Targeted transcriptomic analysis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in EUS-FNA samples by NanoString technology

Background: Integration of transcriptomic testing into EUS-FNA samples is a growing need for precision oncology in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The NanoString platform is suitable for transcriptome profiling in low yield RNA samples. Methods: Inclusion of patients that underwent EUS-FNA cytological diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using 19G and/or 22G needles and subsequent surgical resection. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cytological and surgical samples underwent RNA extraction and transcriptomic analysis using a custom 52-gene NanoString panel of stromal PDAC features. Cell type abundance was quantified in FFPE specimens and correlated. Results: 18 PDAC patients were included. Mean EUS-FNA passes was 2 + 0.7. All FFPE passed the RNA quality control for genomic analysis. Hierarchical clustering on the global gene expression data showed that genes were differentially expressed between EUS and surgical samples. A more enriched cancer-associated fibroblasts and epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcriptomic profile was observed across surgical specimens whereas immunological biomarkers were more represented in EUS-FNA samples. Cytological examination confirmed a scanty representation of CAF and more immunological cell abundance in cytological samples in comparison to surgical specimens. Conclusion: Targeted transcriptomic NanoString profiling of PDAC samples obtained by EUS-FNA is a feasible approach for pre-surgical molecular analysis although stromal CAF/EMT mRNA biomarkers are underrepresented.

SEOM clinical guidelines for pancreatic and biliary tract cancer (2020)

Pancreatic cancer (PC) and biliary tract cancer (BTC) are both aggressive and highly fatal malignancies. Nowadays we have a profound knowledge about the molecular landscape of these neoplasms and this has allowed new therapeutic options. Surgery is the only potentially curative therapy in both cancers, but disease recurrence is frequent. In PC, adjuvant treatment with mFOLFIRINOX has improved overall survival (OS) and in BTC adjuvant treatment with capecitabine seems to improve OS and relapse-free survival. Concomitant radio-chemotherapy could also be considered following R1 surgery in both neoplasms. Neoadjuvant treatment represents the best option for achieving an R0 resection in borderline PC. Upfront systemic chemotherapy is the treatment of choice in unresectable locally advanced PC and BTC; then locoregional therapy could be considered after an initial period of at least 3-4 months of systemic chemotherapy. In metastatic PC, FOLFIRINOX or Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel have improved OS compared with gemcitabine alone. In metastatic BTC, cisplatin plus gemcitabine constitute the standard treatment. Progress in the knowledge of molecular biology has enabled the identification of new targets for therapy with encouraging results that could in the future improve the survival and quality of life of patients with PC and BTC.

Ibrutinib in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: phase III RESOLVE study

BACKGROUND

First-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) includes nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine. Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exhibits antitumor activity through tumor microenvironment modulation. The safety and efficacy of first-line ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine treatment in patients with PDAC were evaluated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

RESOLVE (NCT02436668) was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients (histologically-confirmed PDAC; stage IV diagnosis ≥6 weeks of randomization; Karnofsky performance score ≥70) were randomized to once-daily oral ibrutinib (560 mg) or placebo plus nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m²) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m²). Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS); overall response rate and safety were assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 424 patients were randomized (ibrutinib arm, n = 211; placebo arm, n = 213). Baseline characteristics were balanced across arms. After a median follow-up of 25 months, there was no significant difference in OS between ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine versus placebo plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (median of 9.7 versus 10.8 months; P = 0.3225). PFS was shorter for ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine compared with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (median 5.3 versus 6.0 months; P < 0.0001). Overall response rates were 29% and 42%, respectively (P = 0.0058). Patients in the ibrutinib arm had less time on treatment and received lower cumulative doses for all agents compared with the placebo arm. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events for ibrutinib versus placebo arms included neutropenia (24% versus 35%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (17% versus 8%), and anemia (16% versus 17%). Primary reasons for any treatment discontinuation were disease progression and adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine did not improve OS or PFS for patients with PDAC. Safety was consistent with known profiles for these agents.

