Search

Supplementary Table S1 from Association of Prostate Cancer Risk Loci with Disease Aggressiveness and Prostate Cancer–Specific Mortality

Adverse Events

NKG2D ligands are widely expressed in solid and hematologic malignancies but absent or poorly expressed on healthy tissues. We conducted a phase I dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a single infusion of NKG2D-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, without lymphodepleting conditioning in subjects with acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Autologous T cells were transfected with a γ-retroviral vector encoding a CAR fusing human NKG2D with the CD3ζ signaling domain. Four dose levels (1 × 106–3 × 107 total viable T cells) were evaluated. Twelve subjects were infused [7 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 5 multiple myeloma]. NKG2D-CAR products demonstrated a median 75% vector-driven NKG2D expression on CD3+ T cells. No dose-limiting toxicities, cytokine release syndrome, or CAR T cell–related neurotoxicity was observed. No significant autoimmune reactions were noted, and none of the ≥ grade 3 adverse events were attributable to NKG2D-CAR T cells. At the single injection of low cell doses used in this trial, no objective tumor responses were observed. However, hematologic parameters transiently improved in one subject with AML at the highest dose, and cases of disease stability without further therapy or on subsequent treatments were noted. At 24 hours, the cytokine RANTES increased a median of 1.9-fold among all subjects and 5.8-fold among six AML patients. Consistent with preclinical studies, NKG2D-CAR T cell–expansion and persistence were limited. Manufactured NKG2D-CAR T cells exhibited functional activity against autologous tumor cells in vitro, but modifications to enhance CAR T-cell expansion and target density may be needed to boost clinical activity.

NKG2D-CAR T Cell Product Transduction Assessment

Color figure 3 for supplement.

Purpose: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells treated with dasatinib in vitro undergo apoptosis via inhibition of Lyn kinase. Thus, in this study we tested the activity of dasatinib in patients with relapsed CLL.Experimental Design: Patients were eligible for this phase II trial if they had documented CLL/SLL and had failed at least 1 prior therapy with a fludarabine-containing regimen and if they required therapy according to NCI-WG criteria. The starting dose of dasatinib was 140 mg daily.Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled, with a median age of 59 and a median of 3 prior regimens. All patients had received fludarabine, and 5 were fludarabine-refractory. Eleven of the 15 (73%) had high risk del(11q) or del(17p) cytogenetics. The primary toxicity was myelosuppression, with grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in 10 and 6 patients, respectively. Partial responses by NCI-WG criteria were achieved in 3 of the 15 patients (20%; 90% CI: 6–44). Among the remaining 12 patients, 5 had nodal responses by physical exam, and 1 patient had a nodal and lymphocyte response but with severe myelosuppression. Pharmacodynamic studies indicated apoptosis in peripheral blood CLL cells within 3 to 6 hours after dasatinib administration, associated with downregulation of Syk (spleen tyrosine kinase) mRNA.Conclusions: Dasatinib as a single agent has activity in relapsed and refractory CLL. Clin Cancer Res; 17(9); 2977–86. ©2011 AACR.

Purpose: Despite the efficacy of abiraterone, a CYP17A1 inhibitor, in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), nearly all patients develop resistance. The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate mechanisms of resistance to more complete androgen synthesis inhibition with abiraterone and dutasteride.Experimental Design: Eligible patients with metastatic CRPC underwent a baseline metastasis biopsy. Patients received abiraterone and prednisone for two 4-week cycles. After this time, high-dose dutasteride (3.5 mg daily) was added. Patients continued therapy until study withdrawal or radiographic progression. Repeat metastasis biopsy was obtained at progression. The primary endpoint was to assess mechanisms of resistance. Serum hormone and abiraterone levels were assessed. Tissue was assessed for androgen receptor (AR) and AR splice variant-7 (ARV7) expression.Results: Forty patients were enrolled. Sixty percent (n = 24) achieved a ≥50% reduction in prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The median time to radiographic progression was 11 months. Nearly all baseline (n = 29 of 31) and posttreatment (n = 16 of 16) tumors tested for AR nuclear expression were positive. Of those tested, ARV7 expression was present in 48% (n = 10 of 21) of baseline and 42% (n = 5 of 12) of treatment discontinuation specimens. Compared with patients with higher serum abiraterone levels at treatment discontinuation, patients with lower levels had higher circulating androgens.Conclusions: Despite increased androgen synthesis inhibition, we demonstrate that tumor AR axis remains important in disease progression. We highlight that abiraterone metabolism and pharmacokinetics may play a role in resistance. The noncomparative design limits conclusions on the efficacy of dual therapy with abiraterone and dutasteride, but the results support development of further multifaceted approaches toward AR inhibition. Clin Cancer Res; 23(4); 935–45. ©2016 AACR.

PDF file - 423KB, Figure S1: Broad copy numbers at the p- and q-arms in the Spanish cohort; Figure S2: Broad copy numbers at the p- and q-arms in the DFCI cohort. (see Figure S1 for an explanation of this plot); Figure S3: These GISTIC output files show the correlation between gene number and frequency of armlevel events in the (a) Spanish cohort and the (b) DFCI cohort; Figure S4: Recurrent copy number gains in the (a) Spanish and (b) DFCI cohort. Figure S5: Recurrent deletions in the (a) Spanish and (b) DFCI cohorts (see Figure S4 for an explanation of this plot); Table S1: Significant (q-value < 0.25) GISTIC broad aberrations and their association with overall survival after start of chemotherapy (Spanish cohort); Table S2: Significant (q-value < 0.25) GISTIC broad aberrations and their association with overall survival after recurrence (DFCI cohort).

