Baskin-Bey, Edwina

Background Standard first-line therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) include fluoropyrimidine-containing regimens with oxaliplatin and/or irinotecan and a biologic agent. Immunotherapy may enhance antitumor activity in combination with standard therapies in patients with mCRC. Here, we present phase 2 results of nivolumab plus standard-of-care therapy (SOC; 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/oxaliplatin/bevacizumab) versus SOC in the first-line treatment of patients with mCRC (CheckMate 9X8). Methods CheckMate 9X8 was a multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 2/3 trial. Eligible patients were at least 18 years of age with unresectable mCRC and no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive nivolumab 240 mg plus SOC or SOC alone every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) by blinded independent central review (BICR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors V.1.1. Secondary endpoints included PFS by investigator assessment; objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate, duration of response, and time to response, all by BICR and investigator assessments; overall survival; and safety. Preplanned exploratory biomarker analyses were also performed. Results From February 2018 through April 2019, 310 patients were enrolled, of which 195 patients were randomized to nivolumab plus SOC (n=127) or SOC (n=68). At 21.5-month minimum follow-up, PFS with nivolumab plus SOC versus SOC did not meet the prespecified threshold for statistical significance; median PFS by BICR was 11.9 months in both arms (HR, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.53 to 1.23); p=0.30). Higher PFS rates after 12 months (18 months: 28% vs 9%), higher ORR (60% vs 46%), and durable responses (median 12.9 vs 9.3 months) were observed with nivolumab plus SOC versus SOC. Grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 75% versus 48% of patients; no new safety signals were identified. Conclusions The CheckMate 9X8 trial investigating first-line nivolumab plus SOC versus SOC in patients with mCRC did not meet its primary endpoint of PFS by BICR. Nivolumab plus SOC showed numerically higher PFS rates after 12 months, a higher response rate, and more durable responses compared with SOC alone, with acceptable safety. Further investigation to identify subgroups of patients with mCRC that may benefit from nivolumab plus SOC versus SOC in the first-line setting is warranted. Trial registration number NCT03414983 .

8 Background: Standard 1L therapies for mCRC include a fluoropyrimidine with oxaliplatin and/or irinotecan, and a biologic agent. NIVO may enhance antitumor activity in combination with 1L standard therapies within a subset of patients (pts) with mCRC. CheckMate 9X8 evaluated NIVO + mFOLFOX6/BEV vs mFOLFOX6/BEV in 1L mCRC (NCT03414983). Methods: Adults with previously untreated, unresectable, mCRC were randomized 2:1 to NIVO 240 mg + mFOLFOX6/BEV Q2W (NIVO + standard-of-care [SOC]) or mFOLFOX6/BEV Q2W (SOC). Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) per RECIST v1.1. Key secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), time to response (TTR), duration of response (DOR), overall survival (OS), and safety. Results: 195 pts were randomized to NIVO + SOC (n = 127) or SOC (n = 68). Median (range) follow-up was 23.7 (0–33.2) months (mo; NIVO + SOC) vs 23.2 (0–32.3) mo (SOC). Median (range) duration of therapy was 9.9 (0.1–31.8+) mo (NIVO + SOC) and 7.7 (0.1–26.7+) mo (SOC). The HR (95% CI) for PFS was 0.81 (0.53–1.23; P = 0.30), which did not meet the prespecified threshold for statistical significance (median PFS, 11.9 mo in both arms; Table). PFS rates after 12 mo were higher with NIVO + SOC vs SOC (Table). ORR was 60% (NIVO + SOC) and 46% (SOC; odds ratio 1.72 [95% CI 0.96–3.10]) and median (95% CI) DOR was 12.9 (9.0–13.1) mo (NIVO + SOC) and 9.3 (7.5–11.3) mo (SOC; Table). Rates of grade 3−4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were higher with NIVO + SOC; however, no new safety signals were identified (Table). Biomarker analyses, including tumor mutational burden and baseline CD8 levels, will be presented. Conclusions: The primary endpoint of PFS was not met; however, NIVO + SOC showed higher PFS rates after 12 mo, a higher response rate, and more durable responses compared with SOC, along with acceptable safety, in 1L mCRC. Clinical trial information: NCT03414983. [Table: see text]

