Efficacy and safety of nivolumab for patients with pre-treated type B3 thymoma and thymic carcinoma: results from the EORTC-ETOP NIVOTHYM phase II trial

Immunotherapy; Thymic carcinoma; ThymomaImmunoteràpia; Carcinoma tímic; TimomaInmunoterapia; Carcinoma tímico; TimomaBackground Thymic malignancies are rare intrathoracic tumors, which may be aggressive and difficult to treat. They represent a therapeutic challenge in the advanced/metastatic setting, with limited treatment options after the failure of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. They are frequently associated with autoimmune disorders that also impact oncological management. Materials and methods NIVOTHYM is an international, multicenter, phase II, two-cohort, single-arm trial evaluating the activity and safety of nivolumab [240 mg intravenously (i.v.) q2 weeks] alone or with ipilimumab (1 mg /kg i.v. q6 weeks) in patients with advanced/relapsed type B3 thymoma or thymic carcinoma, after exposure to platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival rate at 6 months (PFSR-6) based on RECIST 1.1 as per independent radiological review. Results From April 2018 to February 2020, 55 patients were enrolled in 15 centers from 5 countries. Ten patients (18%) had type B3 thymoma and 43 (78%) had thymic carcinoma. The majority were male (64%), and the median age was 58 years. Among the 49 eligible patients who started treatment, PFSR-6 by central review was 35% [95% confidence interval (CI) 22% to 50%]. The overall response rate and disease control rate were 12% (95% CI 5% to 25%) and 63% (95% CI 48% to 77%), respectively. Using the Kaplan–Meier method, median progression-free survival and overall survival by local assessment were 6.0 (95% CI 3.1-10.4) months and 21.3 (95% CI 11.6-not estimable) months, respectively. In the safety population of 54 patients, adverse events (AEs) of grade 1/2 were observed in 22 (41%) patients and grade 3/4 in 31 (57%) patients. Treatment-related AEs of grade 4 included one case of neutropenia, one case of immune-mediated transaminitis, and two cases of myocarditis. Conclusions Nivolumab monotherapy demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and objective activity, although it has been insufficient to meet its primary objective. The second cohort of NIVOTHYM is currently ongoing to assess the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab

A phase Ib/II study of galunisertib in combination with nivolumab in solid tumors and non-small cell lung cancer

Galunisertib; Immune checkpoint inhibitor; NivolumabGalunisertib; Inhibidor del punt de control immunitari; NivolumabGalunisertib; Inhibidor del punto de control inmunitario; nivolumabBackground In this phase Ib/II open-label study, tumor immune suppression was targeted in patients with advanced refractory solid tumors and patients with recurrent/refractory non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using galunisertib with nivolumab. Methods Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years old, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1, and were treatment-naive for anti-programmed cell death-1, its ligand, or transforming growth factor β receptor 1 kinase inhibitors. Phase Ib was an open-label, dose-escalation assessment of the safety and tolerability of galunisertib with nivolumab in patients with advanced refractory solid tumors. Phase II evaluated the safety of galunisertib with nivolumab in NSCLC patients who had received prior platinum-based treatment but were immuno-oncology agent-naive. Results This trial was conducted between October 2015 and August 2020. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed in phase I. In the phase II NSCLC cohort (n = 25), patients received 150 mg twice daily galunisertib (14 days on/14 days off dosing schedule for all phases) plus nivolumab at 3 mg/kg (intravenously every 2 weeks). In this phase, the most frequent treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were pruritus (n = 9, 36%), fatigue (n = 8, 32%), and decreased appetite (n = 7, 28%). No grade 4 or 5 treatment-related AEs were observed. Six (24%) patients had confirmed partial response (PR) and 4 (16%) had stable disease; 1 additional patient had confirmed PR after initial pseudo-progression. The median duration of response was 7.43 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.75, NR). Among the 7 responders, including the delayed responder, 1 had high PD-L1 expression (≥ 50%). The median progression-free survival was 5.26 months (95% CI: 1.77, 9.20) and the median overall survival was 11.99 months (95% CI: 8.15, NR). Interferon gamma response genes were induced post-treatment and cell adhesion genes were repressed, although the association of these observations with tumor response and clinical outcomes was not statistically powered due to limited samples available. Conclusions The study met its primary endpoint as galunisertib combined with nivolumab was well tolerated. Preliminary efficacy was observed in a subset of patients in the Phase 2 NSCLC cohort.Funded by Eli Lilly and Company in collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb

ONCOS-102 plus pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a randomized phase 2 study investigating clinical outcomes and the tumor microenvironment