Clean version of supplement for submission.

Purpose: The disease course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) varies significantly within cytogenetic groups. We hypothesized that high-resolution genomic analysis of CLL would identify additional recurrent abnormalities associated with short time-to-first therapy (TTFT).Experimental Design: We undertook high-resolution genomic analysis of 161 prospectively enrolled CLLs using Affymetrix 6.0 SNP arrays, and integrated analysis of this data set with gene expression profiles.Results: Copy number analysis (CNA) of nonprogressive CLL reveals a stable genotype, with a median of only 1 somatic CNA per sample. Progressive CLL with 13q deletion was associated with additional somatic CNAs, and a greater number of CNAs was predictive of TTFT. We identified other recurrent CNAs associated with short TTFT: 8q24 amplification focused on the cancer susceptibility locus near MYC in 3.7%; 3q26 amplifications focused on PIK3CA in 5.6%; and 8p deletions in 5% of patients. Sequencing of MYC further identified somatic mutations in two CLLs. We determined which catalytic subunits of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) were in active complex with the p85 regulatory subunit and showed enrichment for the α subunit in three CLLs carrying PIK3CA amplification.Conclusions: Our findings implicate amplifications of 3q26 focused on PIK3CA and 8q24 focused on MYC in CLL. Clin Cancer Res; 18(14); 3791–802. ©2012 AACR.

PDF file - 452KB, Independent validation; Validation of 1q23.3 survival association in independent cohorts; Figure S15: Expression of genes on 1q23.3 in an independent cohort 3; S16: Expression of genes on 1q23.3 as in Supplemental Figure S15, but in the Spanish (a-b) and DFCI (c-d) cohorts. Panels (a) and (c) are for samples with 1q23.3 gain or amplification (log2 copy number ratio > 0.15), (b) and (d) for patients without amplification; S17: Panel (a): No association of overall survival after surgery and 1q23.3 amplification in an inde- pendent cohort from DFCI. (b) No significant association of 1q23.3 amplification and OS after recurrence, possibly due to small patient numbers; Table S8: Overall survival (OS) Hazard Ratios (HRs) of genes in the three peaks, available on the Affymetrix HGU133 Plus 2.0 genechip and displaying patterns of gene expression different from background noise as identified by the Sleipnir library 1. The LMX1A gene was flat, i.e., showed minimum expression intensity in all patients. Table S9: Overall survival (OS) Hazard Ratios (HRs) of genes in 1q21.2 as in Supplementary Table S8.

1. Supplementary table 1S describing details of biopsies undergoing WES. 2. Table 2S includes the primers used in the CTC gene expression analysis. 3. Table 3S includes summary of PSA response based on prior treatment. 4. Table 4S includes objective response in the overall cohort and based on patients with measurable and non-measurable disease. 5. Table 5S is the PSA progression and radiographic PFS based on prior lines of treatment. 6. Table 6S is the adverse events in >10% of patients. 7. Table 7S is a listing of the biopsy procedures and outcomes. 8. Table 8S is the frequency of genomic alterations in the baseline and progression samples and PSA response data. 9. Table 9S includes the details for the AR mutations observed in the baseline and progression samples. 10. Figure 1S includes the KM curves for PSA progression and radiographic PFS. 11. Figure 2S includes the Consort Diagram for the study. 12. Figure 3S includes the integrative data of paired biopsy and CTC samples. 13. Figure 4S includes the KM curves for time to PSA progression, radiographic PFS, and overall survival in the CTC biomarker groups.

Black and white figure for supplement.

PDF file - 38KB, Chromosomal Instability. Analysis testing for potential confounding of pathologic stage and tissue type on chromosomal instability. Figure S6: Fraction of genome altered (FGA, 1) in both cohorts.

PDF file - 81KB

Supplementary Figure S1; Supplementary Tables S1-S2.

PDF file - 310KB, Figure S7: Comparison of copy number ratios at the 1q21.2 (MCL1) locus and 1q23.3; Figure S8: IGV screenshots of the 1q23.3 amplified region (Figure 3) for both cohorts; Figure S9: Kaplan-Meier curves for the second 1q23.3 GISTIC peak, located around FCGR3B; Figure S10: Kaplan-Meier curves for the PBX1 GISTIC peak at 1q23.3 (peak 3); Figure S11: Venn diagram of patients with amplification (log2 > 0.9) of the three GISTIC peaks in the (a) Spanish, (b) DFCI and (c) TCGA cohorts; Figure S12: Boxplots visualizing the correlation of mRNA expression and copy number in the Spanish cohort for all genes in the 1q23.3 GISTIC peak 1; Figure S13: Boxplots visualizing the correlation of mRNA expression and copy number in the DFCI cohort for all genes in the 1q23.3 GISTIC peak 1; Figure S14: Panel (a) shows the correlation of copy number and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of the PVRL4 gene in the Spanish cohort; Table S3: Associations of GISTIC peaks with overall survival after start of chemotherapy, adjusted for ECOG performance status and visceral disease (Spanish cohort); Table S4: Copy numbers in all bladder cancer cohorts at all three 1q23.3 GISTIC peaks. Numbers of patients in the TCGA cohort correspond to patients with clinical information; Table S5: Associations of ECOG PS, visceral disease, 1q23.3 amplification (peak 2, FCGR3B gene) and OS; Table S6: Associations of ECOG PS, visceral disease, 1q23.3 amplification (peak 3, PBX1 gene) and OS; Table S7: For the genes in 1q23.3, this table lists the correlations of copy number and mRNA expression and the correlations of overall survival and mRNA expression.

