•Resection of an oligoprogressive lesion after systemic therapy is feasible.•Oligoprogressive surgery might be considered to achieve long term survival.•M1 disease at initial presentation was ...predictive for better PFS.•Clinical T4 stage was predictive for PFS.•Superior PFS was seen after resection of the primary lung tumour.
Patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are generally considered incurable. The mainstay of treatment for these patients is systemic therapy. The addition of local treatment, including surgery, remains controversial. Oligoprogression is defined as advanced stage NSCLC with limited progression of disease after a period of prolonged disease stabilisation or after a partial or complete response on systemic therapy. In this retrospective study we evaluated outcome and survival of patients who underwent a resection for oligoprogression after systemic therapy for advanced stage NSCLC.
Patients with oligoprogression after systemic treatment for advanced NSCLC who were operated in the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital were included. Patient and treatment characteristics were collected in relation to progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
Between January 2015 and December 2019, 28 patients underwent surgery for an oligoprogressive lesion (primary tumor lung (n = 12), other metastatic site (n = 16)). Median age at time of resection was 60 years (39–86) and 57% were female. Postoperative complications were observed in 2 patients (7%). Progression of disease after resection of the oligoprogressive site was observed in 17 patients (61%). Median PFS was 7 months since date of resection (95% CI 6.0–25.0) and median OS was not reached. Seven patients (25%) died during follow-up. Age was predictive for OS and clinical T4 stage was predictive for PFS. M1 disease at initial presentation was predictive for better PFS compared to patients who were diagnosed with M0 disease initially. Patients who underwent resection because of oligoprogression of the primary lung tumour had a better PFS, when compared to oligoprogression of another metastastic site.
Surgical resection of an oligoprogressive lesion in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with systemic treatment is feasible and might be considered in order to achieve long term survival.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
•DLL3 is expressed in 74% of stage IV LCNEC patients•The majority (80%) has cytoplasmic/membranous expression•DLL3 is expressed in both SCLC- and NSCLC-like LCNEC subtype•6/6 STK11mt, 10/11 KEAP1mt ...and 9/9 TP53wt tumors were DLL3 positive•DLL3 expression is associated with expression of ASCL1 and neuroendocrine markers
For stage IV pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), the only therapeutic option is palliative chemotherapy. DLL3 is a new therapeutic target, which seems to be often expressed in SCLC and LCNEC. It has recently been reported that DLL3 mRNA expression is particularly upregulated in the LCNEC subgroup with STK11/KEAP1 and TP53 co-mutations, in contrast to lower expression levels in RB1 and TP53 co-mutated LCNEC. Our aim was to investigate DLL3 protein expression in stage IV LCNEC and correlate data with mutational profiles (i.e.STK11/KEAP1/RB1), immunostaining results (pRb, NE markers) and clinical characteristics.
Immunohistochemical analysis for DLL3 (SC16.65) and ASCL1 (SC72.201) was performed on 94 and 51 FFPE tissue sections, respectively, of pathologically reviewed stage IV LCNEC. DLL3 and ASCL1 were scored positive if ≥1% of the tumor cells showed cytoplasmic/membranous or dotlike (DLL3) or nuclear (ASCL1) immunostaining. Data were correlated with available sequencing (TP53, RB1, STK11, KEAP1), immunostaining (pRb, NE markers) and clinical data.
DLL3 was expressed in 70/94 (74%) LCNEC, 56 (80%) of which showed cytoplasmic/membranous staining. Median H-score was 55 (interquartile range 0–160). DLL3 staining was not different in pRb immunohistochemistry negative and positive patients (DLL3+ in 53/70 (76%) vs. 14/21 (67%), p = 0.409) or RB1 mutated and wildtype patients (DLL3+ in 27/34 (79%) vs. 23/33 (70%), p = 0.361). Nevertheless, 6/6 (100%) STK11 mutated, 10/11 (91%) KEAP1 mutated and 9/9 (100%) TP53 wildtype tumors were DLL3+ . Furthermore, DLL3 expression was associated with expression of ASCL1 and at least 2 out of 3 neuroendocrine markers.
