Window-of-opportunity clinical trial of pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent glioblastoma reveals predominance of immune-suppressive macrophages

Abstract Background We sought to ascertain the immune effector function of pembrolizumab within the glioblastoma (GBM) microenvironment during the therapeutic window. Methods In an open-label, single-center, single-arm phase II “window-of-opportunity” trial in 15 patients with recurrent (operable) GBM receiving up to 2 pembrolizumab doses before surgery and every 3 weeks afterward until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities occurred, immune responses were evaluated within the tumor. Results No treatment-related deaths occurred. Overall median follow-up time was 50 months. Of 14 patients monitored, 10 had progressive disease, 3 had a partial response, and 1 had stable disease. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.5 months (95% CI: 2.27, 6.83), and the 6-month PFS rate was 40%. Median overall survival (OS) was 20 months, with an estimated 1-year OS rate of 63%. GBM patients’ recurrent tumors contained few T cells that demonstrated a paucity of immune activation markers, but the tumor microenvironment was markedly enriched for CD68+ macrophages. Conclusions Immune analyses indicated that pembrolizumab anti–programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monotherapy alone can’t induce effector immunologic response in most GBM patients, probably owing to a scarcity of T cells within the tumor microenvironment and a CD68+ macrophage preponderance.

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Evaluation of controlled IL-12 in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor in subjects with recurrent glioblastoma.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.2020 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 2020-2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Antonio Chiocca ◽

Rimas Vincas Lukas ◽

Ganesh Rao ◽

John A. Barrett ◽

Jill Y. Buck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cytotoxic T Cells ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Safety Data ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Therapeutic Window ◽

Open Label ◽

Median Baseline ◽

Immune Mediated

2020 Background: Ad-RTS-hIL-12 (Ad) is a novel gene therapy candidate conditionally expressing IL-12 under the control of veledimex (V) acting via the proprietary RheoSwitch Therapeutic System (RTS) gene switch with a therapeutic window. Intratumoral Ad + oral V monotherapy (Phase 1 study, NCT02026271 ) resulted in a new sustained intra-tumor influx of activated cytotoxic T cells, consistent with an immune-mediated anti-tumor effect improving median overall survival (mOS) of subjects with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). This correlated with an increased circulating CD8+/FoxP3+ T cell ratio (“cytoindex”), an emerging biomarker for mOS. PD-1 expression on infiltrating T cells at biopsy after Ad+V, supports combining controlled IL-12 with a PD-1 inhibitor to further augment T-cell-mediated anti-tumor effects. The rationale is also supported by increased OS (100% combo vs 63% for Ad+V vs 40% for anti-PD-1) in mice bearing GL-261 glioma. Methods: An ongoing open label, dose-escalation Phase 1 trial (NCT03636477) is evaluating safety and tolerability of local, controlled IL-12 with nivolumab (nivo) in adult subjects with rGBM. Ad was administered by single intratumoral injection (2 x 1011 viral particles, Day 0) plus V (10-20 mg) PO QD x 15 with nivo (1-3mg/kg) IV on Days -7, 15, then Q2W. Results: Safety data revealed a similar profile as Ad +V monotherapy. Adverse reactions (ARs) during follow-on nivo dosing were consistent with anti-PD-1 reports. ARs were manageable and reversible with no synergistic toxicities. Nivo alone did not alter peripheral IL-12 levels (median baseline (before anti-PD-1) 0.9 pg/mL; Day 0 1 pg/mL) increasing to 5.5 pg/mL on Day 3. Nivo alone increased peripheral T cells (CD3+CD8+ median baseline 23%; Day 0 26%) and Ad+V elevated peripheral CD3+CD8+ to 31% at Day 14. Nivo alone decreased regulatory T cells (FoxP3 baseline 1.5% vs Day 0 0.8%). Ad+V decreased these to 0.3% (Day 14). Combination therapy improved the cytoindex (baseline 15; Day 0 29; Day 14 80). Conclusions: Controlled IL-12 production using Ad + V with nivo is a rational combination with initial data consistent with immune-mediated anti-tumor effects with a favorable safety profile, warranting continued investigation in rGBM. Clinical trial information: NCT03636477.

