Renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid differentiation (sRCC) is associated with poor survival and a heightened response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Two major barriers to improving ...outcomes for sRCC are the limited understanding of its gene regulatory programs and the low diagnostic yield of tumor biopsies due to spatial heterogeneity. Herein, we characterized the epigenomic landscape of sRCC by profiling 107 epigenomic libraries from tissue and plasma samples from 50 patients with RCC and healthy volunteers. By profiling histone modifications and DNA methylation, we identified highly recurrent epigenomic reprogramming enriched in sRCC. Furthermore, CRISPRa experiments implicated the transcription factor FOSL1 in activating sRCC-associated gene regulatory programs, and FOSL1 expression was associated with the response to ICIs in RCC in two randomized clinical trials. Finally, we established a blood-based diagnostic approach using detectable sRCC epigenomic signatures in patient plasma, providing a framework for discovering epigenomic correlates of tumor histology via liquid biopsy.
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•Sarcomatoid differentiation of RCC is associated with distinct epigenomic programs•FOSL1 is associated with clinical outcomes of immunotherapy in RCC•FOSL1 induces sRCC gene expression changes in epithelioid ccRCC•Epigenomic liquid biopsy detects signatures of sarcomatoid differentiation from blood
El Zarif et al. present a comprehensive epigenomic characterization of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC). They establish associations between FOSL1 gene expression and clinical outcomes to immunotherapy in RCC. In a proof of concept, they developed an epigenomic liquid biopsy technique that enables the detection of sRCC in blood.
BackgroundComprehensive profiling of autoantibodies (AAbs) in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) has not been performed to date. This may aid in diagnosis of UC, uncover novel therapeutic targets in ...this disease as well as identify associations between AAbs and response and toxicity to systemic therapies.MethodsWe used serum from patients with mUC collected prior to and after systemic therapy (immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC)) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 38 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) from healthy blood donors were also evaluated. The SeroTag immuno-oncology discovery array (Oncimmune) was used, with quantification of the AAb reactivity toward 1132 antigens. Bound AAbs were detected using an anti-immunoglobulin G-specific detection antibody conjugated to the fluorescent reporter dye phycoerythrin. The AAb reactivity was reported as the median fluorescence intensity for each color and sample using a Luminex FlexMAP3D analyzer. Clinical outcomes of interest included radiographic response and development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Significance analysis of microarray was used to compare mUC versus HC and radiographic response. Associations with irAE were evaluated using a logistic regression model. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results66 patients were included with a median age of 68 years; 54 patients (82%) received ICI and 12 patients (18%) received PBC. Compared with HCs, AAbs against the cancer/testis antigens (CTAG1B, CTAG2, MAGEB18), HSPA1A, TP53, KRAS, and FGFR3 were significantly elevated in patients with mUC. AAbs against BRCA2, TP53, and CTNBB1 were associated with response, and those against BICD2 and UACA were associated with resistance to ICI therapy. AAbs against MITF, CDH3, and KDM4A were associated with development of irAEs in patient who received an ICI. A higher variance in pre-to-post treatment fold change in AAb levels was seen in patients treated with ICI versus PBC and was associated with response to ICI.ConclusionsThis is the first report of comprehensive AAb profiling of patients with mUC and identified key AAbs that were elevated in patients with mUC versus HCs as well as AAbs associated with therapeutic response to ICI. These findings are hypothesis generating and further mechanistic studies evaluating humoral immunity in UC are required.
BackgroundPatients with paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) are excluded from clinical trials involving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) due to safety concerns. Moreover, real-world data on efficacy ...and safety is scarce.MethodsIn this retrospective study, data were collected on patients with PNS and solid tumors receiving ICI between 2015 and 2022 at nine institutions. Patients were classified into: Cohort 1 (pre-existing PNS before ICI initiation), cohort 2 (PNS during ICI treatment), and cohort 3 (PNS after ICI discontinuation). Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (mNSCLC) from cohort 1 were matched to patients who were PNS-free at each institution up to a 1:3 ratio for age, sex, type of ICI, use of concurrent chemotherapy, and number of lines of systemic therapy prior to ICI initiation. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess overall survival (OS) and time-to-next treatment (TTNT).ResultsAmong 109 patients with PNS treated with ICIs, median age at ICI initiation was 67 years (IQR: 58–74). The most represented cancer type was NSCLC (n=39, 36%). In cohort 1 (n=55), PNS exacerbations occurred in 16 (29%) patients with median time to exacerbation after ICI of 1.1 months (IQR: 0.7–3.3). Exacerbation or de novo PNS prompted temporary/permanent interruption of ICIs in 14 (13%) patients. For cohort 2 (n=16), median time between ICI initiation and de novo PNS was 1.2 months (IQR: 0.4–3.5). Treatment-related adverse events (trAEs) occurred in 43 (39%) patients. Grade ≥3 trAEs occurred in 18 (17%) patients. PNS-directed immunosuppressive therapy was required in 55 (50%) patients. We matched 18 patients with mNSCLC and PNS (cohort 1) to 40 without PNS, treated with ICIs. There was no significant difference in OS or TTNT between patients with mNSCLC with and without PNS, although a trend was seen towards worse outcomes in patients with PNS. TrAEs occurred in 6/18 (33%) and 14/40 (35%), respectively. Grade ≥3 trAEs occurred in 4 (22%) patients with PNS and 7 (18%) patients without PNS.ConclusionsExacerbations of pre-existing PNS occurred in 29% of patients treated with ICIs and both exacerbations and de novo PNS occur early in the ICI course. TrAE from ICIs were similar between patients with and without PNS. Our data suggest that pre-existing PNS should not preclude consideration of ICI therapy although patients may not derive the same clinical benefit compared with patients without PNS.
