PURPOSE Precision medicine has revolutionized oncology; however, tumor biomarkers are not reflective of the heterogeneous cancer population. We evaluated NRG Oncology prostate cancer (PCa) clinical trials for demographic differences among patients with optional biospecimen collection (BC) consent and biospecimen submission (BSub). METHODS Data from 19 NRG PCa clinical trials closed before 2015 were analyzed. Patients who consented to BC and completed BSub were evaluated by race, ethnicity, median income, area deprivation index (ADI; categorized as highest v lowest three quartiles), age at enrollment, site, and year of enrollment. T/chi-square tests were used for continuous/categorical variables, respectively, followed by logistic regression. RESULTS Of the 15,648 randomized patients eligible for BC, 11,796 (75%) had specimens submitted. In all, 4,598 (82.2%) of 5,597 eligible patients consented for optional BC in nine clinical trials with a separate BC consent process (consent rates by race/ethnicity: 74.1% Black, 72.8% Hispanic/Latino, 83.8% White). A smaller proportion of Black and Hispanic/Latino patients consented to optional BC compared with those who did not (12.1% v 19.5% Black, P < .0001; 3.5% v 5.8% Hispanic, P = .0006). In univariable logistic regression models, high ADI (more socioeconomic disadvantage) was associated with a decreased likelihood for optional BC consent (odds ratio [OR], 0.67 [95% CI, 0.55 to 0.82]; P = .02), but not a decreased likelihood for BSub (OR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.53 to 1.04]; P = .08). Multivariable models demonstrated that Black/Hispanic/Latino patients were less likely to consent to optional BC, and Black patients were less likely to have BSub ( P < .05 for all). CONCLUSION White/non-Hispanic patients and those with less socioeconomic disadvantage were more likely to consent to optional BC, whereas Black patients were less likely to have BSub. Targeted solutions are needed to improve biorepository representation so that precision medicine approaches better reflect the cancer population.
Basal-luminal subtyping of localized high-risk prostate cancer and benefit of adding docetaxel to definitive radiotherapy with androgen suppression in the NRG Oncology/RTOG 0521 phase III trial.
5094 Background: In prior studies, basal vs. luminal differentiation portends differential response to a) androgen suppression (AS) duration for high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) (NRG-GU-TS006) and b) docetaxel chemotherapy (CT) and AS for metastatic hormone-sensitive disease (CHAARTED). In NRG-GU-TS006, basal tumors appeared to benefit the most from longer duration of AS while those with luminal subtype did not whereas, in CHAARTED, luminal subtype had greater benefit from addition of CT. Herein, we examined basal-luminal subtyping to predict differential response to the addition of CT in the setting of high-risk PCa treated with AS and definitive radiotherapy (AS + RT) in NRG/RTOG 0521. Methods: Per pre-specified and approved NCI analysis plan (Navigator #1061), we obtained available NRG biobank biopsy specimens from patients enrolled on the NRG/RTOG 0521 phase III trial, which randomized patients to AS + RT +/- CT. The highest-grade tumors were profiled on clinical-grade whole-transcriptome arrays (Veracyte, San Diego, CA). Basal-luminal subtypes were generated using a 215-gene PCa subtyping classifier (PSC), a second generation PAM50 basal-luminal model. Treatment effects in Luminal Proliferating (LP) and non-LP subtypes were examined with Cox (for overall survival, OS, and metastasis-free survival, MFS) and Fine & Gray (for distant metastasis, DM) multivariable (MVA) models adjusted for age and trial risk stratification, as well as with restricted mean survival times (RMST). Results: Of 183 samples available for analysis (91 from control and 92 from the CT arm), 52 (28%) were classified as LP subtype. Median follow-up for OS was 9.9 years. No significant differences in clinical or pathological variables were observed between LP and non-LP subtypes. In MVA, we did not detect any significant LP subtype-by-CT treatment interaction but observed evidence of non-proportional hazards (Grambsch-Therneau test, p<0.05). In unselected patients, 5- and 10-year RMST difference between the arms was 0.9 (95% CI [-1.5, 3.4], p=0.46) and 5.7 (95% CI [-2.5, 13.9], p=0.17) months of OS. Stratifying by tumor subtype, at 5 years the RMST difference in months was 3.8 (95% CI [0.3, 7.2], p=0.03) for LP and -0.2 ([-3.4, 2.9], p=0.89) for non-LP. The RMST difference in months at 10-years was 13.7 (95% CI [-0.2, 27.5], p=0.053) for LP and 2.5 ([-7.6, 12.5], p=0.63) for non-LP. Conclusions: In pre-treatment biopsy samples from a Phase 3 trial cohort of localized high-risk men, luminal-basal subtyping of tumors demonstrated differential response to docetaxel CT. Similar to results from the CHAARTED trial of metastatic disease, LP tumors may derive greater benefit from addition of CT. Validation of these findings may enable effective earlier use of CT in men with PCa.
