Ball, Mark W.

SNF'ing out antitumor immunity Immune checkpoint inhibitors induce durable tumor regressions in some, but not all, cancer patients. Understanding the mechanisms that determine tumor sensitivity to these drugs could potentially expand the number of patients who benefit (see the Perspective by Ghorani and Quezada). Pan et al. discovered that tumor cells in which a specific SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex had been experimentally inactivated were more sensitive to T cell–mediated killing. The cells were more responsive to interferon-γ, leading to increased secretion of cytokines that promote antitumor immunity. Miao et al. examined the genomic features of tumors from patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who had been treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Tumors harboring inactivating mutations in PBRM1 , which encodes a subunit of the same SWI/SNF complex, were more likely to respond to the drugs. Science , this issue p. 770 , p. 801 ; see also p. 745

IntroductionAdult prostatic sarcoma (PS) is a rare disease. While surgery is considered the standard approach, the role of other therapies is not completely established. We report results of the largest multicentric contemporary cohort of PS patients.Materials and MethodsThis study included 61 adult PS patients treated in 16 American and European Institutions. Median age was 64.4 years (range: 22‐87). Curative surgery was delivered in 48 patients (prostatectomy = 26, cystoprostatectomy = 22), usually with lymphadenectomy (n = 40). Curative radiotherapy (RT) was delivered in 32 patients, as radical (n = 5), neoadjuvant (n = 10), or postoperative treatment (n = 17). Eighteen patients received chemotherapy. None of the patients received hormonal therapy.ResultsMedian follow‐up was 72 months (95%CI: 55‐not reached). Five‐year local control (LC), overall survival (OS), cancer‐specific survival, disease‐free survival, and metastases‐free rates were 47%, 53%, 56%, 35%, and 35%, respectively. Notably, curative RT (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or definitive) was associated with improved 5‐year LC (55% vs. 31%, P = 0.02) and OS (59% vs. 46%, P = 0.1). Surgically treated patients presenting with a cT3‐4 tumor (n = 31), who received RT (n = 24), had a significantly improved 5‐year LC (68% vs, 33%, P = 0.004) and OS (65% vs. 21%, P < 0.001) rates compared to patients not receiving RT. cT4 patients demonstrated a significantly lower 5‐year OS (43% vs. 61%, P = 0.006) and LC (29% vs. 69%, P < 0.001) rates. Histologic subtype was not associated with LC and OS, but patients with prostatic stromal sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, or sarcomatoid carcinoma had worse 5‐year LC compared to other types (47% vs. 55%) and OS (49% vs. 58%).ConclusionAdult PS has a poor prognosis. Locally advanced tumors have poor LC and OS rates. Curative RT should be considered part of the multidisciplinary approach to PS.