Abstract 3271: Multiomic meta-analysis of differential response to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade in metastatic melanoma

Background: While CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune-checkpoint blockade (ICB) have revolutionized melanoma treatment, these treatments have different mechanisms, response rates, and toxicities. Differential predictors of response are poorly characterized. Combination ICB has the highest response rates but also much higher toxicity, and which patients to treat with single agent vs. combination ICB is controversial. In this study, we set out to understand the differential biology of anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 by integrating transcriptomic and clinical characterization from large cohorts of patients with metastatic melanoma treated with anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1, or combination blockade.

Methods: We performed a standardized meta-analysis of all available cohorts of ICB-treated (anti-PD-1 alone, anti-CTLA-4 alone, and combination) melanoma patients with sequencing of pretreatment tumor and clinical annotations (n=572; 268 evaluated post quality-control filtering, cutaneous). Raw data in the form of FASTQs were obtained for all cohorts, and data were reprocessed using standardized pipelines. Immune infiltrate was characterized using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) scores from 18 immune cell type signatures, and GSEA was performed on differentially expressed genes between responders and non-responders for each treatment cohort accounting for differences in immune infiltrate. To dissect the cell types and drivers of nominated signatures, we analyzed scRNAseq from a separate cohort of pretreatment metastatic melanoma.

Results: We found that immune infiltrate was strongly predictive of response to combination blockade (OR=6.16, p<0.05) but had a weaker signal in the monotherapy context (anti-PD-1 OR=1.42, n.s.; anti-CTLA-4 OR=1.10, n.s.). Among samples with a high degree of immune-infiltrate treated with either anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1, non-responders were enriched in hypoxia (avg. NES=-1.38, FDR<0.05) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (avg. NES=-2.32, FDR<0.05) gene signatures. Preliminary analysis of the single cell cohort shows a specific population of myeloid cells (MW p<0.05) and exhausted CD8+ T cells (MW p<0.05) increased in pretreatment hypoxic tumors.

Conclusion: High rates of response to combination in patients with high levels of immune infiltrate suggests that immune high patients may differentially benefit from combination blockade. Identifying features of non-responding patients stratified by immune infiltrate can lead to new biological insights into ICB.

Citation Format: Amy Y. Huang, Natalie Vokes, Cora Ricker, Tyler Aprati, Emily Robitschek, Jiekun Yang, Li-Lun Ho, Kyriakitsa Galani, Kelly P. Burke, Giuseppe Tarantino, Jiajia Chen, Arlene H. Sharpe, Eliezer M. Van Allen, Manolis Kellis, Genevieve M. Boland, David Liu. Multiomic meta-analysis of differential response to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade in metastatic melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3271.

Trends in opioid use following balloon kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures

This retrospective analysis of insurance claims evaluated real-world trends in prescription fills among patients treated with balloon kyphoplasty (N = 6,656) or vertebroplasty (N = 2,189) following diagnosis of vertebral compression fracture. Among those with evidence of opioid use, nearly half of patients discontinued or reduced prescription fills relative to pre-operative levels.

INTRODUCTION

Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are associated with debilitating pain, spinal misalignment, increased mortality, and increased healthcare-resource utilization in elderly patients. This study evaluated the effect of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) or vertebroplasty (VP) on post-procedure opioid prescription fills and payer costs in patients with VCF.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of a large, nationally representative insurance-claims database. Clinical characteristics, opioid prescription patterns, and payer costs for subjects who underwent either BKP or VP to treat VCF were evaluated beginning 6 months prior to surgery through 7-month follow-up that included a 30-day, postoperative medication washout. Patient demographics, changes in opioid utilization, and payer costs were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 8,845 patients met eligibility criteria (75.3% BKP and 24.7% VP) with a mean of age 77 and 74% female. Among the 75% of patients who used opioids, 48.7% of patients discontinued opioid medication and 8.4% reduced prescription fills versus preoperative baseline. Patients who reduced or discontinued prescriptions exhibited a decrease in all-cause payer costs relative to pre-intervention levels, which was a significantly greater change relative to patients with no change, increase, or new start of opioids.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventional treatment for VCF was associated with decreased or discontinued opioid prescription fills and reduced payer costs in follow-up in a significant proportion of the study population. Reduction of opioid-based harms may represent a previously unrecognized benefit of vertebral augmentation for VCF, especially in this elderly and medically fragile population.