Validation of a 22-Gene Genomic Classifier in Patients With Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Transcriptome profiling of NRG Oncology/RTOG 9601: Validation of a prognostic genomic classifier in salvage radiotherapy prostate cancer patients from a prospective randomized trial.
276 Background: Decipher is a genomic classifier (GC) that estimates risk of prostate cancer (PCa) distant metastases (DM) post-radical prostatectomy (RP). Herein, we validate the GC within the context of a randomized phase 3 trial. Methods: RP specimens from patients on the NRG/RTOG 9601 phase 3 placebo-controlled randomized trial of salvage radiotherapy (sRT) +/- 2 years of bicalutamide (NCT00002874) were centrally reviewed and the highest-grade tumor underwent RNA extraction. Samples passing quality control (QC) were run on a clinical-grade whole-transcriptome assay to assign the GC score (scale 0-1). Our NCTN-CCSC approved pre-specified statistical plan (NRG-GU-TS002 CSC0075) included the primary objective of validating the ability of the GC to independently prognosticate the cumulative incidence of DM, with secondary endpoints of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) and overall survival (OS). Results: Of patients with tissue available, 352 passed QC and were included for analysis. The final GC cohort was a representative sample of the overall cohort, with a median follow-up of 13 years. On multivariable analysis, the GC (continuous variable) was independently associated with DM (HR 1.19 [95%CI 1.06-1.35], p=0.003), PCSM (HR 1.37 [95%CI 1.18-1.61], p<0.001), and OS (HR 1.16 [95%CI 1.06-1.28], p=0.002) after adjusting for age, race, Gleason score, T-stage, margin status, entry PSA, and treatment arm. The estimated absolute impact of bicalutamide on 12-year OS was less in patients with lower vs higher GC scores (2.4% vs 8.9%), further demonstrated in men receiving early sRT at PSA <0.7 ng/mL (-2.0% vs 5.0%). Conclusions: This is the first validation of this GC in a prospective randomized trial cohort and demonstrates association of the GC with DM and PCSM independent of standard clinicopathologic variables. The GC may help personalize shared decision-making to weigh the absolute benefit from the addition of bicalutamide to sRT.
Development and validation of a novel clinical-genomic risk group classification for prostate cancer incorporating genomic and clinicopathologic risk.