Supplementary Data from Treatment-free Survival after Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy versus Targeted Therapy for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: 42-Month Results of the CheckMate 214 Trial

XLS file, 1603KB.

PDF file, 449KB.

Purpose:Enzalutamide is a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor that has improved overall survival (OS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, nearly all patients develop resistance. We designed a phase II multicenter study of enzalutamide in metastatic CRPC incorporating tissue and blood biomarkers to dissect mechanisms driving resistance.Patients and Methods:Eligible patients with metastatic CRPC underwent a baseline metastasis biopsy and then initiated enzalutamide 160 mg daily. A repeat metastasis biopsy was obtained at radiographic progression from the same site when possible. Blood for circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis was collected at baseline and progression. The primary objective was to analyze mechanisms of resistance in serial biopsies. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on tissue biopsies. CTC samples underwent RNA sequencing.Results:A total of 65 patients initiated treatment, of whom 22 (33.8%) had received prior abiraterone. Baseline biopsies were enriched for alterations in AR (mutations, amplifications) and tumor suppression genes (PTEN, RB1, and TP53), which were observed in 73.1% and 92.3% of baseline biopsies, respectively. Progression biopsies revealed increased AR amplifications (64.7% at progression vs. 53.9% at baseline) and BRCA2 alterations (64.7% at progression vs. 38.5% at baseline). Genomic analysis of baseline and progression CTC samples demonstrated increased AR splice variants, AR-regulated genes, and neuroendocrine markers at progression.Conclusions:Our results demonstrate that a large proportion of enzalutamide-treated patients have baseline and progression alterations in the AR pathway and tumor suppressor genes. We demonstrate an increased number of BRCA2 alterations post-enzalutamide, highlighting the importance of serial tumor sampling in CRPC.

Black and white figure for supplement.

Purpose: Metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is associated with multiple somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs). We evaluated SCNAs to identify predictors of poor survival in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.Experimental Design: We obtained overall survival (OS) and array DNA copy-number data from patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma in two cohorts. Associations between recurrent SCNAs and OS were determined by a Cox proportional hazard model adjusting for performance status and visceral disease. mRNA expression was evaluated for potential candidate genes by NanoString nCounter to identify transcripts from the region that are associated with copy-number gain. In addition, expression data from an independent cohort were used to identify candidate genes.Results: Multiple areas of recurrent significant gains and losses were identified. Gain of 1q23.3 was independently associated with a shortened OS in both cohorts [adjusted HR, 2.96; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.35–6.48; P = 0.01 and adjusted HR, 5.03; 95% CI, 1.43–17.73; P < 0.001]. The F11R, PFDN2, PPOX, USP21, and DEDD genes, all located on 1q23.3, were closely associated with poor outcome.Conclusions: 1q23.3 copy-number gain displayed association with poor survival in two cohorts of metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The identification of the target of this copy-number gain is ongoing, and exploration of this finding in other disease states may be useful for the early identification of patients with poor-risk urothelial carcinoma. Prospective validation of the survival association is necessary to demonstrate clinical relevance. Clin Cancer Res; 20(7); 1873–83. ©2014 AACR.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with age and smoking, but other determinants of the disease are incompletely understood. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a common, age-related state in which somatic mutations in clonal blood populations induce aberrant inflammatory responses. Patients with CHIP have an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, but the association of CHIP with COPD remains unclear. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing and whole-exome sequencing data to detect CHIP in 48 835 patients, of whom 8444 had moderate to very severe COPD, from four separate cohorts with COPD phenotyping and smoking history. We measured emphysema in murine models in which Tet2 was deleted in hematopoietic cells. In the COPDGene cohort, individuals with CHIP had risks of moderate-to-severe, severe, or very severe COPD that were 1.6 (adjusted 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.2) and 2.2 (adjusted 95% CI, 1.5-3.2) times greater than those for noncarriers. These findings were consistently observed in three additional cohorts and meta-analyses of all patients. CHIP was also associated with decreased FEV1% predicted in the COPDGene cohort (mean between-group differences, −5.7%; adjusted 95% CI, −8.8% to −2.6%), a finding replicated in additional cohorts. Smoke exposure was associated with a small but significant increased risk of having CHIP (odds ratio, 1.03 per 10 pack-years; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05 per 10 pack-years) in the meta-analysis of all patients. Inactivation of Tet2 in mouse hematopoietic cells exacerbated the development of emphysema and inflammation in models of cigarette smoke exposure. Somatic mutations in blood cells are associated with the development and severity of COPD, independent of age and cumulative smoke exposure.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Patients with advanced melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors can experience ongoing disease control after treatment discontinuation without subsequent systemic anticancer therapy. We previously defined a novel outcome, treatment-free survival (TFS), as the time between protocol therapy cessation and subsequent therapy initiation/death. We assessed the effect of established prognostic variables [lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), programmed death ligand 1 status, BRAF mutation status, performance status, and sex] on TFS in different treatment scenarios: treatment until toxicity/progression with frequent early cessation (nivolumab plus ipilimumab), treatment until toxicity/progression with a well-tolerated regimen (nivolumab), and treatment for a short fixed duration (ipilimumab). Data were pooled from 1077 patients with advanced melanoma treated in the CheckMate 069 and 067 trials. TFS was defined as the area between the Kaplan–Meier curves for time to therapy cessation and time to subsequent therapy initiation/death. TFS was estimated by restricted mean (r-mean) survival time at 36 months since randomization. Clinically meaningful TFS (r-mean TFS 3.7–12.7 months) was observed across all patient subgroups. TFS was longest in patients treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab. The largest differences in r-mean TFS were observed with LDH in the nivolumab plus ipilimumab and ipilimumab treatment groups (TFS difference 4.7 and 4.9 months, respectively). In the nivolumab group, there was little difference in TFS across subgroups (r-mean TFS 3.7–5.5 months). TFS was sensitive to prognostic subgroup differences; however, duration of treatment affected the sensitivity of TFS. These results provide further support for TFS as a clinical outcome measure.

