Citations

696 Background: A number of treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been FDA approved since December, 2005. Trials evaluating these agents excluded non-clear cell histologies and therefore the efficacy of these treatments remains unclear in patients (pts) with metastatic non-clear cell RCC (mncRCC). Methods: This is a single arm Phase II study designed to determine the efficacy of pazopanib in mncRCC. Treatment was pazopanib 800 mg by mouth daily until progression or intolerability of treatment. Dose reductions were allowed for toxicity with dose level -1 being 600 mg daily and dose level -2, 400 mg daily. Cycles were every 28 days. Main eligibility criteria included: (1) age ³ 18 years old; (2) histologic confirmation of ncRCC; (3) ECOG Performance Status (PS) 0, 1, or 2; (4) up to one prior treatment for mncRCC (5) measurable or non-measurable metastatic disease per RECIST criteria. The primary endpoint was overall survival rate at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were best tumor response rates after two cycles, PFS, OS and toxicity. Results: 38 pts were enrolled between May 16, 2013 and February 1, 2018. 35 pts were evaluable for primary endpoint. Median age 63 years old and 22/35 (62.9%) were male. Most common histology was papillary RCC, 14/35 (40%), and most common number of metastatic sites was 1. 29/35 (82.9%) had prior nephrectomy and 30/35 (85.7%) had no prior systemic therapy. Median number of cycles was 5. 12-month OS was 65.7% (90% CI, 50.5-78.9%). Best response in first 2 cycles: PR 11%, SD 60%, PD 9%, not evaluated 20%. Median PFS was 7.5 months (90% CI, 5.0-11.0); median OS 18.9 months (90% CI, 13.0-NE). Grade 3 / 4 AEs seen in 25 pts with hypertension, transaminitis and abdominal pain being most common (seen in >10%). Conclusions: There are limited data about the efficacy of available therapies for mncRCC. This study shows that pazopanib has similar efficacy compared to historical data in clinical trials using other TKIs in mncRCC. The safety profile of pazopanib in pts with mncRCC was found to be similar to that found in prior clinical trials studying pazopanib. Our findings warrant further investigation into the utility of pazopanib in metastatic ncRCC. Clinical trial information: NCT01767636.

AbstractObjectivesPrevious studies noted discordance of programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) and one of its ligands (PD‐L1) across patient‐matched primary and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). There are inconsistencies if the primary or metastatic tumor has higher expression, and whether metastatic tumor expression is associated with patient outcome. Thus, we examined PD‐1 and PD‐L1 in patient‐matched tumors using a large number of ccRCC patients with long follow‐up.Materials and MethodsWe analyzed PD‐1 and PD‐L1 using immunohistochemistry in patient‐matched primary and metastatic tumors from 110 ccRCC patients. Concordance was assessed among longitudinal metastatic tumors, as well as across patient‐matched primary and metastatic tumors. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the associations of metastatic tumor expression with cancer‐specific survival.ResultsWe observed inter‐metastatic tumor heterogeneity of PD‐1 in 25 (69%) of the 36 patients and of PD‐L1 in seven (19%) patients. Concordance between patient‐matched primary and metastatic tumors was 73% (Kappa = 0.16, 95% CI: −0.003‐0.32). Similarly, concordance of PD‐L1 between metastatic and patient‐matched primary tumors was 78% (Kappa = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09‐0.46). Both markers demonstrated higher expression in primary vs metastatic tumors. Metastatic tumor expression of PD‐1 was significantly associated with metastatic location (P < .0001) and ccRCC‐specific survival (HR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.06‐4.36, P = .035).ConclusionsThe expression of PD‐1 and PD‐L1 is discordant across patient‐matched ccRCC tumors, with higher expression in primary tumors. Higher PD‐1 expression was associated with metastatic location and lower cancer‐specific survival. If validated, these results highlight the importance of evaluating these biomarkers in metastatic tissue specifically.

