Background: The PD-1/PD-L1 signaling axis is currently the most elucidated mechanism for tumor evasion of T-cell-mediated immunity. Nevertheless, few data are available regarding its impact on cervical cancer and the relationship with lymphocytic infiltrates. Methods: A retrospective assessment of all cases of cervical neoplasia treated in Caxias do Sul General Hospital, Brazil, between 2012 and 2016 was performed. Clinical and pathological data were collected from electronic records and analyzed. Original slides were independently reviewed by three pathologists to confirm diagnoses and to assess the immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 and FoxP3 in tumor cells and lymphocytic infiltrates. Results: PD-L1 staining was present in 32.2% of the 59 cervical samples. Median overall survival time of the PD-L1-negative group was 47.8 months, a time point not yet reached by the PD-L1-positive group ( p =0.968). Median progression-free survival was 24.3 months for PD-L1-negative and 11.5 months for PD-L1-positive patients ( p =0.263). PD-L1 staining was found in 27.1% of the lymphocytic infiltrates, and survival analysis revealed no difference between PD-L1-positive and PD-L1-negative samples. There was no impact on survival related to FoxP3 staining in neither tumor samples nor lymphocytic infiltrates. Conclusion: Although the median progression-free survival times differed, the difference was not statistically significant. Our study corroborates the rationale that PD-L1 expression in cervical neoplasms has no impact on survival. PD-L1 expression in peritumoral lymphocytes revealed no impact on infiltration volume nor survival. Keywords: uterine cervical neoplasms, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, cancer, tumor microenvironment, survival
Objetivo: O câncer de mama negativo triplo (triple negative breast cancer -TNBC) é um subtipo de tumores com biologia intrínseca agressiva, resultando em pior prognóstico. O receptor de andrógeno (androgen receptor -AR) é atualmente um dos biomarcadores mais estudados em TNBC, desempenhando papel na gênese e no desenvolvimento do câncer de mama. Métodos: Neste estudo transversal, revisamos retrospectivamente os registros médicos de todos os pacientes com TNBC que receberam atendimento de 2012 a 2014 em um único centro no sul do Brasil. O material histológico dos tumores de mama foi analisado por imuno-histoquímica para a expressão de AR e relacionado a idade, grau histológico, linfócitos infiltrantes de tumores (TILs) e Ki-67. Resultados: Dos 34 casos identificados de TNBC, 23 (67,6%) eram AR negativos e 11 (32,4%), AR positivos. A idade média foi de 51,9 anos (30-82 anos). Entre os casos positivos, AR foi fracamente expresso em 6 e fortemente expresso em 5 casos. A maioria dos pacientes (n=28, 82,0%) apresentou tumores pouco diferenciados. A expressão média de Ki-67 foi de 65,0% em AR-negativo e 43,6% em AR-positivo (p<0,05). Houve associação significativa entre a idade e a expressão de AR (p<0,005), associada à idade média de 70,8 anos no grupo Androgen receptor (AR) is currently one of the most studied biomarkers in TNBC, playing a role in the genesis and development of breast cancer. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients with TNBC who received care from 2012 to 2014 at a single health center in southern Brazil. Histological material from breast tumors was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for AR expression and related to age, histological grade, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and Ki-67. Results: Of 34 TNBC cases identified, 23 (67.6%) were AR negative and 11 (32.4%) were AR positive. The average age of the patients was 51.9 years (range: 30-82 years). Among positive cases, AR was weakly expressed in 6 and strongly expressed in 5 cases. Most patients (n=28; 82.0%) had poorly differentiated tumors. Mean Ki-67 expression was 65.0% in AR-negative and 43.6% in AR-positive cases (p<0.05). There was a significant association between age and AR expression (p<0.005), which was associated with mean age 70.8 years in the strongly AR-positive group and 42.3 years in the weakly AR-positive group. The mean percentage of TILs was 38.6% in AR-positive and 39.1% in AR-negative cases (p=0.391). Conclusion: There was no significant association between AR expression and histological grade or TILs. AR positivity in TNBC was associated with older age and tumors with lower Ki-67 expression, indicating two subgroups with distinct phenotypes in patients with TNBC.
