scholarly journals A blood-based miRNA signature predicts immunotherapy efficacy in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer

Author(s):  
Timothy Rajakumar ◽  
Rastislav Horos ◽  
Julia Jehn ◽  
Judith Schenz ◽  
Thomas Muley ◽  
...  

Immunotherapies have recently gained traction as highly effective therapies in a subset of late-stage cancers. Unfortunately, only a minority of patients experience the remarkable benefits of immunotherapies, whilst others fail to respond or even come to harm through immune related adverse events. For immunotherapies within the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor class, patient stratification is currently performed using tumor (tissue-based) PD-L1 expression. However, PD-L1 is an accurate predictor of response in only ~30% of cases. There is pressing need for more accurate biomarkers for immunotherapy response prediction. We sought to identify peripheral blood biomarkers, predictive of response to immunotherapies against lung cancer, based on whole blood microRNA profiling. Using three well characterized cohorts consisting of a total of 334 stage IV NSCLC patients, we have defined a 5 microRNA risk score (miRisk) that is predictive of immunotherapy response in training and independent validation cohorts. We have traced the signature to a myeloid origin and performed miRNA target prediction to make a direct mechanistic link to the PD-L1 signalling pathway and PD-L1 itself. The miRisk score offers a potential blood-based companion diagnostic for immunotherapy that outperforms tissue-based PD-L1 staining.  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Daniello ◽  
Mariam Elshiaty ◽  
Farastuk Bozorgmehr ◽  
Jonas Kuon ◽  
Daniel Kazdal ◽  
...  

IntroductionPD-(L)1 inhibitors have improved prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but can also cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that complicate management.MethodsWe analyzed NSCLC patients receiving PD-(L)1 inhibitors from 2012 to 2020 in a German academic center.ResultsIrAE showed comparable frequencies in stage IV (198/894 or 22%) vs. III (14/45 or 31%, p = 0.15), after anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy vs. chemoimmunotherapy (139/483 vs. 58/213, p = 0.75), and across treatment lines. In stage IV, irAE occurred after 3.1 months in median, affected multiple organs (median 2) in 27/894 patients and were associated with PD-L1 positivity (25 vs. 14%, p = 0.003), lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (29 vs. 17%, p < 0.001 for NLR dichotomized at 5), better ECOG status (26 vs. 18% for 0 vs. 1, p = 0.004), but not related to age, sex, smoking and palliative radiotherapy. Two hundred thirty two irAEs occurred mostly in endocrine glands (4.9%), lungs (4.4%), the musculoskeletal system (4.2%), colon (4.1%), liver (3.7%), and skin (2.6%), while pneumonitis was most frequent with durvalumab following definitive chemoradiation (16% or 7/45, p < 0.01). IrAE severity was grade 1 in 11%, 2 in 41%, 3 in 36%, and 4 in 11% events, while two were lethal (<1%, myocarditis and pneumonitis). Therapy was suspended in 72%, while steroids were initiated in 66% and complemented by other immunosuppressants in 6%, with longest treatment duration for rheumatic events (mean >3 months), and average cumulative prednisone doses >700 mg for all organs, except for skin. Patients developing irAE had longer progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in multivariable 12/14-week landmark analyses including ECOG status, treatment line, treatment type, PD-L1 TPS, and NLR (median PFS 17 vs. 10 months, HR = 0.68, p = 0.009; median OS 37 vs. 15 months, HR = 0.40, p < 0.001), regardless of grade. OS was longest with skin (95% at 2 years) and shortest with pneumonitis, hepatitis, neurologic, and cardiologic irAE (38, 37, 28, and 0% at 2 years, p < 0.001).ConclusionsApproximately one-fourth of immunotherapy-treated NSCLC patients develop irAEs, most of which necessitate treatment suspension and steroids. Despite more frequent occurrence with PD-L1 positive tumors, lower NLR, and better ECOG PS, irAEs are independently associated with longer survival, especially when affecting the skin. Lethality is below 1%.