AbstractDistal biliary strictures (DBS) are common and may be caused by both malignant and benign pathologies. While endoscopic procedures play a major role in their management, a comprehensive review of the subject is still lacking. Our consensus statements were formulated by a group of expert Asian pancreatico‐biliary interventional endoscopists, following a proposal from the Digestive Endoscopy Society of Taiwan, the Thai Association for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the Tokyo Conference of Asian Pancreato‐biliary Interventional Endoscopy. Based on a literature review utilizing Medline, Cochrane library, and Embase databases, a total of 19 consensus statements on DBS were made on diagnosis, endoscopic drainage, benign biliary stricture, malignant biliary stricture, and management of recurrent biliary obstruction and other complications. Our consensus statements provide comprehensive guidance for the endoscopic management of DBS.

Abstract Background and Aims We aimed to evaluate the relationship of serum adalimumab trough levels (ATL) with disease activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in a large, well-characterized referral center-based cohort. Methods We compared serum ATL between those with clinical, biochemical, or endoscopic/radiologic disease activity and those without. Results A total of 236 patients with IBD were included. Higher cutoff levels were associated with endoscopic and/or radiologic responses (cutoff value: 5.3 mcg/mL, P = 0.003) compared with improvement in C-reactive protein (cutoff value: 4.3 mcg/mL, P = 0.031). Conclusions Higher cutoff ATL was associated with endoscopic and/or radiologic response.

Abstract Background: Simtuzumab (SIM) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits lysyl oxidase-like molecule 2 (LOXL2), an extracellular matrix enzyme that catalyzes the covalent cross-linking of collagen and is widely expressed across many fibrotic diseases. In pre-clinical models, inhibition of LOXL2 blocks fibroblast activation, which plays an important role in the development of organ fibrosis. In Phase 1 studies, SIM was well-tolerated in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors, liver fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A Phase 2, open-label study to determine the efficacy of SIM alone (Stage 1) and combined with ruxolitinib (rux) (Stage 2) in pts with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and post-ET/PV MF was initiated. Methods: Eligible pts had intermediate-1, intermediate-2, or high risk disease and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of <2. The primary endpoint was rate of clinical response as defined by a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score following 24 weeks of treatment with SIM. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 200 mg or 700 mg SIM by intravenous infusion every 2 weeks as monotherapy (Stage 1, n=24) or combined with rux (Stage 2, n=30). Patients received SIM for up to 24 weeks. Bone marrow biopsies and aspirates were performed approximately every 3 months. Bone marrow fibrosis scoring was performed and quantified at local investigator sites using the European Consensus on Grading Bone Marrow Fibrosis. Myelofibrosis symptoms were evaluated using the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form (MPN-SAF) and changes in hematologic parameters and splenomegaly were assessed. Results: Between 7/14/11 and 9/22/14, 54 pts were randomized and treated (200 mg SIM [n=12], 700 mg SIM [n=12], 200 mg SIM/rux [n=15], and 700 mg SIM/rux [n=15]). In Stage 1, 0 subjects (0%) in the SIM 200 mg group and 2 subjects (16.7%; 90% CI 3.0%, 43.8%) in the SIM 700 mg group showed a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score from Baseline to Week 24. In Stage 2, 1 subject (6.7%; 90% CI 0.3%, 27.9%) in the SIM 200 mg/rux group and 2 subjects (13.3%, 90% CI 2.4%, 36.3%) in the SIM 700 mg/rux group showed a reduction in bone marrow fibrosis score from Baseline to Week 24. In an exploratory analysis, similar numbers of subjects showed increases in bone marrow fibrosis scores. SIM treatment was not associated with meaningful improvements in hematologic parameters or reductions in MPN-SAF score or spleen size. The most frequent adverse events were those commonly associated with MF, including constitutional symptoms and reductions in hematological parameters. Conclusions: SIM treatment alone or in combination with rux is safe but does not reliably reduce bone marrow fibrosis in pts with MF. The reason for reduction of marrow fibrosis in some patients and increase in others is unclear and may be sampling variability. Clinical studies of SIM in IPF and liver fibrosis are ongoing. Disclosures Savona: Karyopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mesa:Incyte Corporation: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Research Funding; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Consultancy; Pfizer: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding. Oh:CTI Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Dong:Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Equity Ownership. Thai:Gilead Sciences: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gotlib:Allakos, Inc.: Consultancy.

