BackgroundNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous group of disorders with a number of genetic and proteomic alterations. c-CBL is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and adaptor molecule important in normal homeostasis and cancer. We determined the genetic variations of c-CBL, relationship to receptor tyrosine kinases (EGFR and MET), and functionality in NSCLC.Methods and FindingsUsing archival formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) extracted genomic DNA, we show that c-CBL mutations occur in somatic fashion for lung cancers. c-CBL mutations were not mutually exclusive of MET or EGFR mutations; however they were independent of p53 and KRAS mutations. In normal/tumor pairwise analysis, there was significant loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for the c-CBL locus (22%, n = 8/37) and none of these samples revealed any mutation in the remaining copy of c-CBL. The c-CBL LOH also positively correlated with EGFR and MET mutations observed in the same samples. Using select c-CBL somatic mutations such as S80N/H94Y, Q249E and W802* (obtained from Caucasian, Taiwanese and African-American samples, respectively) transfected in NSCLC cell lines, there was increased cell viability and cell motility.ConclusionsTaking the overall mutation rate of c-CBL to be a combination as somatic missense mutation and LOH, it is clear that c-CBL is highly mutated in lung cancers and may play an essential role in lung tumorigenesis and metastasis.

Background: We conducted a phase II trial to assess the activity of pembrolizumab in a non-selected population of mesothelioma patients and determine a PD-L1 expression threshold. Method: Eligible patients had histologically-confirmed pleural or peritoneal MM, PS 0-1, prior pemetrexed/platin, disease progression on 2 prior regimens. Pembrolizumab 200 mg was administered Q21 days; CT scans were obtained Q9 weeks. The primary endpoints determined: 1) the objective response rate (ORR) in an unselected and a PD-L1 positive population; 2) the optimal threshold for PD-L1 expression using the 22C3 IHC tumor cell/tumor proportion score (TPS) assay. Proceeding to a second stage required 3 responses in 35 PD-L1 unselected patients in Part A. Part B would PD-L1 preselect only if a threshold was determined in Part A. At WCLC 2016, we reported 7 responses in Part A, and no PD-L1 threshold was identified (ROC 0.62). Thus, Part B enrolled 30 additional patients without biomarker enrichment. Result: 65 patients enrolled 5/15-2/18; 1 withdrew. PS 0: 53%; male: 77%; median age: 68 (range 26-85); 1 prior chemotherapy 61%; pleural 87.5%; epithelioid 76.6%, biphasic 15.6%, sarcomatoid 7.8%. Mean cycles: 9 (range 1-34). Partial response: 19%, stable disease: 47%, disease control rate: 66%. ORR by histology: epithelioid 16%, biphasic 10%, sarcomatoid 40%. ORR by disease site: pleural 20%, peritoneal 12.5%. Median progression-free survival: 4.5 months (95% CI: 2.3, 6.2). Median overall survival: 11.5 months (95% CI: 7.6, 14). Grade 3 / 4 toxicity: adrenal insufficiency 3%, pneumonitis 3%, rash 3%, colitis 1.6%, confusion 1.6%, hepatitis 1.6%, hyperglycemia 1.6%. Grade 5: hepatitis 1.6%, unknown 1.6%. PD-L1 expression by TPS (N ¼ 62): none (< 1%) 45%; low (1-49%) 32%; high (50%) 23%. ORR by TPS: none 7%, low 26%, high 31%. PD-L1 did not correlate with RR as a continuous metric (ROC area 0.65; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.82), though there was a trend towards a higher ORR in PD-L1 1% (28%) compared with PD-L1 <1% (7%). Median PFS by TPS: none 3.1 months, low 6.2 months, high 6.1 months; 1-year PFS by TPS: none 7%; low 7%; high 31%. Conclusion: Single-agent pembrolizumab has robust activity in PD-L1 unselected, previously-treated mesothelioma. There were no unexpected toxicities. Responses were more frequent in pleural and sarcomatoid MM. Although an optimal PD-L1 threshold could not be identified, a trend towards a higher response rate and more durable PFS with increasing PD-L1 expression was observed. Funded in part by a Mesothelioma Foundation grant.

BACKGROUND:The authors hypothesized that patients developing immune-related adverse events (irAEs) while receiving immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) would have improved oncologic outcomes. METHODS: Patients with recurrent/metastatic HNC received ICI at 2 centers. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier methods, and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to associate the irAE status with the overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in cohort 1 (n = 108). These outcomes were also analyzed in an independent cohort of patients receiving ICI (cohort 2; 47 evaluable for irAEs). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 8.4 months for patients treated in cohort 1. Sixty irAEs occurred in 49 of 108 patients with 5 grade 3 or higher irAEs (10.2%). ORR was higher for irAE+ patients (30.6%) in comparison with irAE− patients (12.3%; P = .02). The median PFS was 6.9 months for irAE+ patients and 2.1 months for irAE− patients (P = .0004), and the median OS was 12.5 and 6.8 months, respectively (P = .007). Experiencing 1 or more irAEs remained associated with ORR (P = .03), PFS (P = .003), and OS (P = .004) in multivariate analyses. The association between development of irAEs and prolonged OS persisted in a 22-week landmark analysis (P = .049). The association between development of irAEs and favorable outcomes was verified in cohort 2. CONCLUSIONS: The development of irAEs was strongly associated with an ICI benefit, including overall response, PFS, and OS, in 2 separate cohorts of patients with recurrent/metastatic HNC.

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