5000 Background: It is clinically challenging to integrate genomic classifier results that report a continuous numerical risk of recurrence into treatment decisions for prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to develop a novel clinical-genomic risk system that can readily be incorporated into treatment guidelines for localized PCa. Methods: Four multi-center cohorts (n = 6928 men; 5937 prospective samples and 991 retrospective samples with long-term follow-up) were utilized to identify and validate our clinical-genomic risk system in radical prostatectomy (RP) samples and subsequently in pre-treatment biopsy samples. All patients’ FFPE tissue underwent microarray analysis, and the expression values for 22 prespecified biomarkers that constitute Decipher were extracted. Cumulative incidence curves were constructed to estimate metastasis risk. C-indices were calculated to compare NCCN and CAPRA score to our clinical-genomic system. Results: With a median follow-up of 8 years for men in our RP cohort, the 10-year distant metastasis rates for NCCN low, favorable-intermediate, unfavorable-intermediate, and high-risk were 7.8%, 9.4%, 40.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. Our 3-tier clinical-genomic risk groups had 10-year distant metastasis rates of 3.7%, 30.7%, and 57.7%, for low, intermediate, and high-risk, which were validated in our pre-treatment biopsy cohort with 10-year rate of distant metastasis of 0%, 30.3%, and 63.2%, respectively. C-indices for the clinical-genomic system (0.84, 95%CI 0.62-0.92) were significantly improved over NCCN (0.71, 95%CI 0.59-0.84) and CAPRA (0.71, 95%CI 0.60-0.81) score. A total of 33.4% of men would be reclassified by the clinical-genomic system, and specifically 17.1%, 41.3%, and 19.4% of men in NCCN low, intermediate and high risk groups would be reclassified by our new system. Conclusions: The use of a readily available genomic classifier in combination with clinicopathologic variables can generate a simple to use 3-tier clinical-genomic risk system that is highly prognostic for distant metastasis, is more accurate than clinical risk, and can be easily incorporated into NCCN guidelines to inform treatment decisions.
Prostate cancer specific mortality and overall survival outcomes for salvage radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy.
24 Background: The use of radical prostatectomy (RP) as initial treatment of high-risk/locally-advanced prostate cancer is increasing but patients (pts) with adverse pathologic features such as positive surgical margins or T3 disease have up to 70% recurrence risk. These high-risk pts may be managed with adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) or early salvage radiotherapy (ESRT). The optimal timing of post-operative radiotherapy is unclear. Methods: Individual data from 1566 consecutive pts with pT2N0M0/R1 or pT3N0M0/R0-1 disease who underwent post-prostatectomy ART or ESRT (1987-2013) at 10 academic centers were pooled. Post-irradiation freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF), freedom from distant metastases (FFDM), prostate-cancer specific survival (PCSS), and overall survival (OS) were compared using Kaplan-Meier and multivariate competing-risks regression (MVA) analyses. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to account for covariates potentially associated with treatment allocation. All outcomes were measured from the date of surgery to address lead time bias. Results: After PS-matching, median follow-up after surgery was 66 vs. 73 months for the ART and ESRT groups, respectively, and baseline characteristics were well-matched. ART was associated with higher FFBF (12-yr: 69% vs. 43%; log-rank P < 0.0001), FFDM (12-yr: 95% vs. 85%; log-rank P = 0.03), PCSS (12-yr: 99% vs. 94%; log-rank P = 0.048), and OS (12-yr: 91% vs. 79%; log-rank P = 0.01). ART, lower Gleason score, lower T-stage, nodal irradiation, and postoperative androgen deprivation therapy were favorable prognostic features on MVA for BF. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the decreased risk of BF associated with ART remained significant unless more than 56% of ART pts were cured by surgery alone. This threshold is greater than the estimated 12-yr FFBF of 46% after RP alone as determined by a contemporary nomogram. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this represents the largest multi-institutional study to date comparing ART to ESRT. ART was associated with reduced biochemical recurrence, distant metastases, and death compared to ESRT for high-risk pts, pending prospective validation.