2020 ◽  
Vol 185 (11-12) ◽  
pp. e2044-e2048
Author(s):  
Joel A Nations ◽  
Derek W Brown ◽  
Stephanie Shao ◽  
Craig D Shriver ◽  
Kangmin Zhu

Abstract Introduction We compared the stage at diagnosis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in the military healthcare system (MHS) and the general public to assess differences between these two groups as well as to assess the trends in stage at diagnosis in the recent past. Method This study was based on the non-identifiable data from the U.S. Department of Defense Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute. Patients diagnosed with NSCLC between 1989 and 2012 were included. The distributions of tumor stage at diagnosis and trends in tumor stage were compared between the two populations. Results The cohorts were predominately male in both ACTUR (65.3%) and SEER (55.1%) and white patients accounted for greater than 80% of patients in both ACTUR and SEER. Among 21,031 patients in ACTUR and 773,356 patients in SEER, stage IV lung cancers predominated (ACTUR 33.6%, SEER 40.5%) followed by stage III (ACTUR 26.1%, SEER 26.4%) and stage I (ACTUR 24.7%, SEER 20.6%). Notable differences between the two populations were the higher percentage of stage I and lower percentage of stage IV, along with a lower rate of unknown stage patients after 2004, in ACTUR than SEER. Between 1989 and 2012, the percentage of stage IV disease increased in ACTUR and SEER coincident with a decrease in unknown stage disease. Conclusions The majority of NSCLC patients in the MHS and general population are diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC and the percentage is increasing. Compared to the general population, NSCLC patients in the MHS have a higher percentage of stage I, a lower percentage of stage IV, and of unknown stage cancer. Universal care along with more rigorous staging across the MHS may play a role in these findings.


2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1451-1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasquale Comella ◽  
Giuseppe Frasci ◽  
Nicola Panza ◽  
Luigi Manzione ◽  
Giuseppe De Cataldis ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: In our previous phase II study, the cisplatin, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine (PGV) regimen produced a median survival time (MST) of approximately 1 year in advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The present study was aimed at comparing the MST of patients treated with this triplet regimen with the MSTs of patients receiving cisplatin and vinorelbine (PV) or cisplatin and gemcitabine (PG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 1997, patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC, an age of ≤ 70 years, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1 were randomized to receive one of the following regimens: cisplatin 50 mg/m2, gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2, and vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks (arm A); cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks (arm B); or cisplatin 120 mg/m2 on days 1 and 29 and vinorelbine 30 mg/m2/wk (arm C). According to the two-stage design for phase III trials, an interim analysis was planned when the first 60 patients per arm were assessable for survival. RESULTS: The survival data of 180 NSCLC patients (stage IIIB, 76 patients; stage IV, 104 patients) were analyzed in April 1999. Overall, 128 patients had died (PGV, n = 33; PG, n = 42; and PV, n = 53). The MST of patients in the PGV, PG, and PV arms was 51, 42, and 35 weeks, respectively, and the corresponding 1-year projected survival rates were 45%, 40%, and 34%, respectively. When only patients with stage IV disease were considered, an even stronger difference was seen between PGV (MST = 47 weeks) and both PG (34 weeks) and PV (27 weeks). At multivariate Cox analysis, the estimate hazard of death for patients receiving PGV compared with those receiving PV was 0.35 (95% confidence interval, 0.16 to 0.77; P < .01). The response rates were 47% in the PGV arm, 30% in the PG arm, 25% in the PV arm. Both hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities were not substantially worse in patients who received the PGV regimen. CONCLUSION: The PGV regimen is associated with a substantial survival gain (MST > 3 months longer) when compared with the PV combination. Because this difference in survival met one of the early stopping rules, the accrual in the PV arm has been stopped (null hypothesis rejected). Enrollment still continues in the PGV and PG arm to ascertain whether the PGV regimen can also produce a significantly longer survival than that obtained with the PG regimen.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7586-7586
Author(s):  
Sinead Cuffe ◽  
Xiaoping Qiu ◽  
Abul Kalam Azad ◽  
Xin Qiu ◽  
Kevin Boyd ◽  
...  