Abstract Quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1 (QSOX1) is an enzyme overexpressed by many different tumor types. QSOX1 catalyzes the formation of disulfide bonds in proteins. Because short hairpin knockdowns (KD) of QSOX1 have been shown to suppress tumor growth and invasion in vitro and in vivo, we hypothesized that chemical compounds inhibiting QSOX1 enzymatic activity would also suppress tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. High throughput screening using a QSOX1-based enzymatic assay revealed multiple potential QSOX1 inhibitors. One of the inhibitors, known as “SBI-183,” suppresses tumor cell growth in a Matrigel-based spheroid assay and inhibits invasion in a modified Boyden chamber, but does not affect viability of nonmalignant cells. Oral administration of SBI-183 inhibits tumor growth in 2 independent human xenograft mouse models of renal cell carcinoma. We conclude that SBI-183 warrants further exploration as a useful tool for understanding QSOX1 biology and as a potential novel anticancer agent in tumors that overexpress QSOX1.

Abstract Background: The methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) gene encodes an essential enzyme for the salvage pathway of adenosine synthesis and is frequently lost in different types of cancer including urothelial bladder carcinoma. Therefore, MTAP-deficient tumors are theoretically very sensitive to anti-folate agents such as pemetrexed that can effectively block the de novo pathway of adenosine synthesis and as a result, create a state of synthetic lethality. We thus hypothesize that tumor MTAP gene deficiency is associated with response to pemetrexed therapy in bladder cancer. Methods: In this study, we investigated MTAP gene deficiency rates in the TCGA database and confirmed MTAP protein loss by immunohistochemistry using a tumor tissue microarray containing bladder tumor tissues from 151 patients. We then performed in vitro and in vivo studies using MTAP-proficient and MTAP-deficient human bladder cancer cell lines. Functional loss of MTAP was verified with mass spectrometry, which detects its substrate methylthioadenosine (MTA) levels. We also correlated these pre-clinical studies with clinical response data on patients with metastatic bladder cancer treated with pemetrexed. Results: We identified that 27.8% bladder cancer patients have MTAP protein deficiency, which is consistent with exome sequencing data from the TCGA database. In vitro data showed MTAP-deficient human bladder cancer cell lines were significantly more sensitive to pemetrexed, with IC50 at least 40 times lower than MTAP-proficient cell lines. Subsequent knockdown of the MTAP gene in MTAP-proficient cell lines increased sensitivities to pemetrexed treatment. Consistent with the in vitro data, pemetrexed significantly inhibited the growth of MTAP-deficient or knockdown xenograft tumors but not MTAP-proficient tumors. Furthermore, 4 of 4 (100%) patients with MTAP-deficient metastatic bladder cancer responded to pemetrexed treatment, whereas only 1 of 11 (9%) patients with MTAP-proficient metastatic bladder cancer responded to pemetrexed. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that MTAP gene loss in urothelial bladder cancer leads to a metabolic state of synthetic lethality with pemetrexed therapy. Therefore, bladder tumor MTAP loss should be further investigated as a potential biomarker for selection of patients for anti-folate therapy. Citation Format: Jianfeng Chen, Omar Alhalabi, Guangchun Han, Wei-Lien Wang, Xin-Qiao Zhang, Jian H. Song, Lidia P. Lopez, Sumankalai Ramachandran, Anh G. Hoang, Tyrone Garnett, Matthew Campbell, Amishi Y. Shah, Jennifer Wang, Arlene O. Siefker-Radtke, Shi-Ming Tu, Mark Titus, Charles C. Guo, Gary E. Gallick, Eleni Efstathiou, William F. Benedict, Christopher J. Logothetis, Thai H. Ho, Linghua Wang, Jianjun Gao. MTAP gene deficiency creates vulnerability to anti-folate therapy in urothelial bladder carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 385.