Association between PD1 mRNA and response to anti-PD1 monotherapy across multiple cancer types

Background

We hypothesized that the abundance of PD1 mRNA in tumor samples might explain the differences in overall response rates (ORR) observed following anti-PD1 monotherapy across cancer types.

Patients and methods

RNASeqv2 data from 10 078 tumor samples representing 34 different cancer types was analyzed from TCGA. Eighteen immune-related gene signatures and 547 immune-related genes, including PD1, were explored. Correlations between each gene/signature and ORRs reported in the literature following anti-PD1 monotherapy were calculated. To translate the in silico findings to the clinical setting, we analyzed the expression of PD1 mRNA using the nCounter platform in 773 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor samples across 17 cancer types. To test the direct relationship between PD1 mRNA, PDL1 immunohistochemistry (IHC), stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) and ORR, we evaluated an independent FFPE-based dataset of 117 patients with advanced disease treated with anti-PD1 monotherapy.

Results

In pan-cancer TCGA, PD1 mRNA expression was found strongly correlated (r > 0.80) with CD8 T-cell genes and signatures and the proportion of PD1 mRNA-high tumors (80th percentile) within a given cancer type was variable (0%-84%). Strikingly, the PD1-high proportions across cancer types were found strongly correlated (r = 0.91) with the ORR following anti-PD1 monotherapy reported in the literature. Lower correlations were found with other immune-related genes/signatures, including PDL1. Using the same population-based cutoff (80th percentile), similar proportions of PD1-high disease in a given cancer type were identified in our in-house 773 tumor dataset as compared with TCGA. Finally, the pre-established PD1 mRNA FFPE-based cutoff was found significantly associated with anti-PD1 response in 117 patients with advanced disease (PD1-high 51.5%, PD1-intermediate 26.6% and PD1-low 15.0%; odds ratio between PD1-high and PD1-intermediate/low = 8.31; P < 0.001). In this same dataset, PDL1 tumor expression by IHC or percentage of sTILs was not found associated with response.

Conclusions

Our study provides a clinically applicable assay that links PD1 mRNA abundance, activated CD8 T-cells and anti-PD1 efficacy.

SEOM clinical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (2018)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second cause of cancer death in Spain, the objective of this guide published by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology is to develop a consensus for the diagnosis and management of metastatic disease. The optimal treatment strategy for patients with metastatic CRC should be discussed in a multidisciplinary expert team to select the most appropriate treatment, and integrate systemic treatment and other options such as surgery and ablative techniques depending on the characteristics of the tumour, the patient and the location of the disease and metastases.

MRI assessment and outcomes in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy only for primary rectal cancer: long-term results from the GEMCAD 0801 trial

Background

Primary chemotherapy has been tested as a possible approach for patients with high risk features but predicted clear mesorectal margins on preoperative MRI assessment. This study investigates the prognostic relevance of baseline and post-treatment MRI and pathology staging in rectal cancer patients undergoing primary chemotherapy.

Patients and methods

Forty-six patients with T3 tumour > =2 mm from the mesorectal fascia were prospectively treated with Neoadjuvant Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin and Bevacizumab prior to surgery between 2009 and 2011. The baseline and post-treatment MRI: T, Nodal and Extra-mural venous invasion (EMVI) status were recorded as well as post-treatment MRI Tumour regression grade (TRG) and modified-RECIST assessment of tumour length. The post-treatment pathology (yp) assessments of T3 substage, N, EMVI and TRG status were also recorded. Three-year disease-free survival (DFS) and cumulative incidence of recurrence were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine associations between staging and response on MRI and pathology with survival outcomes.

Results

About 46 patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone for high risk margin safe primary rectal cancer. The median follow-up was 41 months, 5 patients died and 11 patients experienced relapse (2 local, 8 distant and 1 both). In total 23/46 patients were identified with MRI features of EMVI at baseline. mrEMVI positive status carried independent prognostic significance for DFS (P = 0.0097) with a hazard ratio of 31.33 (95% CI: 2.3-425.4). The histopathologic factor that was of independent prognostic importance was a final ypT downstage of ypT3a or less, hazard ratio: 14.0 (95% CI: 1.5-132.5).