Integrative clinical and molecular characterization of translocation renal cell carcinoma

Translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) is a poorly characterized subtype of kidney cancer driven by MiT/TFE gene fusions. Here, we define the landmarks of tRCC through an integrative analysis of 152 patients with tRCC identified across genomic, clinical trial, and retrospective cohorts. Most tRCCs harbor few somatic alterations apart from MiT/TFE fusions and homozygous deletions at chromosome 9p21.3 (19.2% of cases). Transcriptionally, tRCCs display a heightened NRF2-driven antioxidant response that is associated with resistance to targeted therapies. Consistently, we find that outcomes for patients with tRCC treated with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) are worse than those treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Using multiparametric immunofluorescence, we find that the tumors are infiltrated with CD8⁺ T cells, though the T cells harbor an exhaustion immunophenotype distinct from that of clear cell RCC. Our findings comprehensively define the clinical and molecular features of tRCC and may inspire new therapeutic hypotheses.

ATM Loss Confers Greater Sensitivity to ATR Inhibition Than PARP Inhibition in Prostate Cancer

Alterations in DNA damage response (DDR) genes are common in advanced prostate tumors and are associated with unique genomic and clinical features. ATM is a DDR kinase that has a central role in coordinating DNA repair and cell-cycle response following DNA damage, and ATM alterations are present in approximately 5% of advanced prostate tumors. Recently, inhibitors of PARP have demonstrated activity in advanced prostate tumors harboring DDR gene alterations, particularly in tumors with BRCA1/2 alterations. However, the role of alterations in DDR genes beyond BRCA1/2 in mediating PARP inhibitor sensitivity is poorly understood. To define the role of ATM loss in prostate tumor DDR function and sensitivity to DDR-directed agents, we created a series of ATM-deficient preclinical prostate cancer models and tested the impact of ATM loss on DNA repair function and therapeutic sensitivities. ATM loss altered DDR signaling, but did not directly impact homologous recombination function. Furthermore, ATM loss did not significantly impact sensitivity to PARP inhibition but robustly sensitized to inhibitors of the related DDR kinase ATR. These results have important implications for planned and ongoing prostate cancer clinical trials and suggest that patients with tumor ATM alterations may be more likely to benefit from ATR inhibitor than PARP inhibitor therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: ATM loss occurs in a subset of prostate tumors. This study shows that deleting ATM in prostate cancer models does not significantly increase sensitivity to PARP inhibition but does sensitize to ATR inhibition.See related commentary by Setton and Powell, p. 2085.

Abstract P6-10-05: UPTAKE study - Uptake of preventive surgeries among Latinas with BRCA1/2 mutations

Introduction: Germline testing for BRCA1/2 genes provides an opportunity to reduce mortality and morbidity by adopting appropriate risk reduction and screening options, in particular with risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).There is a paucity of data on Latinas and prophylactic measures among BRCA1/2 carriers.Existing studies are limited either by the small number of Latinas, or limited to a specific geographic location.Factors related to decision making have also not been evaluated.

Methods: The UPTAKE study is an observational study of Latinas with germline BRCA1/2 mutations.Subjects were recruited nationally and, by telephone interviews, reported uptake of prophylactic surgeries (BSO, bilateral mastectomy in unaffected women, and contralateral mastectomy in carriers with breast cancer (BC)). Women with ovarian cancer were ineligible. All women had to have been informed that they carried a deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation at least 1 year prior to completing the interview. The objectives of this study are: 1)to examine the rate of uptake of prophylactic surgeries; 2)identify acculturation and attitudinal factors related to decisions made and 3)examine relationships between primary language, receipt of genetic counseling (GC) and in which language it was provided and uptake of prophylactic surgeries. We plan to enroll 100 participants.

Results: As of 6/11/2017, 86 telephone interviews have been conducted. We anticipate that all 100 interviews will be completed by July 2017. 51.2% (44/86) of participants completed the interview in Spanish. Our population was diverse in terms of country of origin: 50.0% (43/86) were born in the US, 22.1% (19/86) in Mexico, 11.6% (10/86) in Puerto Rico, 4.6% (4/86) in El Salvador, 3.5% (3/86) in Ecuador and 8.1% (7/86) in other countries of Latin America. 30% (26/86) of the participants reported an annual household income inferior to $50.000. Only 26.7% (23/86) of women reported having a graduate degree. Approximately one quarter of participants were unemployed at the time of study participation (26.7%, 23/86). 34.9% (30/86) were unaffected and 62.8% (54/86) were affected with BC. 73.3% (63/86) of participants reported having received formal GC, of which only 28.6% (18/63) was conducted in Spanish. 66.3% (57/86) of women opted to undergo BSO and 58.1% (50/86) underwent prophylactic mastectomy. Being born outside the US and currently working were associated with higher uptake of BSO. Multivariate analysis will be performed once all interviews have been completed.

Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the largest study that evaluates uptake of prophylactic measures in Latinas known to be BRCA1/2 carriers. Our study included a heterogeneous group of participants in terms of country of origin, income and level of education including English knowledge. It was conducted across various academic and community centers in the country. The uptake of prophylactic surgeries among Latinas with germline BRCA mutations seems to be slightly lower than what has been reported in non-Hispanic whites (71-74%) but higher than in African Americans (32-50%). Results and factors associated with decision making will be updated once the total number of participants is enrolled.

Citation Format: Lynce F, Serrano A, Friedman S, Nahleh Z, Dutil J, Campos C, Ricker C, Rodriguez P, Duron Y, Isaacs C, Graves K. UPTAKE study - Uptake of preventive surgeries among Latinas with BRCA1/2 mutations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-10-05.

Abstract P2-09-07: The patient experience in a prospective trial of multiplex gene panel testing for cancer risk

Background: Multiplex gene sequencing panels (MGP) are increasingly used for assessment of hereditary breast cancer risk. Compared to testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) only, testing more genes increases the likelihood of identifying a deleterious mutation (DM) and/or a variant of uncertain significance (VUS), which might cause distress, uncertainty or regret about testing. Little is known about the patient experience of MGP testing.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study of MGP testing, using a panel of 25 genes: APC, ATM, BARD1, BMPR1A, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CDK4, CDKN2A, CHEK2, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NBN, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, SMAD4, STK11, and TP53. Participants were enrolled at three medical centers and were eligible if they met standard genetic testing guidelines or if they had a ≥2.5% probability of a DM in any gene on the panel, as calculated by predictive models (e.g. IBIS, Penn II, MMRPro). Participants were surveyed about their experiences with MGP testing including distress and uncertainty at baseline (before test results disclosure) and three months later. The 25-item Multidimensional Impact of Cancer Risk Assessment (MICRA) scale measured distress, uncertainty and positive experiences at three months after testing. We present a planned interim analysis after enrolling 500 of 2000 total participants.

Results: Of 500 participants, 332 (66%) were referred for suspicion of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer syndrome. Of these 332, 97% were female, 79% were white, 43% were Hispanic and 33% were Spanish-speaking only; for 25%, high school was their highest level of education. A total of 48% had breast cancer, 5% had ovarian cancer, and 7% had another cancer: 11% had a DM and 35% had VUS in one or more genes. At study entry most participants thought about cancer rarely or not at all (69%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 58%-77%), and few (7%, CI 3%-14%) had thoughts of cancer that affected their daily lives; results were unchanged three months later, after genetic results disclosure (Chi-squared test, p-value >0.1). MICRA scores at three months were low for distress (mean score 2 out of a possible 30) and uncertainty (mean score 7 out of 45), and high for positive testing experiences (mean score 9 out of 15). Most (82%, CI 72%-88%) participants wanted to know all of their MGP results even if the clinical relevance was not fully understood, and most (87%, CI 79%-93%) never regretted learning their MGP results.

Conclusions: Among diverse participants of a prospective, multi-center MGP testing trial, cancer- and genetic testing-related distress were low at entry and remained low three months later. These results provide no evidence for an increase in distress or uncertainty after MGP. Longer-term follow-up in a larger cohort is underway.

Citation Format: Kurian AW, Idos G, McDonnell K, Ricker C, Sturgeon D, Culver J, Lowstuter K, Hartman A-R, Allen B, Rowe-Teeter C, Kingham KE, Koff RB, Lebensohn A, Chun NM, Petrovchich IM, Mills MA, Hong C, Ladabaum U, Ford JM, Gruber SB. The patient experience in a prospective trial of multiplex gene panel testing for cancer risk. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-07.

Abstract P4-01-11: Clinical Findings and Outcomes from MRI Staging of Breast Cancer in a Diverse Population

Background: Staging breast MRI can detect occult breast cancers in 1–10% of newly diagnosed patients. The performance of MRI, impact of patient factors, and resulting surgical management in underserved and diverse populations has not been well studied.

Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with newly diagnosed in situ or invasive breast cancer (2006–2011) who had a preoperative staging MRI seen at our Centers that cares for an underserved and minority population. IRB approval was obtained to extract demographic and clinicopathological data, imaging studies and surgical treatment. Non-index lesions (NIL) were defined as those in breast or axillary nodes not known to be malignant or presenting with clinical, mammographic or ultrasound findings, in a different quadrant and given an MRI BIRADS score of 4 or 5. Occult cancers (OC) were those lesions found by biopsy or surgery to be invasive or in situ cancer. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the probability of a NIL or OC and patients characteristics. Statistical computation was performed using STATA.

Results: Among 678 patients, 144 (21%) had a total of 171 NIL identified by MRI; 67 (9.8%) were ipsilateral, 44 (6.5%) contralateral and 24(3.5%)axillary nodes. 57 patients (8.4%) had a total of 62 OCs detected −34 (5%) ipsilateral, 8(1.2%) contralateral, and 9(1.3%) axillary nodes of which 49 (7.2%) were invasive and 8 (1.2%) in situ. 40% of patients with NILs were confirmed as OCs.

P3-14-21: Neoadjuvant Therapy Response, Subtype and BRCA Status in an Underserved Population

Background

Preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy is typically used for larger operable breast cancer cases, and the degree of pathological response correlates with long term outcome. Therapeutic response also depends on biological and molecular subtype and is increasingly studied in the research setting to identify prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Little is known about the interactions of neoadjuvant response with biomarker subtypes and genetic predisposition in underserved and minority populations.

Methods: IRB approval was obtained to capture demographic, clinicopathological and genetic testing data on patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and treated with preoperative chemotherapy and definitive surgery between 2005 and 2010 at Los Angeles County Medical Center, which serves a primarily Hispanic and indigent population. Treatment followed NCCN guidelines with the exception that not all patients with HER2+ disease received trastuzumab. Genetic counseling and testing has been available at this center since 2007. Pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as no residual invasive disease in breast or nodes. Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test was used to examine associations between pCR and clinical factors, and logistic regression analyses were applied to assess each variable's contribution to pCR.

Results: Among 104 patients, of whom 79% were Hispanic, the overall pCR rate was 27%. Significantly higher pCR rates were seen in age ≥50, clinical N0, HER2+, triple negative, and lumpectomy cases. No differences in pCR rate was seen in Hispanics vs. others, Grade III vs. I and II or in the 9 BRCA mutations carriers among 45 tested compared to no mutation or those not tested. Of the 43 patients with HER2+ disease, the pCR rate was higher in the 32 patients who received trastuzumab (pCR 50.0 vs. 27.3%). Subset pCR rates and odds ratios (OR) of achieving pCR are shown below:

Abstract P2-02-04: MRI Findings and Outcomes in an Underserved Breast Cancer Population Screened with BRCA Testing

Background: Patients with breast cancer and a familial risk and/or BRCA 1 or 2 mutations are at high risk of contralateral breast cancer and ipsilateral recurrence. While MRI screening is recommended for patients with BRCA mutations, and MRI staging for breast cancer is being increasingly used, the outcomes of such testing are not well described, especially in underserved populations. At Los Angeles County Hospital (LAC) for the last 3 years, we have enacted a program of genetic counseling and testing based standard guidelines as well as MRI evaluation of all patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer. LAC serves a population that includes a high number of indigent patients, primarily Hispanic (60%) and Asian (15%). Methods: We undertook a retrospective evaluation of all patients seen at LAC from March 2008 to March 2010 who underwent genetic counseling/testing and MRI as preoperative assessment for histologically documented breast cancer or followup after cancer treatment. IRB approval was obtained to extract data for this analysis. Demographic information along with clinical presentation, MRI and mammography results, additional imaging results, biopsy and surgical procedure and corresponding pathology data were obtained through the review of electronic medical records and clinic charts.

