e20512 Background: Veristrat (Biodesix, Boulder, CO) is a blood based proteomic assay that is dominated by inflammatory proteins and is prognostic and predictive in metastatic NSCLC after treatment with platinum based chemotherapy (Gregorc et al, Lancet 2014). Smoldering inflammation in the tumor microenvironment regulates and escalates cancer invasion, angiogenesis and immune surveillance escape (Balkwill and Mantovani, Lancet 2001). There is preclinical evidence to suggest that the tumor microenvironment can be altered with immunomodulatory interventions (Martino et al, 2016). While immune checkpoint blockade has shown durable benefit in metastatic NSCLC, the response rates still hover around 20%. As a result, identification of predictive biomarkers are of critical importance. The predictive value of the Veristrat assay with respect to ICB is poorly defined. Methods: At our institution, 83 pts with metastatic lung cancer pts were treated with nivolumab between 6/2015 to 12/2016. The following clinicopathologic characteristics were abstracted from medical records: tumor histology, Veristrat status, no. of doses of nivolumab, irAEs and overall survival. Results: Of the 83 pts, 65 pts were found to have NSCLC. Veristrat status was available for 17/65 of these pts. Nine pts were identified to have “Veristrat good” and seven pts were “Veristrat poor”. Median number of nivolumab doses was 4. Median survival for all patients was 30 weeks. Median survival was 20 weeks for “Veristrat poor” and 26 weeks for “Veristrat good”(p = 0.68). Grade 3-4 irAEs were noted in 5/9 patients with “Veristrat good” and 5/7 patients with “Veristrat poor”. Conclusions: “Veristrat poor” pts treated with ICB have a lower median survival as compared to “Veristrat good” pts. Our study did not meet statistically significant end point due to limited sample size. Further studies are needed to identify poorly immunogenic tumors and develop novel treatment approaches to optimize outcomes. [Table: see text]
Combination Cancer Immunotherapy: Immunogenic Cell Death Inducing Fluorinated Mitochondria‐Disrupting Helical Polypeptide Synergizes with PD‐L1 Immune Checkpoint Blockade (Adv. Sci. 7/2021)