.6). Conclusions: Median OS for Pem Arm was not superior to Pac Arm in AAs. Within Pem Arm, there were no significant differences between AAs and Cs for efficacy outcomes. Both regimens were tolerable in AAs. Clinical trial information: NCT00762034. [Table: see text]

Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) and overall survival in wild type EGFR patients treated with erlotinib

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Background: TTF-1 is a transcription factor involved in regulating epithelial to mesenchymal transition. TTF-1 has a favorable prognosis in early stage lung adenocarcinoma, although it’s prognostic value in erlotinib treated patients remains unknown (Somaiah ASCO 2011). The goal of this study was to validate the relationship between TTF-1 expression and clinical outcomes in wild-type (WT) stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (pts) treated with erlotinib. Methods: Pts that received erlotinib were retrospectively analyzed by IHC for TTF-1 expression (positive = greater than 5% of tumor cells with moderate (2+) or strong (3+) nuclear staining). Pts’ tumors were considered WT if no mutations were detected in Exon 19 or L858R (Exon 21) using single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Log Rank was used to correlate TTF-1 positivity with outcomes. Results: 216 pts were analyzed. EGFR activating gene mutations were found in 11.6% of cases. TTF-1 positivity was strongly correlated with the presence of an activating EGFR mutation (p=.0006, negative predictive value=97.7%). Of WT pts: median age was 65, 61% female, 15% never smokers. TTF-1 was positive in 8% of squamous cell and 71% of adenocarcinoma pts. In EGFR WT pts, the median progression free survival (PFS) in TTF-1 positive and negative pts was 2.1 vs. 1.6 months respectively, p=.255. TTF-1 strongly correlated with prolonged overall survival (OS) on erlotinib therapy in WT pts (6.2 vs. 3.2 months, log rank p=.004). After excluding for squamous cell histology, in TTF-1 positive EGFR WT pts there was still a highly significant correlation with prolonged OS on erlotinib (6.2 vs. 2.8 months, p=.001) and a trend toward prolonged PFS (2.2 vs. 1.4 months, p=.05). Conclusions: TTF-1 is related to the presence of exon 19 and 21 EGFR mutations in this group of NSCLC pts, and, similar to early stage lung cancer, TTF-1 appears to be at least a prognostic indicator for OS in stage IV WT EGFR NSCLC pts treated with erlotinib. Exploration of the potential predictive value of this readily available marker should be considered in pts with EGFR WT tumors treated with erlotinib.

Exploratory analyses of efficacy and safety of pemetrexed (Pem) plus bevacizumab (Bev) and bev alone as maintenance therapy (MT) in patients (Pts) with stage IIIb or IV nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC)

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Background: In a phase III superiority study, Pem+carboplatin (Cb)+Bev followed by Pem+Bev improved PFS compared with paclitaxel (Pac)+Cb+Bev followed by Bev in NS-NSCLC pts. Superior OS (primary endpoint) was not met. These analyses assessed the efficacy and safety in pts who received MT. Methods: Prespecified exploratory analyses were performed in the maintenance population (MP) and timed from the start of induction. Pts ≥18 years with stage IIIB/IV NS-NSCLC (ECOG status 0–1) from the multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III superiority study were included in the MP if they received at least one dose of MT. For MT, pts received intravenous Pem 500 mg/m2+Bev 15 mg/kg (n=292) or Bev 15 mg/kg (n=298). OS, PFS, and safety were evaluated. Comparison is made to the intent-to-treat (ITT; Pem=472, Pac=467) or safety population (SP; Pem=442, Pac=443; received at least one dose of one drug). Results: Baseline pt and disease characteristics for the ITT and MP were similar between arms. In the ITT/MP population, the median number of cycles was 7/10 (range, 1-41/4–41) in the Pem arm and 6/9 (range, 1-39/5–39) in the Pac arm. In the ITT/MP, OS was 12.6/17.7 months (mos; Pem) and 13.4/15.7 mos (Pac). Survival rates (%) at 12 and 24 mos with Pem (ITT/MP) were 52.7/71.7 and 24.4/34.5; Pac, 54.1/66.5 and 21.2/26.5%. In pts not receiving MT, OS was 4.7 mos (Pem) and 6.1 mos (Pac). PFS (mos) in the ITT/MT was 6.0/8.6 (Pem) and 5.6/6.9 (Pac). In pts not receiving MT, PFS was 2.3 mos and 2.5 mos with Pem and Pac, respectively. From induction, both SP/MP had significantly more grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia, anemia, and fatigue with Pem and neutropenia and sensory neuropathy with Pac (p≤0.001). During MT only, the difference in grade 3/4 neutropenia rates between arms was no longer significant. Conclusions: Improved efficacy outcomes were consistent with previous Pem maintenance and Bev studies and no new toxicities were observed. Clinical trial information: NCT00762034.