Results: A total of 90 patients had both genetic testing and MRI reports available. The median age of all tested patients was 41 years. Ethnicity was 78% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% African American, 2% Caucasian and 4% other. BRCA mutation was seen in 20 cases (22%), 12 BRCA-1, 8 BRCA-2, 4 variants of unknown significance, and 66 had no mutation. Breast mass or other symptoms were the mode of detection in 89% of the overall cohort, and 81% in mutation carriers. The index lesion was visible on MRI in 78% and by mammogram in 82% of all patients. Ipsilateral MRI showed 7 abnormal non-index findings in 6 patients (7%); 6 of 7 lesions biopsied showed cancer. In the contralateral breast, 7 abnormalities were noted on MRI, but only 5 were amenable to biopsy as 2 could not be visualized by any means on follow up, and 1 showed cancer. Interestingly, only one of the 13 patients with abnormal findings carried a mutation (BRCA-1) and this patient did not have cancer on contralateral lesion biopsy. Mastectomy was performed in 91% and 78% of patients with and without mutation. Conclusions: Screening, counseling and testing for BRCA mutations is feasible in an underserved population, with a 22% mutation identification rate. MRI detected 5 non-index ipsilateral cancers and one contralateral cancer among 90 patients, with none of the detected cancers among the 20 mutation carriers. While MRI staging may be effective at detecting additional cancers in this underserved and high familial risk population, this appears to be independent of BRCA status.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-02-04.

Honoramos A Todas Nuestras Madres Con El Don Del Conocimiento: A Conference To Learn the Needs of Latina Patients and Families Seen for Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

Background: Long-term follow-up surveys of Spanish-speaking Latina patients at increased risk for hereditary breast cancer who completed genetic cancer risk assessment (GCRA) in our underserved clinics revealed a need for ongoing education and support. Consequently, we invited patients back for a half-day educational conference, employing mixed methods research to better understand their medical and social/cultural issues and needs.Aims: The conference aims were to: 1) share medical advances in GCRA and cancer screening and prevention recommendations and resources and 2) explore GCRA-related experiences and needs, and access to risk-appropriate care.Methods: Invitees were Latina patients with personal and/or family history of breast cancer who completed GCRA between 2001-2009 and their family members. The conference, conducted entirely in Spanish, was held at the regional county medical facility where our underserved clinic is conducted. Educational information was delivered by podium-presentations, expert and patient panel discussions and interactive sessions and community resource booth exhibits. Mixed methods research (surveys and Audio Response System [ARS] mediated interaction and discussion) was used to explore GRCA experiences and access to care.Results: The 71 primarily Spanish speaking (96%) participants ranged in age from 18 to 71 years (mean age, 44), were female (93%), had children (78%), and had at least completed high school (71%). Of the 41 patient-participant, 78% were accompanied by at least one family member and/or friend. Thirty (73%) had a personal history of breast cancer; 4 also had ovarian cancer. Of the 35 tested, 20 (57%) were BRCA positive. Nearly all participants (96%) completed the voluntary survey and post-conference evaluation. On average, 87% responded to eight ARS questions related to the GCRA process and access to care. The majority of patient-participant (71%) understood why they were referred for GCRA, 15% did not, and 13% were uncertain. Eighty percent understood their cancer risk; however 20% expressed a need for more risk information. Although 83% understood cancer screening recommendations, 17% were unsure and requested more information. Interestingly, only 5% reported lack of access to care. More than 75% found the GCRA process stressful and desired more support and preparedness for sharing information with relatives. All responders (96%) reported that the conference met their expectations, valued the resources provided, and suggested allocating more time for questions in a future conference.Conclusion: The interactive conference format was highly rated and effective in providing Latina breast cancer patients and family members with ongoing education and support following GCRA, and provided important information to guide improvement in the risk assessment process.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3073.

Properties of cyclopean motion perception

This study investigated the ability of human observers to discriminate the direction of laterally-moving cyclopean stimuli, in order to assess some of the properties of stereoscopic mechanisms that mediate the perception of cyclopean motion (motion existing at levels of binocular integration). The stimuli were moving grating patterns created from dynamic random-dot stereograms. Experiment 1 showed that duration thresholds for discrimination decrease with velocity; they are not governed by temporal frequency nor a constant spatial displacement. Experiment 2 revealed that discrimination thresholds increase with disparity magnitude, for both the crossed and uncrossed disparity directions equally. Experiment 3 showed that the rate of temporal variation at and above which direction discrimination fails (cyclopean upper limit of temporal resolution) is 8 Hz. Our results indicate that a mechanism for motion perception exists at binocular-integration levels of the visual system, which supports a model of motion perception that posits the existence of first-order and second-order processes.