The high percentage (74%) of DLL3 expression in stage IV LCNEC denotes the potential of DLL3 targeted therapy in this patient group.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of stepped care (SC) targeting psychological distress in head and neck cancer (HNC) and lung cancer (LC) patients.
Patients with untreated distress Hospital ...Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; HADS-D > 7, HADS-A > 7, or HADS-total > 14) were randomized to SC (n = 75) or care-as-usual (CAU) (n = 81). SC consisted of watchful waiting, guided self-help, problem-solving therapy, and psychotherapy and/or psychotropic medication. The primary outcome measure was the HADS; secondary outcome measures were recovery rate, EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-HN35/QLQ-LC13, and IN-PATSAT32. Measures were assessed at baseline, after completion of care, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months follow-up. Linear mixed models, t-tests, and effect sizes (ES) were used to assess group differences.
Patients with untreated distress were randomized to SC (n = 75) or care-as-usual (CAU) (n = 81). The course of psychological distress was better after SC compared with CAU (HADS-total, P = 0.005; HADS-A, P = 0.046; HADS-D, P = 0.007). The SC group scored better post-treatment (HADS-total, ES = 0.56; HADS-A, ES = 0.38; HADS-D, ES = 0.64) and at 9 months follow-up (HADS-total, ES = 0.42 and HADS-A, ES = 0.40). The recovery rate post-treatment was 55% after SC compared with 29% after CAU (P = 0.002), and 46% and 37% at 12 months follow-up (P = 0.35). Within SC, 28% recovered after watchful waiting, 34% after guided self-help, 9% after problem-solving therapy, and 17% after psychotherapy and/or psychotropic medication. The effect of SC was stronger for patients with a depressive or anxiety disorder compared with patients without such a disorder (HADS-total, P = 0.001; HADS-A, P = 0.003; HADS-D, P = 0.041).
SC is effective and speeds up recovery among HNC and LC patients with untreated psychological distress.
Netherlands Trial Register (NTR1868).
Data on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with non-classic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are scarce, especially in non-Asian populations. The purpose of this study was ...to evaluate prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome on EGFR-TKI treatment according to type of EGFR mutation in a Dutch cohort of NSCLC patients.
We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 240 EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients. Data on demographics, clinical and tumour-related features, EGFR-TKI treatment and clinical outcome were collected and compared between patients with classic EGFR mutations, EGFR exon 20 insertions and other uncommon EGFR mutations.
Classic EGFR mutations were detected in 186 patients (77.5%) and non-classic EGFR mutations in 54 patients (22.5%); 23 patients with an exon 20 insertion (9.6%) and 31 patients with an uncommon EGFR mutation (12.9%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on EGFR-TKI treatment were 2.9 and 9.7 months, respectively, for patients with an EGFR exon 20 insertion, and 6.4 and 20.2 months, respectively, for patients with an uncommon EGFR mutation. Patients with a double uncommon EGFR mutation that included G719X/L861Q/S768I had longer PFS and OS on EGFR-TKI treatment compared with patients with a single G719X/L861Q/S768I EGFR mutation (both P=0.02).
In our Dutch cohort, prevalence and genotype distribution of non-classic EGFR mutations were in accordance with previously reported data. The PFS and OS on EGFR-TKI treatment in patients with an uncommon EGFR mutation were shorter compared with patients with classic EGFR mutations, but varied among different uncommon EGFR mutations.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
•EGFRex20+ NSCLC patients are treated irrespective of the location of the mutation;•The EGFRex20+ mutation location is the main determinant for selecting the optimal therapy;•The A763_Y764insFQEA ...mutation should be treated different;•A structural understanding of the impact of EGFRex20+ mutations is warranted.
