Grothey, Axel

Abstract Background Deficiencies in the DNA mismatch repair system cause errors during DNA replication, which in turn give rise to microsatellite instability (MSI). The impact of MSI on survival in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is unclear. This cohort study aims to investigate the prognostic and predictive value of MSI in mCRC prior to the immune therapy era. Materials and Methods A total of 75 MSI-high (MSI-H) mCRC patients (pts) and 75 matched (age, gender, disease sidedness, metachronous/synchronous) microsatellite-stable (MSS) mCRC pts were identified from 1,268 mCRC pts who had MSI/mismatch repair test results at Mayo Clinic Rochester between January 1992 and July 2016. A retrospective review was conducted by using data from electronic medical records. Statistical analyses utilized the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards models. Results The MSS group was well matched to the MSI-H group based on age, gender, location, and chronicity of metastatic disease. MSI-H mCRC pts had earlier disease recurrence (median time from initial diagnosis to metastatic disease diagnosis, MSI-H group 12.9 vs. MSS group 20.9 months, p = .034). Median overall survival (OS) was 28.1 and 37.4 months for MSI-H and MSS pts, respectively (p = .99). In total, 94.7% of MSI-H pts and 98.7% of MSS pts had fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for metastatic disease, and there was no difference in OS between these two groups (32.3 vs. 37.4 months, p = .91). Forty-three MSI-H and thirty-nine MSS pts had metastasectomy and/or ablation of metastases (p = .51) with longer median OS compared with pts without metastasectomy (MSI-H: 82.0 vs. 13.9, p < .001; MSS: 69.9 vs. 19.7, p < .001). Age <65 years, BRAF wild type, and metastasectomy were associated with better OS in univariate analysis. Only metastasectomy remained statistically significant in multivariate analysis (p < .001). Conclusion In mCRC, patients with MSI-H tumors have similar, but numerically shorter, median overall survival compared with those with MSS tumors. In both groups, metastasectomy and ablation of metastatic disease should be considered to optimize OS. Implications for Practice This study clearly demonstrated the survival benefits that aggressive metastasectomy provides in selected microsatellite instability-high metastatic colorectal cancer patients. This could be meaningful practice-changing information that has been long awaited.

593 Background: Cancer stem cells or stemness-high cancer cells are considered to be fundamentally important for resistance to therapy, recurrence and metastasis. Napabucasin, a first-in-class cancer stemness inhibitor in clinical development, suppresses cancer stemness by targeting Stat3-driven gene transcription. Preclinical studies suggest that napabucasin sensitizes heterogeneous cancer cells to chemotherapeutics and targeted agents. Methods: This study was performed to assess signs of anti-tumor activity of napabucasin in combination with FOLFIRI +/- Bev in CRC pts. Napabucasin was administered at 240 mg BID. FOLFIRI (5-FU 400 mg/m2 bolus with 2400 mg/m2, irinotecan 180 mg/m2, and leucovorin 400 mg/m2 infusion) +/- Bev 5 mg/kg was administered biweekly until disease progression or other discontinuation criterion. pSTAT3 status of archival tumor tissue was assayed by immunohistochemistry using the H-score with pSTAT3highdefined as ≥ 5% pSTAT3+ cancer cells and tumor stroma staining at ≥ 2+ intensity. Results: 63 CRC pts with an average of >2 prior therapy lines were enrolled. No pharmacokinetic interactions or dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Most common adverse events (AEs) included grade 1/2 diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. 25 pts had grade 3 AEs, including diarrhea (14), fatigue (4), dehydration (2), electrolyte imbalance (4), nausea (1) and weight loss (1) resolved with dose reduction and supportive care. Among 63 pts enrolled who received RECIST evaluation, disease control (CR+PR+SD) was observed in 49 pts (86%) with an overall response (CR+PR) of 28% with 1 pt achieving CR. Clinical trial information: NCT02024607. Conclusions: This phase Ib/II study suggests napabucasin may sensitize chemorefractory CRC to FOLFIRI +/- Bev. Encouraging signs of synergistic activity between napabucasin and FOLFIRI was observed in CRC pts regardless of pSTAT3 status.[Table: see text]

