Primary tumor response to chemoradiotherapy in limited-disease small-cell lung cancer correlates with duration of brain-metastasis free survival

Abstract Background Novel immunotherapeutic strategies, such as those targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, are promising in patients with metastatic lung cancer and are often administered when tumors show PD-L1 positivity. The objective of this study was to analyze PD-L1 receptor discordance in tumor cell between the primary tumor and lung cancer brain metastasis (LCBM). Methods A systematic review of series published prior to April 2021 obtained from the Medline database of biopsied or resected LCBM evaluating PD-L1 discordance was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Weighted random effects models were used to calculate pooled estimates. Results Six full-text articles (n=247 patients) with a median of 32 patients in each study (range: 24–73 patients) reported PD-L1 receptor expression analyses of both primary lung tumors and brain metastases. The majority of patients (81%) were smokers, with 67% non-small cell lung cancer and 33% small cell lung cancer. The pooled estimate for overall PD-LI receptor concordance between primary and LCBM was 76% (95% CI: 52%-90). The positivity rate varied when analyzed by various cutoff levels of PD-L1 expression; for <1% expression, it was 41% (95% CI: 22%-62%) for primary vs. 58% (95% CI: 35%-78%) for LCBM; for PD-L1 expression of 1–50%, it was 24% (95% CI: 13%-40%) vs. 19% (95% CI: 10%-33%); and for PD-L1 >50% it was 12% (95% CI: 4%-33%) vs. 21% (95% CI: 14%-29%) (p=0.425). The pooled estimate for overall PD-LI receptor discordance between primary and LCBM was 17% (95% CI: 10%-27%). Meta-regression analysis showed that age, sex, smoking status, and histology were not associated with PD-LI receptor discordance. Conclusions PD-L1 status discordance in tumor cell occurs in approximately 20% of LCBM, with the greatest discordance in the <1% expression category. Awareness of this discordance is important for the selection of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy as well as in the analysis of patterns of failures.

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Extended Survival and Prognostic Factors for Patients With ALK-Rearranged Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Brain Metastasis

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.62.0138 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 123-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 141

Author(s):

Kimberly L. Johung ◽

Norman Yeh ◽

Neil B. Desai ◽

Terence M. Williams ◽

Tim Lautenschlaeger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Prognostic Factors ◽

Brain Metastasis ◽

Brain Metastases ◽

Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Small Cell ◽

Small Cell Lung ◽

Free Survival

Purpose We performed a multi-institutional study to identify prognostic factors and determine outcomes for patients with ALK-rearranged non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastasis. Patients and Methods A total of 90 patients with brain metastases from ALK-rearranged NSCLC were identified from six institutions; 84 of 90 patients received radiotherapy to the brain (stereotactic radiosurgery [SRS] or whole-brain radiotherapy [WBRT]), and 86 of 90 received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Estimates for overall (OS) and intracranial progression-free survival were determined and clinical prognostic factors were identified by Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results Median OS after development of brain metastases was 49.5 months (95% CI, 29.0 months to not reached), and median intracranial progression-free survival was 11.9 months (95% CI, 10.1 to 18.2 months). Forty-five percent of patients with follow-up had progressive brain metastases at death, and repeated interventions for brain metastases were common. Absence of extracranial metastases, Karnofsky performance score ≥ 90, and no history of TKIs before development of brain metastases were associated with improved survival (P = .003, < .001, and < .001, respectively), whereas a single brain metastasis or initial treatment with SRS versus WBRT were not (P = .633 and .666, respectively). Prognostic factors significant by multivariable analysis were used to describe four patient groups with 2-year OS estimates of 33%, 59%, 76%, and 100%, respectively (P < .001). Conclusion Patients with brain metastases from ALK-rearranged NSCLC treated with radiotherapy (SRS and/or WBRT) and TKIs have prolonged survival, suggesting that interventions to control intracranial disease are critical. The refinement of prognosis for this molecular subtype of NSCLC identifies a population of patients likely to benefit from first-line SRS, close CNS observation, and treatment of emergent CNS disease.

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