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Background It has recently been suggested that concomitant medication may affect the clinical outcome of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, only a few studies on the impact of concomitant medication on immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) have previously been reported. Here, we aimed to determine the impact of concomitant medication on the efficacy and safety of ICIs. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 300 patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between January 2016 and July 2018. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effect of concomitant medication on treatment response or irAEs. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate concomitant medication‐related factors associated with time‐to‐treatment failure or overall survival (OS). Results A total of 70 patients responded to treatment and 137 experienced irAEs. The response rate and incidence of irAEs in patients treated with ICIs were not significantly associated with concomitant medication. Multivariate analysis showed that the use of opioids was an independent factor (time‐to‐treatment failure: hazard ratio 1.39, p = 0.021, OS: hazard ratio 1.54, p = 0.007). Conclusions The efficacy and safety of nivolumab or pembrolizumab in the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC were not significantly influenced by concomitant medication. However, opioid usage might be associated with shorter OS in patients treated with these ICIs. Further mechanistic investigations should explore whether these associations are purely prognostic or contribute to ICI resistance.

2 Micro abstractIntra-tumor heterogeneity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients with mixed-type lung adenocarcinoma was analyzed according to histological patterns. Intra-tumor heterogeneity of EGFR mutations was detected in 9 of 38 tumors, and there was a significant correlation between heterogeneity of EGFR mutations and smoking history (P<0.043). Clinical Practice Points• EGFR mutations are factors predictive of response to EGFR-TKI treatment. However, lung cancer is thought to be the result of the accumulation of genetic alterations over a long course of exposure to a carcinogen, and the existence of intra-tumor heterogeneity of EGFR mutations remains unclear. Thus, the existence of intra-tumor heterogeneity was analyzed in patients with mixed-type lung adenocarcinoma according to histological patterns.• Intra-tumor heterogeneity of EGFR mutations was detected in 9 of 38 tumors, and a significant correlation between heterogeneity of EGFR 3 mutations and smoking history was found.• Response to EGFR-TKIs might be partial and insufficient in tumors having intra-tumor heterogeneity of EGFR mutations. New treatment strategies for patients with lung adenocarcinoma harboring heterogeneous EGFR mutations are needed.

Purpose: In ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), impacts of concomitant genetic alterations on targeted therapies with ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKI) are not yet well understood. Here, we investigated genetic alterations related to ALK-TKI resistance using clinico-genomic data and explored effective therapies to overcome the resistance in preclinical models through the identification of underlying molecular mechanisms. Experimental Design: We used integrated clinical and next-generation sequencing data generated in a nationwide lung cancer genome screening project (LC-SCRUM-Japan). ALK-rearranged NSCLC cell lines expressing wild-type or mutant TP53 were used to evaluate cellular apoptosis induced by ALK-TKIs. Results: In 90 patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC who were treated with a selective ALK-TKI, alectinib, TP53 comutated patients showed significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) than TP53 wild-type patients [median PFS, 11.7 months (95% confidence interval, CI, 6.3–not reached, NR) vs. NR (23.6–NR); P = 0.0008; HR, 0.33 (95% CI, 0.17–0.65)]. ALK-rearranged NSCLC cell lines that lost p53 function were resistant to alectinib-induced apoptosis, but a proteasome inhibitior, ixazomib, markedly induced apoptosis in the alectinib-treated cells by increasing the expression of a proapoptotic protein, Noxa, which bound to an antiapoptotic protein, Mcl-1. In subcutaneous tumor models, combination of ixazomib and alectinib prominently induced tumor regression and apoptosis even though the tumors were generated from ALK-rearranged NSCLC cells with nonfunctional p53. Conclusions: These clinical and preclinical results indicate concomitant TP53 mutations reduce the efficacy of alectinib for ALK-rearranged NSCLC and the combined use of a proteasome inhibitor with alectinib is a promising therapy for ALK-rearranged/TP53-mutated NSCLC.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety, we conducted a randomized phase II study of pemetrexed (Pem) versus Pem + bevacizumab (Bev) for elderly patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSqNSCLC). Patients and methods: The eligibility criteria were as follows: NSqNSCLC, no prior therapy, stage IIIB/IV disease or postoperative recurrence, age: ≥75 years, performance status (PS): 0-1, and adequate bone marrow function. The patients were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to receive Pem or Pem+Bev. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints were the response rate, OS, toxicities, and cost-effectiveness. Results: Forty-one patients were enrolled and 40 (20 from each group) were assessable. Their characteristics were as follows: male/female=23/17; median age (range)=78 (75-83); stage IIIB/IV/postoperative recurrence=1/30/9; PS 0/1=11/29. All cases involved adenocarcinoma. There was no significant intergroup difference in PFS and the median PFS (95% confidence interval) values of the Pem and Pem+Bev groups were 5.4 (3.0-7.4) and 5.5 (3.6-9.9) months, respectively (p=0.66). The response rate was significantly higher in the Pem+Bev group (15% vs. 55%, p=0.0146), and there was no significant difference in OS (median: 16.0 vs. 16.4 months, p=0.58). Grade 3 and 4 leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were seen in 10 and 30, 20 and 55, and 5 and 5 cases, respectively. Drug costs were higher in the Pem+Bev group (median: 1,522,008 vs. 3,368,428 JPY, p=0.01). No treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions: Adding Bev to Pem did not result in improved survival in the elderly NSqNSCLC patients. Compared with Pem+Bev, Pem monotherapy had similar effects on survival, a more favorable toxicity profile, and was more cost-effective in 4 elderly NSqNSCLC patients. Pem monotherapy might be one of the optional regimen for NSqNSCLC patients aged ≥75 years.