Purpose: Enzalutamide is a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor that has improved overall survival (OS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, nearly all patients develop resistance. We designed a phase II multicenter study of enzalutamide in metastatic CRPC incorporating tissue and blood biomarkers to dissect mechanisms driving resistance. Patients and Methods: Eligible patients with metastatic CRPC underwent a baseline metastasis biopsy and then initiated enzalutamide 160 mg daily. A repeat metastasis biopsy was obtained at radiographic progression from the same site when possible. Blood for circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis was collected at baseline and progression. The primary objective was to analyze mechanisms of resistance in serial biopsies. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on tissue biopsies. CTC samples underwent RNA sequencing. Results: A total of 65 patients initiated treatment, of whom 22 (33.8%) had received prior abiraterone. Baseline biopsies were enriched for alterations in AR (mutations, amplifications) and tumor suppression genes (PTEN, RB1, and TP53), which were observed in 73.1% and 92.3% of baseline biopsies, respectively. Progression biopsies revealed increased AR amplifications (64.7% at progression vs. 53.9% at baseline) and BRCA2 alterations (64.7% at progression vs. 38.5% at baseline). Genomic analysis of baseline and progression CTC samples demonstrated increased AR splice variants, AR-regulated genes, and neuroendocrine markers at progression. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that a large proportion of enzalutamide-treated patients have baseline and progression alterations in the AR pathway and tumor suppressor genes. We demonstrate an increased number of BRCA2 alterations post-enzalutamide, highlighting the importance of serial tumor sampling in CRPC.

PURPOSE: Current first-line treatment options in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) unfit to receive cisplatin-containing chemotherapy include PD-1/L1 inhibitors and carboplatin-containing chemotherapy. However, the optimal sequencing of these therapies remains unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis. Consecutive cisplatin-ineligible patients with mUC treated with first-line carboplatin-containing chemotherapy followed sequentially by second-line PD-1/L1 inhibitor, or the reverse order, were included. Patient demographics, objective response, time to treatment failure for first-line (TTF1) and second-line (TTF2) therapy, interval between end of first-line and initiation of second-line treatment (Interval(1L-2L)), and overall survival (OS) were collected. Multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the association of sequencing on OS. RESULTS: In this multicenter retrospective study, we identified 146 cisplatin-ineligible patients with mUC treated with first-line (1L) PD-1/L1 inhibitor therapy followed by second-line (2L) carboplatin-containing chemotherapy (Group 1, n=43) or the reverse sequence (Group 2, n=103). In the overall cohort, median age was 72, 76% were men, and 18% had liver metastasis. In both groups, objective response rates were higher with carboplatin-containing chemotherapy (45.6% 1L, 44.2% 2L) compared to PD-1/L1 inhibitors (9.3% 1L, 21.3% 2L). On multivariate analysis, treatment sequence was not associated with overall survival (HR 1.05, p=0.85). Site of metastasis was the only factor significantly associated with overall survival (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In this biomarker-unselected cohort of cisplatin-ineligible patients with mUC, PD-1/L1 inhibitor followed by carboplatin-containing chemotherapy and the reverse sequence had comparable OS.

Although somatic mutations influence the pathogenesis, phenotype, and outcome of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), little is known about their impact on molecular response to cytoreductive treatment. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) on 202 pretreatment samples obtained from patients with MPN enrolled in the DALIAH trial (A Study of Low Dose Interferon Alpha Versus Hydroxyurea in Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Neoplasms; #NCT01387763), a randomized controlled phase 3 clinical trial, and 135 samples obtained after 24 months of therapy with recombinant interferon-alpha (IFNα) or hydroxyurea. The primary aim was to evaluate the association between complete clinicohematologic response (CHR) at 24 months and molecular response through sequential assessment of 120 genes using NGS. Among JAK2-mutated patients treated with IFNα, those with CHR had a greater reduction in the JAK2 variant allele frequency (median, 0.29 to 0.07; P < .0001) compared with those not achieving CHR (median, 0.27 to 0.14; P < .0001). In contrast, the CALR variant allele frequency did not significantly decline in those achieving CHR or in those not achieving CHR. Treatment-emergent mutations in DNMT3A were observed more commonly in patients treated with IFNα compared with hydroxyurea (P = .04). Furthermore, treatment-emergent DNMT3A mutations were significantly enriched in IFNα–treated patients not attaining CHR (P = .02). A mutation in TET2, DNMT3A, or ASXL1 was significantly associated with prior stroke (age-adjusted odds ratio, 5.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-17.54; P = .007), as was a mutation in TET2 alone (age-adjusted odds ratio, 3.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-9.01; P = .044). At 24 months, we found mutation-specific response patterns to IFNα: (1) JAK2- and CALR-mutated MPN exhibited distinct molecular responses; and (2) DNMT3A-mutated clones/subclones emerged on treatment.

