Endobronchial ultrasound in diagnosing and staging of lung cancer by Acquire 22G TBNB versus regular 22G TBNA needles: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVES

Endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has an important role in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Evaluation of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and molecular profiling has become standard of care but cytological samples frequently contain insufficient tumor cells. The 22G Acquire needle with Franseen needle tip was developed to perform transbronchial needle biopsy (TBNB) with improved tissue specimens. This study evaluated if the 22G Acquire TBNB needle results in enhanced PD-L1 suitability rate compared to the regular Expect 22G TBNA needle.

METHODS

in this multi-center randomized clinical trial (Netherlands Trial Register NL7701), patients with suspected (N)SCLC and an indication for mediastinal/hilar staging or lung tumor diagnosis were recruited in five university and general hospitals in the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Czech Republic. Patients were randomized (1:1) between the two needles. Two blinded reference pathologists evaluated the samples. The primary outcome was PD-L1 suitability rate in patients with a final diagnosis of lung cancer. In case no malignancy was diagnosed, the reference standard was surgical verification or 6 month follow-up.

RESULTS

154 patients were randomized (n = 76 Acquire TBNB; n = 78 Expect TBNA) of which 92.9% (n = 143) had a final malignant diagnosis. Suitability for PD-L1 analysis was 80.0% (n = 56/70; 95 %CI 0.68-0.94) with the Acquire needle and 76.7% (n = 56/73; 95 %CI 0.65-0.85) with the Expect needle (p = 0.633). Acquire TBNB needle specimens provided more frequent superior quality (65.3% (95 %CI 0.57-0.73) vs 49.4% (95 %CI 0.41-0.57, p = 0.005) and contained more tissue cores (72.0% (95 %CI 0.60-0.81) vs 41.0% (95 %CI 0.31-0.54, p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in tissue adequacy, suitability for molecular analysis and sensitivity for malignancy and N2/N3 disease.

CONCLUSION

The 22G Acquire TBNB needle procured improved quality tissue specimens compared to the Expect TBNA needle but this did not result in an improved the suitability rate for PD-L1 analysis.

Peripheral blood immune cell profiling in survivors of testicular germ cell tumors

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Background: Testicular germ cell tumors (GCT) achieve exceptional cure rate with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Survivors of GCTs represent a unique population to study post-cancer treatment physiology and late toxicities. The impact of cancer treatment on the immune-cell profile in long-term GCT survivors is unknown. In this study, we performed an immune-phenotyping in survivors of GCTs. Methods: Whole peripheral blood was obtained from GCT survivors (N = 202) at National Cancer Institute of Slovakia within the protocol of the ongoing survivorship study on a day of their annual follow-up visit. The median follow-up was 11 years (2-25). GCT survivors were distributed into treatment groups: RT – radiotherapy to the retroperitoneum (N = 18), CT - chemotherapy (N = 143), CTRT - chemotherapy + radiotherapy (N=9); and a control group: AS - active surveillance/orchiectomy only (N=32). Immuno-phenotyping of peripheral blood leukocyte populations was performed with flow-cytometry. Immune cell subpopulations were statistically assessed for associations with received treatment. Results: Survivors treated with RT vs AS had higher no of classical dendritic cells (DCs) (mean ± SEM = 82.0 ± 1.9 vs 76.5 ±1.5, p = 0.03) and non-significantly lower no of plasmacytoid DCs and CD16+ DCs (0.11 ± 0.01 vs 0.15 ± 0.01, p = 0.06 and 54.4 ± 4.1 vs 64.8 ± 3.2, p = 0.07, respectively). Survivors treated with CT vs AS had higher no of CD19+ B cells (11.9 ± 0.3 vs 10.4 ± 0.7, p = 0.04)and lower no of CD8+ T cells (26.0 ± 1.3 vs 23.7 ± 0.6, p = 0.04). Similarly, survivors treated with CTRT vs AS had higher no of CD19+ B cells (13.6 ± 1.4 vs 10.4 ± 0.7, p = 0.04) and lower no of CD8+ T cells (20.7 ± 2.4 vs 26.0 ± 1.3, p = 0.04). Survivors treated with ≥ 400mg/m2 of cisplatin-based chemotherapy vs AS had no of CD19+ B cells (12.2 ± 0.5 vs 10.4 ± 0.7, p = 0.04) and lower no of CD8+ T cells (23.4 ± 0.9 vs 26.3 ±1.3, p = 0.04). The immunoregulatory index CD4/CD8 was higher in CTRT vs AS (2.5 ± 0.3 vs 1.8 ± 0.1, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Certain subpopulations of leukocytes differ according to received treatment in survivors of GCTs. Our results may suggest that chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may produce long-term immunomodulatory effects. Interplay between B and T cells may be a contributing mechanism of late toxicities. Further research is needed to uncover the causal relationship to the long-term health of GCT survivors.

