Ajmera, Archana

PURPOSE Bone metastases (BM) occur in approximately 30% of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and are associated with poor survival and symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs). Radium-223, an alpha-emitting bone-seeking radioisotope, and cabozantinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, have demonstrated activity in BM. RADICAL (Alliance A031801; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04071223 ) evaluated cabozantinib ± radium-223 in mRCC with BM. METHODS This phase II trial enrolled patients with mRCC of any histology with ≥1 BM. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to cabozantinib ± radium-223, stratified by osteoclast-targeted therapy (OTT), prior therapy, opioid use, and International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk. The primary end point was SSE-free survival (SSE-FS). Secondary end points included safety, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS). A target of 124 evaluable patients was planned, with a prespecified interim futility analysis at 50% of expected SSE-FS events; the trial would stop if the stratified hazard ratio (sHR) > 1.0. RESULTS The prespecified interim futility analysis was conducted after 90 patients were enrolled and crossed the futility boundary, leading to closure at 98 patients. The final analysis included all 98 patients. Median age was 63 years, 82.7% had clear cell histology, and 79.6% were using an OTT. IMDC risk was favorable (18.4%), intermediate (67.3%), and poor (14.3%). Median follow-up was 13.1 months. Median SSE-FS for cabozantinib with radium-223 versus cabozantinib was 16.7 versus 17.6 months (sHR, 1.46 [90% CI, 0.86 to 2.51]). Median OS was 28.3 versus 19.7 months (sHR, 1.40 [95% CI, 0.70 to 2.79]). ORR was 19.4% versus 25.0% ( P = .78). Grade ≥3 adverse events were similar across arms (69.6% v 75.5%). CONCLUSION Radium-223 did not improve SSE-FS when added to cabozantinib. The combination demonstrated a manageable safety profile.

TPS4616 Background: Osseous metastases (OM) occur in approximately 30% patients with advanced RCC. Despite therapeutic advances, OM are associated with poor survival and risk of symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs). Cabozantinib targets multiple tyrosine kinases, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors and MET (Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition factor), which are overexpressed in OM, contributing to cabozantinib’s enhanced bone activity. Radium-223, an alpha-emitting bone-seeking radioisotope, prolongs survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer to the bone. Building on this therapeutic approach targeting OM, our pilot study of radium-223 with VEGF inhibition in RCC with OM has also shown safety, improvement in circulating bone turnover markers, and early efficacy (McKay et al, CCR 2018). To address the unmet need to improve SSE rates and outcomes in RCC and OM, we designed a study investigating cabozantinib with or without radium-223 in patients with RCC with OM (NCT04071223). Methods: This is an open-label, multicenter randomized phase-2 study. Key inclusion criteria include metastatic RCC of any histology with ≥1 OM, at least 1 OM without prior radiation, any number of prior therapies, and Karnofsky performance status ≥ 60%. Use of a bone protecting agent is required unless contraindicated. Patients are randomized 1:1 to cabozantinib with (Arm A) or without (Arm B) radium-223. The starting dose of cabozantinib for Arm A is 40 mg by mouth daily to be escalated to 60 mg daily after cycle 1 (1 cycle = 28 days) if no persistent grade 2 or grade ≥3 toxicity. Radium-223 is administered at a fixed dose of 1.49 microcurie/kg IV every 28 days x 6 doses. The starting dose for cabozantinib in Arm B is 60 mg daily. The primary endpoint is SSE-free survival. Secondary endpoints include safety, progression-free survival, overall survival, time to first SSE, objective response rate, time to subsequent anti-cancer therapies, quality of life (QoL) measures, and correlative analyses including liquid biopsy and tumor tissue analysis. The study is designed to have 85% power to detect an improvement in 6-month SSE-free survival rate from 65% to 78% with one-sided α = 0.05 significance. To ensure 124 evaluable patients, target accrual is 134 (67 per arm). The group-sequential design includes a safety run-in and an interim analysis for futility when 50% of the expected number of events have been observed. The safety run-in, performed in the first 12 patients randomized to combination therapy, did not demonstrate dose limiting toxicities. Final data analysis will occur when 99 events have been observed. The study was activated in July 2020 and accrual is ongoing throughout the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). Continued site participation and enrollment are essential to evaluate this therapeutic strategy. Clinical trial information: NCT04071223 .