Conclusions

mrEMVI is an independent prognostic factor at baseline for poor outcomes in rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy while ≤ypT3a is associated with an improvement in DFS. Future preoperative therapy evaluation in rectal cancer patients will need to stratify treatment according to baseline EMVI status as a crucial risk factor for recurrence in patients with predicted CRM clear rectal cancer.

GEIS-21: a multicentric phase II study of intensive chemotherapy including gemcitabine and docetaxel for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma of children and adults: a report from the Spanish sarcoma group (GEIS)

BACKGROUND

First Spanish trial of Ewing sarcoma (ES) including adults and children with the aim to test the efficacy of Gemcitabine and Docetaxel (G/D) in newly diagnosed high-risk (HR) patients.

METHODS

This was a prospective, multicentric, non-randomised, open study for patients ⩽40 years with newly diagnosed ES. HR patients (metastatic, axial-pelvic primaries or bone marrow micrometastasis) received 2 window cycles of G/D. Patients with an objective response (OR) to G/D received 12 monthly cycles of G/D after completion of mP6. The primary end point was the OR rate to the G/D window phase and the event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT00006734).

RESULTS

Forty-three patients were enroled, median age 17 years (range, 3-40). After a median follow-up of 43.4 months, the 5-year OS rate is 55.0% (95% CI, 41-74%) with an EFS of 50.0% (95% CI, 36-68%). The 5-year OS and EFS rates for standard risk (SR) patients was 76.0% (95% CI, 57-100%) and 71.0% (CI, 54-94%); for HR 36.0% (CI, 20-65%) and 29.0% (CI, 15-56%). Twelve of 17 (70.6%) high-risk (HR) patients showed an OR (7 PR and 5 SD) to G/D window therapy. The 5-year OS rate for patients ⩽18 years of age was 74.0% (CI, 56-97%) and 31.0% for >18 years (95% CI, 15-66%), P<0.001. Grade 4 adverse events during mP6 occurred in 28/39 of patients (72%) and did not correlate with age. Multivariate survival analyses with <18 vs ⩾18 and risk groups significant differences, P<0.00001. Using a Cox model for OS, both age and risk group were statistically significant (P=0.0011 and P=0.0065, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Age at diagnosis is an independent prognostic factor superior to the presence of metastases with 18 years as the strongest cut-off. The mP6 regimen provided survival curves that plateau at 3 years and G/D produced significant responses in HR-ES that is worth further exploring.

SEOM Clinical Guideline for the treatment of pancreatic cancer (2016)

Pancreatic cancer remains an aggressive disease with a 5 year survival rate of 5%. Only 15% of patients with pancreatic cancer are eligible for radical surgery. Evidence suggests a benefit on survival with adjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine o fluourouracil) after R1/R0 resection. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is also a valid option in patients with positive margins. Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is defined as the involvement of the mesenteric vasculature with a limited extension. These tumors are technically resectable, but with a high risk of positive margins. Neoadjuvant treatment represents the best option for achieving an R0 resection. In advanced disease, two new chemotherapy treatment schemes (Folfirinox or Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel) have showed improvements in overall survival compared with gemcitabine alone. Progress in pancreatic cancer treatment will require a better knowledge of the molecular biology of this disease, focusing on personalized cancer therapies in the near future.

Prospective biomarker validation trial evaluating the prognostic role of the combined expression of phospho-insulin growth factor receptor-1 and matrilysin in KRAS (exon 2) wild-type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with FOLFOX-6 plus panitumumab as first-line therapy [PULSE trial (GEMCAD 09-03)]