767 Background: The CORRECT trial (NCT01103323) showed that REG improves overall survival (OS) vs placebo (PBO) in patients with mCRC who failed approved therapies (OS HR 0.77; 1-sided p=0.0052; Grothey 2013). A total of 760 patients were randomized to REG (n=505) or PBO (n=255) in more than 100 centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. We conducted a post-hoc exploratory subgroup analysis of the 83 (11%) patients from 18 US centers. Methods: Eligible patients had an ECOG PS ≤1 and had received approved therapies, including a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab, and if KRAS wild-type cetuximab and/or panitumumab. Data from the overall cohort, including US patients, are provided for perspective. Descriptive statistics are shown. Results: Of the 83 US patients, 36 (43%) were randomized to PBO and 47 (57%) to REG. Baseline characteristics of the US group were consistent with the overall cohort: median age in the US was 58 yr (range, 34 – 85) vs 61 (22 – 85) overall, 49% of US patients were ECOG PS1 (vs 46%), and 46% received ≤ 3 treatments for mCRC (vs 52%). KRAS status mutant/wild-type was 57%/34% in the US vs 57%/39% overall. All patients in the trial had prior bevacizumab and 57% of US patients also had prior cetuximab and/or panitumumab (vs 51% overall). However, higher proportion of patients in the US were Black (11% vs 2%), KRAS status unknown (10% vs 4%), and had colon as the primary disease site (82% vs 65%). Mean percentages of planned REG dose were similar (76% US vs 79% overall) and mean REG treatment duration was 3.1 mos in US vs 2.8 mos overall. Rates of dose modifications REG/PBO were 87%/47% in the US vs 76%/38% overall and grade ≥3 adverse events REG/PBO were 74%/64% vs 78%/49%, respectively. Based on 44 total death events, the HR for OS in the US subgroup was 0.46 (95%CI 0.25 – 0.84) favoring REG; median OS was 4.7 mos for PBO, but could not be estimated for REG due to censored data. However, this analysis was based on a relatively small sample size and event count. Conclusions: Patients treated in the CORRECT study in the US appear similar to the overall cohort and results are generally consistent with the overall findings of the trial. Clinical trial information: NCT01103323.

678 Background: Improvements in outcome of medical therapy for mCRC are closely linked to availability of active agents. Based on phase III clinical data, regorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, received FDA approval September 2012 for patients with mCRC previously treated with all approved therapies. Post regorafenib therapy (PRTx) has not been established. Based on clinical observations, we established a multi-institution collaboration to assess chemotherapy response in mCRC after regorafenib therapy. Methods: After IRB approval, patient records at Mayo Clinic (MC), MD Anderson (MDA) and the University of Southern California (USC) from April 2010 to February 2014 were reviewed for regorafenib use and outcomes for mCRC. Therapies, patient and tumor characteristics were reviewed. Response and progression were determined by investigator review. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival. Results: Regorafenib was given to 173 patients with mCRC (MC:59 MDA:95 and USC:19). Of these, 11 (6%) continued on regorafenib at time of analysis and 98 (57%) received no additional therapy. PRTx was given to 64 (37%) patients, 31 of which went on a clinic trial. 33 patients were treated with standard approved therapy of which 11 (33%) progressed, 20 (61%) showed response or SD, and 2 (6%) were not evaluable. Out of the 33 treated with standard agents, 8 (24%) had stable disease or response to a treatment previously discontinued without definitive PD, whereas 4 (12%) responded to rechallenge with chemotherapy previously discontinued due to PD. Response was noted in 8 (24%) patients that received an agent not given prior to regorafenib. After discontinuation of regorafenib, mOS was 6.5 mo (CI 4.9 – 9.4), and the probability of survival at 6 and 12 months was 52% and 27% respectively. Conclusions: With the caveat of a small sample size and a potential selection bias, our multi-institution study shows that re-utilizing standard treatment options after regorafenib may be beneficial in select patients with mCRC including in patients with progression on identical therapy before regorafenib. Further retrospective and prospective studies could be warranted to define the role of regorafenib as a chemotherapy re-sensitizing agent.

710 Background: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) has been described as a rare form of metastatic disease progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). There remains a paucity of literature with regards to the course and management of LM in CRC. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of LM in CRC patients seen at our institution over a 15-year period, and to describe the clinical course and outcome of these cases. Methods: LM in CRC primary cases between 2000 and 2014 were identified in the Mayo Clinic databases. The charts were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of 17,095 CRC primaries, we identified 10 patients with LM (0.058%) in this 15-year period. Nine cases were included in the analysis. Four had metastatic disease at the time of their initial CRC diagnosis. One patient also had a lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed during initial staging for the CRC primary. Median overall survival after CRC diagnosis was 25.7 months (range 4.7-74.8). Median time to diagnosis of LM after CRC diagnosis was 25.3 months (range 1-68.1). All patients had MRI findings consistent with LM: 3 patients with spinal LM, 5 patients with intracranial LM, 1 with both. One of three CSF analyses at the time of LM workup was positive for malignant cells; all had elevated protein. Neurologic symptoms correlated with site of the lesions, with headache, cranial nerve palsy, lower extremity weakness, and gait disturbance among the most frequently reported. However, not all patients had neurologic findings, with LM lesions found incidentally in two cases. Seven patients (78%) had palliative radiotherapy (RT) for LM. Three patients continued to receive systemic chemotherapy after diagnosis of LM. No patients underwent intrathecal chemotherapy. Median survival after LM diagnosis was 7 weeks (range 2-39). Conclusions: The diagnosis of LM is an exceedingly rare development in the natural course of CRC. It continues to confer an extremely poor prognosis with limited treatment options. At our institution, most patients had their disease addressed by palliative means, with many receiving RT to control their neurologic symptoms. Based on our series, supportive care remains a sensible approach to the management of LM in CRC.

