scholarly journals Combined Treatment with Immunotherapy-Based Strategies for MSS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 6311
Author(s):  
Iosune Baraibar ◽  
Oriol Mirallas ◽  
Nadia Saoudi ◽  
Javier Ros ◽  
Francesc Salvà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Combination Strategies ◽  
Immune Resistance ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Medical Need ◽  
Tumor Types

In recent years, deepening knowledge of the complex interactions between the immune system and cancer cells has led to the advent of effective immunotherapies that have revolutionized the therapeutic paradigm of several cancer types. However, colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the tumor types in which immunotherapy has proven less effective. While there is solid clinical evidence for the therapeutic role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) and in highly microsatellite instable (MSI-H) metastatic CRC (mCRC), blockade of CTLA-4 or PD-L1/PD-1 as monotherapy has not conferred any major clinical benefit to patients with MMR-proficient (pMMR) or microsatellite stable (MSS) mCRC, reflecting 95% of the CRC population. There thus remains a high unmet medical need for the development of novel immunotherapy approaches for the vast majority of patients with pMMR or MSS/MSI-low (MSI-L) mCRC. Defining the molecular mechanisms for immunogenicity in mCRC and mediating immune resistance in MSS mCRC is needed to develop predictive biomarkers and effective therapeutic combination strategies. Here we review available clinical data from combinatorial therapeutic approaches using immunotherapy-based strategies for MSS mCRC.

scholarly journals Beyond Microsatellite Instability: Evolving Strategies Integrating Immunotherapy for Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Pecci ◽  
Luca Cantini ◽  
Alessandro Bittoni ◽  
Edoardo Lenci ◽  
Alessio Lupi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Microsatellite Instability ◽  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Tnm Classification ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Combination Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Opinion statementAdvanced colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, characterized by several subtypes with distinctive genetic and epigenetic patterns. During the last years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revamped the standard of care of several tumors such as non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, highlighting the role of immune cells in tumor microenvironment (TME) and their impact on cancer progression and treatment efficacy. An “immunoscore,” based on the percentage of two lymphocyte populations both at tumor core and invasive margin, has been shown to improve prediction of treatment outcome when added to UICC-TNM classification. To date, pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed death protein 1 (PD1) inhibitor, has gained approval as first-line therapy for mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) advanced CRC. On the other hand, no reports of efficacy have been presented in mismatch-repair-proficient (pMMR) and microsatellite instability-low (MSI-L) or microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC. This group includes roughly 95% of all advanced CRC, and standard chemotherapy, in addition to anti-EGFR or anti-angiogenesis drugs, still represents first treatment choice. Hopefully, deeper understanding of CRC immune landscape and of the impact of specific genetic and epigenetic alterations on tumor immunogenicity might lead to the development of new drug combination strategies to overcome ICIs resistance in pMMR CRC, thus paving the way for immunotherapy even in this subgroup.

scholarly journals Treatments after Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with dMMR/MSI Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 406
Author(s):  
Quang Loc Bui ◽  
Léo Mas ◽  
Antoine Hollebecque ◽  
David Tougeron ◽  
Christelle de la Fouchardière ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Immune Checkpoints ◽  
Repair Deficiency ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Tumor Types

Background: Several studies reported improved outcomes with conventional treatments (CT, i.e., chemotherapy ± targeted therapy) administered after immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI) in certain tumor types. No data are available concerning patients (pts) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) harboring mismatch repair deficiency/microsatellite instability (dMMR/MSI). We aimed to assess the outcomes of dMMR/MSI mCRC pts receiving CT after ICI failure. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study investigating the outcomes of all dMMR/MSI mCRC pts who received post-ICI CT between 2015 and 2020. Results: 31 pts (male 61%, median age 56 years) were included. ICI was an anti-PD(L)1 monotherapy in 71% of pts, and 61% received >2 lines before post-ICI CT. The overall response rate and disease control rate were 13% and 45%, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival of 2.9 and 7.4 months, respectively. No association of the outcomes with either ICI efficacy or anti-angiogenic agents was observed. Prolonged PFS (range 16.1–21.3 months) was observed in 4 pts (13%). Conclusions: Although conducted on a limited number of patients, our results do not support an association of previous ICI treatment with an enhanced efficacy of CT in dMMR/MSI mCRC. However, prolonged disease control was observed in several cases, suggesting that some pts might derive an unexpected benefit from post-ICI treatments.

scholarly journals Phase Ib/II trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunological activity of durvalumab (MEDI4736) (anti-PD-L1) plus tremelimumab (anti-CTLA-4) combined with FOLFOX in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

ESMO Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e000375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Fumet ◽  
Nicolas Isambert ◽  
Alice Hervieu ◽  
Sylvie Zanetta ◽  
Jean-Florian Guion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Target Therapy ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Human Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Mutational Status