583

Background: Matrilysin can activate phospho-insulin growth factor receptor-1 (pIGF-1R) through IGFBP-3 degradation, releasing IGF-1. Matrilysin per se has shown poor prognosis in mCRC and the co-expression of matrilysin and pIGF-1R (double positivity, DP) correlates with poor prognosis in WT KRAS refractory patients (pts) treated with anti-EGFR in retrospective analyses. We performed a prospective clinical trial in WT KRAS (exon 2) pts, treated with FOLFOX plus panitumumab in first-line therapy to validate those findings. Methods: Positive cases were defined by immunohistochemistry as those with moderate or strong intensity (++/+++) and > 70% expression for both matrilysin and p-IGF-1R (antibody anti-pY1316). The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). Seventy-eight pts and 56 events were required to have an 80% power to detect a difference in median PFS of 6 months (two-sided p< 0.05). Results: We screened 196 mCRC pts in 24 centers between Nov/2010 and Apr/2013 and 78 pts met inclusion criteria (42 non-DP and 36 DP). Median follow-up was 23 months. There were no differences in baseline characteristics [age, sex, liver metastases, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, performance status and BRAF mutational status] between both groups. There were no differences in the number of FOLFOX-6 and panitumumab cycles received. Cutaneous toxicity was more frequent in DP pts (p = 0.035). Response rate was 80.5% in non-DP and 72.2% in DP patients (p = 0.37). Median PFS (95% CI) was 7.4 months (95%CI 5.2-13.3) in non-DP and 9.6 months (95% CI 6.7-17.5, p = 0.15) in DP patients. Median overall survival was 19.8 months (11.5-26.3) in non-DP pts and 39.1 months (26-NE, p = 0.071) in DP pts. Adjusted HR for PFS was 0.68 (95% CI 0.41-1.12). Adjusted analysis for OS was 0.50 (95% CI 0.27-0.90). Conclusions: We found that co-expression of matrilysin and pIGF-1R is a novel strong prognostic biomarker of survival benefit in mCRC KRAS WT pts treated in first-line with FOLFOX-6 plus panitumumab. Clinical trial information: NCT01288339.

Chikungunya outbreak in Montpellier, France, September to October 2014

In October 2014, an outbreak of 12 autochthonous chikungunya cases, 11 confirmed and 1 probable, was detected in a district of Montpellier, a town in the south of France colonised by the vector Aedes albopictus since 2010. A case returning from Cameroon living in the affected district was identified as the primary case. The epidemiological investigations and the repeated vector control treatments performed in the area and around places frequented by cases helped to contain the outbreak. In 2014, the chikungunya and dengue surveillance system in mainland France was challenged by numerous imported cases due to the chikungunya epidemic ongoing in the Caribbean Islands. This first significant outbreak of chikungunya in Europe since the 2007 Italian epidemic, however, was due to an East Central South African (ECSA) strain, imported by a traveller returning from West Africa. Important lessons were learned from this episode, which reminds us that the threat of a chikungunya epidemic in southern Europe is real.

Multicenter phase II study of oxaliplatin and sorafenib in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after failure of cisplatin and fluoropyrimidine treatment. A GEMCAD study

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin and fluoropyrimidine (CF) are standard first- line treatment in advanced gastric cancer, but no second-line treatment has yet been established. We present a phase II study in which we evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of Sorafenib (S), and Oxaliplatin as second-line therapy.

METHODS

Patients with progressive gastric adenocarcinoma after CF- first-line, ECOG 0-2, and measurable disease were included. The primary objective was PFS. Treatment doses were Oxaliplatin 130 mg/m²/3 weeks and Sorafenib 800 mg/bid/d.

RESULTS

We included 40 patients. CR was 2.5% and SD was 47.2%. Grade 3-4 toxic effects were neutropenia (9.8%), thrombocytopenia (7.3%), neurotoxicity (4.9%) and diarrhea (4.9%). Median PFS was 3 months (95%CI: 2.3-4.1) and median OS was 6.5 months (95% CI: 5.2-9.6). Time to progression (TTP) to first line therapy was a prognosis factor. Median OS was 9.7 months when time-to-progression during first-line chemotherapy was >6 months and 5.6 m when it was <6 months (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Time-to-progression under a CF-based first-line therapy determines subgroups of GC patients with different prognosis. The combination of Oxaliplatin-Sorafenib in advanced GC patients previously treated with CF appears safe, but our results do not support the implementation of a phase III trial.