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PD-1 blockade (nivolumab) efficacy remains modest for metastatic sarcoma. In this paper, we present an open-label, non-randomized, non-comparative pilot study of bempegaldesleukin, a CD122-preferential interleukin-2 pathway agonist, with nivolumab in refractory sarcoma at Memorial Sloan Kettering/MD Anderson Cancer Centers (NCT03282344). We report on the primary outcome of objective response rate (ORR) and secondary endpoints of toxicity, clinical benefit, progression-free survival, overall survival, and durations of response/treatment. In 84 patients in 9 histotype cohorts, all patients experienced ≥1 adverse event and treatment-related adverse event; 1 death was possibly treatment-related. ORR was highest in angiosarcoma (3/8) and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (2/10), meeting predefined endpoints. Results of our exploratory investigation of predictive biomarkers show: CD8 + T cell infiltrates and PD-1 expression correlate with improved ORR; upregulation of immune-related pathways correlate with improved efficacy; Hedgehog pathway expression correlate with resistance. Exploration of this combination in selected sarcomas, and of Hedgehog signaling as a predictive biomarker, warrants further study in larger cohorts., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Angiosarcoma is a histologically and molecularly heterogeneous vascular neoplasm with aggressive clinical behavior. Emerging data suggests that immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is efficacious against some angiosarcomas, particularly cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck (CHN)., Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed angiosarcoma treated with ICB-based therapy at a comprehensive cancer center were retrospectively identified. Clinical characteristics and the results of targeted exome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, and immunohistochemistry analyses were examined for correlation with clinical benefit. Durable clinical benefit was defined as a progression-free survival (PFS) of ≥16 weeks., Results: For the 35 patients included in the analyses, median PFS and median overall survival (OS) from the time of first ICB-based treatment were 11.9 (95% CI 7.4 to 31.9) and 42.5 (95% CI 19.6 to 114.2) weeks, respectively. Thirteen patients (37%) had PFS ≥16 weeks. Clinical factors associated with longer PFS and longer OS in multivariate analyses were ICB plus other therapy regimens, CHN disease, and white race. Three of 10 patients with CHN angiosarcoma evaluable for tumor mutational burden (TMB) had a TMB ≥10. Five of six patients with CHN angiosarcoma evaluable for mutational signature analysis had a dominant mutational signature associated with ultraviolet (UV) light. No individual gene or genomic pathway was significantly associated with PFS or OS; neither were TMB or UV signature status. Analyses of whole transcriptomes from nine patient tumor samples found upregulation of angiogenesis, inflammatory response, and KRAS signaling pathways, among others, in patients with PFS ≥16 weeks, as well as higher levels of cytotoxic T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells. Patients with PFS <16 weeks had higher numbers of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Immunohistochemistry findings for 12 patients with baseline samples available suggest that neither PD-L1 expression nor presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes at baseline appears necessary for a response to ICB-based therapy., Conclusions: ICB-based therapy benefits only a subset of angiosarcoma patients. Patients with CHN angiosarcoma are more likely to have PFS ≥16 weeks, a dominant UV mutational signature, and higher TMB than angiosarcomas arising from other primary sites. However, clinical benefit was seen in other angiosarcomas also and was not restricted to tumors with a high TMB, a dominant UV signature, PD-L1 expression, or presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes at baseline., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: To determine if a targeted exome panel utilizing matched normal DNA can accurately detect germline and somatic HLA genes in patients with synovial sarcoma (SS) and whether select HLA-A*02 genotypes are prognostic or predictive of outcome in metastatic SS., Experimental Design: Patients with metastatic SS consented to HLA typing by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified test to determine eligibility for a clinical trial of NY-ESO-1-specific engineered T cells restricted to carriers of HLA-A*02:01, -A*02:05, or -A*02:06 (HLA-A*02 eligible). HLA genotype was determined from Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrated Molecular Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT), where feasible, and somatic loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in HLA alleles was identified. Overall survival (OS) was estimated and stratified by HLA-A*02 eligibility., Results: A total of 23 patients had HLA genotyping by a CLIA-certified lab and MSK-IMPACT. Ninety percent (108/110) of the sequenced alleles were concordant between IMPACT and the outside lab. LOH of HLA genes was detected in three tumors, one had loss of HLA-A*02:01. In total, 66 patients were screened for T-cell therapy and 20 (30%) were HLA-A*02 eligible on outside testing. Univariate analysis of OS from the time of metastasis found HLA-A*02 eligibility was marginally associated with shorter OS [HR = 1.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.995-3.813; P = 0.052]. On multivariate analysis, older age and larger tumor size, but not HLA-A*02 eligibility, were significantly associated with decreased OS. HLA-A*02 eligibility did not impact OS after chemotherapy or pazopanib in the metastatic setting., Conclusions: Targeted gene panels like MSK-IMPACT may accurately report HLA type and identify loss of somatic HLA alleles. In a multivariable model, HLA-A*02 eligibility was not significantly associated with OS in patients with metastatic SS., (©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.)