Skip to main content

Dana-Farber Research Publication, 9.15.2021

 
September 15, 2021
This twice-monthly newsletter highlights the research endeavors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, noting recently published papers available from PubMed where Dana-Farber faculty are listed as first or senior authors. 
 
 
Blood
Wang V, Stone RM
E1912 was a randomized phase 3 trial comparing indefinite ibrutinib plus six cycles of rituximab (IR) to six cycles of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR) in untreated younger patients with CLL. We describe measurable residual disease (MRD) levels in E1912 over time and correlate them with clinical outcome. Undetectable MRD rates (< 1 CLL cell per 104 leukocytes) were 29.1%, 30.3%, 23.4% and 8.6% at 3, 12, 24 and 36 months for FCR, and significantly lower at 7.9%, 4.2% and 3.7% at 12, 24 and 36 months for IR, respectively. Undetectable MRD at 3, 12, 24 and 36 months was associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) for the FCR arm with hazard ratios (MRD detectable / MRD undetectable) of 4.29 (95% CI 1.89 - 9.71), 3.91 (95% CI 1.39 - 11.03), 14.12 (95% CI 1.78 - 111.73), and not estimable (no events among those with undetectable MRD), respectively. For the IR arm, patients with detectable MRD did not have significantly worse PFS compared to those in whom MRD was undetectable; however, PFS was longer for those with MRD levels of less than 10-1 compared to those with MRD levels above this threshold. Our observations provide additional support for the use of MRD as a surrogate endpoint for PFS in patients receiving FCR. For patients on indefinite ibrutinib-based therapy, PFS did not differ significantly by undetectable MRD status, while those with MRD less than 10-1 tend to have longer PFS, although continuation of ibrutinib is very likely required to maintain treatment efficacy.
 
 
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Singh H, Perez K, Wolpin BM, Aguirre AJ
The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors' suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.
 
 
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Lin NU
PURPOSE: Effective therapies are needed for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with brain metastases. A trastuzumab radioisotope has been shown to localize in brain metastases of patients with HER2-positive MBC, and intracranial xenograft models have demonstrated a dose-dependent response to trastuzumab.
METHODS: In the phase II PATRICIA study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02536339), patients with HER2-positive MBC with CNS metastases and CNS progression despite prior radiotherapy received pertuzumab plus high-dose trastuzumab (6 mg/kg weekly) until CNS or systemic disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was confirmed objective response rate (ORR) in the CNS per Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology Brain Metastases criteria. Secondary end points included duration of response, clinical benefit rate (complete response plus partial response plus stable disease 4 or 6 months) in the CNS, and safety.
RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were treated for a median (range) of 4.5 (0.3-37.3) months at clinical cutoff. Thirty-seven patients discontinued treatment, most commonly because of CNS progression (n = 27); two remained on treatment. CNS ORR was 11% (95% CI, 3 to 25), with four partial responses (median duration of response, 4.6 months). Clinical benefit rate at 4 months and 6 months was 68% and 51%, respectively. Two patients permanently discontinued study treatment because of adverse events (left ventricular dysfunction [treatment-related] and seizure, both grade 3). No grade 5 adverse events were reported. No new safety signals emerged with either agent.
CONCLUSION: Although the CNS ORR was modest, 68% of patients experienced clinical benefit, and two patients had ongoing stable intracranial and extracranial disease for > 2 years. High-dose trastuzumab for HER2-positive CNS metastases may warrant further study.
 