7586 Background: Two potentially important host pathways in lung cancer systemic therapy are: (i) the pharmacogenetic pathway of platinum agents (DNA repair, metabolism, and multidrug resistance genes); and (ii) the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. We investigated the relationship between SNPs in these two pathways and clinical outcome in platinum-treated NSCLC patients. Methods: 188 platinum-treated Stage IV NSCLC patients underwent SNP genotyping for the platinum-related (48 SNPs in 7 genes) and VEGF (64 SNPs in 3 genes) pathways. SNPs were selected from the literature and through tagging. Association of SNPs and overall (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were assessed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Results: 72% were Caucasian; 73%, adenocarcinoma; 92%, ECOG PS 0-1; median age, 60 years; 54% received > one line of systemic therapy; 10% received anti-VEGF therapy/placebo; Median OS, 1.3 yrs; median follow up, 2.2 yrs. The top significant SNPs in the platinum-related pathway were in ABCC2 (rs8187710 and rs2756109, r2=0.68). The G variants of the top SNP, ABCC2 rs8187710 (4554G>A), were associated with worse OS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.62; 95%CI: 1.5-4.5; p=0.0005) and PFS (aHR, 1.97; 95%CI: 1.2-3.4; p=0.01). Functionally, 4554G>A impairs ATP-ase activity and is associated with higher cellular accumulation of ABCC2 substrates [PMID: 22027652]; furthermore, ABCC2 expression is associated with cisplatin resistance and clinical outcome in other cancers [PMID: 17145840]. Within the VEGF pathway, the top significant SNPs were in the same haplotype block of VEGFR1/FLT1 (rs1324057, rs7324547, r2=1.0): for rs1324057, the aHR for OS was 1.59 (95%CI 1.2-2.1); p=0.001; and the aHR for PFS, 1.48 (95%CI 1.1-1.9); p=0.004. VEGFR1/FLT1 rs7324547 has been associated with esophageal cancer risk [PMID: 21751195], but has not been assessed in lung cancer. Conclusions: SNPS of the VEGFR1 and ABCC2 genes are strongly associated with OS and PFS in this cohort of platinum-treated advanced NSCLC patients. Future studies should assess whether these are predictive or prognostic markers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18092-e18092
Author(s):  
Hyun Chang ◽  
Xianglan Zhang ◽  
Da Rae Kim ◽  
Gun Min Kim ◽  
Se Hyun Kim ◽  
...  

e18092 Background: We performed this study to investigate whether activation of cMET is associated with sensitivity to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: This retrospective study included 69 NSCLC patients with available tumor tissue, treatment response and survival data. cMET and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) status was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: A positive cMET, cMET[pY1003], cMET[pY1234/1235] and HGF were identified in 89%, 44%, 20% and 89% of cases, respectively. Positive cMET[pY1003] expression was associated with better objective response rate (OR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) (OR, P = 0.033 and CBR, P = 0.039). Positive cMET[pY1234/1235] was significantly associated with a longer overall survival (OS) (P = 0.012) and time-to progression (TTP) (P = 0.031). Multivariable model confirmed that cMET[pY1234/235]-positive patients had a significant reduction in the risk of death and disease progression than cMET[pY1234/1235] –negative patients [OS; hazard ratio(HR)=0.29, P = 0.008 and TTP; HR=0.43; P=0.024] Conclusions: cMET expression in tumor tissue could be useful for predicting the clinical outcome of EGFR-TKIs treatment. Our results suggest that cMET expression in tumor tissue could be used to refine the selection of NSCLC patients expected to benefit from EGFR-TKIs treatment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 311-311
Author(s):  
Cheryl Louzado ◽  
Kristen DeCaria ◽  
Jose Hernandez ◽  
Rami Rahal ◽  
Jin Niu ◽  
...  

311 Background: PET Scans are increasingly used in the diagnosis and management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, uptake of PET at provincial level is not well studied. This project, led by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, established processes and indicators to describe utilization of PET in patients with NSCLC. These indicators support the monitoring of uptake and highlight areas for quality improvement strategies at the national and provincial level. Methods: Cases of NSCLC, diagnosed in the study period of 2009-2011, were identified from cancer registries and linked to PET utilization data. PET scans were identified as indicated for diagnosis/staging or treatment response, based on the timing of scans relative to diagnosis and treatment dates. Scans conducted three months prior to and up to four months post-diagnosis but before start of treatment (surgery or radiation) were identified as diagnosis/staging. Scans conducted after the start of treatment to ten weeks post-treatment were identified as management and follow-up of treatment. Results: A total of 27,984 cases of NSCLC were identified. Preliminary analysis revealed that 8,947 (32.0%) of NSCLC patients had at least one PET scan. Some variation was seen in age, with those 18 to 69 years more likely to receive a scan than those 70 years and older. PET scan use was higher among stages I and II (52.3% to 50.6%) compared to stage IV (17.98%). A majority of PET scans were performed for diagnosing/staging NSCLC (91.1%). PET scans for diagnosis/staging were highest for patients with stage I (36.7%) followed by stage IV (24.6%). Conclusions: This study provided information on the current use of PET technology across Canada, allowing for identification of opportunities for increasing evidence-based use while decreasing extra-evidential use, and forming a baseline for future monitoring as evidence evolves.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3053-3053
Author(s):  
Daniel Adams ◽  
Jianzhong He ◽  
Yawei Qiao ◽  
Ting Xu ◽  
Hui Gao ◽  
...  