Background and aims: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) will become increasingly important as primary endpoints in future clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the combination of patient-reported clinical symptoms (ClinPRO2) and Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of 90 consecutive UC patients who were scheduled for sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. All patients completed the following questionnaires: (1) self-rated rectal bleeding and stool frequency (ClinPRO2); (2) Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ); (3) European Quality of Life 5-Dimensions 3-Level (EQ5D3L); (4) Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI); (5) Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F); and (6) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The endoscopic images were graded according to the MES. “No symptoms” was defined as a symptom score of 0, and “mucosal healing” was defined as MES score of 0–1. Correlations between the combined ClinPRO2 and MES with HRQoL were assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Results: The combination of the ClinPRO2 and MES was well correlated to SIBDQ (r = −0.70), EQ5D3L (r = −0.51), WPAI (r = 0.62), FACIT-F (r = −0.58), and HADS-depression (r = 0.45). SIBDQ scores had strong correlations with FACIT-F (r = 0.86), WPAI (r = −0.80), and HADS-depression (r = −0.75) (p < 0.05 for all correlations). Patients with no symptoms reported the greatest all HRQoL scores. Conclusions: In patients with ulcerative colitis, the combination of a ClinPRO2 and the MES had good correlation with the SIBDQ. In addition, SIBDQ was well correlated to the various HRQoL.

AbstractThere are currently no effective treatments for advanced‐stage papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). The goal of this study is to define potential DNA methylation‐based markers and treatment targets for advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC. Progressive DNA methylation changes and copy number variation (CNV) from localized to advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC are analyzed by using methylation data generated by TCGA's kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (TCGA‐KIRP, 450k array) project. Survival analyses are performed for the identified biomarkers and genes with CNV. In addition, expression of the corresponding genes is investigated by RNA‐seq analysis. Progressive methylation changes in several CpGs from localized to advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC are observed. Four CpGs (cg00489401, cg27649239, cg20555674, and cg07196505) in particular are identified as markers for differentiating between localized and advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC. Copy number analysis reveals that copy gain of PTK7 mostly occurs in advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC. Both the four CpG methylation changes and PTK7 copy number gain are associated with patient survival. RNA‐seq analysis demonstrates that PTK7 copy gain leads to higher PTK7 expression relative to tumors without copy number gain. Moreover, PTK7 is significantly upregulated from localized to advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC and is linked to cancer cell invasion. In conclusion, DNA methylation markers that differentiate between localized and advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC may serve as useful markers for disease staging or outcome, while PTK7 copy gain represents a potential treatment target for advanced‐stage type 2 PRCC. Stepwise methylation changes and copy number gain also associate with disease stage in PRCC patients.

AbstractBackgroundThere are controversial data regarding the relationship between bariatric surgery and atrial fibrillation (AF). This meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate (i) the incidence and (ii) the risk of AF in patients following bariatric surgery.AimsTo explore the incidence and risk factors of AF in patients after bariatric surgery.MethodsA literature search was conducted utilising MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Database from inception through March 2019. We included studies that evaluated the (i) incidence and (ii) risk of AF in patients after bariatric surgery. Pooled incidence and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random effects meta‐analysis.ResultsSeven cohort studies consisting of 7681 patients undergoing bariatric surgery were enrolled in this systematic review. The prevalence of AF in patients undergoing bariatric surgery ranged between 0% and 4.6%. Overall, the pooled estimated incidence of AF following bariatric surgery was 5.3% (95% CI: 1.9–13.8) at a median follow‐up time of 7.9 years (interquartile range (IQR) 4.1–15.0 years). Compared to controls, the pooled OR of AF among patients undergoing bariatric surgery was 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22–0.83) at a median follow‐up time of 7.9 years (IQR 7.2–19.0 years). Egger regression test demonstrated no significant publication bias in our meta‐analysis of AF incidence following bariatric surgery.ConclusionThe overall estimated incidence of AF following bariatric surgery was 5.3%. Our study demonstrates a significant beneficial association between bariatric surgery and AF, with a 0.42‐fold decreased risk of AF. Future large‐scale studies are needed to confirm the potential benefits of bariatric surgery on risk of AF.