 
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Tolaney SM, Frank E, Tung NM, Winer EP
PURPOSE: The Standardized Definitions for Efficacy End Points (STEEP) criteria, established in 2007, provide standardized definitions of adjuvant breast cancer clinical trial end points. Given the evolution of breast cancer clinical trials and improvements in outcomes, a panel of experts reviewed the STEEP criteria to determine whether modifications are needed.
METHODS: We conducted systematic searches of ClinicalTrials.gov for adjuvant systemic and local-regional therapy trials for breast cancer to investigate if the primary end points reported met STEEP criteria. On the basis of common STEEP deviations, we performed a series of simulations to evaluate the effect of excluding non-breast cancer deaths and new nonbreast primary cancers from the invasive disease-free survival end point.
RESULTS: Among 11 phase III breast cancer trials with primary efficacy end points, three had primary end points that followed STEEP criteria, four used STEEP definitions but not the corresponding end point names, and four used end points that were not included in the original STEEP manuscript. Simulation modeling demonstrated that inclusion of second nonbreast primary cancer can increase the probability of incorrect inferences, can decrease power to detect clinically relevant efficacy effects, and may mask differences in recurrence rates, especially when recurrence rates are low.
CONCLUSION: We recommend an additional end point, invasive breast cancer-free survival, which includes all invasive disease-free survival events except second nonbreast primary cancers. This end point should be considered for trials in which the toxicities of agents are well-known and where the risk of second primary cancer is small. Additionally, we provide end point recommendations for local therapy trials, low-risk populations, noninferiority trials, and trials incorporating patient-reported outcomes.
 
 
New England Journal of Medicine
Choueiri TK
BACKGROUND: Patients with renal-cell carcinoma who undergo nephrectomy have no options for adjuvant therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence that have high levels of supporting evidence.
METHODS: In a double-blind, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma who were at high risk for recurrence after nephrectomy, with or without metastasectomy, to receive either adjuvant pembrolizumab (at a dose of 200 mg) or placebo intravenously once every 3 weeks for up to 17 cycles (approximately 1 year). The primary end point was disease-free survival according to the investigator's assessment. Overall survival was a key secondary end point. Safety was a secondary end point.
RESULTS: A total of 496 patients were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab, and 498 to receive placebo. At the prespecified interim analysis, the median time from randomization to the data-cutoff date was 24.1 months. Pembrolizumab therapy was associated with significantly longer disease-free survival than placebo (disease-free survival at 24 months, 77.3% vs. 68.1%; hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.87; P = 0.002 [two-sided]). The estimated percentage of patients who remained alive at 24 months was 96.6% in the pembrolizumab group and 93.5% in the placebo group (hazard ratio for death, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.96). Grade 3 or higher adverse events of any cause occurred in 32.4% of the patients who received pembrolizumab and in 17.7% of those who received placebo. No deaths related to pembrolizumab therapy occurred.
CONCLUSIONS: Pembrolizumab treatment led to a significant improvement in disease-free survival as compared with placebo after surgery among patients with kidney cancer who were at high risk for recurrence. (Funded by Merck Sharp and Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck; KEYNOTE-564 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03142334.).
 
 
Nature Communications
Shen Y, Verboon JM, Liu N, Marglous S, Nandakumar SK, Voit RA, Fiorini C, Ejaz A, Basak A,
Orkin SH, Sankaran VG
Key mechanisms of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) regulation and switching have been elucidated through studies of human genetic variation, including mutations in the HBG1/2 promoters, deletions in the Œ?-globin locus, and variation impacting BCL11A. While this has led to substantial insights, there has not been a unified understanding of how these distinct genetically-nominated elements, as well as other key transcription factors such as ZBTB7A, collectively interact to regulate HbF. A key limitation has been the inability to model specific genetic changes in primary isogenic human hematopoietic cells to uncover how each of
these act individually and in aggregate. Here, we describe a single-cell genome editing functional assay that enables specific mutations to be recapitulated individually and in combination, providing insights into how multiple mutation-harboring functional elements collectively contribute to HbF expression. In conjunction with quantitative modeling and chromatin capture analyses, we illustrate how these genetic findings enable a comprehensive understanding of how distinct regulatory mechanisms can synergistically modulate HbF expression.
 