3053 Background: Cancer Associated Macrophage-Like cells (CAMLs) are a recently described circulating stromal cell common in the peripheral blood of cancer patients that are prognostic for progressive disease. Further, it has been shown that changes in CAML size (i.e. enlargement above 50µm) can predict progression free survival (PFS) in thoracic cancers (e.g. lung). We enrolled 104 unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, with an initial training set review of 54 patients, to determine if change in CAML size after radiation therapy was predictive PFS. Methods: A 2 year single blind prospective study was undertaken to test the relationship of ≥50µm CAMLs to PFS based on imaging in lung patients before and after induction of chemo radiation, or radiation therapy. To achieve a 2-tailed 90% power (α = 0.05) we recruited a training set of 54 patients and validation set of 50 patients all with pathologically confirmed unresectable NSCLC: Stage I (n = 14), Stage II (n = 16), Stage III (n = 61) & Stage IV (n = 13). Baseline (BL) blood samples were taken prior to start of therapy & a 2nd blood sample (T1) was taken after completion of radiotherapy (~30 days). Blood was filtered by CellSieve filtration and CAMLs quantified. Analysis by CAML size of < 49 µm or ≥50 µm was used to evaluate PFS hazard ratios (HRs) by censored univariate & multivariate analysis. Results: CAMLs were found in 95% of samples averaging 2.7 CAMLs/7.5mL sample at BL, with CAMLs ≥50 µm having reduced PFS (HR = 2.2, 95%CI1.3-3.8, p = 0.003). At T1, 18 patients had increased CAML size ≥50 µm with PFS (HR = 4.6, 95%CI2.5-8.3, p < 0.001). In total, ≥50 µm CAMLs at BL was 76% accurate at predicting progression within 24 months while ≥50 µm CAMLs at T1 was 83% accurate at predicting progression. Conclusions: In unresectable NSCLC patients, enlargement of CAMLs during treatment is an indicator active progression. We identify that a single ≥50 µm CAML after induction of radiotherapy, in our training set and confirmed in our validation set, is an indicator of poor prognosis. We suggest that changes in CAML size during therapy may indicate the efficacy of therapy and could potentially help shape subsequent therapeutic decisions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20056-e20056
Author(s):  
Jennifer Christian ◽  
Joe Wagner ◽  
Gregory Mastrogiovanni ◽  
Andrew David Norden ◽  
Ian Kurashige

e20056 Background: This study characterizes biomarker testing over time in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients treated within a clinical setting. There have been tremendous advances in treatments for NSCLC that target specific biomarkers such as epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), and the Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway. As we consider using oncology EMR records for future studies, it is critical to understand the extent to which biomarker testing is conducted in routine care, the extent to which testing has increased, and the types of patients for which it is done. Methods: This is a retrospective observational analysis derived from the COTA Oncology EHR database from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017. The data sets generated for the study included all relevant, retrospective patient-level, de-identified data available for patients with lung cancer, including EGFR, ALK, and PD-L1 testing regardless of age, gender, and stage at diagnosis. We examined characteristics associated with each type of test received as well as by those who had received all 3 biomarker tests, 1-2 of the tests, or no biomarker testing. Analyses were conducted using SAS V. 9.1 and stratified by data source. Results: There were 1,891 patients in the COTA database. Among newly diagnosed NSCLC patients, EGFR testing has been consistently conducted in patients during the study period (76 – 86%), while ALK testing [44% in 2015Q1 to 74% in 2017Q4] and PD-L1 testing [12% in 2015Q1 to 77% in 2017Q4] have steadily increased each quarter. Overall, testing was more likely to be conducted in non-squamous cell lung cancer patients, Stage IV lung cancer, and those without a history of smoking. For EGFR, testing was more prevalent among women and young age groups ( < 64 years vs. 65 and older). Conclusions: Biomarker testing has rapidly increased for ALK and PD-L1, which correlates with the uptake of new targeted therapies. Further research could be conducted to understand clinical outcomes associated with this increase in testing as well as the impact on healthcare resource utilization.


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