Citations

Abstract Purpose: DROSHA, DGCR8, and DICER1 regulate miRNA biogenesis and are commonly mutated in cancer. Although DGCR8 and DICER1 germline pathogenic variants (GPV) cause autosomal dominant tumor predisposition, no association between DROSHA GPVs and clinical phenotypes has been reported. Experimental Design: After obtaining informed consent, sequencing was performed on germline and tumor samples from all patients. The occurrence of germline DROSHA GPVs was investigated in large pediatric and adult cancer datasets. The population prevalence of DROSHA GPVs was investigated in the UK Biobank and Geisinger DiscovEHR cohorts. Results: We describe nine children from eight families with heterozygous DROSHA GPVs and a diagnosis of pineoblastoma (n = 8) or Wilms tumor (n = 1). A somatic second hit in DROSHA was detected in all eight tumors analyzed. All pineoblastoma tumors analyzed were classified as miRNA processing–altered 1 subtype. We estimate the population prevalence of germline DROSHA loss-of-function variants to be 1:3,875 to 1:4,843 but find no evidence for increased adult cancer risk. Conclusions: This is the first report of DROSHA-related tumor predisposition. As pineoblastoma and Wilms tumor are also associated with DICER1 GPVs, our results suggest that the tissues of origin for these tumors are uniquely tolerant of general miRNA loss. The miRNA processing–altered 1 pineoblastoma subtype is associated with older age of diagnosis and better outcomes than other subtypes, suggesting DROSHA GPV status may have important clinical and prognostic significance. We suggest that genetic testing for DROSHA GPVs be considered for patients with pineoblastoma, Wilms tumor, or other DICER1-/DGCR8-related conditions and propose surveillance recommendations through research studies for individuals with DROSHA GPVs.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, one of the most rapidly growing procedures in cardiac electrophysiology, is associated with magnetic resonance imaging–detected brain lesions in more than half of cases. Although a retrograde aortic approach is conventional, modern tools enable entry through a transseptal approach that may avoid embolization of debris from the arterial system. We sought to test the hypothesis that a transseptal puncture would mitigate brain injury compared with a retrograde aortic approach. METHODS: The TRAVERSE trial (Transseptal Versus Retrograde Aortic Ventricular Entry to Reduce Systemic Emboli) was a multicenter randomized controlled comparative effectiveness trial. Patients with left ventricular arrhythmias undergoing catheter ablation procedures were randomly assigned to a transseptal puncture approach compared (1:1) with a retrograde aortic approach. The primary outcome was the presence of an acute brain lesion detected by magnetic resonance imaging. Secondary outcomes included clinically manifest complications, procedural efficacy, and 6-month neurocognitive assessments. RESULTS: Among the 62 patients randomly assigned to a retrograde aortic approach with postoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging, 28 (45%) exhibited an acute brain lesion compared with 19 of the 69 (28%) of those randomized to a transseptal puncture ( P =0.036). No differences in clinically manifest complications or procedural efficacy were observed. More patients in the retrograde aortic arm were categorized as having a high likelihood of cognitive impairment at 6 months (33% compared with 19% of those in the transseptal arm), but substantial loss to follow-up was present. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing left ventricular catheter ablation procedures, a transseptal approach reduced the risk of acute brain lesions by nearly half compared with a retrograde aortic approach without sacrificing safety or efficacy. Given a likely embolic pathogenesis, the brain magnetic resonance imaging findings may reflect a propensity to other organ damage; these findings may extend to other procedures requiring left ventricular entry. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03946072.