Preoperative survivin, ERCC1, and PTEN expression in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (pts) treated with neoadjuvant and definitive chemoradiation and association with overall survival (OS)

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Background: Thoracic radiation and concurrent chemotherapy consisting of platinum based doublets has produced modest improvement in long term survival for patient with locally advanced (LA) NSCLC. There is relatively little information regarding molecular profiles and outcome in LA-NSCLC patients (pts) treated with chemoradiation. The objective of this retrospective study is to evaluate potential relationships between expression of DNA repair enzyme ERCC1 and enzymes involved in cell survival – survivin and PTEN. Methods: Stage III NSCLC pts who were treated with chest radiation (40-60Gy) and concurrently with platinum doublet and who had sufficient pretreatment tissue were included in this study. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect nuclear and cytoplasmic expression (frequency 0-4 and intensity 0-4) of survivin, and PTEN, and for nuclear expression of ERCC1. Product of intensity and frequency was calculated for all markers and correlated with overall survival (OS). Results: 97 pts had adequate tumor samples for analysis. 53 women, median age 67. 48 pts with ERCC1 prod <=6 had longer OS than 41 pts with ERCC1 prod >6 (19.6 vs 1.0 months, p=0.034). 16 pts with ERCC1 prod >6, PETN prod <=6 and survivin prod >4 had significantly lower OS than 68 pts with ERCC1<=6, PETN >6 and survivin <=4 (17.2 vs 40.2 months, p<0.001). Conclusions: The association of inferior survival in LA-NSCLC pts whose tumors express high survivin, low PTEN, and high ERCC1, suggests that combining inhibitors of survivin and or of PI3KCA with chemoradiation and developing strategies to inhibit DNA repair might improve outcomes in this group of pts.

EGFR gene mutation and epithelial to mensenchymal transition (EMT) markers in advanced NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib

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Background: TTF-1 is a transcription factor involved in regulating epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Previous work in a clinically enriched non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population suggested low probability of an EGFR activating gene mutation in the absence of TTF-1 positivity (Somaiah ASCO 2011). This study's goal was to validate the relationship of TTF-1 and other immunohistochemical (IHC) markers of EMT to the presence of an EGFR activating gene mutation in a diverse group of NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib. Methods: Patients receiving erlotinib at two midwest institutions were retrospectively analyzed by IHC for TTF-1 (Greater than 5% of tumor cells with moderate (2+) or strong (3+) nuclear staining considered positive) and for PTEN, Ecadherin,vimentin, beta catinin, and snail (frequency(0-4) times intensity(0-4)). Exon 19 and L858R mutations were detectedusing single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR)).Fisher’s exact testand logistic regression wereused to correlate TTF-1(positive or negative) and the remaining EMT markers with the presence of EGFR mutation. Results: 216 patients were analyzed for EGFR activating gene mutations: 15% squamous, 80% smokers. EGFR mutation was found in 11.6% of cases. TTF-1 was present in 8% of squamous cell patients and 71% of adenocarcinoma patients. TTF-1 correlated with prolonged progression free survival (log rank p=.004). TTF-1 positivity was strongly correlated with the presence of mutation (p=.0006, negative predictive value=97.7%). Increasing Ecadherin and increasing PTEN expression by IHC correlated with the presence of EGFR gene mutation when measured on continuum (p=.006 and p=.04, respectively). Conclusions: Though retrospective, our work confirms the negative predictive value of TTF-1 for an EGFR activating gene mutation in a NSCLC cohort representative of a North American population.Though high PTEN and Ecadherin expression also correlated with EGFR mutation, TTF-1 positivity may be a more straight-forward marker that can select patients who should be screened for the mutation prior to initiation of first line therapy.