TPS5118 Background: Novel androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) improve overall survival (OS) in patients (pts) with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) in conjunction with testosterone suppression (TS) relative to TS alone. However, the duration of treatment required to derive clinical benefit is unclear, as is whether continuous treatment is requisite for optimal cancer outcomes. Favorable PSA declines have been associated with prolonged OS in clinical trials testing TS + ARPIs. We thus designed this single-arm Phase 2 trial to test the hypothesis that pts who achieve exceptional response to upfront TS + ARPI can suspend treatment, allowing for T recovery and improvement in quality of life while maintaining favorable clinical outcomes. Methods: Eligible pts had mHSPC by conventional imaging with PSA ≥ 5 ng/ml and T ≥ 150 ng/dl (or not known to have been hypogonadal) prior to starting treatment, have been receiving TS for 540-750 days and ARPI for ≥ 360 days, and have achieved PSA < 0.2 ng/ml (stable or falling for 3 consecutive measurements) with castrate T <50 ng/dl at the time of enrollment. Intermittent ADT for biochemical recurrence prior to mHSPC diagnosis, prior local therapy, prior radiation to metastatic sites, and up to 6 cycles of docetaxel in mHSPC are permitted. Pts who underwent surgical castration, received ARPI prior to mHSPC diagnosis, or are receiving experimental treatment for mHSPC or participating in a clinical trial that does not allow for TS or ARPI interruption are excluded. After enrollment, pts discontinue both TS and ARPI and are followed with PSA and T levels every 3 months, conventional CT/MRI and bone scan at least every 6 months, and FACT-P questionnaire for patient-reported outcomes every 6 months. Treatment re-initiation triggers are PSA increase to ≥ 5 ng/ml, radiographic change (progressive disease per modified RECIST 1.1 on CT/MRI or unconfirmed progressive disease per PCWG3 on bone scan), or symptoms attributable to prostate cancer. Subsequent management is per physician discretion. The primary endpoint is remaining treatment-free with eugonadal T (> 150 mg/dl) 18 months after the start of treatment interruption, with 75 pts to be enrolled to differentiate 18-month treatment free rates of 0.30 (null hypothesis) and 0.45 (alternative hypothesis). Secondary endpoints include time to eugonadal T, duration off treatment, and changes in patient-reported outcomes. Exploratory endpoints include radiographic progression-free survival, time to next treatment, OS, and correlation of tissue- and blood-based biomarkers with clinical endpoints. The study was activated in July 2022 and accrual is ongoing throughout the NCTN. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, UG1CA189823, https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org , Veracyte Inc. Clinical trial information: NCT05241860 .

ImportanceSystematic data on the association between anticancer therapies and thromboembolic events (TEEs) in patients with COVID-19 are lacking.ObjectiveTo assess the association between anticancer therapy exposure within 3 months prior to COVID-19 and TEEs following COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis registry-based retrospective cohort study included patients who were hospitalized and had active cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were accrued from March 2020 to December 2021 and analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022.ExposureTreatments of interest (TOIs) (endocrine therapy, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors/tyrosine kinase inhibitors [VEGFis/TKIs], immunomodulators [IMiDs], immune checkpoint inhibitors [ICIs], chemotherapy) vs reference (no systemic therapy) in 3 months prior to COVID-19.Main Outcomes and MeasuresMain outcomes were (1) venous thromboembolism (VTE) and (2) arterial thromboembolism (ATE). Secondary outcome was severity of COVID-19 (rates of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, 30-day all-cause mortality following TEEs in TOI vs reference group) at 30-day follow-up.ResultsOf 4988 hospitalized patients with cancer (median [IQR] age, 69 [59-78] years; 2608 [52%] male), 1869 had received 1 or more TOIs. Incidence of VTE was higher in all TOI groups: endocrine therapy, 7%; VEGFis/TKIs, 10%; IMiDs, 8%; ICIs, 12%; and chemotherapy, 10%, compared with patients not receiving systemic therapies (6%). In multivariable log-binomial regression analyses, relative risk of VTE (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04-1.69) but not ATE (aRR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.56-1.16) was significantly higher in those exposed to all TOIs pooled together vs those with no exposure. Among individual drugs, ICIs were significantly associated with VTE (aRR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01-2.07). Also noted were significant associations between VTE and active and progressing cancer (aRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01-2.03), history of VTE (aRR, 3.10; 95% CI, 2.38-4.04), and high-risk site of cancer (aRR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.14-1.75). Black patients had a higher risk of TEEs (aRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.50) than White patients. Patients with TEEs had high intensive care unit admission (46%) and mechanical ventilation (31%) rates. Relative risk of death in patients with TEEs was higher in those exposed to TOIs vs not (aRR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91-1.38) and was significantly associated with poor performance status (aRR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.30-2.40) and active/progressing cancer (aRR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.13-2.13).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, relative risk of developing VTE was high among patients receiving TOIs and varied by the type of therapy, underlying risk factors, and demographics, such as race and ethnicity. These findings highlight the need for close monitoring and perhaps personalized thromboprophylaxis to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19–related thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