PURPOSE Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), two B-cell maturation antigen–directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). We compare safety, efficacy, and survival among patients with RRMM treated with standard-of-care (SOC) ide-cel or cilta-cel. METHODS Data were from a retrospective chart review of patients with RRMM leukapheresed by December 31, 2022, with the intent to receive SOC ide-cel or cilta-cel at 19 institutions. An inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) approach was used to compare outcomes by therapy type. RESULTS A total of 641 patients were leukapheresed by December 31, 2022, with ide-cel (n = 386) and cilta-cel (n = 255). Five hundred eighty-six patients were infused (n = 350 for ide-cel; n = 236 for cilta-cel) with a median follow-up of 12.6 and 13.0 months for ide-cel and cilta-cel, respectively. After IPTW, patient characteristics were well balanced. Cilta-cel was associated with higher likelihood of grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome (CRS; odds ratio [OR], 6.80 [95% CI, 2.28 to 20.33]), infections (OR, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.41 to 2.92]), second primary malignancies (OR, 1.77 [95% CI, 0.89 to 3.56]), and delayed neurotoxicity (OR, 20.07 [95% CI, 4.46 to 90.20]). Cilta-cel was also associated with better treatment responses (≥complete response: OR, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.63 to 3.60]), longer progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48 [95% CI, 0.36 to 0.63]), and longer overall survival (HR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.46 to 0.97]). No associations were observed between therapy type and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome, any CRS, severe cytopenia at days 30 and 90, or nonrelapse mortality. We observed consistent findings when repeating the analyses restricting the ide-cel cohort to patients infused during the same time period as Food and Drug Administration approval for cilta-cel (≥March 2022). CONCLUSION Cilta-cel demonstrated superior efficacy and survival, with higher incidence of certain toxicities, compared with ide-cel.

108 Background: PARPi are approved for the treatment of pts with mCRPC either as single agents or as a combination with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) [PMID: 37442702]. In a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pooled analysis, the benefit from PARPi appeared greatest for pts harboring BRCA1/2 alterations [PMID: 38484203]. However, real-world uptake of PARPi in pts with mCRPC with BRCA1/2 alterations is unknown. Herein, our objective was to assess the usage of PARPi in real-world pts with mCRPC harboring BRCA1/2 alterations. Methods: A de-identified nationwide Flatiron Health electronic health record (EHR)-derived database was used to extract pt-level data. Eligibility criteria: pts with mCRPC harboring alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 or both and alive after 8/15/2020 (i.e., 3 months following the approval of the first PARPi, rucaparib, in mCRPC) with available treatment information. The data cutoff date was 5/31/2024. Pts were categorized into two cohorts based on the receipt of any PARPi or not. Baseline characteristics at the time of mCRPC diagnosis, including age, race-ethnicity, and insurance plan, were collected in both cohorts. Results: Of the overall cohort of 24,105 pts with metastatic prostate cancer, 443 pts had mCRPC with BRCA1/2 alterations and were eligible and included in this analysis. 227 (51.2%) received a PARPi, while 216 did not (48.8%). Among the 227 pts who received a PARPi, 166 received it as a single agent (73.1%), 40 received it in combination with an ARPI (17.6%), and 21 received it in combination with other agents (9.3%). The median age was 72 in both cohorts (IQR 65 – 79 in patients receiving a PARPi and 66 – 78 in patients who did not). Other baseline characteristics in both groups are shown (Table). Conclusions: Despite PARPi demonstrating survival improvement in pts with mCRPC with BRCA1/2 alterations, a significant proportion of pts do not receive them. Our findings highlight the need to improve education among clinicians of level 1 evidence and improve access to life-prolonging therapies in pts with mCRPC. Baseline characteristics of pts with mCRPC who received vs. did not receive a PARPi. Characteristic Subgroup Pts who received a PARPiN = 227 Pts who did not receive a PARPiN = 216 Race-ethnicity, n (%) Asian 9 (4) 1 (0.5) Black 22 (9.7) 30 (13.9) Hispanic-Latino 10 (4.4) 10 (4.6) White 149 (65.6) 124 (57.4) Other and unknown 37 (16.3) 51 (23.6) Insurance, n (%) Commercial health plan 192 (84.5) 182 (84.3) Medicare-other government programs 31 (13.7) 18 (8.3) Medicaid 1 (0.4) 3 (1.4) Others and unknown 3 (1.3) 13 (6)