Comprehensive Assessment of Selected Immune Cell Subpopulations Changes in Chemotherapy-Naïve Germ Cell Tumor Patients

The pattern of immune cell distribution in testicular germ cell tumors (GCT) significantly differs from the immune environment in normal testicular tissues. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of different leukocyte subpopulation in GCTs. A cohort of 84 chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients was analyzed. Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations was carried out by flow cytometry. In addition, the data assessing the immunophenotypes and the baseline clinicopathological characteristics of the included subjects were statistically evaluated. Their prognostic value for the assessment of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was estimated. The percentage of different innate/adaptive immune cell subpopulations was significantly associated with poor risk-related clinical features, including the number of metastatic sites, presence of retroperitoneal, mediastinal, lung, brain and non-pulmonary visceral metastases as well as with the S-stage and International Germ Cell Consensus Classification Group (IGCCCG) risk groups. In univariate analysis, the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, dendritic cells type 2, lymphocytes and T cytotoxic cells were significantly associated with PFS, while the neutrophil, non-classical monocyte and lymphocyte percentage were associated with OS. However, all these outcome correlations were not independent of IGCCCG in multivariate analysis. The data indicated a link among different innate/adaptive peripheral immune cell subpopulations in GCT patients. In addition, the association between these subpopulations and tumor characteristics was also investigated. The findings of the present study may contribute to a deeper understanding of the interactions between cancer and innate/adaptive immune response in GCT patients.

DNA damage measured in blood cells predicts overall and progression-free survival in germ cell tumour patients

Germ cell tumour (GCT) patients who fail to respond to chemotherapy or who relapse have a poor prognosis. Timely and accurately stratifying such patients could optimise their therapy. We identified endogenous DNA damage levels as a prognostic marker for progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival in chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients. In the present study, we have extended our previous results and reviewed the prognostic power of DNA damage level in GCTs. Endogenous DNA damage levels were measured with the comet assay. Receiver operator characteristic analysis was applied to determine the optimal cut-off value and to evaluate its prognostic accuracy. PFS and OS were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Hazard ratio (HR) estimates were calculated by Cox regression analysis. A cut-off value of 6.34 provided the highest sensitivity and specificity, with area under curve values of 0.813 and 0.814 for disease progression and mortality, respectively. A % DNA in tail > 6.34 was significantly associated with shorter PFS (HR = 9.54, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 3.43-26.55, p < 0.001) and OS (HR = 14.62, 95 % CI: 3.14-67.95, p = 0.001) by univariate analysis. The prognostic value of DNA damage measurement was confirmed by multivariate models (HR = 6.45, 95 % CI: 2.22-18.75, p = 0.001 for PFS and HR = 9.40, 95 % CI: 1.70-52.09, p = 0.010 for OS), when HR was adjusted for relevant clinical categories. The added prognostic value of DNA damage in combination with International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group (IGCCCG) risk groups has been revealed. Endogenous DNA damage is an independent prognosticator for PFS and OS in GCT patients and its clinical use, particularly in combination with IGCCCG risk groups, may help in stratifying these patients.