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Evaluation of glioblastoma tumor microenvironment after treatment with pembrolizumab.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.2559 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 2559-2559 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nazanin Majd ◽

Heather Y. Lin ◽

Ying Yuan ◽

Kristin Alfaro-Munoz ◽

Kathy Hunter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

T Cells ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

T Cell Response ◽

Rank Test ◽

Recurrent Gbm

2559 Background: Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab improved outcome of patients with recurrent Glioblastoma (GBM) in two early phase clinical trials. However, several large phase II/III studies in patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM failed to demonstrate a therapeutic benefit of anti-PD-1 therapy. Therefore, identification of biomarkers of response is crucial for appropriate patient selection and further clinical development of anti-PD-1 therapy. We reported the outcome of our window-of-opportunity clinical trial of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in 15 patients with recurrent GBM, demonstrating rare CD8+ T cells and abundant of CD68+ macrophages in GBM tissue after 3 weeks of anti-PD-1 treatment (NCT02337686). In the current study, we compared tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) and PD-L1 scores, known biomarkers of response to anti-PD-1 therapy in other cancers, in pre-trial vs. on-trial tumor tissue and associated these markers with survival. Methods: We determined TIL score (morphological assessment of the presence or absence of TILs, 0-3) and PD-L1 H score (defined as [1*1+ %]+[2*2+ %]+[3*3+ %], 0-200) and correlated these with survival. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare levels of PD-L1 H or TIL scores between pre-trial and on-trial specimens. The Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess associations between correlative markers and progression free survival or overall survival (OS). Results: The on-trial TIL level (median: 3) was significantly higher than the pre-trial TIL level (median: 1) (p = 0.031). However the difference between pre-trial and on-trial PD-L1 levels was not statistically significant (p > 0.9). Patients whose on-trial PD-L1 H score was ≥ 3 trended toward a longer OS than those with a PD-L1 H score < 3 (HR [95% CI] = 0.225 [0.043, 1.183]) (p = 0.0782). Conclusions: Although GBM tissue lacks abundant T cells, treatment with pembrolizumab increases trafficking of T cells to the tumor microenvironment, which is necessary but not sufficient to induce an effector T-cell response. Elevated PD-L1 expression may be a biomarker of response to anti-PD1 therapy in GBM, which needs confirmation in larger studies. Further genomic, transcriptomic, and methylation profiling of the pre-trial and on-trial tissues is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT02337686 .

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CTIM-14. RANDOMIZED PHASE II OPEN LABEL STUDY OF NIVOLUMAB PLUS STANDARD DOSE BEVACIZUMAB VS NIVOLUMAB PLUS LOW DOSE BEVACIZUMAB IN RECURRENT GLIOBLASTOMA (RGBM). NIVOLUMAB BENEFITS OLDER POPULATION

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noab196.206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽

pp. vi52-vi52

Author(s):

Manmeet Ahluwalia ◽

David Peereboom ◽

Yasmeen Rauf ◽

Patrick Wen ◽

David Reardon

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Low Dose ◽

Standard Dose ◽

Performance Status ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Dose Effect ◽

Open Label ◽

Anti Vegf

Abstract BACKGROUND Approaches using anti-PD1 therapy alone in rGBM is of limited efficacy. VEGF is upregulated proangiogenic growth factor in GBM that contributes to tumor-associated immunosuppression. Preclinical data suggests a potential dose effect of anti-VEGF therapy on immunomodulation. Hence, a combination of anti-PD1 and anti-VEGF may be a promising approach in rGBM. METHODS 90 patients with GBM at first recurrence were randomized (1:1) to nivolumab (240 mg IV Q2 weeks) with bevacizumab at standard (10 mg/kg; Arm A) or at low dose (3 mg/kg; Arm B) IV Q2 weeks. Stratification included extent of resection, age, performance status and MGMT methylation status. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between two arms. RESULTS 90 patients (Median age 60.6 years ranged 27.4-86.4, 67.8% male, median KPS 80) were enrolled between May 2018 and Jan 2020. Patients were followed in median 7.7 months (Range 0.7, 28.2). 35 patients were MGMT methylated and 53 patients were MGMT not hypermethylated and 2 were indeterminate. Overall Survival was not significantly different between arm A and arm B (1 year: 41.1 vs 37.7%, p=0.14), while OS was better for arm A in age > 60 (At 1-year: 46.2% vs 23.8%; Median: 10.6 vs 5.9 months; P=0.046). OS was no different in the two arms for age ≤ 60 years (At 1-year: 35.6% vs 56.4; Median 8.0 vs 12.4 months; P=0.90). Most frequent toxicities ( >20%) included fatigue (45.6%), proteinuria (34.4 %), diarrhea (28.9%), hypertension (23.3%) and lipase increase (21.1%). Toxicities in grade 3-4 were hypertension (7.8%), fatigue (5.6) and other non-neurological toxicities including DVT, PE, infection, and abnormal liver function. CONCLUSIONS Overall PFS and OS rates appear similar for nivolumab with either standard or low-dose bevacizumab compared to historical benchmarks of bevacizumab monotherapy. Nivolumab with standard bevacizumab seem to benefit patients older than 60 years old.