90 Background: Poly(ADP) ribose polymerase inhibitors and pembrolizumab are approved for patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) with susceptible genomic alterations based on NGS testing. We recently reported that the rate of NGS testing in mPC remains low at 29.3% in the United States (1). Herein, we investigated the rates of NGS testing at the end of life in a real-world patient population. Methods: This study utilized the nationwide Flatiron Health electronic health record (EHR)-derived de-identified database. Eligibility: diagnosis of mPC, with information on receipt of NGS testing (blood/tissue) and recorded date of death. The time between each patient’s first NGS testing result date and date of death was measured and categorized into 3 groups: NGS test results delivered more than 3 months (mo) before death, within 3 mo of death, and delivered after death. Frequencies and percentages of these 3 categories were reported, also by the year of death. Results: Out of 24,105 patients with mPC in the database, 3,397 had both a recorded date of death and underwent NGS testing and were eligible and included. The median age was 74 (IQR 67–80), 70% were White non-Hispanic, and 83% were treated in a community-based practice. In these patients, 2,901 (85.4%) NGS results were reported more than 3 mo before death, 457 (13.5%) within 3 mo of death, and 39 (1.1%) after death. From 2015 to 2024, the percentage of patients receiving their result more than 3 mo before death increased from 27% to 91%, while those receiving it within 3 mo before death decreased from 55% to 8.5%, and the percentage of NGS results reported after death declined from 18% to 0.6%. Baseline characteristics (including race-ethnicity, insurance plan, practice type [academic vs. community]) in these categories will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: Despite the availability of life-prolonging targeted therapies based on NGS testing results for patients with mPC, in ∼14% of patients, the first NGS testing results were reported within 3 mo before death or after death. The lack of timely NGS testing limits patients' access to life-prolonging personalized treatments in earlier settings, resulting in missed opportunities for improved outcomes. 1. Hage Chehade, Swami, JAMA Network Open, 2024.

ZUMA-12 is a multicenter phase 2 study evaluating axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy as part of first-line treatment for high-risk large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). In the primary efficacy analysis (n = 37; median follow-up, 15.9 months), axi-cel demonstrated a high rate of complete responses (CR; 78%) and a safety profile consistent with prior experience. Here, we assessed updated outcomes from ZUMA-12 in 40 treated patients after ≥3 years of follow-up. Eligible adults underwent leukapheresis, lymphodepleting chemotherapy, and axi-cel infusion (2 × 106 CAR T cells/kg). Investigator-assessed CR, objective response, survival, safety, and CAR T-cell expansion were assessed. The CR rate among response-evaluable patients (n = 37) increased after the primary analysis to 86% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71%-95%), with a 92% objective response rate. After a median follow-up of 47.0 months (range, 37.1-57.8 months), 36-month estimates (95% CI) of duration of response and event-free, progression-free, and overall survival were 81.8% (63.9%-91.4%), 73.0% (55.6%-84.4%), 75.1% (57.5%-86.2%), and 81.1% (64.4%-90.5%), respectively. In total, 4 patients had new malignancies, 2 occurring after the data cutoff of the primary analysis; none were axi-cel–related. Eight patients died on study, 2 of whom died from nonrelapse mortality causes. After long-term follow-up, axi-cel demonstrated a high durable response rate, with no new safety signals after the primary analysis, suggestive of an effective first-line therapy with curative intent in high-risk LBCL. Further assessments are needed to determine its benefit vs standard of care. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov, as NCT03761056.

Background Our study was designed to determine the safety, efficacy, and immunological effects of perioperative pembrolizumab in early-stage NSCLC. Methods This is a single-arm phase II study of perioperative pembrolizumab in patients with untreated, clinical stage IB to IIIA NSCLC. Patients received two doses of 200 mg pembrolizumab, surgery, standard adjuvant chemotherapy, followed by four doses adjuvant pembrolizumab. The primary objective of this study was to determine surgical feasibility rate, and secondary objectives are pathological response rate, treatment adverse events, efficacy data, and exploratory analysis of biomarkers. Results 30 patients initiated perioperative pembrolizumab, and 25 completed tumor resection. At median follow-up of 59 months after surgical resection, seven patients had disease progression, while six had died representing. A 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) from time of surgery was 72.0% (56.4%–91.9%) and overall survival (OS) from time of surgery was 75.8% (60.7%–94.7%). Major pathological response (MPR) was found in seven tumors (28%) including two complete responses (4%). Across all treated patients, four receiving neoadjuvant and four receiving adjuvant pembrolizumab experienced treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher with no grade 5 events. Plasma proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) levels increased across our patient cohort over time from baseline until postsurgery and remained elevated at the end of treatment. There was a significant difference between mean plasma PCSK9 levels for patients with MPR versus all other patients on study when checked postoperatively. Conclusions Perioperative pembrolizumab was safe and effective with promising MPR rate, PFS, and OS.