Increased levels of XPA might be the basis of cisplatin resistance in germ cell tumours

Background

Germ cell tumours (GCTs) represent a highly curable malignity as they respond well to cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy. Nevertheless, a small proportion of GCT patients relapse or do not respond to therapy. As this might be caused by an increased capacity to repair CDDP-induced DNA damage, identification of DNA repair biomarkers predicting inadequate or aberrant response to CDDP, and thus poor prognosis for GCT patients, poses a challenge. The objective of this study is to examine the expression levels of the key nucleotide excision repair (NER) factors, XPA, ERCC1 and XPF, in GCT patients and cell lines.

Methods

Two hundred seven GCT patients’ specimens with sufficient follow-up clinical-pathological data and pairwise combinations of CDDP-resistant and -sensitive GCT cell lines were included. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the ERCC1, XPF and XPA protein expression levels in GCT patients’ specimen and Western blot and qRT-PCR examined the protein and mRNA expression levels in GCT cell lines.

Results

GCT patients with low XPA expression had significantly better overall survival than patients with high expression (hazard ratio = 0.38, 95% confidence interval: 0.12–1.23, p = 0.0228). In addition, XPA expression was increased in the non-seminomatous histological subtype, IGCCCG poor prognosis group, increasing S stage, as well as the presence of lung, liver and non-pulmonary visceral metastases. Importantly, a correlation between inadequate or aberrant CDDP response and XPA expression found in GCT patients was also seen in GCT cell lines.

Conclusions

XPA expression is an additional independent prognostic biomarker for stratifying GCT patients, allowing for improvements in decision-making on treatment for those at high risk of refractoriness or relapse. In addition, it could represent a novel therapeutic target in GCTs.

Endogenous DNA damage levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with muscle-infiltrating urothelial bladder carcinoma

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Background: Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy is used as a standard neoadjuvant treatment of patients with muscle-infiltrating urothelial bladder carcinoma (MIUBC). DNA damage represents one of the most important factors contributing to its toxicity. The objective of this prospective study is to evaluate the prognostic value of the endogenous DNA damage level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from MIUBC patients before treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: PBMCs isolated from 25 consecutive MIUBC patients (16 men, 64%) were included into this study. Karnofsky index < 80% was present in 1 patient (4%). DNA damage levels in PBMCs were evaluated by the Comet assay and scored as percentage of DNA in tail by the Metafer-MetaCyte analyzing software. Cut-off of 5.25 was used to dichotomize DNA damage level as “high” or “low” based on the previous study. Results: At the median follow-up 12.1 months, 13 patients progressed (52%) and 8 patients (32%) died. The median and IQR (interquartile range) of endogenous DNA damage level was 7.52 (4.07-27.9). Patients with low DNA damage levels had non-significantly better progression free survival (HR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.09-1.29) and overall survival (HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.11-3.87) compared to patients with high DNA damage levels. Conclusions: These data suggest that endogenous DNA damage levels in PBMCs from MIUBC patients may serve as a prognostic marker early identifying patients with poor outcome. This study is supported by VEGA 2/0053/19 and APVV-17-0384.

High DNA damage levels to predict hematologic toxicity in testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) patients treated with first-line chemotherapy