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Cyto-KIK: A phase II trial of cytoreductive surgery in kidney cancer plus immunotherapy (nivolumab) and targeted kinase inhibition (cabozantinib).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.tps4598 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS4598-TPS4598

Author(s):

Karie Runcie ◽

Eric A. Singer ◽

Moshe Chaim Ornstein ◽

Christopher B. Anderson ◽

Matthew Dallos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Cytoreductive Nephrectomy ◽

Open Label ◽

Orthotopic Mouse Model

TPS4598 Background: Despite recent therapeutic advancements in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), only 5-10% of patients will achieve a complete response (CR) to therapy. Cytoreductive nephrectomy removes a large portion of the tumor which may be a source of immunosuppression driven by tumor cell-intrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment. A pre-clinical orthotopic mouse model of aggressive metastatic triple negative breast cancer showed that neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibition generated enhanced and sustained antitumor immune responses with improved survival compared to adjuvant therapy (Liu J et al. Cancer Discov. 2016:1382). Clinical validation of improved outcomes with neoadjuvant compared to adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors has been demonstrated in trials for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, advanced melanoma, and recurrent glioblastoma (Forde, P.M., et al. N Engl J Med. 2018:1976; Amaria, R.N., et al Nat Med. 2018:1649; Cloughesy T.F., et al. Nat Med 2019:477). Recent data from a phase III trial in subjects with untreated mRCC, demonstrated the superiority of combination cabozantinib and nivolumab over sunitinib and established a new standard of care for mRCC (Choueiri T.K., et al. Annals of Onc, 2020;31 (suppl; abstr 6960). We hypothesize that if tumor specific immune responses to immunotherapy are greatest prior to nephrectomy, then treatment with nivolumab (nivo) and cabozantinib (cabo) prior to cytoreductive nephrectomy will lead to maximal peripheral and intra-tumoral specific immune responses and higher rates of CR during the course of treatment. Methods: This is an open label phase II, multicenter clinical trial of combination nivo and cabo prior to cytoreductive nephrectomy in patients with mRCC (NCT04322955). 48 treatment- naïve subjects with radiological or histological diagnosis of mRCC will be enrolled with the primary endpoint of CR rate according to RECIST version 1.1. Subjects will receive cabo (40mg) daily and nivo (480mg) every 4 weeks for 12 weeks prior to nephrectomy and a 3+3 design will be used to evaluate the safety of the interval (21 or 14 days) between the discontinuation of cabo and nephrectomy. Post-operatively, subjects will resume treatment with cabo and nivo until evidence of disease progression. Secondary endpoints include median size reduction of the primary tumor, response rate, PFS, OS, and surgical outcomes using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Tissue based assays will quantify treatment related changes in the renal tumor microenvironment through polychromatic immunofluorescence, single cell RNA sequencing of the biopsy and nephrectomy specimen, and multiplex assessment of circulating serum cytokines. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI will be performed in a subset of subjects to assess radiologic correlates of response. The study is currently open to enrollment. Clinical trial information: NCT04322955.

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Phase II trial of cytoreductive surgery in kidney cancer plus immunotherapy (nivolumab) and targeted kinase inhibition (cabozantinib) (Cyto-KIK).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.6_suppl.tps371 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS371-TPS371

Author(s):

Karie Runcie ◽

Eric A. Singer ◽

Moshe Chaim Ornstein ◽

Christopher B. Anderson ◽

Matthew Dallos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Cytoreductive Nephrectomy ◽

