Overall Survival with Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Renal-Cell Carcinoma

BackgroundAdjuvant pembrolizumab therapy after surgery for renal-cell carcinoma was approved on the basis of a significant improvement in disease-free survival in the KEYNOTE-564 trial. Whether the results regarding overall survival from the third prespecified interim analysis of the trial would also favor pembrolizumab was uncertain.MethodsIn this phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) participants with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma who had an increased risk of recurrence after surgery to receive pembrolizumab (at a dose of 200 mg) or placebo every 3 weeks for up to 17 cycles (approximately 1 year) or until recurrence, the occurrence of unacceptable toxic effects, or withdrawal of consent. A significant improvement in disease-free survival according to investigator assessment (the primary end point) was shown previously. Overall survival was the key secondary end point. Safety was a secondary end point.Download a PDF of the Research Summary.ResultsA total of 496 participants were assigned to receive pembrolizumab and 498 to receive placebo. As of September 15, 2023, the median follow-up was 57.2 months. The disease-free survival benefit was consistent with that in previous analyses (hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.87). A significant improvement in overall survival was observed with pembrolizumab as compared with placebo (hazard ratio for death, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.87; P=0.005). The estimated overall survival at 48 months was 91.2% in the pembrolizumab group, as compared with 86.0% in the placebo group; the benefit was consistent across key subgroups. Pembrolizumab was associated with a higher incidence of serious adverse events of any cause (20.7%, vs. 11.5% with placebo) and of grade 3 or 4 adverse events related to pembrolizumab or placebo (18.6% vs. 1.2%). No deaths were attributed to pembrolizumab therapy.ConclusionsAdjuvant pembrolizumab was associated with a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival, as compared with placebo, among participants with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma at increased risk for recurrence after surgery. (Funded by Merck Sharp and Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck; KEYNOTE-564 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03142334.

Adjuvant Pembrolizumab after Nephrectomy in Renal-Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Patients with renal-cell carcinoma who undergo nephrectomy have no options for adjuvant therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence that have high levels of supporting evidence. METHODS: In a double-blind, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma who were at high risk for recurrence after nephrectomy, with or without metastasectomy, to receive either adjuvant pembrolizumab (at a dose of 200 mg) or placebo intravenously once every 3 weeks for up to 17 cycles (approximately 1 year). The primary end point was disease-free survival according to the investigator's assessment. Overall survival was a key secondary end point. Safety was a secondary end point. RESULTS: A total of 496 patients were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab, and 498 to receive placebo. At the prespecified interim analysis, the median time from randomization to the data-cutoff date was 24.1 months. Pembrolizumab therapy was associated with significantly longer disease-free survival than placebo (disease-free survival at 24 months, 77.3% vs. 68.1%; hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.87; P = 0.002 [two-sided]). The estimated percentage of patients who remained alive at 24 months was 96.6% in the pembrolizumab group and 93.5% in the placebo group (hazard ratio for death, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.96). Grade 3 or higher adverse events of any cause occurred in 32.4% of the patients who received pembrolizumab and in 17.7% of those who received placebo. No deaths related to pembrolizumab therapy occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Pembrolizumab treatment led to a significant improvement in disease-free survival as compared with placebo after surgery among patients with kidney cancer who were at high risk for recurrence. (Funded by Merck Sharp and Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck; KEYNOTE-564 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03142334.)

Comparative study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with and without Zometa for management of locally advanced breast cancer with serum VEGF as primary endpoint: The NEOZOL study