T-lymphocytes; Oncolytic viruses; Tumor microenvironmentLinfocitos T; Virus oncolíticos; Microambiente tumoralLimfòcits T; Virus oncolítics; Microambient tumoralBackground ONCOS-102, an oncolytic adenovirus expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, can alter the tumor microenvironment to an immunostimulatory state. Combining ONCOS-102 with standard-of-care chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) may improve treatment outcomes. Methods In this open-label, randomized study, patients with unresectable MPM received intratumoral ONCOS-102 (3×1011 virus particles on days 1, 4, 8, 36, 78, and 120) and pemetrexed plus cisplatin/carboplatin (from day 22), or pemetrexed plus cisplatin/carboplatin alone. The primary endpoint was safety. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, objective response rate, and tumor immunologic activation (baseline and day 36 biopsies) were also assessed. Results In total, 31 patients (safety lead-in: n=6, randomized: n=25) were enrolled. Anemia (15.0% and 27.3%) and neutropenia (40.0% and 45.5%) were the most frequent grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) in the ONCOS-102 (n=20) and chemotherapy-alone (n=11) cohorts. No patients discontinued ONCOS-102 due to AEs. No statistically significant difference in efficacy endpoints was observed. There was a numerical improvement in OS (30-month OS rate 34.1% vs 0; median OS 20.3 vs 13.5 months) with ONCOS-102 versus chemotherapy alone in chemotherapy-naïve patients (n=17). By day 36, ONCOS-102 was associated with increased T-cell infiltration and immune-related gene expression that was not observed in the control cohort. Substantial immune activation in the tumor microenvironment was associated with survival at month 18 in the ONCOS-102 cohort. Conclusions ONCOS-102 plus pemetrexed and cisplatin/carboplatin was well tolerated by patients with MPM. In injected tumors, ONCOS-102 promoted a proinflammatory environment, including T-cell infiltration, which showed association with survival at month 18.This work was supported by Circio, the study sponsor (no grant number)

Prognostic Value of Clinical Staging According to TNM in Patients With SCLC: A Real-World Surveillance Epidemiology and End-Results Database Analysis

Long-term survival; Prognostic factor; Small-cell lung cancerSupervivencia a largo plazo: Factor pronóstico; Cáncer de pulmón de células pequeñasSupervivència a llarg termini; Factor pronòstic; Càncer de pulmó de cèl·lules petitesIntroduction SCLC is one of the most lethal malignancies. Classically, staging has been performed using a dual classification distinguishing limited from the extensive stage. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of TNM staging in a real-world population of patients with SCLC. Methods Patients were selected from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Chi-square bivariate analysis was used for the association of binary qualitative variables. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the impact of these prognostic factors on median overall survival (mOS) and long-term survival. Results A total of 26,221 patients were included (50.7% men, 55.7% ≥65 y, 82% White). At diagnosis, 18,574 (70.83%) presented metastases, which were more frequent in the liver (n = 11,896, 64%). In the overall population, mOS was 8 (7.86–8.14) months, which decreased according to each increasing category of TNM staging (p < 0.0001). The worse mOS was found among patients with stage IV SCLC (6 mo, 95% confidence interval: 5.83–6.17). Long-term survival decreased according to TNM staging, with patients having stage IV SCLC exhibiting the lowest survival rates at all follow-up time points. Within stage IV, the lowest mOS values were found in patients greater than or equal to 65 years and in those with liver metastases. Among the TNM stages corresponding to the limited stage, stage IB revealed the lowest hazard ratios value for risk of death compared with stage IA (hazard ratio = 1.161, 95% confidence interval: 0.97–1.40, p = 0.114), which increased gradually within the limited-stage SCLC. In the multivariate analysis, TNM staging, male sex, and older age resulted in poor prognostic factors for survival. Conclusions TNM staging seems to define prognosis in patients with SCLC in the real-world setting, particularly for those patients with earlier disease.This study was sponsored by Roche Farma S.A., Spain

FGFR1 Cooperates with EGFR in Lung Cancer Oncogenesis, and Their Combined Inhibition Shows Improved Efficacy

Introduction: There is substantial evidence for the onco- genic effects of fi broblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) in many types of cancer, including lung cancer, but the role of this receptor has not been addressed speci fi cally in lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: We performed FGFR1 and EGFR overexpression and co-overexpression assays in adenocarcinoma and in inmortalized lung cell lines, and we also carried out surrogateandinteractionassays.Weperformedmono- therapy and combination EGFR /FGFR inhibitor sensitivity assays in vitro and in vivo in cell line – and patient- derived xenografts. We determined FGFR1 mRNA expression in a cohort of patients with anti – EGFR ther- apy – treated adenocarcinoma. Results: We have reported a cooperative interaction between FGFR1 and EGFR in this context, resulting in increased EGFR activation and oncogenic signaling. We have provided in vitro and in vivo evidence indicating that FGFR1 expression in- creases tumorigenicity in cells with high EGFR activation in EGFR-mutated and EGFR wild-type models. At the clinical level, we have shown that high FGFR1 expression levels pre- dict higher resistance to erlotinib or ge fi tinib in a cohort of patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitor – treated EGFR-mutated and EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma. Dual EGFR and FGFR inhibition in FGFR1-over expressing, EGFR-activated models shows synergistic effects on tumor growth in vitro and in cell line – and patient-derived xenografts, suggesting that patients with tumors bearing these characteristics may bene fi t from combined EGFR/FGFR inhibition. Conclusion: These results support the extended the use of EGFR inhibitors beyond monotherapy in the EGFR-mutated adenocarcinoma setting in combination with FGFR in- hibitors for selected patients with increased FGFR1 over- expression and EGFR activation.ISCIII PI14/01964 PIE15/00076 PI17/00778 DTS17/00089 PI15/00045 PI17/00033 PI16/01311 FI12/00429CIBERONC CD16/12/00442FEDER CD16/12/00442 PI16/01311Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness PI15/00045Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Junta de Andalucía PI-0046-2012 C-0040-2016Ministry of Equality, Health and Social Policies of the Junta de Andalucía PI- 0029-2013Comunidad de Madrid B2017/BMD3884Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports FPU13/0259

nab-paclitaxel plus durvalumab in patients with previously treated advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (ABOUND.2L+)

Background: The standard therapy for advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no actionable gene alterations is a platinum-based chemotherapy doublet and immune checkpoint blocker (ICB), either concurrently or sequentially, followed by docetaxel at the time of tumor progression. However, more effective treatments are needed. We evaluated the nab-paclitaxel and durvalumab combination in patients with previously treated advanced stage NSCLC. Methods: Patients with advanced stage NSCLC previously treated with one line of platinum-based doublet with or without an ICB and no activating EGFR mutations or ALK translocations received nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 (days 1 and 8) plus durvalumab 1,125 mg (day 15) every 21 days. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Key secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety. Results: Between February 2016 and December 2016, 79 patients were enrolled. The median age was 63 years. Most patients were males (68.4%), had non-squamous histology (69.6%), and had no prior ICB treatment (88.6%). The median PFS was 4.5 months; median OS was 10.1 months. A post hoc analysis of survival by prior ICB treatment revealed a median PFS and OS of 4.4 and 9.9 months, respectively, in ICB-naive patients and 6.9 months and not estimable, respectively, in patients previously treated with ICB. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were asthenia (46.2%) and diarrhea (34.6%); four treatment-related deaths (5.1%) occurred. Conclusions: The nab-paclitaxel and durvalumab combination is feasible and demonstrated antitumor activity without new safety signals. Additional studies using taxanes and ICB in patients with previously treated NSCLC are warranted. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration (NCT02250326). EudraCT number: 2014-001105-41.This work was supported by Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey. The sponsor was involved in the design of the study as well as in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data. The sponsor agreed to the decision to submit the article for publication.Ye

Study of the doubly charmed tetraquark T+cc

Quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong force, describes interactions of coloured quarks and gluons and the formation of hadronic matter. Conventional hadronic matter consists of baryons and mesons made of three quarks and quark-antiquark pairs, respectively. Particles with an alternative quark content are known as exotic states. Here a study is reported of an exotic narrow state in the D0D0π+ mass spectrum just below the D*+D0 mass threshold produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The state is consistent with the ground isoscalar T+cc tetraquark with a quark content of ccu⎯⎯⎯d⎯⎯⎯ and spin-parity quantum numbers JP = 1+. Study of the DD mass spectra disfavours interpretation of the resonance as the isovector state. The decay structure via intermediate off-shell D*+ mesons is consistent with the observed D0π+ mass distribution. To analyse the mass of the resonance and its coupling to the D*D system, a dedicated model is developed under the assumption of an isoscalar axial-vector T+cc state decaying to the D*D channel. Using this model, resonance parameters including the pole position, scattering length, effective range and compositeness are determined to reveal important information about the nature of the T+cc state. In addition, an unexpected dependence of the production rate on track multiplicity is observed

PD-1 Blockade in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma

Carcinoma anaplàsic de tiroides; Spartalizumab; Tumors sòlids metastàticsAnaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma; Spartalizumab; Metastatic solid tumorsCarcinoma anaplásico de tiroides; Spartalizumab; Tumores sólidos metastásicosPURPOSE Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an aggressive malignancy that is almost always fatal and lacks effective systemic treatment options for patients with BRAF-wild type disease. As part of a phase I/II study in patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors, patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were treated with spartalizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor. METHODS We enrolled patients with locally advanced and/or metastatic anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in a phase II cohort of the study. Patients received 400 mg spartalizumab intravenously, once every 4 weeks. The overall response rate was determined according to RECIST v1.1. RESULTS Forty-two patients were enrolled. Adverse events were consistent with those previously observed with PD-1 blockade. Most common treatment-related adverse events were diarrhea (12%), pruritus (12%), fatigue (7%), and pyrexia (7%). The overall response rate was 19%, including three patients with a complete response and five with a partial response. Most patients had baseline tumor biopsies positive for PD-L1 expression (n = 28/40 evaluable), and response rates were higher in PD-L1–positive (8/28; 29%) versus PD-L1–negative (0/12; 0%) patients. The highest rate of response was observed in the subset of patients with PD-L1 ≥ 50% (6/17; 35%). Responses were seen in both BRAF-nonmutant and BRAF-mutant patients and were durable, with a 1-year survival of 52.1% in the PD-L1–positive population. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial to show responsiveness of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma to PD-1 blockade