 
Nature Medicine
Choueiri TK, McDermott DF, Michaelson MD
Hypoxia-inducible factor-2? (HIF-2?) is a transcription factor that frequently accumulates in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), resulting in constitutive activation of genes involved in carcinogenesis. Belzutifan (MK-6482, previously known as PT2977) is a potent, selective small molecule inhibitor of HIF-2?. Maximum tolerated dose, safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and anti-tumor activity of belzutifan were evaluated in this first-in-human phase 1 study (NCT02974738). Patients had advanced solid tumors (dose-escalation cohort) or previously treated advanced ccRCC (dose-expansion cohort). Belzutifan was administered orally using a 3 + 3 dose-escalation design, followed by expansion at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) in patients with ccRCC. In the dose-escalation cohort (n = 43), no dose-limiting toxicities occurred at doses up to 160 mg once daily, and the maximum tolerated dose was not reached; the RP2D was 120 mg once daily. Plasma erythropoietin reductions were observed at all doses; erythropoietin concentrations correlated with plasma concentrations of belzutifan. In patients with ccRCC who received 120 mg once daily (n = 55), the confirmed objective response rate was 25% (all partial responses), and the median progression-free survival was 14.5 months. The most common grade ?3 adverse events were anemia (27%) and hypoxia (16%). Belzutifan was well tolerated and demonstrated preliminary anti-tumor activity in heavily pre-treated patients, suggesting that HIF-2? inhibition might offer an effective treatment for ccRCC.
 
 
AJR American Journal of Roentgenology
Dabiri BE, Jacene HA
 
 
Biochemistry
Vemulapalli V, Donovan KA, Rogers JM, Bae M, Lumpkin RJ, Cao R, Henke MT, Fischer ES,
Blacklow SC
 
 
Bioinformatics
Spurr LF, Touat M, Taylor AM, Dubuc AM, Shih J, Meredith DM, Pisano WV, Meyerson ML, Ligon KL, Cherniack AD, Li YY, Beroukhim R
 
 
Blood Advances
Crombie JL, Sherman AC, Cheng CA, Ryan CE, Zon R, Desjardins M, Baker P, McDonough M, Izaguirre N, Bausk B, Krauss J, Gilboa T, Senussi Y, Walt DR, Davids MS, Brown JR, Armand P, Baden LR, Issa N
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
Bakouny Z, Braun DA, Berchuck JE, Hirsch L, Lee Y, Trinh QD, Choueiri TK
 
 
Current Treatment Options in Oncology
Sarosiek S, Treon SP, Castillo JJ
 
 
Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs
Crombie JL, Brown JR
 
 
Gynecologic Oncology
Pozzar RA, Xiong N, Hong F, Wright AA, Underhill-Blazey ML, Tulsky JA, Hammer MJ, Berry DL
 
 
Haematologica
Kim HT, Baker PO, Parry E, Davids M, Ho VT, Cutler C, Koreth J, Gooptu M, Romee R, Nikiforow S, Antin JH, Ritz J, Soiffer RJ, Wu CJ, Brown JR
 
 
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics
Akama-Garren EH, Schoenfeld JD
 
 
Journal of Immunotherapy
Naik GS, Buchbinder EI, Cohen JV, Manos MP, Bowling P, Aizer AA, Schoenfeld JD, Lawrence DP, Haq R, Hodi FS, Sullivan RJ, Ott PA
 
 
NPJ Breast Cancer
Barroso-Sousa R, Keenan TE, Li T, Tayob N, Trippa L, Pastorello RG, Richardson Iii ET, Dillon D, Amoozgar Z, Overmoyer B, Schnitt SJ, Winer EP, Mittendorf EA, Van Allen E, Duda DG, Tolaney SM
 
 
 
 
Oncotarget
Hideshima T, Mazitschek R, Qi J, Mimura N, Tseng JC, Kung AL, Bradner JE, Anderson KC
 
 
Pediatrics
Marron JM, Meyer EC
 
 
RSC Medicinal Chemistry
Powell CE, Du G, Bushman JW, He Z, Zhang T, Fischer ES, Gray NS