Purpose: Patients discontinuing immuno-oncology regimens may experience periods of disease control without need for ongoing anticancer therapy, but toxicity may persist. We describe treatment-free survival (TFS), with and without toxicity. Patients and Methods: Data were analyzed from the randomized phase III CheckMate 214 trial of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 550) versus sunitinib (n = 546) for treatment-naïve, advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). TFS was estimated by the 42-month restricted mean times defined by the area between Kaplan–Meier curves for two time-to-event endpoints defined from randomization: time to protocol therapy cessation and time to subsequent systemic therapy initiation or death. TFS was subdivided as TFS with and without toxicity by counting days with ≥1 grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse event (TRAE). Results: At 42 months since randomization, 52% of nivolumab plus ipilimumab and 39% of sunitinib intermediate/poor-risk patients were alive; 18% and 5% surviving treatment-free, respectively. Among favorable-risk patients, 70% and 73% of nivolumab plus ipilimumab and sunitinib patients were alive; 20% and 9% treatment-free. Over the 42-month period, mean TFS was over twice as long after nivolumab plus ipilimumab than sunitinib for intermediate/poor-risk (6.9 vs. 3.1 months) and three times as long for favorable-risk patients (11.0 vs. 3.7 months). Mean TFS with grade ≥3 TRAEs was a small proportion of time for both treatments (0.6 vs. 0.3 months after nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs. sunitinib for intermediate/poor-risk, and 0.9 vs. 0.3 months for favorable-risk patients). Conclusions: Patients initiating first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab for aRCC spent more survival time treatment-free without toxicity versus those on sunitinib, regardless of risk group.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) comprise a spectrum of clonal blood cancers characterized by ineffective clonal hematopoiesis and the risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [1]. The me...

Background Inflammation and infections have been associated with prostate cancer progression. We assessed whether elevated serum cytokines or T. vaginalis seropositivity at the time of diagnosis was associated with higher grade or lethal prostate cancer. Patients and Methods Men with localized or metastatic prostate cancer were included in this study. Cytokine serum levels including interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (CCL-2), tumor necrosis factor α, and growth-regulated oncogene α (CXCL-1) using a multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and T. vaginalis serology were measured in blood samples at diagnosis. Results A total of 324 patients were identified at time of localized disease and 118 at time of metastatic disease. Of the 189 patients with localized disease and clinical follow-up data (median, 73 months), 28 developed lethal disease. There was no association between circulating cytokine levels above median concentrations nor T. vaginalis seropositivity and risk of intermediate- to high-risk or lethal prostate cancer. Conclusion Higher levels of serum cytokine levels and T. vaginalis seropositivity at diagnosis are not associated with high-grade or lethal prostate cancer and do not aid risk stratification of localized prostate cancer.

No consensus currently exist on the optimal treatment of patients with high-risk nonmuscle invasive (HGT1) micropapillary variant of bladder cancer (MPBC). Transcripsome analysis may allow stratification of MPBC-HGT1 enabling prediction of recurrence and guide therapeutic management for individual patients. Whole transcriptome RNA-Sequencing of tumors from 23 patients with MPBC-HGT1 and 64 conventional urothelial carcinomas (cUC) (reference set) was performed. Differentially expressed genes between MPBC-HGT1 and cUC-HGT1 were explored. Cox proportional hazard models and Kapplan–Meier methods were used to assess the relation between time to progression (TTP) and individual gene expression adjusting for clinical covariates. Over 3000 genes were differentially expressed in MPBC-HGT1 as compared with cUC-HGT1 and a 26-gene signature is characteristic of MPBC within HGT1. A set of three genes; CD36, FAPB3 and RAETE1; were significantly associated with TTP. High expression of FABP3 and CD36 were associated with shorter TTP (p = 0.045 and p = 0.08) as was low expression of RAET1E (p = 0.01). Our study suggest that a 26-gene signature can define MPBC-HGT1 within conventional urothelial carcinomas. A prognostic risk index of three genes (FABP3, CD36 and RAET1E) was found to be associated with shorter TTP and may help classify a group of patients with MPBC-HGT1 with high-risk of early progression. These observations might have implications in terms of radical cystectomy recommendation in MPBC patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with residual muscle-invasive urinary tract cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have a high risk of recurrence.OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate whether additional adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) improves outcomes compared with surveillance in patients with significant residual disease despite NAC.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We identified 474 patients who received NAC from the Retrospective International Study of Cancers of the Urothelium database, of whom 129 had adverse residual disease (≥ypT3 and/or ypN+).OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Time to relapse (TTR) was the primary endpoint assessed starting from 2mo after surgery to minimize immortal time bias. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), incidence of AC use, and chemotherapy patterns. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models estimated TTR, OS, and associations with AC, adjusting for the type of NAC, age, and pathological stage in multivariable analyses.RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 106 patients underwent surveillance, while 23 received AC. Gemcitabine-cisplatin was the most frequent regimen employed in both settings (30.4%), and the majority (82.6%) of the patients switched to a different regimen. Median follow-up was 30mo. Over 50% of patients developed a recurrence. Median TTR was 16mo (range: CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of AC after NAC in patients with high-risk residual disease is not frequent in clinical practice but might reduce the risk of recurrence. Further investigation is needed in this high-risk population to identify optimal therapy and to improve clinical outcomes such as the ongoing adjuvant immunotherapy trials.PATIENT SUMMARY: We found that administering additional chemotherapy in patients who had significant residual disease despite preoperative chemotherapy is not frequent in clinical practice. While it might reduce the risk of recurrence, it did not clearly increase overall survival. We encourage participation in the ongoing immunotherapy trials to see whether we can improve outcomes using a different type of therapy that stimulates the immune system.