e16055

Background: TGCTs are an excellent example of chemosensitive disease. However, cisplatin-based chemotherapy has significant side effects, including myelosuppression. Previously, we found endogenous DNA damage level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to be an independent prognostic marker. We tested the hypothesis that patients with high endogenous DNA damage levels in PBMCs have an increased risk of developing hematologic toxicity. Methods: 120 chemotherapy-naïve patients with TGCTs treated in the National Cancer Institute and the St. Elisabeth Cancer Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 2012 to 2018 were enrolled. All patients received platinum-based chemotherapy with G-CSF support. On the day of starting treatment, we measured the endogenous DNA damage levels in PBMCs using the Comet assay. We used a cut-off level of 5.25, a value previously found to stratify patients based on their prognosis. We monitored hematologic toxicity during the 1st cycle of chemotherapy. The mean and SEM were calculated for all variables. Results: Patients with high DNA damage levels ( > 5.25) had more significant hematologic toxicity with significantly lower nadir white blood cell count (6.0±1.1×109/L vs 9.8±1.0×109/L p = 0.001), absolute neutrophil count (4.1±1.0×109/L vs 7.0±0.9×109/L p = 0.013) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC, 1.1±0.1×109/L vs 1.5±0.1×109/L p < 0.001). ALCs on day 0 (1.5±0.1×109/L vs 1.8±0.1×109/L p = 0.005) and day 22 (2.0±0.1×109/L vs 2.4±0.1×109/L p = 0.046) were also significantly lower in patients with high DNA damage levels. There were no significant differences in hemoglobin levels or platelet counts between the two groups. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and systemic immune-inflammation index were lower at nadir in patients with high DNA damage levels, however, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.08 and p = 0.10, respectively). Conclusions: This study shows that higher endogenous DNA damage levels correlate with an increased risk of hematologic toxicity. The Comet assay data can be used to select patients for closer monitoring due to a higher risk of acute chemotherapy-related complications.

The prognostic value of DNA damage level in peripheral blood lymphocytes of chemotherapy-naïve patients with germ cell cancer

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are extraordinarily sensitive to cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy. DNA damage represents one of the most important factors contributing to toxic effects of CDDP-based chemotherapy. This study was aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of DNA damage level in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from chemo-naïve GCT patients. PBLs isolated from 59 chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients were included into this prospective study. DNA damage levels in PBLs were evaluated by the Comet assay and scored as percentage tail DNA by the Metafer-MetaCyte analyzing software. The mean ± SEM (standard error of the mean) of endogenous DNA damage level was 5.25 ± 0.64. Patients with DNA damage levels lower than mean had significantly better progression free survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.19, 95% CI (0.04 – 0.96), P = 0.01) and overall survival (HR = 0.00, 95% CI (0.00 – 0.0), P < 0.001) compared to patients with DNA damage levels higher than mean. Moreover, there was significant correlation between the DNA damage level and presence of mediastinal lymph nodes metastases, IGCCCG (International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group) risk group, and serum tumor markers level. These data suggest that DNA damage levels in PBLs of GCT patients may serve as an important prognostic marker early identifying patients with poor outcome.

Down-regulation of traditional oncomiRs in plasma of breast cancer patients

Deregulated expression of microRNAs has the oncogenic or tumor suppressor function in cancer. Since miRNAs in plasma are highly stable, their quantification could contribute to more precise cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy prediction. We have quantified expression of seven oncomiRs, namely miR-17/92 cluster (miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a and miR-20a), miR-21, miR-27a and miR-155, in plasma of 137 breast cancer (BC) patients. We detected down-regulation of six miRNAs in patients with invasive BC compared to controls; however, only miR-20a and miR-27a down-regulations were statistically significant. Comparing miRNA expression between early and advanced stages of BC, we observed statistically significant decrease of miR-17 and miR-19a. We identified down-regulation of miR-17 and miR-20a in patients with clinical parameters of advanced BC (lymph node metastasis, tumor grade 3, circulating tumor cells, higher Ki-67-related proliferation, hormone receptor negativity and HER2 amplification), when compared to controls. Moreover, decreased level of miR-17 was found from low to high grade. Therefore, miR-17 could represent an indicator of advanced BC. Down-regulated miR-27a expression levels were observed in all clinical categories regardless of tumor progression. Hence, miR-27a could be used as a potential diagnostic marker for BC. Our data indicates that any changes in miRNA expression levels in BC patients in comparison to controls could be highly useful for cancer-associated pathology discrimination. Moreover, dynamics of miRNA expression changes could be used for BC progression monitoring.