Abstract 1317: Biomarker evaluation for PD-1 targeted therapies in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Author(s):  
Alice O. Kamphorst ◽  
Rathi N. Pillai ◽  
Shu Yang ◽  
Rama Akondy ◽  
Lydia Koenig ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9609-9609
Author(s):  
Elias Makhoul ◽  
Jong Taek Kim ◽  
Wenjuan Zhang ◽  
Jean Raphael Lopategui ◽  
Ani Sarkis Balmanoukian ◽  
...  

9609 Background: Targeted therapy in EGFR and ALK mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been the standard of care for nearly a decade with subsequent FDA approvals for ROS1 and BRAF V600 mutated NSCLC occurring in 2016 and 2017. However, recent studies have shown suboptimal utilization of genomic profiling results in these patients. In 1 recent study of community oncologists, ~70% of EGFR/ALK+ patients received appropriate targeted therapy, while patients with other gene mutations (including BRAF and ROS1) only received targeted therapy ~30% of the time. Left unanswered was what patients were receiving instead and why. Additionally, it is unknown if this finding is generalizable to the academic setting. We aimed to investigate whether in our patient population, NSCLC patients with actionable mutations received associated FDA approved therapies and if not why. Methods: The pathology database was queried for all NSCLC with molecular testing (including qPCR, FISH and NGS) from 2009 to 2019. Patients with sensitizing EGFR, ALK, ROS1 or BRAF mutations that were detected after the first FDA approval for their respective targeted therapies were included for analysis with those lost to follow up subsequently excluded. Basic demographic and clinical variables were collected as well as treatment records. Results: 2160 NSCLC patients were evaluated (2160 EGFR, 1417 ALK, 810 ROS1, 589 BRAF). 468 patients were identified with targetable mutations (411 EGFR, 46 ALK, 5 ROS1, 6 BRAF). No patient had more than 1 targetable mutation. Of those patients, 248 were at an advanced stage and had clinical follow up (202 EGFR, 37 ALK, 4 ROS1, 5 BRAF). Of those patients 197/202 (97.5%), 33/37 (89.2%), 3/4 (75%) and 1/5 (20%) received EGFR, ALK, ROS1 or BRAF targeted therapy respectively. Across biomarkers 14/248 patients (5.6%) did not receive subsequent targeted therapy. 10 patients (5 EGFR, 3 ALK, 1 ROS1 and 1 BRAF) passed away before targeted therapy could be initiated. Physician choice and missed findings accounted for the remaining four cases. Conclusions: The vast majority of advanced NSCLC patients analyzed in this study received appropriate targeted therapy matched to genomic findings. The main reason (~4% of total cases) that patients did not receive therapy was due to rapidly progressive disease and death before it could be initiated. These findings are at odds with those published from the community setting. This may be due to multiple factors, including clinician education, ease of access to targeted therapies across patient populations and incomplete data in the previous study populations.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1361
Author(s):  
Ping-Chih Hsu ◽  
Cheng-Ta Yang ◽  
David M. Jablons ◽  
Liang You

The advancement of new therapies, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, has improved the survival of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in the last decade. Some NSCLC patients still do not benefit from therapies or encounter progressive disease during the course of treatment because they have intrinsic resistance, acquired resistance, or lack a targetable driver mutation. More investigations on the molecular biology of NSCLC are needed to find useful biomarkers for current therapies and to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Src is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase protein that interacts with cell surface growth factor receptors and the intracellular signaling pathway to maintain cell survival tumorigenesis in NSCLC. The Yes-associated protein (YAP) is one of the main effectors of the Hippo pathway and has been identified as a promoter of drug resistance, cancer progression, and metastasis in NSCLC. Here, we review studies that have investigated the activation of YAP as mediated by Src kinases and demonstrate that Src regulates YAP through three main mechanisms: (1) direct phosphorylation; (2) the activation of pathways repressing Hippo kinases; and (3) Hippo-independent mechanisms. Further work should focus on the efficacy of Src inhibitors in inhibiting YAP activity in NSCLC. In addition, future efforts toward developing potentially reasonable combinations of therapy targeting the Src–YAP axis using other therapies, including targeted therapies and/or immunotherapies, are warranted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21506-e21506
Author(s):  
Saleha Rizwan ◽  
Zachary Otaibi ◽  
Herman Lo ◽  
Talal Khan ◽  
Rodney E. Wegner ◽  
...  