Background5-Fluorouracil plus irinotecan or oxaliplatin alone or in association with target therapy are standard first-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 demonstrated efficacy on mCRC with microsatellite instability but remain ineffective alone in microsatellite stable tumour. 5-Fluorouracil and oxaliplatin were known to present immunogenic properties. Durvalumab (D) is a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) that inhibits binding of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to its receptor. Tremelimumab (T) is a mAb directed against the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). This study is designed to evaluate whether the addition of PD-L1 and CTLA-4 inhibition to oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) increases treatment efficacy.MethodsThis phase II study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03202758) will assess the efficacy and safety of FOLFOX/D/T association in patients with mCRC (n=48). Good performance status patients (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group <2) with untreated, RAS mutational status mCRC will be eligible. Prior adjuvant therapy is allowed provided recurrence is >6 months postcompletion. There is a safety lead in nine patients receiving FOLFOX/D/T. Assuming no safety concerns the study will go on to include 39 additional patients. Patients will receive folinic acid (400 mg/m²)/5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m² as bolus followed by 2400 mg/m2 as a 46-hour infusion)/oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2) every 14 days with D (750 mg) D1 every 14 days and T (75 mg) D1 every 28 days. After six cycles of FOLFOX only D/T will continue until disease progression, death, intolerable toxicity, or patient/investigator decision to stop. Primary endpoint is safety and efficacy according to progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints include overall response rate and quality of life. Hypothesis is that a PFS of 50% at 6 months is insufficient and a PFS of 70.7% is expected (with α=10%, β=10%). Blood, plasma and tumour tissue will be collected and assessed for potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers.

scholarly journals Current Treatments of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors—2020 Update

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 3520
Author(s):  
Gerhard Jung ◽  
Daniel Benítez-Ribas ◽  
Ariadna Sánchez ◽  
Francesc Balaguer
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Clinical Trial Design ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Systemic Treatments

During the last 20 years, chemotherapy has improved survival rates of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the majority of metastatic cases do not respond to or progress after first line conventional chemotherapy and contribute to the fatalities of patients with CRC. Insights into the immune contexture of the tumor microenvironment (TME) have enabled the development of new systemic treatments that boost the host immune system against the tumor—the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). These promising drugs have already shown astonishing efficacies in other cancer types and have raised new hope for the treatment of metastatic CRC (mCRC). In this review, we will summarize the results of the clinical trials that led to their accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017, as well as all relevant recent studies conducted since then—some of which are not published yet. We will focus on therapeutic efficacy, but also discuss the available data for drug safety and security, changes in quality of life indicators and predictive biomarkers for treatment response. The burgeoning evidence for a potential use of ICIs in other settings than mCRC will also be mentioned. For each trial, we have made a preliminary assessment of the quality of clinical trial design and of the “European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) magnitude of clinical benefit” (ESMO-MCBS) in order to provide the first evidence-based recommendation to the reader.

scholarly journals Multitumor Case Series of Germline BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2-Mutated Patients Responding Favorably on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 3227-3239
Author(s):  
Lisa Kinget ◽  
Oliver Bechter ◽  
Kevin Punie ◽  
Philip R. Debruyne ◽  
Hilde Brems ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Solid Malignancies ◽  
Tumor Mutational Burden ◽  
Brca1 Brca2 ◽  
Tumor Types ◽  
Selection Of

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI) have become widely used for multiple solid malignancies. Reliable predictive biomarkers for selection of patients who would benefit most are lacking. Several tumor types with somatic or germline alterations in genes involved in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway harbor a higher tumor mutational burden, possibly associated with an increased tumoral neoantigen load. These neoantigens are thought to lead to stronger immune activation and enhanced response to ICPIs. We present a series of seven patients with different malignancies with germline disease-associated variants in DDR genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2) responding favorably to ICPIs.

scholarly journals The Emerging Role of Checkpoint Inhibition in Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hermel ◽  
Darren Sigal
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Inhibitor Therapy ◽  
Immunomodulatory Agents ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy ◽  
Microsatellite Stability

Checkpoint inhibitor therapy has introduced a revolution in contemporary anticancer therapy. It has led to dramatic improvements in patient outcomes and has spawned tremendous research into novel immunomodulatory agents and combination therapy that has changed the trajectory of cancer care. However, clinical benefit in patients with colorectal cancer has been generally limited to tumors with loss of mismatch repair function and those with specific germline mutations in the DNA polymerase gene. Unfortunately, tumors with these specific mutator phenotypes are in the minority. Recent pre-clinical and clinical studies have begun to reveal encouraging results suggesting that checkpoint inhibitor therapy can be expanded to an increasing number of colorectal tumors with microsatellite stability and the absence of traditional predictive biomarkers of checkpoint inhibitor response. These studies generally rely on combinations of checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, radiation therapy, or other novel immunomodulatory agents. This article will review the most current data in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer.

scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Role of MicroRNAs in the Chemoresistance of Pancreatic Cancer

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Garajová ◽  
Tessa Y. Le Large ◽  
Adam E. Frampton ◽  
Christian Rolfo ◽  
Johannes Voortman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Response To Chemotherapy ◽  
Tumor Types

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely severe disease where the mortality and incidence rates are almost identical. This is mainly due to late diagnosis and limited response to current treatments. The tumor macroenvironment/microenvironment have been frequently reported as the major contributors to chemoresistance in PDAC, preventing the drugs from reaching their intended site of action (i.e., the malignant duct cells). However, the recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has provided new directions for research on mechanisms underlying response to chemotherapy. Due to their tissue-/disease-specific expression and high stability in tissues and biofluids, miRNAs represent new promising diagnostic and prognostic/predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Furthermore, several studies have documented that selected miRNAs, such as miR-21 and miR-34a, may influence response to chemotherapy in several tumor types, including PDAC. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in PDAC and recent advances in understanding their role in chemoresistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.