ImportanceCytokine storm due to COVID-19 can cause high morbidity and mortality and may be more common in patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy (IO) due to immune system activation.ObjectiveTo determine the association of baseline immunosuppression and/or IO-based therapies with COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm in patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis registry-based retrospective cohort study included 12 046 patients reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from March 2020 to May 2022. The CCC19 registry is a centralized international multi-institutional registry of patients with COVID-19 with a current or past diagnosis of cancer. Records analyzed included patients with active or previous cancer who had a laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction and/or serologic findings.ExposuresImmunosuppression due to therapy; systemic anticancer therapy (IO or non-IO).Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was a 5-level ordinal scale of COVID-19 severity: no complications; hospitalized without requiring oxygen; hospitalized and required oxygen; intensive care unit admission and/or mechanical ventilation; death. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of cytokine storm.ResultsThe median age of the entire cohort was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR], 54-74) years and 6359 patients were female (52.8%) and 6598 (54.8%) were non-Hispanic White. A total of 599 (5.0%) patients received IO, whereas 4327 (35.9%) received non-IO systemic anticancer therapies, and 7120 (59.1%) did not receive any antineoplastic regimen within 3 months prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Although no difference in COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm was found in the IO group compared with the untreated group in the total cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.13, and aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.41-1.93, respectively), patients with baseline immunosuppression treated with IO (vs untreated) had worse COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm (aOR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.38-8.01, and aOR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.71-11.38, respectively). Patients with immunosuppression receiving non-IO therapies (vs untreated) also had worse COVID-19 severity (aOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.36-2.35) and cytokine storm (aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.42-3.79).Conclusions and RelevanceThis cohort study found that in patients with cancer and COVID-19, administration of systemic anticancer therapies, especially IO, in the context of baseline immunosuppression was associated with severe clinical outcomes and the development of cytokine storm.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04354701

TPS4593 Background: Bone metastases are prevalent in approximately 30% of pts with advanced RCC. Pts with bone metastases have a worse prognosis compared to pts without bone metastases and are at risk of symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs). Cabozantinib, a multitargeted inhibitor of multiple kinases, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor and MET, has improved survival in pts with metastatic RCC and has enhanced activity in bone. Ra-223, an alpha-emitting radioisotope with natural bone-seeking proclivity, has been shown to prolong survival in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer. We previously conducted a pilot study of Ra-223 with VEGF inhibition and demonstrated safety and declines in markers of bone formation and resorption with the combination (McKay et al, CCR 2018). Given that decreasing rates of SSEs and improving outcomes for pts with RCC with bone metastases are unmet needs in pts with RCC, we designed a randomized phase 2 study through the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) investigating cabozantinib with or without Ra-223 in patients with RCC with bone metastases. Methods: This is an open-label multicenter study. Eligible pts have metastatic RCC of any histology with ≥2 metastatic bone lesions untreated with prior radiation therapy and no more than 2 prior lines of systemic therapy. Pts with non-clear cell RCC are eligible and will be capped at 20% of the total accrual goal. Pts must have a Karnofsky performance status of ≥60%, have symptomatic bone pain defined as a prior SSE or need of analgesics, and be on osteoclast-targeted therapy unless otherwise contraindicated. Pts are randomized 1:1 to cabozantinib with (Arm A) or without (Arm B) Ra-223. Starting dose of cabozantinib for Arm A is 40 mg by mouth daily to be escalated to 60 mg daily after cycle 1 (1 cycle = 28 days) if no persistent grade 2 or grade ≥3 toxicity. Ra-223 is administered at a fixed dose of 1.49 microcurie/kg IV every 28 days x 6 doses. The primary endpoint is SSE-free survival. Secondary endpoints include safety, progression-free survival, overall survival, quality of life measures, and correlative analyses including liquid biopsy studies and tumor tissue analysis. The study has 90% power to detect an improvement in 6-month SSE-free survival rate from 65% to 78% with one-sided α = 0.025 significance. To ensure 191 evaluable patients, target accrual is 210 pts. This design includes a safety run-in and an interim analysis for futility when 50% of the expected number of events (72 SSE events) have been observed. Final data analysis will occur when 143 events have been observed. The study was activated in December 2019 and accrual is currently ongoing throughout the NCTN. Clinical trial information: NCT04071223.