Enfortumab Vedotin (EV) is approved for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) progressing post-platinum and PD1/L1 inhibitor therapy. Erdafitinib is approved for post-platinum mUC with activating ...somatic genomic alterations (GAs) in
. Information on the activity of EV in mUC with
alterations will facilitate optimal clinical management. In this multi-center, retrospective analysis, we assessed the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) to EV in mUC patients with and without
GAs including mutations and fusions. Multivariable cox-regression and logistic regression analyses with 2-tailed p-values were used to evaluate the association of GAs with outcomes. A majority of the evaluable 60 patients were male (44/60, 78%), exhibited ECOG performance score 0-1 (53/60, 88.3%) and had a median age of 70.5 (range 48 - 88) years when starting EV. GAs in
did not influence the ORR (
=0.32), OS (
=0.79) or PFS (
0.32) with EV. In conclusion,
GAs did not appear to compromise major outcomes with EV in mUC. Larger studies are required to further evaluate the impact of
GAs on the activity of EV and the optimal sequencing of EV and erdafitinib in mUC.
Background
Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is a novel antibody‐drug conjugate approved for advanced urothelial cancer (aUC) refractory to prior therapy. In the Urothelial Cancer Network to Investigate ...Therapeutic Experiences (UNITE) study, the authors looked at the experience with EV in patient subsets of interest for which activity had not been well defined in clinical trials.
Methods
UNITE was a retrospective study of patients with aUC treated with recently approved agents. This initial analysis focused on patients treated with EV. Patient data were ed from chart reviews by investigators at each site. The observed response rate (ORR) was investigator‐assessed for patients with at least 1 post‐baseline scan or clear evidence of clinical progression. ORRs were compared across subsets of interest for patients treated with EV monotherapy.
Results
The initial UNITE analysis included 304 patients from 16 institutions; 260 of these patients were treated with EV monotherapy and included in the analyses. In the monotherapy cohort, the ORR was 52%, and it was >40% in all reported subsets of interest, including patients with comorbidities previously excluded from clinical trials (baseline renal impairment, diabetes, and neuropathy) and patients with fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) alterations. Progression‐free survival and overall survival were 6.8 and 14.4 months, respectively. Patients with a pure urothelial histology had a higher ORR than patients with a variant histology component (58% vs 42%; P = .06).
Conclusions
In a large retrospective cohort, responses to EV monotherapy were consistent with data previously reported in clinical trials and were also observed in various patient subsets, including patients with variant histology, patients with FGFR3 alterations, and patients previously excluded from clinical trials with an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min and significant comorbidities.
Lay Summary
Enfortumab vedotin, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019, is an important new drug for the treatment of patients with advanced bladder cancer.
This study looks at the effectiveness of enfortumab vedotin as it has been used at multiple centers since approval, and focuses on important patient populations previously excluded from clinical trials. These populations include patients with decreased kidney function, diabetes, and important mutations.
Enfortumab vedotin is effective for treating these patients. Previously reported clinical trial data have been replicated in this real‐world setting, and support the use of this drug in broader patient populations.
On the basis of initial data from the Urothelial Cancer Network to Investigate Therapeutic Experiences study, enfortumab vedotin has activity in diverse populations of patients with urothelial cancer, including patients with variant histologies, patients with FGFR3 alterations, and patients with significant comorbidities previously excluded from clinical trials. Additionally, in this large, multi‐institutional, retrospective cohort of patients with urothelial cancer, responses to enfortumab vedotin in patients treated outside a clinical trial are consistent with and complementary to prior clinical trial data.
Radiation-associated muscle-invasive bladder cancers arising after prostate cancer radiotherapy have mutational evidence of radiation exposure but share many driver alterations with ...non–radiation-associated muscle-invasive bladder cancers.
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a rare but serious event following definitive radiation for prostate cancer. Radiation-associated MIBC (RA-MIBC) can be difficult to manage given the challenges of delivering definitive therapy to a previously irradiated pelvis. The genomic landscape of RA-MIBC and whether it is distinct from non–RA-MIBC are unknown.