e21506 Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer with a broad spectrum of targeted therapies already available or in clinical trials. Among the NSCLC patients, 23% to 25% harbor a mutation in a gene associated with approved or emerging targeted therapy. These therapies have changed the therapeutic landscape of NSCLC with significantly improved clinical outcomes in advanced metastatic NSCLC patients. It is imperative to test for these gene alterations in order to identify patients who could potentially benefit from these efficacious targeted therapies and to avoid therapies unlikely to provide clinical benefit. A major limitation in obtaining molecular testing occurs when minimally invasive techniques are used to obtain tissue sample resulting in insufficient yield for testing. In such cases, the utilization of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), commonly known as liquid biopsy, has proven very beneficial. In a study utilizing ctDNA, increased detection rates were found when using ctDNA in addition to tissue testing and a > 98.2% concordance rate was found. We report results of 40 NSCLC patients from our institute who had liquid biopsy with or without tissue profiling done. Methods: We molecularly profiled 40 newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC patients using both tissue and liquid biopsies. Tissue was assayed using the John Hopkins university molecular panel and liquid biopsies were performed by Biocept. Results: 14 out of 40 (35%) patients had insufficient or no tissue for molecular testing. Concordant results were found in 17 out of the 26 (65.4%) patients who had both tissue and liquid molecular testing done. Liquid Biopsy detected additional mutations in 5 (19.2%) patients which were not picked up on tissue and led to change in management in 4 patients. 12 out of 40 (30%) patients had repeat liquid biopsies done at progression of disease with new mutations detected on 4 patients revealing resistance to current treatment and change in treatment. Conclusions: Liquid Biopsy reveals high concordance rates with tissue genotyping and increases rate of detection of targetable mutations in NSCLC. It offers a safe and effective alternative when additional tissue is needed to identify genetic mutations.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3828
Author(s):  
Anello Marcello Poma ◽  
Rossella Bruno ◽  
Iacopo Pietrini ◽  
Greta Alì ◽  
Giulia Pasquini ◽  
...  

Pembrolizumab has been approved as first-line treatment for advanced Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with tumors expressing PD-L1 and in the absence of other targetable alterations. However, not all patients that meet these criteria have a durable benefit. In this monocentric study, we aimed at refining the selection of patients based on the expression of immune genes. Forty-six consecutive advanced NSCLC patients treated with pembrolizumab in first-line setting were enrolled. The expression levels of 770 genes involved in the regulation of the immune system was analysed by the nanoString system. PD-L1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Patients with durable clinical benefit had a greater infiltration of cytotoxic cells, exhausted CD8, B-cells, CD45, T-cells, CD8 T-cells and NK cells. Immune cell scores such as CD8 T-cell and NK cell were good predictors of durable response with an AUC of 0.82. Among the immune cell markers, XCL1/2 showed the better performance in predicting durable benefit to pembrolizumab, with an AUC of 0.85. Additionally, CD8A, CD8B and EOMES showed a high specificity (>0.86) in identifying patients with a good response to treatment. In the same series, PD-L1 expression levels had an AUC of 0.61. The characterization of tumor microenvironment, even with the use of single markers, can improve patients’ selection for pembrolizumab treatment.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1794
Author(s):  
Alice Indini ◽  
Erika Rijavec ◽  
Francesco Grossi

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the programmed cell death (PD)-1 protein and its ligand, PD-L1, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen (CTLA)-4, have revolutionized the management of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unfortunately, only a small portion of NSCLC patients respond to these agents. Furthermore, although immunotherapy is usually well tolerated, some patients experience severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure involving the isolation of circulating biomarkers, such as circulating tumor cells (CTC), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and microRNAs (miRNAs). Thanks to recent advances in technologies, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR), liquid biopsy has become a useful tool to provide baseline information on the tumor, and to monitor response to treatments. This review highlights the potential role of liquid biomarkers in the selection of NSCLC patients who could respond to immunotherapy, and in the identification of patients who are most likely to experience irAEs, in order to guide improvements in care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. S851
Author(s):  
C. Dellepiane ◽  
S. Coco ◽  
M.G. Dal Bello ◽  
G. Rossi ◽  
E. Rijavec ◽  
...  

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