Background Abiraterone acetate suppresses adrenal androgens and glucocorticoids through the inhibition of CYP17; however, given the risk of mineralocorticoid excess, it is administered with glucocorticoids. Herein, the authors performed a phase 2, single-arm study that was designed to assess the safety of abiraterone acetate without steroids in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Methods Eligible patients had castration-resistant prostate cancer with controlled blood pressure and normal potassium. Patients initially received abiraterone acetate at a dose of 1000 mg daily alone. Those with persistent or severe mineralocorticoid toxicity received treatment with prednisone initiated at a dose of 5 mg twice daily. Therapy was continued until radiographic progression, toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary objective of the current study was to determine the percentage of men requiring prednisone to manage mineralocorticoid toxicity. Toxicity was graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. Results A total of 58 patients received at least 1 dose of abiraterone acetate; the majority had metastases (53 patients; 91.4%). Sixteen patients (27.6%) received prior chemotherapy, 6 patients (10.3%) received prior enzalutamide, and 4 patients (7%) received prior ketoconazole. Grade 3 to 4 adverse events of interest included hypertension (9 patients; 15.5%) and hypokalemia (4 patients; 7%). There was no grade ≥3 edema. Seven patients (12%) initiated prednisone therapy for mineralocorticoid toxicity, 3 patients for hypertension (5%), and 4 patients for hypokalemia (7%). Two patients initiated prednisone therapy for fatigue (3%). Forty patients (68%) experienced a decline in prostate-specific antigen of ≥50% with the use of abiraterone acetate alone. Patients with lower baseline levels of androstenedione (P = .04), androsterone (P = .01), dehydroepiandrosterone (P = .03), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (P = .03) were found to be more likely to develop mineralocorticoid toxicity. Conclusions Treatment with abiraterone acetate without steroids is feasible, although clinically significant adverse events can occur in a minority of patients. The use of abiraterone acetate without prednisone should be balanced with the potential for toxicity and requires close monitoring.

Background Upper tract urothelial carcinomas (UTUCs) are increasingly recognized as separate malignancies. Additional insight into clinical outcomes and key prognostic factors are needed. Objectives To detail outcomes of patients with UTUCs recurring after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and to determine a risk score that predicts outcomes of patients with non–lymph node distant metastasis. Design, Setting, and Participants Chart review of all patients who had an extraurothelial recurrence after RNU for UTUC at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between 2009 and 2014. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis Median overall survival defined as time from chemotherapy for distant relapse to death. Prognostic relevance of performance status, hemoglobin, and receipt of cisplatin were assessed by Cox regression model. Results and Limitations A total of 102 patients were identified, 57 of whom had non–lymph node distant metastases at relapse; 45 received chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 29.8 months; median overall survival was 14.7 months. Objective response rate to any chemotherapy in the first-line setting was only 22%. Hemoglobin > 11 g/dL and receipt of cisplatin was associated with numerically longer median survival but did not reach statistical significance in univariate and multivariate analysis. Prognostic risk score scale including hemoglobin Conclusions Advanced UTUC portends a poor prognosis, and most patients cannot receive cisplatin-based chemotherapy. A risk score that includes anemia and receipt of cisplatin helps stratify patients with distant metastasis for inclusion into eventual clinical trials. More studies are needed to validate these findings. Patient Summary Metastatic UTUC is an aggressive disease, where anemia and ineligibility to receive cisplatin are adverse features associated with shorter survival.

BackgroundTreatment-free survival (TFS) characterizes disease control after discontinuation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) until subsequent therapy or death. We previously evaluated TFS in a pooled analysis of the CheckMate 067 and CheckMate 069 trials of the ICIs nivolumab and ipilimumab, alone or in combination, in patients with advanced melanoma after minimum follow-up of 36 months. This analysis investigated TFS differences between treatments in CheckMate 067 after a minimum follow-up of 60 months, and their relation to overall survival (OS) differences.MethodsData were from 937 patients who initiated treatment (nivolumab plus ipilimumab, nivolumab, or ipilimumab) in CheckMate 067 (NCT01844505). TFS was defined as the area between the Kaplan-Meier curves for time to protocol therapy cessation and time to subsequent systemic therapy initiation or death, each measured from randomization. TFS was partitioned as time with and without toxicity. Toxicity included persistent and late-onset grade ≥2 select treatment-related adverse events (ie, those of potential immunologic etiology). The area between Kaplan-Meier curves was estimated by the difference in 60-month restricted-mean times of the endpoints. Between-group differences were estimated with bootstrapped 95% CIs.ResultsAt 60 months from randomization, 39%, 24%, and 11% of patients assigned to treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab, respectively, had survived and were treatment-free. The 60-month mean TFS was approximately twice as long with the combination (19.7 months) than with nivolumab (9.9 months; absolute difference, 9.8 (95% CI 6.7 to 12.8)) or ipilimumab (11.9 months; absolute difference, 7.8 (95% CI 4.6 to 11.0)). In the respective groups, mean TFS represented 33% (8% with and 25% without toxicity), 17% (2% and 14%), and 20% (3% and 17%) of the 60-month period. Compared with 36-month estimates, mean TFS over the 60-month period represented slightly greater percentages of time in the nivolumab-containing regimen groups and a lesser percentage in the ipilimumab group. TFS differences between the combination and either monotherapy increased with longer follow-up.ConclusionsAlong with improved long-term OS with the nivolumab-containing regimens versus ipilimumab, TFS without toxicity was sustained with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus either monotherapy, demonstrating larger between-group differences with extended follow-up.