To define mutational features of RA-MIBC and compare the genomic landscape of RA-MIBC with that of non–RA-MIBC.
We identified patients from our institution who received radiotherapy for prostate cancer and subsequently developed MIBC.
We performed whole exome sequencing of bladder tumors from RA-MIBC patients. Tumor genetic alterations including mutations, copy number alterations, and mutational signatures were identified and were compared with genetic features of non–RA-MIBC. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate recurrence-free (RFS) and overall (OS) survival.
We identified 19 RA-MIBC patients with available tumor tissue (n = 22 tumors) and clinical data. The median age was 76 yr, and the median time from prostate cancer radiation to RA-MIBC was 12 yr. The median RFS was 14.5 mo and the median OS was 22.0 mo. Compared with a cohort of non–RA-MIBC analyzed in parallel, there was no difference in tumor mutational burden, but RA-MIBCs had a significantly increased number of short insertions and deletions (indels) consistent with previous radiation exposure. We identified mutation signatures characteristic of APOBEC-mediated mutagenesis, aging, and homologous recombination deficiency. The frequency of mutations in many known bladder cancer genes, including TP53, KDM6A, and RB1, as well as copy number alterations such as CDKN2A loss was similar in RA-MIBC and non-RA-MIBC.
We identified unique mutational properties that likely contribute to the distinct biological and clinical features of RA-MIBC.
Bladder cancer is a rare but serious diagnosis following radiation for prostate cancer. We characterized genetic features of bladder tumors arising after prostate radiotherapy, and identify similarities with and differences from bladder tumors from patients without previous radiation.
Treatment options for penile squamous cell carcinoma are limited. We sought to investigate clinical outcomes and safety profiles of patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma receiving immune ...checkpoint inhibitors.
This retrospective study included patients with locally advanced or metastatic penile squamous cell carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors between 2015 and 2022 across 24 centers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Overall survival and progression-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Objective response rates were determined per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours 1.1 criteria. Treatment-related adverse events were graded per the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0. Two-sided statistical tests were used for comparisons.
Among 92 patients, 8 (8.7%) were Asian, 6 (6.5%) were Black, and 24 (29%) were Hispanic and/or Latinx. Median (interquartile range) age was 62 (53-70) years. In all, 83 (90%) had metastatic penile squamous cell carcinoma, and 74 (80%) had received at least second-line treatment. Most patients received pembrolizumab monotherapy (n = 26 28%), combination nivolumab-ipilimumab with or without multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (n = 23 25%), or nivolumab (n = 16 17%) or cemiplimab (n = 15 16%) monotherapies. Median overall and progression-free survival were 9.8 months (95% confidence interval = 7.7 to 12.8 months) and 3.2 months (95% confidence interval = 2.5 to 4.2 months), respectively. The objective response rate was 13% (n = 11/85) in the overall cohort and 35% (n = 7/20) in patients with lymph node-only metastases. Visceral metastases, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 1 or higher, and a higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were associated with worse overall survival. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 27 (29%) patients, and 9.8% (n = 9) of the events were grade 3 or higher.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are active in a subset of patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma. Future translational studies are warranted to identify patients more likely to derive clinical benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Compared with people living without HIV (PWOH), people living with HIV (PWH) and cancer have traditionally been excluded from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) trials. Furthermore, there is a paucity ...of real-world data on the use of ICIs in PWH and cancer.
This retrospective study included PWH treated with anti-PD-1- or anti-PD-L1-based therapies for advanced cancers. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Objective response rates (ORRs) were measured per RECIST 1.1 or other tumor-specific criteria, whenever feasible. Restricted mean survival time (RMST) was used to compare OS and PFS between matched PWH and PWOH with metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC).
Among 390 PWH, median age was 58 years, 85% (n = 331) were males, 36% (n = 138) were Black; 70% (n = 274) received anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 monotherapy. Most common cancers were NSCLC (28%, n = 111), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; 11%, n = 44), and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC; 10%, n = 39). Seventy percent (152/216) had CD4+ T cell counts ≥200 cells/µL, and 94% (179/190) had HIV viral load <400 copies/mL. Twenty percent (79/390) had any grade immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and 7.7% (30/390) had grade ≥3 irAEs. ORRs were 69% (nonmelanoma skin cancer), 31% (NSCLC), 16% (HCC), and 11% (HNSCC). In the matched mNSCLC cohort (61 PWH
110 PWOH), 20% (12/61) PWH and 22% (24/110) PWOH had irAEs. Adjusted 42-month RMST difference was -0.06 months (95% CI, -5.49 to 5.37;
= .98) for PFS and 2.23 months (95% CI, -4.02 to 8.48;
= .48) for OS.
Among PWH, ICIs demonstrated differential activity across cancer types with no excess toxicity. Safety and activity of ICIs were similar between matched cohorts of PWH and PWOH with mNSCLC.
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