569 Background: BBI-608 is an oral first-in-class cancer stemness inhibitor that blocks STAT3-mediated transcription of cancer stemness genes. Potent anti-CSC activity was observed in vitro and in vivo,in mono and combination therapy. In phase I studies, BBI-608 was generally well tolerated with encouraging signs of anti-tumor activity. Methods: A phase Ib open label, multi-center study in pts with advanced CRC was undertaken to confirm the RP2D of BBI-608 in combination with FOLFIRI with or without BEV. BBI-608 was administered at 240 mg BID in combination with FOLFIRI (5-FU 400 mg/m2 bolus with 2400 mg/m2, irinotecan 180 mg/m2, and leucovorin 400 mg/m2infusion) with or without BEV 5 mg/kg, administered bi-weekly until progression of disease, unacceptable toxicity, or other discontinuation criterion was met. Results: 18 heavily pretreated pts with an average of > 3 prior lines of therapy of which 10 pts (56%) previously progressed on FOLFIRI were enrolled. Of the 17 pts evaluable for response, 8 pts received FOLFIRI and 9 pts received FOLFIRI with BEV in combination with BBI-608. Most common adverse events included grade 1 and 2 diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and anorexia. No dose limiting toxicity or new adverse events were seen, and the safety profile was similar to that of each regimen as monotherapy. Grade 3 events related to protocol therapy included diarrhea occurring in 3 pts, fatigue in 2 pts and dehydration in 1 pt. All events resolved after dose reduction and/or start of anti-diarrheal medications. No significant pharmacokinetic interactions were observed. Disease control (PR+SD) was observed in 16 of 17 evaluable pts (94%) with 2 PR (per RECIST 1.1 criteria: 44% and 33% regression) and 14 SD (of which 13 (93%) had tumor regression < 25%). In the evaluable pts, median progression free survival was 5.54 months. Of 17 pts, 7 (41%) had prolonged SD of > 6 months. Conclusions: This phase Ib study confirmed that BBI-608 at 240 mg bid can be safely combined with FOLFIRI with and without BEV, and shows encouraging anti-tumor activity in heavily pretreated CRC pts, even in pts with prior progression on FOLFIRI-based therapy. Clinical trial information: NCT02024607.

512 Background: Angiogenesis is an important therapeutic target in CRC; VEGF plays a key role in angiogenesis. RAM is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that targets the extracellular domain of VEGFR-2. The RAISE study evaluated the efficacy and safety of adding RAM to standard second-line treatment FOLFIRI. Methods: Eligible pts with mCRC who progressed on or after first-line combination therapy with bev, ox, and fp, had an ECOG PS of 0 or 1, and adequate organ function were randomized 1:1 (stratified by region, KRAS mutation status, and time to progressive disease [PD] after beginning first-line treatment) to receive RAM (8 mg/kg IV) plus FOLFIRI or PBO plus FOLFIRI every 2 weeks until PD, unacceptable toxicity, or death. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Planned sample size of 1,050 pts ensured 85% power to demonstrate statistical significance at an overall two-sided alpha of 0.05, assuming a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.8. Results: Between Dec 2010 and Aug 2013, 1,072 eligible pts were randomized (RAM 536; PBO 536). Baseline pt characteristics were similar between treatment arms. The OS HR was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.98; log-rank p=0.0219). Median OS was 13.3months (m) for RAM vs 11.7m for PBO. The PFS HR was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.90; log-rank p = 0.0005). Median PFS with RAM was 5.7m and 4.5m for PBO. ORR was 13.4% RAM; 12.5% PBO (p = 0.6336). Subgroup results were consistent with the OS and PFS results. Grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) occurring in >5% of pts in RAM+FOLFIRI were: neutropenia (RAM 38.4% vs PBO 23.3% ), hypertension (11.2% vs 2.8%), diarrhea (10.8% vs 9.7%), and fatigue (11.5% vs 7.8%). Conclusions: RAISE met its primary end-point, demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in OS for RAM and FOLFIRI vs PBO and FOLFIRI in second-line mCRC pts. Benefits were similar across important clinical subgroups and no unexpected AEs were identified. Clinical trial information: NCT01183780.