Introduction Nous avons precedemment defini une nouvelle mesure de resultat, la SST (ou TFS en anglais pour Treatment Free Survival) qui designe le delai ecoule entre l’arret des CPI et l’instauration d’un traitement ulterieur ou le deces. La SST fait partie d’une analyse integree permettant de decrire de facon complete comment les pts passent le temps de survie globale (SG), sous et sans traitement, avec/sans toxicite liee au traitement. Nous avons rapporte des donnees de survie, y compris la SST, chez les pts traites par CPI atteints d’un MEL dans l’essai de phase 3 CheckMate 067 ( NCT01844505 ) durant la periode de 36 mois apres la randomisation (Regan. J Clin Oncol.2019) ; Les resultats a 60 mois sont presentes ici. Materiel et methodes Les donnees ont ete analysees chez 937 pts atteint d’un MEL qui ont debute un traitement avec nivolumab (NIVO) plus ipilimumab (IPI), NIVO, ou IPI dans la CheckMate 067. La SST a ete definie comme la zone situee entre les courbes de Kaplan–Meier (KM) pour 2 criteres d’evaluation conventionnels definis a partir de la randomisation : le delai jusqu’a l’arret du traitement de l’etude et le delai jusqu’au traitement ulterieur ou le deces. La SST a egalement ete divisee en SST avec ou sans evenements indesirables lies au traitement (EILT) de grade ≥ 3 et la SG a ete estimee. L’aire sous chaque courbe de KM a ete estimee par le delai moyen restreint a 60 mois jusqu’a l’evenement restreint a 60 mois et exprimee comme un pourcentage de la periode de 60 mois. Des intervalles de confiance a 95 % ont ete calcules pour les differences. Resultats Sur la periode de 60 mois, les pts ont passe en moyenne 33 %, 17 % et 20 % du temps sans traitement apres avoir recu NIVO + IPI, NIVO, et IPI, respectivement (SST moyenne restreinte a 60 mois : 19,7, 9,9 et 11,9 mo). La SST moyenne restreinte a 60 mois des pts traites par NIVO + IPI etait superieure a celle des pts traites par NIVO de 9,8 mois (IC a 95 %, 6,7–12,8) et superieure a celle des pts traites par IPI de 7,8 mois (IC a 95 %, 4,6–11,0). La SST moyenne avec des EILT de grade ≥ 3 correspondait a une faible proportion de la periode de 60 mois : 3 %, 2 % et Discussion Avec un suivi prolonge, la SST moyenne avec ou sans toxicite correspondait a des proportions plus elevees de la periode de 60 mois vs 3 mois pour NIVO + IPI, et NIVO, mais pas pour IPI. Les pts traites avec NIVO + IPI ont continue a avoir une SST deux fois plus longue que celle des patients traites par NIVO seul, en raison de l’arret precoce du traitement pour toxicite sans progression de la maladie et avec une resolution ulterieure d’un grand nombre de ces toxicites. La majeure partie du temps de SST a ete passee sans EILT de grade ≥ 3 dans tous les bras.

We evaluated the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses to subsequent therapy in patients previously treated with galeterone. Twenty-seven patients were included in the analysis. Modest PSA responses were seen in patients receiving first-line and second-line subsequent therapies. The response to abiraterone was comparable with historic PSA response rates in patients with no prior exposure to second-generation hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. BACKGROUND: Galeterone is a multi-targeted agent with activity as a CYP17 inhibitor, androgen receptor antagonist, and also causes androgen receptor degradation. It has shown meaningful anti-tumor activity with a well-tolerated safety profile in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in phase I and II studies; however, the efficacy of currently approved CRPC therapies after treatment with galeterone is unknown. In this study, we evaluate prostate specific antigen (PSA) response of non-protocol therapies following galeterone in a subset of patients treated on the Androgen Receptor Modulation Optimized for Response (ARMOR) 2 study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who received any subsequent treatment were included. PSA response and treatment duration were summarized by line and type of subsequent therapy. RESULTS: Overall, 27 of 40 patients received ≥ 1 post-galeterone treatment, of whom 18 (67%) discontinued galeterone for progression, 14 (52%) received ≥ 2 treatments, and 6 (22%) received ≥ 3 treatments. PSA changed by a median of −36%, −35%, and +60% in patients receiving first-line, second-line, and third-line therapy, respectively. Overall, 18 (67%) received subsequent enzalutamide, 12 (44%) received docetaxel, 9 (33%) received abiraterone, and 5 (19%) received cabazitaxel. PSA changed by a median of −27%, −34%, −39%, and 17% for patients receiving subsequent enzalutamide, docetaxel, abiraterone, and cabazitaxel, respectively, at any line. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that CRPC therapies exhibit differential anti-tumor activity following galeterone. In this small cohort, abiraterone demonstrates the highest PSA response post-galeterone, whereas enzalutamide and chemotherapy have more modest activity. Larger clinical studies are warranted to fully evaluate the efficacy and safety of second-generation hormonal agents and chemotherapy post-galeterone. Predictive biomarkers will be critical to optimizing patient selection for sequential therapies.