Introduction Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become the treatment of choice for locally advanced breast cancer. Zoledronic acid (ZA) is a bisphosphonate initially used in the treatment of bone metastases because of its antibone resorption effect. Antitumor effects of ZA, including the inhibition of cell adhesion to mineralized bone or the antiangiogenic effect, have been demonstrated. However, the clinical significance of these effects remains to be determined. Materials and Methods We undertook a multicenter open-label randomized trial to analyze the value of adding ZA to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for TNM clinical stage T2/T3 breast cancer. The primary endpoint was the evolution of serum VEGF. Results The data from 24 patients were included in the ZA group and 26 in the control group. The evolution of serum VEGF was slightly in favor of ZA at 5.5 months (−0.7% vs. +7.5%), without reaching statistical significance (P = .52). The secondary endpoints were the breast conservation rate (higher with ZA; 83.3% vs. 65.4%; P = NS), pathologic complete response (no effect), and circulating tumor cells (odds ratio, 0.68 in favor of ZA; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-24.36). No cases of jaw necrosis or severe renal failure were observed in either group. Conclusion ZA is an antitumor drug of interest because of its multiple effects on tumor biology. Larger trials with longer follow-up that include additional endpoints such as relapse and survival rates would be of interest

Efficacy and Toxicity of Fifth-line Nivolumab in a 15-Year-Old Girl With Metastatic Juvenile Renal Cell Carcinoma

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Frequent expression of PD-L1 on circulating breast cancer cells

International audienceImmune checkpoint regulators such as PD-L1 have become exciting new therapeutic targets leading to long lasting remissions in patients with advanced malignancies. However, in view of the remarkable costs and the toxicity profiles of these therapies, predictive biomarkers able to discriminate responders from non-responders are urgently needed. In the present paper, we provide evidence that PD-L1 is frequently expressed on metastatic cells circulating in the blood of hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients. We performed western blot, flow cytometry and immunocytochemical analyses to demonstrate the specificity of the PDL1 antibody used in our study and established immunoscores for PDL1 expression on single tumor cells. We then selected sixteen patients with circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using the CellSearch® system and found PD-L1(+) CTCs in 11 patients (68.8%). The fraction of PD-L1(+) CTCs varied from 0.2 to 100% in individual patients. This is the first report demonstrating the expression of PD-L1 on CTCs. The established CTC/PD-L1 assay can be used for liquid biopsy in future clinical trials for stratification and monitoring of cancer patients undergoing immune checkpoint blockad

Differential Sensitivity of Germline and Somatic <i>BRCA</i> Variants to PARP Inhibitor in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Purpose: The introduction of PARP inhibitors (PARPis) as a treatment option for patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) modified the approach of BRCA testing worldwide. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants on treatment response and survival outcomes in patients diagnosed in our institution. Methods: A total of 805 HGSOC samples underwent BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant detection by using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Among them, a pathogenic alteration was detected in 104 specimens. Clinicopathological features and germline status were recovered, and alteration types were further characterized. The clinical significance of variant type in terms of response to chemotherapy and to PARPis as well as overall survival were evaluated using univariate analysis. Results: In our cohort, 13.2% of the HGSOC samples harbored a pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant, among which 58.7% were inherited. No difference was observed between germline and somatic variants in terms of the gene altered. Interestingly, patients with somatic variants only (no germline) demonstrated better outcomes under PARPi treatment compared to those with germline ones. Conclusion: The determination of the inheritance or acquisition of BRCA1 and BRCA2 alterations could provide valuable information for improving management strategies and predicting the outcome of patients with HGSOC

Cabozantinib-nivolumab sequence in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: The CABIR study

Nivolumab and cabozantinib are approved agents in mRCC patients after sunitinib/pazopanib (TKI) failure. However, the optimal sequence, cabozantinib then nivolumab (CN) or nivolumab then cabozantinib (NC), is still unknown. The CABIR study aimed to identify the optimal sequence between CN and NC after frontline VEGFR-TKI. In this multicenter retrospective study, we collected data from mRCC pts receiving CN or NC, after frontline VEGFR-TKI. A propensity score (PrS) was calculated to manage bias selection, and sequence comparisons were carried out with a cox model on a matched sample 1:1. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of second line to progression in third line (PFS2-3). Key secondary endpoints included overall survival from second line (OS2). Out of 139 included mRCC patients, 38 (27%) and 101 (73%) received CN and NC, respectively. Overlap in PrS allowed 1:1 matching for each CN pts, with characteristics well balanced. For both PFS2-3 and OS2, NC sequence was superior to CN (PFS2-3: HR = 0.58 [0.34-0.98], P = .043; OS2: 0.66 [0.42-1.05], P = .080). Superior PFS2-3 was in patients treated between 6 and 18 months with prior VEGFR-TKI (P = .019) and was driven by a higher PFSL3 with cabozantinib when given after nivolumab (P < .001). The CABIR study shows a prolonged PFS of the NC sequence compared to CN in mRCC after first line VEGFR-TKI failure. The data suggest that cabozantinib may be more effective than nivolumab in the third-line setting, possibly related to an ability of cabozantinib to overcome resistance to PD-1 blockade

Real-world evidence of cabozantinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Results from the CABOREAL Early Access Program

International audienceBackground: Real-world data on cabozantinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is limited. This study (CABOREAL) reports treatment patterns and outcomes for patients treated with cabozantinib through the French Early Access Program.Patients and methods: This multicentre (n = 26), observational, retrospective study enrolled patients with mRCC who had received ≥1 dose of cabozantinib. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method; subgroups were compared using the log-rank test. A multiple Cox regression model assessed predictive factors of OS after cabozantinib initiation.Results: Four hundred and ten recruited patients started treatment between September 2016 and February 2018: the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status ≥2, 39.3%; poor International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) risk, 31.7%; 0-1, 2 and ≥3 previous treatment lines, 25.3%, 33.4% and 41.2%, respectively; bone metastases, 55.9%; brain metastases, 16.8%. Median (min-max) follow-up was 14.4 (0-30) months. Overall, 57.0% of patients had a dose reduction, 15.6% an alternative dose schedule. The median average daily dose was 40.0 mg. Median (quartile [Q]1-Q3) treatment duration was 7.6 (0.1-29.1) months, median OS was 14.4 months, and the 12-month OS rate was 56.5% (95% confidence interval: 51.5-61.2). Most patients (54.4%) received subsequent treatment. Predictive factors associated with longer OS were body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 (p = 0.0021), prior nephrectomy (p = 0.0109), favourable or intermediate IMDC risk (p < 0.0001) and cabozantinib initiation at 60 mg/day (p = 0.0486).Conclusions: In the largest real-world study to date, cabozantinib was effective in unselected, heavily pretreated patients with mRCC. Initiation at 60 mg/day was associated with improved outcomes. CLINICALTRIALS

Abiraterone acetate in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: Long term outcome of the Temporary Authorization for Use program in France.

International audience264 Background: COU-AA-301 trial has proved that abiraterone acetate (AA), a selective inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis, improved overall survival (OS) of patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) after a first line of docetaxel. Based on this result, a temporary use authorisation (TUA) was performed between December 2010 and July 2011 to provide patients with mCRPC the opportunity to receive AA before its commercialization. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of AA treatment in this TUA. Methods: Between December 2010 and July 2011, we conducted an ambispective, multicentric cohort study and investigated data from 20 centres participating to the AA TUA for patients presenting mCRPC and already treated by a first line of chemotherapy (CT). Statistical analyses of the data were performed using the Stata software v13 to identify predictive and prognostic factors. Results: Among the 408 patients, 306 were eligible with a follow-up at 3 years. Median OS was 37.1 months from beginning of CT and 14.6 months from AA introduction. 211 patients (69%) received ≥ 3 months of AA and 95 patients (31%) were treated less than 3 months. In the multivariate analyses, duration of AA was significantly correlated with PSA decrease at 3 months. Additionally, shorter time under AA treatment, presence of multiple sites of metastasis and previous hormonal treatment duration were three independent factors associated with poorer OS. At the time of analysis ten patients were still under treatment for more than 3 years. Conclusions: Biochemical response monitored by PSA changes at 3 months is a strong predictive factor for AA treatment duration. Some high responders’ patients could beneficiate from AA for more than 3 years