Background KRAS is a known oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with KRAS G12C and G12V mutations occurring in ~13% and ~7% of the of NSCLC ( adenocarcinoma subtype). The dual RAF-MEK inhibitor VS-6766 has shown single agent activity against G12V KRAS mutated NSCLC (Guo C et al Lancet Oncology 2020, 21:1478-88). Based on pre-clinical data, we hypothesised that augmented focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signalling is a mechanism of resistance to MEK inhibition and devised the current clinical trial. We have previously reported the safety of an intermittent schedule of the combination of VS-6766 and the FAK inhibitor defactinib and its efficacy in low grade serous ovarian cancer (Shinde et al., AACR 2020). We now report the activity of the combination in KRAS mutated NSCLC. Methods Patients were treated with an intermittent dose of drugs VS-6766 at 3.2 - 4 mg twice a week and defactinib 200 mg twice daily in the dose escalation and expansion cohorts of the study. Both drugs were administered three weeks on/one week off in 28-day cycles. We aim to recruit 20 patients with KRAS mutated NSCLC in an expansion cohort. Results To date, 19 patients with KRAS mutated NSCLC have been treated in the dose escalation and expansion cohorts. All patients had been previously treatment with a PD-1 or PDL-1 targeting immune checkpoint inhibitor. The median age was 64 years (22 - 73), M/F ratio was 7/12, and the median prior lines of treatment was 3. Currently, 17 of 19 patients have had at least one re-staging assessment, 2/17 (12%) patients had a partial response and 10/17 (59%) had stable disease as their best response. Of note, 11/17 (65%) patients had a degree of reduction in size of their tumours and 5/17 (29%) have been treated for 6 months or more with 3 patients still on treatment. Interestingly, 2/2 (100%) of the KRAS G12V NSCLC patients showed a partial response. Conclusions Developing new treatments for non-G12C KRAS mutated NSCLC is an area of unmet need. The combination of VS-6766 and defactinib treatment in cohorts of patients with NSCLC pre-treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy has shown anti-tumour activity in subsets of patients with KRAS mutated NSCLC, in particular those with tumours harbouring KRAS G12V mutations. A registration-directed study evaluating VS-6766 ± defactinib for treatment of recurrent NSCLC with KRAS G12V mutation (NCT04620330) has been initiated Citation Format: Matthew G. Krebs, Rajiv Shinde, Rozana Abdul Rahman, Rafael Grochot, Martin Little, Jenny King, Joseph Kitchin, Mona Parmar, Alison Turner, Muneeb Mahmud, Christina Yap, Nina Tunariu, Juanita Lopez, Johann S. De Bono, Udai Banerji, Anna Minchom. A phase I trial of the combination of the dual RAF-MEK inhibitor VS-6766 and the FAK inhibitor defactinib: Evaluation of efficacy in KRAS mutated NSCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr CT019.
Background The widespread use of highly potent androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors has led to an increasing emergence of AR-independent castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). AR independence, typically driven by loss of AR expression and/or trans-differentiation to a neuroendocrine or basal phenotype, lacks effective therapeutic strategies. The anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 is upregulated in neuroendocrine tumours and has been proposed as a therapeutic target for this subset of advanced prostate cancers. Objective To characterise AR expression in advanced PC, to evaluate its association with BCL2, to elucidate their clinical significance, and to explore whether BCL2 may represent a valid therapeutic target and/or biomarker. Methods AR and BCL2 expression were immunohistochemically scored in two independent CRPC cohorts (431 biopsies from 247 patients), including 62 matched same-patient castration-sensitive PC (CSPC) biopsies. Scores were associated with retrospectively collected clinical data including overall survival (OS) and response to AR-targeting therapy. BCL2 protein expression was also determined in 28 primary prostate samples (19 patients). Transcriptome data from two independent CRPC cohorts were analysed, including for associations between BCL2 expression and gene expression signatures. A patient-derived xenograft-organoid (PDX-O) CRPC model with high expression of BCL2 was treated with multiple BH3 mimetics. Results and limitations We demonstrate that AR protein loss emerges with castration resistance and occurs in subset of metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) (5%) associating with worse OS (51 vs 18 months from CRPC diagnosis, hazard ratio [HR] 5.52 [2.83-10.78], p<0.001). BCL2 protein expression is enriched in AR-negative mCRPC (p<0.001), associating with worse OS (53 vs 19 months from CRPC diagnosis, HR 2.80 [1.40-5.57], p=0.002) and resistance to AR-targeting therapy (≥50% PSA response: 48% vs 13%), irrespective of AR expression status. BCL2 mRNA expression associates with several key signalling pathways known to promote stemness and lineage plasticity, including EMT and IL6/JAK/STAT3. Furthermore, BCL2 is enriched in basal prostate cells, whose expression profile has been linked with aggressive subtypes of mCRPC, including small cell neuroendocrine CPRC. We show that a high BCL2-expressing PDX-O is resistant to BCL2 inhibition, with functional redundancy between the anti-apoptotic BCL2 family proteins. BCLXL and MCL1 are highly expressed in BCL2-positive mCRPC and may drive resistance to BCL2 targeting. Utilising a post-mortem mCRPC biopsy cohort, we show intra-patient heterogeneity in BCL2 expression. These findings highlight the need for combination therapies. Further studies are required to dissect the interaction between AR and BCL2, and to probe the functional role of BCL2 in this subset of mCRPC. Conclusions BCL2-positivity associates with AR-independence, worse OS, and resistance to AR-targeting in CRPC. Combination strategies are required to optimise response to BCL2 inhibition and to combat heterogeneity. Citation Format: Daniel Westaby, Juan M. Jimenez-Vacas, Ines Figueiredo, Claire Pettinger, Bora Gurel, Denisa Bogdan, Jan Rekowski, Lorenzo Buroni, Antje Neeb, Ruth Riisnaes, Mateus Crespo, Susana Miranda, Ana Ferreira, Daniel Nava Rodrigues, George Seed, Claudia Bertan, Maria de los Dolores Fenor de la Maza, Christina Guo, Juliet Carmichael, Rafael Grochot, Khobe Chandran, Andreas Varkaris, Steven P. Balk, Wei Yuan, Suzanne Carreira, Peter S. Nelson, Michael Haffner, Eva Corey, Johann de Bono, Adam Sharp. BCL2 expression is enriched in AR-independent advanced prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2023 Mar 15-18; Denver, Colorado. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B020.
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