Programmed death (PD)-ligand 1 (L1) expression and mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency across tumor types: Candidates for checkpoint inhibitor based immunotherapy.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14622-e14622
Author(s):  
Seung Tae Kim ◽  
Se Hoon Park ◽  
Joon Oh Park ◽  
Young Suk Park ◽  
Ho Yeong Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
The Status ◽  
Mmr Deficiency ◽  
Tumor Types

e14622 Background: The identification of biomarkers associated with response to therapeutic agents has changed the paradigm of cancer treatment into the precision medicine by identification of right targets across cancer types. PD-L1 expression and mutational or neoatigen burden (Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency) have been actively studied as the predictive biomarkers for the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Methods: We have conducted the PD-L1 and hMLH1/MSH2 expression (MMR deficiency) as part of a clinical practice for 430 patients with advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, genitourinary (GU) cancer or rare cancers between June 2012 and March 2016. Herein, we evaluated potential candidates who could be targeted to further immune checkpoint inhibitors. Results: In 430 patients, 414 (96.2%) patients were available to evaluate the status of PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Irrespective of tumor-types, overall 26.8% (111 of 414) exhibited expression of PD-L1 in tumor tissues. The PD-L1 expression was examined as follows; 33.5% in HCC, 31.0% in CRC, 27.3% in GC, 25.5% in melanoma, 18.8% in BTC, 16.7% in pancreatic cancer, 15.8% in sarcoma and 13.0% in GU cancer. Among the 394 patients available for MLH1/MSH2 expression, only 18 patients (4.5%) had the MMR-deficient tumors with complete loss of MLH1/MSH2 expression. The MMR-deficiency was observed as follows; 7.9% in GC, 6.7% in HCC, 4.0% in CRC, and 2.7% in sarcoma. On 382 patients evaluable for the status of both PD-L1 and MLH1/MSH2 expression, there was no the significant association between the PD-L1 expression and MLH1/MSH2 loss (p = 0.267) Conclusions: These data may provide useful information and background for future research for immune checkpoint inhibitor across tumor-types. As a single selection biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitor in various tumor-types, neither the PD-L1 expression nor the MMR deficiency is optimal application in clinical trials.

Immunological and clinical profiles of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors to investigate potential biomarkers for immune-related adverse events.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14037-e14037
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Berg ◽  
Michael Wesolowski ◽  
Brianna Burke ◽  
Courtney Regan Wagner ◽  
Joseph I Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Biological Variables

e14037 Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) related to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may target any organ and originate from autoreactive T cells injuring host tissues. There is a need to develop prognostic and predictive biomarkers to distinguish patients (pts) who will benefit from ICIs avoiding irAEs during treatment. We propose that irAEs are the result of many biological variables. We hypothesize that within each pts complex immunological profile, there may be patterns and associations which exist that represent a state of inflammation that is present prior to ICI therapy and hypothesize this could predict irAEs development. Methods: We created individual immunological profiles of 11 pts diagnosed with MM prior to receiving ICIs. Assays included: PBMC composition, circulating chemokines/cytokines, and IκB degradation status. CD4 and CD8 T cells were studied for their phenotype, activation status, proliferative capacity and cytolytic granules. Clinical data was collected on a larger MM pt cohort (n = 41) and descriptive statistics were utilized to characterize reported irAEs . Results: 110 input markers were utilized for immune signature analysis. 6 of the 11 pts reported grade 2+ irAEs after ICI therapy. The pro-inflammatory CCL13, CCL1, FLT-3, IL12p40, TRAIL, and granzyme b expressing CD4 T cells at steady state and after CD3 activation were significantly higher in pts with irAEs. Known inflammatory suspects (i.e., IL-2, IL-15, TNF-a or % CD8 T cells) were not associated with irAE development . A rank correlation test showed significant associations between the levels of these factors. irAEs were reported in 41% (n = 17) for our larger cohort, most frequently skin rash (7%), colitis (7%), hepatitis (7%) and thyroid dysfunction (4%). Conclusions: The immune signatures of pts with irAEs are highly heterogeneous and possess distinctive immunological patterns. Our results introduce possible molecular mechanisms that may aid understanding of irAE development, perhaps providing the basis for a new model prospectively testing these markers to risk stratify pts receiving ICIs.

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