Background Statins compete with DHEAS for influx through the SLCO2B1 transporter, which may prolong time to progression (TTP) on androgen deprivation therapy. Abiraterone acetate (AA) may also undergo SLCO-mediated transport. Based on preclinical findings showing antagonism, we hypothesized that statins may compete with AA for influx via SLCO2B1 and could negatively impact drug efficacy. Methods We queried two institutional clinical databases (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute [DFCI], Johns Hopkins University [JHU]) for CRPC patients treated with AA. Treatment duration was a surrogate for TTP. Associations between statin use and AA duration were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox regression modeling adjusted for known prognostic factors. Results Of the 224 DFCI and 270 JHU patients included, the majority (96%) had metastatic disease. Nearly half (41% and 45%) were statin users. In the DFCI cohort, there was a trend toward longer AA duration in statin users: 14.2 versus 9.2 months (HR 0.79, 95%CI: 0.57-1.09, P = 0.14). There was no association between statin use and AA duration in the JHU cohort: 8.3 versus 8.0 months (HR 0.89, 95%CI: 0.69-1.16, P = 0.38) in the statin users versus non-users, except for a trend in patients that had not previously received docetaxel or enzalutamide (HR 0.79; 95%CI: 0.57-1.10). Conclusions Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there was a trend toward longer (rather than shorter) AA duration in statin users in the entire DFCI cohort and in the enzalutamide- and docetaxel-naive JHU patients. Together, these results do not support the hypothesis that statins interfere with AA efficacy.

PURPOSE In this multicenter phase II trial, we evaluated atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with variant histology or any RCC histology with ≥ 20% sarcomatoid differentiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients may have received previous systemic therapy, excluding prior bevacizumab or checkpoint inhibitors. Patients underwent a baseline biopsy and received atezolizumab 1,200 mg and bevacizumab 15 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR) by RECIST version 1.1. Additional end points were progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity, biomarkers of response as determined by programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) status, and on-therapy quality-of-life (QOL) metrics using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Kidney Symptom Index-19 and the Brief Fatigue Inventory. RESULTS Sixty patients received at least 1 dose of either study agent; the majority (65%) were treatment naïve. The ORR for the overall population was 33% and 50% in patients with clear cell RCC with sarcomatoid differentiation and 26% in patients with variant histology RCC. Median PFS was 8.3 months (95% CI, 5.7 to 10.9 months). PD-L1 status was available for 36 patients; 15 (42%) had ≥ 1% expression on tumor cells. ORR in PD-L1–positive patients was 60% (n = 9) v 19% (n = 4) in PD-L1–negative patients. Eight patients (13%) developed treatment-related grade 3 toxicities. There were no treatment-related grade 4-5 toxicities. QOL was maintained throughout therapy. CONCLUSION In this study, atezolizumab and bevacizumab demonstrated safety and resulted in objective responses in patients with variant histology RCC or RCC with ≥ 20% sarcomatoid differentiation. This regimen warrants additional exploration in patients with rare RCC, particularly those with PD-L1–positive tumors.

PURPOSE Outcome measures that comprehensively capture attributes of immuno-oncology agents, including prolonged treatment-free time and persistent treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), are needed to complement conventional survival end points. METHODS We pooled data from the CheckMate 067 and 069 clinical trials of nivolumab and ipilimumab, as monotherapies or in combination, for patients with advanced melanoma. Treatment-free survival (TFS) was defined as the area between Kaplan-Meier curves for two conventional time-to-event end points, each defined from random assignment: time to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) protocol therapy cessation and time to subsequent systemic therapy initiation or death. TFS was partitioned as time with and without toxicity by a third end point, time to cessation of both ICI therapy and toxicity. Toxicity included persistent and late-onset grade 3 or higher TRAEs. The area under each Kaplan-Meier curve was estimated by the 36-month restricted mean time. RESULTS At 36 months, many of the 1,077 patients who initiated ICI therapy were surviving free of subsequent therapy initiation (47% nivolumab plus ipilimumab, 37% nivolumab, 15% ipilimumab). The restricted mean TFS was longer for nivolumab plus ipilimumab (11.1 months) compared with nivolumab (4.6 months; difference, 6.5 months; 95% CI, 5.0 to 8.0 months) or ipilimumab (8.7 months; difference, 2.4 months; 95% CI, 0.8 to 4.1 months); restricted mean TFS represented 31% (3% with and 28% without toxicity), 13% (1% and 11%), and 24% (less than 1% and 23%) of the 36-month period, respectively, in the three treatment groups. TFS without toxicity was longer for nivolumab plus ipilimumab than nivolumab (difference, 6.0 months) or ipilimumab (difference, 1.7 months). CONCLUSION The analysis of TFS between ICI cessation and subsequent therapy initiation revealed longer TFS without toxicity for patients with advanced melanoma who received nivolumab plus ipilimumab compared with nivolumab or ipilimumab. Regardless of treatment, a small proportion of the TFS involved grade 3 or higher TRAEs.