Open Label ◽

Orthotopic Mouse Model

TPS371 Background: Despite recent therapeutic advancements in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), only 5-10% of patients will achieve a complete response (CR) to therapy. Cytoreductive nephrectomy removes a large portion of the tumor which may be a source of immunosuppression driven by tumor cell-intrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment. A pre-clinical orthotopic mouse model of aggressive metastatic triple negative breast cancer showed that neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibition generated enhanced and sustained antitumor immune responses with improved survival compared to adjuvant therapy (Liu J et al. Cancer Discov. 2016:1382). Clinical validation of improved outcomes with neoadjuvant compared to adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors has been demonstrated in trials for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, advanced melanoma, and recurrent glioblastoma (Forde, P.M., et al. N Engl J Med. 2018:1976; Amaria, R.N., et al Nat Med. 2018:1649; Cloughesy T.F., et al. Nat Med 2019:477). Recent data from a phase III trial in subjects with untreated mRCC, demonstrated the superiority of combination cabozantinib and nivolumab over sunitinib and established a new standard of care for mRCC (Choueiri T.K., et al. Annals of Onc, 2020;31 (suppl; abstr 6960). We hypothesize that if tumor specific immune responses to immunotherapy are greatest prior to nephrectomy, then treatment with nivolumab (nivo) and cabozantinib (cabo) prior to cytoreductive nephrectomy will lead to maximal peripheral and intra-tumoral specific immune responses and higher rates of CR during the course of treatment. Methods: This is an open label phase II, multicenter clinical trial of combination nivo and cabo prior to cytoreductive nephrectomy in patients with mRCC (NCT04322955). 48 treatment- naïve subjects with radiological or histological diagnosis of mRCC will be enrolled with the primary endpoint of CR rate according to RECIST version 1.1. Subjects will receive cabo (40mg) daily and nivo (480mg) every 4 weeks for 12 weeks prior to nephrectomy and a 3+3 design will be used to evaluate the safety of the interval (21 or 14 days) between the discontinuation of cabo and nephrectomy. Post-operatively, subjects will resume treatment with cabo and nivo until evidence of disease progression. Secondary endpoints include median size reduction of the primary tumor, response rate, PFS, OS, and surgical outcomes using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Tissue based assays will quantify treatment related changes in the renal tumor microenvironment through polychromatic immunofluorescence, single cell RNA sequencing of the biopsy and nephrectomy specimen, and multiplex assessment of circulating serum cytokines. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI will be performed in a subset of subjects to assess radiologic correlates of response. The study is currently open to enrollment. Clinical trial information: AAAS6927 .

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Axitinib plus avelumab in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma: a stratified, open-label, single-center phase 2 clinical trial (GliAvAx)

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2020-001146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e001146

Author(s):

Gil Awada ◽

Laila Ben Salama ◽

Jennifer De Cremer ◽

Julia Katharina Schwarze ◽

Lydia Fischbuch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adverse Events ◽

Group Performance ◽

Performance Status ◽

Objective Response ◽

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Synergistic Activity ◽

Open Label ◽

Corticosteroid Dose

BackgroundNo treatment demonstrated to improve survival in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGB) in a randomized trial. Combining axitinib with the programmed cell death ligand 1 blocking monoclonal antibody avelumab may result in synergistic activity against rGB.MethodsAdult patients with rGB following prior surgery, radiation therapy and temozolomide chemotherapy were stratified according to their baseline use of corticosteroids. Patients with a daily dose of ≤8 mg of methylprednisolone (or equivalent) initiated treatment with axitinib (5 mg oral two times per day) plus avelumab (10 mg/kg intravenous every 2 weeks) (Cohort-1). Patients with a higher baseline corticosteroid dose initiated axitinib monotherapy; avelumab was added after 6 weeks of therapy if the corticosteroid dose could be tapered to ≤8 mg of methylprednisolone (Cohort-2). Progression-free survival at 6 months (6-m-PFS%), per immunotherapy response assessment for neuro-oncology criteria, served as the primary endpoint.ResultsBetween June 2017 and August 2018, 54 patients (27 per cohort) were enrolled and initiated study treatment (median age: 55 years; 63% male; 91% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status 0–1). Seventeen (63%) patients treated in Cohort-2 received at least one dose of avelumab. The 6-m-PFS% was 22.2% (95% CI 6.5% to 37.9%) and 18.5% (95% CI 3.8% to 33.2%) in Cohort-1 and Cohort-2, respectively; median overall survival was 26.6 weeks (95% CI 20.8 to 32.4) in Cohort-1 and 18.0 weeks (95% CI 12.5 to 23.5) in Cohort-2. The best objective response rate was 33.3% and 22.2% in Cohort-1 and Cohort-2, respectively, with a median duration of response of 17.9 and 19.0 weeks. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events were dysphonia (67%), lymphopenia (50%), arterial hypertension and diarrhea (both 48%). There were no grade 5 adverse events.ConclusionThe combination of avelumab plus axitinib has an acceptable toxicity profile but did not meet the prespecified threshold for activity justifying further investigation of this treatment in an unselected population of patients with rGB.