Panel of serum biomarkers to predict benefit from bevacizumab (BEV) in advanced NSCLC patients

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Background: BEV has produced modest benefits in patients (PTS) with advanced NSCLC. Identification of positive predictors for BEV would have important implications for individual PTS and health care costs. Methods: We performed a prospective exploratory analysis to identify serum biomarkers as predictors of improved outcomes with BEV. Pre treatment sera were collected from 93 pts prior to initiation of first line treatment for advanced NSCLC. Treatment drugs, including BEV, were prescribed according to treating physician’s discretion. Seventy two serum biomarkers, relevant to angiogenesis and tumor progression, were recorded using Luminex immunobead platform. Serum levels were correlated with progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) and compared between patient treated with or without BEV containing regimens, BEV + and BEV- groups respectively. Log-rank and interaction p value tests were used to identify markers associated with longer PFS and OS in the BEV+ group but not in BEV- group. Results: Characteristics for each group were: BEV+ (n=43, median age 65 y/o, 72% smokers, 60% females, 100% non-squamous). BEV– (n=50, median age 64 y/o, 84% smokers, 50% female, 70 % non-squamous). The BEV+ group had longer PFS (5.8 vs. 3.0 mos, log-rank p= 0.039) and OS (13.1 vs. 8.5 mos, log-rank p =0.11) when compared to the BEV- group. High serum levels of these markers resulted in a differential decreased hazard in the BEV+ group: PDGF-AB/BB (interaction p <0.01 for PFS, p=0.04 for OS), FGF (interaction p=0.15 for PFS, p<0.04 for OS), tenascin-c (interaction p=0.18 for PFS, p=0.04 for OS), RANTES (interaction p=0.04 for PFS, p=0.6 for OS), epiregulin (interaction p=0.31 for PFS, p=0.04 for OS) and anti-HGF (interaction p=0.18 for PFS, p=0.03 for OS). In the BEV+ group higher levels of PDGF-AB/BB were associated with a better outcome (log-rank p=0.05 and p=0.01 for PFS and OS respectively). We did not find significant correlations between serum levels of VEGF, anti-VEGF or VEGFR and benefit from BEV. Conclusions: This exploratory analysis suggests that these biomarkers may have predictive value for BEV in NSCLC PTS and should be considered for further studies.

Phase II study of single-agent navitoclax (ABT-263) and biomarker correlates in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

Bcl-2 is a critical regulator of apoptosis that is overexpressed in the majority of small cell lung cancers (SCLC). Nativoclax (ABT-263) is a potent and selective inhibitor of Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L). The primary objectives of this phase IIa study included safety at the recommended phase II dose and preliminary, exploratory efficacy assessment in patients with recurrent and progressive SCLC after at least one prior therapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Thirty-nine patients received navitoclax 325 mg daily, following an initial lead-in of 150 mg daily for 7 days. Study endpoints included safety and toxicity assessment, response rate, progression-free and overall survival (PFS and OS), as well as exploratory pharmacodynamic correlates.

RESULTS

The most common toxicity associated with navitoclax was thrombocytopenia, which reached grade III-IV in 41% of patients. Partial response was observed in one (2.6%) patient and stable disease in 9 (23%) patients. Median PFS was 1.5 months and median OS was 3.2 months. A strong association between plasma pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (pro-GRP) level and tumor Bcl-2 copy number (R = 0.93) was confirmed. Exploratory analyses revealed baseline levels of cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1, neuron-specific enolase, pro-GRP, and circulating tumor cell number as correlates of clinical benefit.

CONCLUSION

Bcl-2 targeting by navitoclax shows limited single-agent activity against advanced and recurrent SCLC. Correlative analyses suggest several putative biomarkers of clinical benefit. Preclinical models support that navitoclax may enhance sensitivity of SCLC and other solid tumors to standard cytotoxics. Future studies will focus on combination therapies.