Comparison Between Adjuvant and Early-Salvage Postprostatectomy Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer With Adverse Pathological Features
9 Background: Early salvage radiation therapy (SRT) following radical prostatectomy (RP) has been shown to reduce biochemical recurrence and distant metastases. We aim to identify factors predictive of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) and all-cause mortality (ACM) from a consortium database from 10 academic institutions. Methods: 2,454 node-negative patients (pts) with detectable post-prostatectomy PSA ( ≥ 0.01 ng/mL) treated with SRT ± neoadjuvant/concurrent androgen deprivation therapy (N/C ADT) were included. Cumulative incidence and Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate rates of PCSM and ACM, respectively. Univariate and multivariable analyses (MVA) were performed by competing risks regression and Cox proportional hazards methods for PCSM and ACM. Results: Median follow-up was 5 years from SRT completion and 8 years from date of RP; 24% had pathologic Gleason score (GS) of ≤ 6, 56% GS 7, and 19% GS ≥ 8; 56% extraprostatic extension (EPE), 18% seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), 58% positive surgical margins, and 16% received N/C ADT. Median age at RP and SRT were 62 years (IQR 56-66) and 64 years (59-69), respectively. Median SRT dose was 66 Gy (IQR 65-68) and median pre-SRT PSA was 0.5 ng/mL (IQR 0.3-1.1). MVA performed from SRT completion date demonstrated higher pre-SRT PSA (HR = 2.1), higher GS (GS 7 vs. ≤ 6: HR 2.0; GS ≥ 8 vs. 6: HR 3.3) , SVI (HR 2.5), year of SRT (2000-2004, 1995-1999, 1985-1994 vs. 2005-2012; HR 2.9, HR 2.5, HR 3.6, respectively) were significantly associated with higher PCSM. These same variables were all significantly associated with higher PCSM and ACM rates calculated from both SRT completion date and date of RP. Conclusions: Initiation of early SRT at lower post-operative PSA levels following RP is associated with reduced risk of PCSM and ACM, even when calculated from RP date to account for lead time bias. Other factors significantly associated with PCSM include higher GS, SVI, and earlier year of SRT. [Table: see text]
A biomarker panel associated with distant metastasis in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy as prognostic for DM in a large cohort of prostatectomy patients.
8 Background: A number of biomarkers related to cell cycle, angiogenesis or apoptosis have been found to be associated with patient outcome in tissue samples from men treated with first line radiation therapy in RTOG clinical trials using immunohistochemical staining and analysis. In a prior study, four biomarkers (Ki-67, MDM2, p16 and Cox-2) and clinical covariates were included in a model of distant metastasis (DM; Pollack et al, Clin Cancer Res, 2014 [epub ahead of print]) risk. The current study tested the hypothesis that these genes are prognostic for DM in men treated primarily with total prostatectomy using RNA expression profiling. Methods: RNA fromprostatectomy samples from Cleveland Clinic (CC, n=182); Mayo Clinic (MC)-I (n = 545) and II (n=235); Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC, n=131); Erasmus Medical Center (EMC, n=48) and Thomas Jefferson University (TJU, n=130) were profiled using 1.4 million RNA features. A Cox proportional hazards model was built on the MC-I training set to combine the 4 biomarkers into a prognostic risk score (4BMSig). 4BMSig was subsequently evaluated for its prognostic significance separately and in combination with clinical risk factors (biopsy Gleason Score, cT-category and Preop-PSA) for DM. Results: 4BMSig was found to discriminate DM patients significantly for the MC-II (AUC = 0.66, p < 0.001), CCF (AUC = 0.68, p < 0.001), and MSKCC (AUC = 0.71, p = 0.04) datasets, and achieved borderline significance for EMC (AUC = 0.70, p = 0.06). 4BMSig did not discriminate DM in the TJU dataset (only 10 DM events). Pooled multivariable analysis (n = 726) with clinical covariates revealed that 4BMSig is a strong independent prognostic covariate for DM (p < 0.001) and prostate cancer specific mortality (p = 0.005). Conclusions: The four genes identified previously as being associated with DM in radiotherapy patients were incorporated herein into 4BMSig, which was found to have potential as a pretreatment prognostic DM risk assessment tool for men treated with prostatectomy. Further validation would consist of testing 4BMSig from RNA in diagnostic tissue from prostate cancer patients prior to prostatectomy.