Sunitinib in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (panNETs): Exploratory pharmacogenomic analyses.
255 Background: In a phase IV trial (NCT01525550), median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.2 mo in sunitinib-treated patients (pts) with well-differentiated panNETs. Objective response rate (ORR) was 24.5% and median overall survival (OS) was 37.8 mo. Exploratory analyses evaluated potential associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes involved in angiogenesis, protein transport or inflammatory response and clinical outcomes. Methods: Blood samples were genotyped using TaqMan assays for 12 SNPs previously associated with panNET risk, prognosis or drug effect. Associations between SNP and PFS or OS were assessed by comparing genotypes within treatment-naïve (TN), previously treated (PT) and combined groups, and within a genotype between treatment groups, using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Fisher’s exact test was used for association between ORR and genotype. PFS and ORR were investigator-assessed. P values displayed are unadjusted and Bonferroni method was used for multiplicity adjustment. Results: 56 pts were genotyped: 25 TN and 31 PT. There were no significant associations between genotype and PFS or OS but there was a trend toward shorter PFS in pts with VEGFR1 rs9554320 C/A versus C/C (hazard ratio [HR] 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83–3.82; p = 0.117) and VEGFR1 rs9582036 A/C versus A/A (HR 1.88; 95% CI 0.9–3.93; p = 0.102). The genotypes G/G of VEGFA rs2010963 (p = 0.041) , G/G of VEGFA rs833068 (p = 0.041) and A/C of VEGFR1 rs9582036 (p = 0.046) showed a trend toward a higher ORR in the PT versus TN group. Genotype T/T of VEGFR2 rs7692791 (p = 0.103) showed a trend toward to a lower ORR in the TN versus PT group. Higher ORR was associated with IL1B rs16944 G/A versus G/G (46.4% vs 4.5%; p = 0.001) in the combined group. Conclusions: Potential associations between ORR and VEGFA rs2010963 and rs833068, VEGFR1 rs9582036 and VEGFR2 rs7692791 were observed. IL1B rs16944 was significantly associated with ORR, consistent with the role of IL1B in panNET etiology and development. Most correlations were not significant after adjustment for multiplicity. Clinical trial information: NCT01525550.