A 62-year-old female patient with renal dysfunction and pulmonary adenocarcinoma developed postoperative recurrence and received carboplatin/pemetrexed and maintenance pemetrexed. As an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene translocation was identified, the therapy was changed to crizotinib. However, the patient’s blood creatinine level increased, and her physical status worsened. Alectinib also induced exacerbation of renal dysfunction but was controlled by dose reduction of 140 mg twice daily for 2 weeks treatment and 2 weeks break were repeated, and exhibited a partial response for 16 months. Here, we describe the case in which alectinib treatment had beneficial clinical effects on ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma, which controlled the adverse renal effects by dose reduction and drug breaks.

9589 Background: KRAS mutations are one of the common oncogene drivers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the development of several targeted drugs for KRAS-mutated NSCLC is now ongoing. However, the clinical impact of KRAS mutation subtypes or concomitant other gene mutations in NSCLC patients (pts) remains unclear. Methods: In a nationwide genomic screening project (LC-SCRUM-Japan), we have prospectively analyzed lung cancer pts for genetic alterations and tumor mutation burden (TMB) by next-generation sequencing system, and for PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry (22C3 antibody). The therapeutic efficacy and survival of KRAS-mutated non-squamous (non-sq) NSCLC pts were evaluated using a clinico-genomic database of the LC-SCRUM-Japan. Results: A total of 5166 non-sq NSCLC pts enrolled from 2015 to 2019. KRAS mutations were detected in 794 pts (15%; G12C/G12D/G12V/G12A/G13X/others = 232/186/165/66/61/84). Among the 794 pts, TMB and PD-L1 expression were analyzed in 128 and 79, respectively, and 218 received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (IO) after 1st-line chemotherapy. The median age was 66 years (range, 29-89). 142 pts (65%) were male and 172 (78%) were smokers. Concomitant STK11 mutations were detected in 33 pts (15%) with no difference in the mutation frequency among KRAS mutation subtypes. KRAS G12C was significantly associated with high TMB (≥ 10 mut/Mb) (p = 0.03), and KRAS G12C or G12V with high PD-L1 expression (≥ 50%) (p = 0.02). In pts who received IO, median progression-free survival (mPFS) was significantly longer in pts with KRAS G12C or G12V than in those with other KRAS mutations (4.7 vs 2.0 months, hazard ratio (HR) 0.58 [95%CI 0.43-0.78], p < 0.01). Among pts with KRAS G12C or G12V, mPFS of IO was significantly shorter in pts with concomitant STK11 mutations than in those without (1.8 vs. 5.7 months, HR 1.97 [95%CI 1.06-3.41], p = 0.02). These correlations were not observed in platinum-containing chemotherapy (Plt-CTx). There were also no significant differences in IO and Plt-CTx efficacies between with and without other concomitant mutations, such as TP53, RB1, CDKN2A and PTEN mutations. Conclusions: Non-sq NSCLC pts with KRAS G12C/V were more sensitive to IO therapies than those with other KRAS mutations, but KRAS G12C/V-positive pts with concomitant STK11 mutations were less sensitive than those without. These results could be highly informative in the development of novel targeted therapies for KRAS-mutated NSCLC.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a genetic disease in which DNA repair mechanisms are impaired. Cisplatin (CDDP) exerts cytotoxic effects by forming mainly intrastrand DNA cross-links, and sensitivity to CDDP depends on the DNA repair system. Several in vitro studies have suggested that treatment with CDDP may cause enhanced adverse events as well as anti-tumor activity in cancer patients with XP. This article is the first to describe two cancer patients with XP showing severe adverse events following CDDP-based chemotherapy. Physicians should pay attention when administering CDDP in cancer patients with XP.