Activating EGFR mutations are commonly observed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). About 4–10 % of all activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are heterogenous in-frame deletion and/or insertion mutations clustering within exon 20 (EGFRex20+). NSCLC patients with EGFRex20+ mutations are treated as a single disease entity, irrespective of the type and location of the mutation. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the literature reporting both in vitro and clinical drug sensitivity across different EGFRex20+ mutations. The activating A763_Y764insFQEA mutation has a better tumor response in comparison with mutations in the near- and far regions directly following the C-helix and should therefore be treated differently. For other EGFRex20+ mutations marked differences in treatment responses have been reported indicating the need for a classification beyond the exon-based classification. A further classification can be achieved using a structure–function modeling approach and experimental data using patient-derived cell lines. The detailed overview of TKI responses for each EGFRex20+ mutation can assist treating physicians to select the most optimal drug for individual NSCLC patients.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Purpose
This study is to develop a structured approach to distinguishing large-artery vasculitis from atherosclerosis using 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with low-dose ...computed tomography (FDG PET/CT).
Methods
FDG PET/CT images of 60 patients were evaluated, 30 having biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA; the most common form of large-artery vasculitis), and 30 with severe atherosclerosis. Images were evaluated by 12 nuclear medicine physicians using 5 criteria: FDG uptake pattern (intensity, distribution, circularity), the degree of calcification, and co-localization of calcifications with FDG-uptake. Criteria that passed agreement, and reliability tests were subsequently analysed for accuracy using receiver operator curve (ROC) analyses. Criteria that showed discriminative ability were then combined in a multi-component scoring system. Both initial and final ‘gestalt’ conclusion were also reported by observers before and after detailed examination of the images.
Results
Agreement and reliability analyses disqualified 3 of the 5 criteria, leaving only FDG uptake intensity compared to liver uptake and arterial wall calcification for potential use in a scoring system. ROC analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90 (95%CI 0.87–0.92) for FDG uptake intensity. Degree of calcification showed poor discriminative ability on its own (AUC of 0.62; 95%CI 0.58–0.66). When combining presence of calcification with FDG uptake intensity into a 6-tiered scoring system, the AUC remained similar at 0.91 (95%CI 0.88–0.93). After exclusion of cases with arterial prostheses, the AUC increased to 0.93 (95%CI 0.91–0.95). The accuracy of the ‘gestalt’ conclusion was initially 89% (95%CI 86–91%) and increased to 93% (95%CI 91–95%) after detailed image examination.
Conclusion
Standardised assessment of arterial wall FDG uptake intensity, preferably combined with assessment of arterial calcifications into a scoring method, enables accurate, but not perfect, distinction between large artery vasculitis and atherosclerosis.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Since systemic sclerosis (SSc) also involves the heart, the aim of the present study was to evaluate possible differences in right ventricular (RV) pump function between SSc-associated pulmonary ...arterial hypertension (PAH; SScPAH) and idiopathic PAH (IPAH). In 13 limited cutaneous SScPAH and 17 IPAH patients, RV pump function was described using the pump function graph, which relates mean RV pressure ((RV)) and stroke volume index (SVI). Differences in pump function result in shift or rotation of the pump function graph. (RV) and SVI were measured using standard catheterisation. The hypothetical isovolumic (RV) ((RV,iso)) was estimated using a single-beat method. The pump function graph was approximated by a parabola: (RV) = (RV,iso)1-(SVI/SVI(max))(2), where SVI(max )is the hypothetical maximal SVI at zero (RV), enabling calculation of SVI(max). There were no differences in SVI and SVI(max). Both (RV) and (RV,iso) were significantly lower in SScPAH than in IPAH ((RV) 30.7+/-8.5 versus 41.2+/-9.4 mmHg; (RV,iso) 43.1+/-12.4 versus 53.5+/-10.0 mmHg). Since higher pressures were found at similar SVI, the difference in the pump function graph results from lower contractility in SScPAH than in IPAH. Right ventricular contractility is lower in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension than in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is broadly expressed in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is the target of patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd), an antibody–drug conjugate consisting ...of a HER3 antibody attached to a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload via a tetrapeptide-based cleavable linker. U31402-A-U102 is an ongoing phase I study of HER3-DXd in patients with advanced NSCLC. Patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated NSCLC that progressed after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) who received HER3-DXd 5.6 mg/kg intravenously once every 3 weeks had a confirmed objective response rate (cORR) of 39%. We present median overall survival (OS) with extended follow-up in a larger population of patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC and an exploratory analysis in those with acquired genomic alterations potentially associated with resistance to HER3-DXd.