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Phase II study of ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE) in recurrent glioblastoma

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2007.25.18_suppl.2066 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽

pp. 2066-2066

Author(s):

T. Aoki ◽

K. Nojima ◽

T. Mizutani ◽

M. Ishikawa ◽

A. Takasu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Ii ◽

Response Rate ◽

Phase Ii Trial ◽

Phase Ii Study ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

First Line ◽

Open Label ◽

Free Survival ◽

Secondary Endpoints

2066 Background: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide ( ICE ) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Methods: This was an open-label, single-center phase II trial. Forty-two patients with first recurrent glioblastoma after surgery, standard radiotherapy and a first-line temozolomide-based or ACNU-based chemotherapy, were enrolled.The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 6 months ( PFS-6 ), and secondary endpoints were response rate, toxicity, and survival. Chemotherapy consisted of Ifosfamide ( 700 mg / m2 on day 1, 2 and 3 ), carbopaltin ( 100 mg / m2 on day 1 ), etoposide ( 70 mg / m2 on day 1, 2, and 3 ), every 6 weeks. Results: PFS-6 was 37 %. The median PFS was 17 weeks. Response rate was 27 %. Adverse events were generally mild ( grade 1 or 2 ) and consisted mainly of alopecia. Conclusions: This regimen is well tolerated and has activity in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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Phase II trial of pembrolizumab in combination with nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.15_suppl.tps1124 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS1124-TPS1124 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maryann J. Kwa ◽

Alyssa Iwano ◽

Francisco J. Esteva ◽

Yelena Novik ◽

James L. Speyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Predictive Marker ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Immune Gene ◽

Metaplastic Breast Cancer ◽

Open Label ◽

The Impact

TPS1124 Background: Immunotherapy has shown therapeutic promise in several cancers, including breast cancer. Monotherapy with anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 antibodies has demonstrated durable responses in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) (Nanda et al, JCO 2016) and metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (mER+)/HER2-negative breast cancer (Rugo et al, SABCS 2015). Furthermore, response rates have been increased with combination approaches with chemotherapy (Adams et al, ASCO 2016). Based on these results, we seek to study the anti-tumor efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1 antibody) and nab-paclitaxel, the impact of therapy on the tumor microenvironment, and predictive markers of response. Methods: This is an ongoing single-arm open-label multi-cohort phase II study of pembrolizumab and nab-paclitaxel in patients treated with ≤2 prior lines of therapy for metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer (n = 50) (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02752685). Thirty patients with mTNBC and 20 patients with mER+/HER2-negative breast cancer will be enrolled. Enrollment of patients with metaplastic breast cancer is encouraged. Patients will receive pembrolizumab 200 mg IV on day 1 plus nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 IV on day 1 and 8 (21-day cycle). Prior taxane therapy given > 3 months before cycle 1 is allowed. Primary objective is treatment efficacy, as determined by overall response rate (RECIST 1.1). Secondary objectives include safety, progression-free survival, overall survival, and duration of response. Serial tumor biopsies will be performed to assess changes in the tumor microenvironment from baseline with chemotherapy alone (cycle 1) and then with chemoimmunotherapy (cycle 2 and subsequent cycles). Mutational and neoantigen load, TILs by histopathological assessment, TCR by immunosequencing, and immune gene profiles in tumors will be evaluated. PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue is not required for enrollment but will be assessed as a predictive marker. The potential role of the gut microbiome in modulating the immune response will also be evaluated by 16S rRNA. An initial safety run-in with 12 subjects has been completed with no unexpected toxicity. Clinical trial information: NCT02752685.

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REGOMUNE: A phase II study of regorafenib plus avelumab in solid tumors—Results of the non-MSI-H metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) cohort.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.4019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 4019-4019 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sophie Cousin ◽

Carine A. Bellera ◽

Jean Philippe Guégan ◽

Carlos A. Gomez-Roca ◽

Jean-Philippe Metges ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Cd8 T Cells ◽

Objective Response ◽

Previous Treatment ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Treatment Interruption ◽