Abstract New approaches are needed to overcome intrinsic therapy resistance in glioblastoma (GBM). Because GBMs exhibit sexual dimorphism and are reported to express steroid hormone receptors, we reasoned that signaling through the androgen receptor (AR) could mediate therapy resistance in GBM, much as it does in AR-positive prostate and breast cancers. We found that nearly half of GBM cell lines, patient-derived xenografts (PDX), and human tumors expressed AR at the transcript and protein level—with expression levels overlapping those of primary prostate cancer. Analysis of gene expression datasets also revealed that AR expression is higher in GBM patient samples than normal brain tissue. Multiple clinical-grade antiandrogens slowed the growth of and radiosensitized AR-positive GBM cell lines and PDXs in vitro and in vivo. Antiandrogens blocked the ability of AR-positive GBM PDXs to engage adaptive transcriptional programs following radiation and slowed the repair of radiation-induced DNA damage. These results suggest that combining blood–brain barrier permeable antiandrogens with radiation may have promise for patients with AR-positive GBMs.

Prior studies have suggested the possibility of immune-mediated death of xenogeneic hepatocytes in a bioartificial liver (BAL) during hemoperfusion. This study was designed to elucidate how immunity may cause death of xenogeneic hepatocytes in the BAL. Healthy dogs were treated with a BAL containing hollow fiber membranes with large pores (200 nm) or small pores (400 kDa). The immune response of recipient dogs to BAL therapy was monitored over 3 h of treatment. We observed significantly greater loss of viability of hepatocytes in the 200 nm group compared with the 400 kDa group (p < 0.001). Low viability after treatment with the large pore membrane was associated with positive staining for dog IgG, dog IgM, and dog complement on dead hepatocytes. Significant levels of dog antibody were detected in samples of BAL medium from the 200 nm group. These canine antibodies were cytotoxic to porcine hepatocytes. In contrast, medium from the 400 kDa group contained only trace levels of dog IgG and were noncytotoxic. We conclude that antibody-mediated cytotoxicity contributed to the death of hepatocytes during treatment with a xenogeneic BAL. Immune-mediated death of hepatocytes was reduced by increasing selectivity of the BAL membrane.

Hepatic steatosis predisposes the liver to cold ischemia-warm reperfusion (CI/WR) injury by unclear mechanisms. Because hepatic steatosis has recently been associated with a lysosomal pathway of apoptosis, our aim was to determine whether this cell-death pathway contributes to CI/WR injury of steatotic livers. Wild-type and cathepsin B-knockout ( Ctsb −/−) mice were fed the methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 2 wk to induce hepatic steatosis. Mouse livers were stored in the University of Wisconsin solution for 24 h at 4°C and reperfused for 1 h at 37°C in vitro. Immunofluorescence analysis of the lysosomal enzymes cathepsin B and D showed a punctated intracellular pattern consistent with lysosomal localization in wild-type mice fed a standard diet after CI/WR injury. In contrast, cathepsin B and D fluorescence became diffuse in livers from wild-type mice fed MCD diet after CI/WR, indicating that lysosomal permeabilization had occurred. Hepatocyte apoptosis was rare in both normal and steatotic livers in the absence of CI/WR injury but increased in wild-type mice fed an MCD diet and subjected to CI/WR injury. In contrast, hepatocyte apoptosis and liver damage were reduced in Ctsb −/− and cathepsin B inhibitor-treated mice fed the MCD diet following CI/WR injury. In conclusion, these findings support a prominent role for the lysosomal pathway of apoptosis in steatotic livers following CI/WR injury.