Safety was assessed in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC previously treated with EGFR TKI who received HER3-DXd 5.6 mg/kg; efficacy was assessed in those who also had prior PBC.
In the safety population (N = 102), median treatment duration was 5.5 (range 0.7-27.5) months. Grade ≥3 adverse events occurred in 76.5% of patients; the overall safety profile was consistent with previous reports. In 78/102 patients who had prior third-generation EGFR TKI and PBC, cORR by blinded independent central review (as per RECIST v1.1) was 41.0% 95% confidence interval (CI) 30.0% to 52.7%, median progression-free survival was 6.4 (95% CI 4.4-10.8) months, and median OS was 16.2 (95% CI 11.2-21.9) months. Patients had diverse mechanisms of EGFR TKI resistance at baseline. At tumor progression, acquired mutations in ERBB3 and TOP1 that might confer resistance to HER3-DXd were identified.
In patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC after EGFR TKI and PBC, HER3-DXd treatment was associated with a clinically meaningful OS. The tumor biomarker characterization comprised the first description of potential mechanisms of resistance to HER3-DXd therapy.
•The phase I U31402-A-U102 study evaluated HER3-DXd in heavily pretreated patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.•Ninety-seven patients previously treated with EGFR TKI and PBC received HER3-DXd 5.6 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks.•Responses were seen across the range of HER3 expression and across diverse mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKI therapy.•Acquired mutations in ERBB3 were characterized.•OS was 15.8 months (95% CI 10.8-21.5 months).
Introduction
Only a subgroup of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients benefit from treatment using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as afatinib. ...Tumour uptake of
18
Fafatinib using positron emission tomography (PET) may identify those patients that respond to afatinib therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find the optimal tracer kinetic model for quantification of
18
Fafatinib uptake in NSCLC tumours.
Methods
18
FAfatinib PET scans were performed in 10 NSCLC patients. The first patient was scanned for the purpose of dosimetry. Subsequent patients underwent a 20-min dynamic
15
OH
2
O PET scan (370 MBq) followed by a dynamic
18
Fafatinib PET scan (342 ± 24 MBq) of 60 or 90 min. Using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), three pharmacokinetic plasma input models were evaluated with both metabolite-corrected sampler-based input and image-derived (IDIF) input functions in combination with discrete blood samples. Correlation analysis of arterial on-line sampling versus IDIF was performed. In addition, perfusion dependency and simplified measures were assessed.
Results
Ten patients were included. The injected activity of
18
Fafatinib was 341 ± 37 MBq. Fifteen tumours could be identified in the field of view of the scanner. Based on AIC, tumour kinetics were best described using an irreversible two-tissue compartment model and a metabolite-corrected sampler-based input function (Akaike 50%). Correlation of plasma-based input functions with metabolite-corrected IDIF was very strong (
r
2
= 0.93). The preferred simplified uptake parameter was the tumour-to-blood ratio over the 60- to 90-min time interval (TBR
60–90
). Tumour uptake of
18
Fafatinib was independent of perfusion.
Conclusion
The preferred pharmacokinetic model for quantifying
18
Fafatinib uptake in NSCLC tumours was the 2T3K_vb model. TBR
60–90
showed excellent correlation with this model and is the best candidate simplified method.
Trial registration
https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/
nr 2012-002849-38
Highlights • We evaluated multidisciplinary decision making in locally-advanced NSCLC. • Trimodality therapy is a valuable treatment option in carefully selected patients. • Mortality and overall ...survival support decision-making by our multidisciplinary board. • The role of trimodality therapy in cN2 and large tumors merits further evaluation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK