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Immune cells that infiltrate a tumor may be a prognostic factor for patients who have had surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The density of intratumoral total (CD3+) and cytotoxic (CD8+) T lymphocytes was measured in the tumor interior and in the invasive margin of 65 stage I to IV HCC tissue specimens from a single cohort. Immune cell density in the interior and margin was converted to a binary score (0, low; 1, high), which was correlated with tumor recurrence and relapse-free survival (RFS). In addition, the expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was correlated with the density of CD3+ and CD8+ cells and clinical outcome. High densities of both CD3+ and CD8+ T cells in both the interior and margin, along with corresponding immunoscores, were significantly associated with a low rate of recurrence (P=0.007) and a prolonged relapse-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.002). In multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for vascular invasion and cellular differentiation, both CD3+ and CD8+ cell densities predicted recurrence, with odds ratios of 5.8 (95% CI 1.6-21.8) for CD3+, and 3.9 (95% CI 1.1-14.1) for CD8+. Positive PD-L1 staining correlated with high CD3 and CD8 density (P = 0.024 and 0.005, respectively), and predicted a lower rate of recurrence (P = 0.034), as well as prolonged RFS (P = 0.029). Immunoscore and PD-L1 expression, therefore, are useful prognostic markers in patients with HCC who have undergone primary tumor resection.

4012 Background: NIVO monotherapy (mono) is approved for sorafenib (SOR)-treated pts with HCC based on data from CheckMate 040 (NCT01658878), which reported an objective response rate (ORR) of 14% and median overall survival (mOS) of 16 months (mo). This is the first report of efficacy and safety of the NIVO + IPI combination in SOR-treated pts with aHCC. Methods: Pts were randomized to 3 arms: [A] NIVO 1 mg/kg + IPI 3 mg/kg Q3W (4 doses) or [B] NIVO 3 mg/kg + IPI 1 mg/kg Q3W (4 doses), each followed by NIVO 240 mg Q2W, or [C] NIVO 3 mg/kg Q2W + IPI 1 mg/kg Q6W. Treatment continued until intolerable toxicity or disease progression. Primary endpoints included safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints included ORR (BICR per RECIST v1.1), duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), and OS. Cutoff was 25 Sep 2018. Results: 148 SOR-treated pts were randomized. Minimum follow-up for OS from last pt randomization date to data cutoff was 24 mo. At baseline: 88% had vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread, 91% had BCLC stage C, 84% discontinued SOR due to disease progression and 14% due to toxicity. Overall, ORR was 31% (7 had a complete response [CR]) with a median DOR of 17 mo; DCR was 49% and 24-mo OS rate was 40%. Pts in arm A had a mOS of 23 mo and 4 pts had a CR. The table shows additional efficacy results by arm. Overall, NIVO + IPI was well tolerated; 37% of pts had a grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse event (TRAE; most common: pruritus and rash); 5% had grade 3–4 TRAEs leading to discontinuation. Conclusions: NIVO + IPI led to clinically meaningful responses and had an acceptable safety profile in SOR-treated pts, with an ORR twice that of NIVO mono (31% and 14%, respectively). Pts in arm A had the most promising mOS of 23 mo. Clinical trial information: NCT01658878. [Table: see text]

378 Background: BTC is a rare, heterogenous cancer with poor prognosis. Reports on immunogenic features of BTC suggest checkpoint inhibition may result in antitumor immune responses, and limited clinical activity has been seen with single agents in advanced settings. Durvalumab (PD-L1 inhibitor) + GemCis showed promising antitumor activity in advanced BTC in a phase 2 study. TOPAZ-1 (NCT03875235) is the first global phase 3 study to evaluate first-line immunotherapy + GemCis in advanced BTC. Methods: In this double-blind study, pts previously untreated for unresectable locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic BTC were randomized 1:1 to receive durvalumab (1500 mg every 3 weeks [Q3W]) or placebo + GemCis (Gem 1000 mg/m2 and Cis 25 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8 Q3W) for up to 8 cycles, followed by durvalumab (1500 mg Q4W) or placebo until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Randomization was stratified by disease status (initially unresectable, recurrent) and primary tumor location (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer). The primary objective was to assess overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Results: At data cutoff for this interim analysis (11 August 2021), 685 pts were randomized to durvalumab + GemCis (n=341) or placebo + GemCis (n=344; Table). The primary objective was met: durvalumab + GemCis significantly improved OS vs placebo + GemCis (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–0.97; p=0.021). PFS was also significantly improved with durvalumab vs placebo (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64–0.89; p=0.001). ORR was 26.7% with durvalumab and 18.7% with placebo. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 62.7% of pts receiving durvalumab and 64.9% of pts receiving placebo. TRAEs led to discontinuation of any study medication in 8.9% of pts receiving durvalumab and 11.4% of pts receiving placebo. Conclusions: In pts with advanced BTC, durvalumab + GemCis significantly improved OS and PFS vs placebo + GemCis with manageable safety, indicating durvalumab + GemCis may be a new first-line standard of care regimen. Clinical trial information: NCT03875235. [Table: see text]

βII-spectrin (SPTBN1) is an adapter protein for Smad3/Smad4 complex formation during TGF-β signal transduction. Forty percent of SPTBN1+/− mice spontaneously develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and most cases of human HCC have significant reductions in SPTBN1 expression. In this study, we investigated the possible mechanisms by which loss of SPTBN1 may contribute to tumorigenesis. Livers of SPTBN1+/− mice, compared to wild type mouse livers, display a significant increase in EpCAM+ cells and overall EpCAM expression. Inhibition of SPTBN1 in human HCC cell lines increased the expression of stem cell markers EpCAM, Claudin7 and Oct4, as well as decreased E-cadherin expression and increased expression of vimentin and c-Myc, suggesting reversion of these cells to a less differentiated state. HCC cells with decreased SPTBN1 also demonstrate increased sphere formation, xenograft tumor development and invasion. Here, we investigate possible mechanisms by which SPTBN1 may influence the stem cell traits and aggressive behavior of HCC cell lines. We found that HCC cells with decreased SPTBN1 express much less of the Wnt inhibitor Kallistatin and exhibit decreased β-catenin phosphorylation and increased β-catenin nuclear localization, indicating Wnt signaling activation. Restoration of Kallistatin expression in these cells reversed the observed Wnt activation. Analysis of publicly available expression array datasets indicates that SPTBN1 expression in human HCC tissues is positively correlated with E-cadherin and Kallistatin levels, and decreased SPTBN1 and Kallistatin gene expression is associated with decreased relapse-free survival. Our data suggest that loss of SPTBN1 activates Wnt signaling, which promotes acquisition of stem cell-like features, and ultimately contributes to malignant tumor progression.

Acute venous disorders include deep venous thrombosis, superficial venous thrombophlebitis, and venous trauma. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) most often arises from the convergence of multiple genetic and acquired risk factors, with a variable estimated incidence of 56 to 160 cases per 100,000 population per year. Acute thrombosis is followed by an inflammatory response in the thrombus and vein wall leading to thrombus amplification, organization, and recanalization. Clinically, there is an exponential decrease in thrombus load over the first 6 months, with most recanalization occurring over the first 6 weeks after thrombosis. Pulmonary embolism (PE) and the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) are the most important acute and chronic complications of DVT. Despite the effectiveness of thromboembolism prophylaxis, appropriate measures are utilized in as few as one-third of at-risk patients. Once established, the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been defined by randomized clinical trials, with appropriate anticoagulation constituting the mainstay of management. Despite its effectiveness in preventing recurrent VTE, anticoagulation alone imperfectly protects against PTS. Although randomized trials are currently lacking, at least some data suggests that catheter-directed thrombolysis or combined pharmaco-mechanical thrombectomy can reduce post-thrombotic symptoms and improve quality of life after acute ileofemoral DVT. Inferior vena caval filters continue to have a role among patients with contra-indications to, complications of, or failure of anticoagulation. However, an expanded role for retrievable filters for relative indications has yet to be clearly established. The incidence of superficial venous thrombophlebitis is likely under-reported, but it occurs in approximately 125,000 patients per year in the United States. Although the appropriate treatment remains controversial, recent investigations suggest that anticoagulation may be more effective than ligation in preventing DVT and PE. Venous injuries are similarly under-reported and the true incidence is unknown. Current recommendations include repair of injuries to the major proximal veins. If repair not safe or possible, ligation should be performed.

AbstractsBackgroundPatients with chronic viral infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) are at increased risk of developing malignancies. The safety and efficacy of ICI therapy in patients with both cancer and chronic viral infections is not well established as most clinical trials of ICIs excluded these patient populations.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients with advanced-stage cancers and HIV, HBV, or HCV infection treated with ICI therapy at 5 MedStar Health hospitals from January 2011 to April 2018.ResultsWe identified 50 patients including 16 HIV, 29 HBV/HCV, and 5 with concurrent HIV and either HBV or HCV. In the HIV cohort (n = 21), any grade immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were 24% with grade ≥ 3 irAEs 14%. Among 5 patients with matched pre/post-treatment results, no significant changes in HIV viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts were observed. RECIST confirmed (n = 18) overall response rate (ORR) was 28% with 2 complete responses (CR) and 3 partial responses (PR). Responders included 2 patients with low baseline CD4+ T-cell counts (40 and 77 cells/ul, respectively). In the HBV/HCV cohort (n = 34), any grade irAEs were 44% with grade ≥ 3 irAEs 29%. RECIST confirmed ORR was 21% (6 PR). Among the 6 patients with known pre/post-treatment viral titers (2 HCV and 4 HBV), there was no evidence of viral reactivation.ConclusionsOur retrospective series is one of the largest case series to report clinical outcomes among HIV, HBV and HCV patients treated with ICI therapy. Toxicity and efficacy rates were similar to those observed in patients without chronic viral infections. Viral reactivation was not observed. Tumor responses occurred in HIV patients with low CD4 T-cell counts. While prospective studies are needed to validate above findings, these data support not excluding such patients from ICI–based clinical trials or treatment.