Median Number ◽

Tumor Burden ◽

Open Label

4019 Background: Regorafenib (R) has been shown to modulate anti-tumor immunity by different mechanisms including reduction of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Synergy between R and anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies has been shown in pre-clinical models. Methods: This is a single-arm open-label multicentric phase II trial assessing the efficacy and safety of R (160 mg QD 3weeks/4) + Avelumab (A) (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) combination in non MSI-H mCRC patients (pts). The primary endpoint was the confirmed objective response rate, based on central review according to RECIST 1.1. Secondary endpoints included: 1-year progression free survival (PFS), 1-year overall survival (OS), and Safety using NCI-CTCAE v5.0. Correlative studies were planned from pts tumor samples obtained at baseline and C2D1. Results: Between Nov. 2018 and Oct. 2019, 48 pts were enrolled in 4 centers. Median age was 61.8 (range: 26.3-78.7). Median follow-up was: 7.2 months. Median number of previous treatment lines was: 3 (range: 1-7). 41 (87.2%) pts experienced at least 1 dose modification or treatment interruption. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were palmar-plantar erythro-dysesthesia syndrome (29.8%), hypertension (23.4%) and diarrhea (12.8%). No death was related to the treatment. Among 40 pts who had at least one imaging tumor assessment, 12 (30%) had reduction in tumor burden. Best response was stable disease for 23 pts (57.5%) and progressive disease for 17 pts (42.5%). The median PFS and OS were 3.6 months (CI95%: [1.8 – 5.4]) and 10.8 months (CI95%: [5.9 – NA]) respectively. Baseline tumor samples and paired biopsies were available for 24 and 15 pts respectively. High infiltration by TAMs at baseline was significantly associated with adverse outcome (PFS: 1.9 vs 3.7 months, p=0.045; OS: 4.8 months vs NR, p=0.027). Increased tumor infiltration by CD8+ at C2D1 compared to baseline was significantly associated with better PFS (p=0.011). Combining low TAMs infiltration and low tumor cells to CD8+ T cells distance enabled the identification of a subgroup of pts (n= 6/24, 25%) more likely to benefit from R+A combination: median PFS: 5.3 vs 1.9 months (p=0.037); median OS: NR vs 5.3 months (p=0.02). Conclusions: The R+A combination achieved PFS and OS that compared favourably with historical data of R alone in this clinical setting. High-resolution analysis of tumor samples identified a composite score based on TAMs infiltration and tumor cell to CD8+ T cells distance which could be used as a biomarker in further studies investigating this approach in mCRC pts. Clinical trial information: NCT03475953 .

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Disulfiram repurposing combined with nutritional copper supplement as add-on to chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma (DIRECT): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.16786.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 1797 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Asgeir Store Jakola ◽

Katja Werlenius ◽

Munila Mudaisi ◽

Sofia Hylin ◽

Sara Kinhult ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Anticancer Agent ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Recurrent Glioblastoma ◽

Open Label ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Link Type ◽

Methylguanine Methyltransferase

Background: Disulfiram (DSF) is a well-tolerated, inexpensive, generic drug that has been in use to treat alcoholism since the 1950s. There is now independent preclinical data that supports DSF as an anticancer agent, and experimental data suggest that copper may increase its anti-neoplastic properties. There is also some clinical evidence that DSF is a promising anticancer agent in extracranial cancers. In glioblastoma, DSF induced O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) inhibition may increase response to alkylating chemotherapy. A recent phase I study demonstrated the safety of DSF in glioblastoma patients when DSF was administered at doses below 500 mg/day together with chemotherapy. We plan to assess the effects of DSF combined with nutritional copper supplement (DSF-Cu) as an adjuvant to alkylating chemotherapy in glioblastoma treatment. Methods: In an academic, industry independent, multicenter, open label randomized controlled phase II/III trial with parallel group design (1:1) we will assess the efficacy and safety of DSF-Cu in glioblastoma treatment. The study will include 142 patients at the time of first recurrence of glioblastoma where salvage therapy with alkylating chemotherapy is planned. Patients will be randomized to treatment with or without DSF-Cu. Primary end-point is survival at 6 months. Secondary end-points are overall survival, progression free survival, quality of life, contrast enhancing tumor volume and safety. Discussion: There is a need to improve the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. Results from this randomized controlled trial with DSF-Cu in glioblastoma will serve as preliminary evidence of the future role of DSF-Cu in glioblastoma treatment and a basis for design and power estimations of future studies. In this publication we provide rationale for our choices and discuss methodological issues. Trial registration: The study underwent registration in EudraCT 2016-000167-16 (Date: 30.03.2016,) and Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02678975 (Date: 31.01.2016) before initiating the study.

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