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Background: Sotorasib is a first-in-class KRAS p.G12C-inhibitor that has entered clinical trials in pretreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2018. First response rates were promising in the CodeBreaK trials. It remains unclear whether response to sotorasib and outcomes differ in a real-world setting when including patients underrepresented in clinical trials., Methods: Patients with KRAS p.G12C-mutated advanced or metastatic NSCLC received sotorasib within the German multicenter sotorasib compassionate use program between 2020 to 2022. Data on efficacy, tolerability, and survival were analyzed in the full cohort and in subgroups of special interest such as co-occurring mutations and across PD-L1 expression levels., Results: We analyzed 163 patients who received sotorasib after a median of two treatment lines (range, 0 to 7). Every fourth patient had a poor performance status and 38% had brain metastases (BM). The objective response rate was 38.7%. The median overall survival was 9.8 months (95% CI, 6.5 to not reached). Median real-world (rw) progression-free survival was 4.8 months (9% CI, 3.9 to 5.9). Dose reductions and permanent discontinuation were necessary in 35 (21.5%) and 7 (4.3%) patients, respectively. Efficacy seems to be influenced by PD-L1 expression and a co-occurring KEAP1 mutation. KEAP1 was associated with an inferior survival. Other factors such as BM, STK11, and TP53 mutations had no impact on response and survival., Conclusion: First results from a real-world population confirm promising efficacy of sotorasib for the treatment of advanced KRAS p.G12C-mutated NSCLC. Patients with co-occurring KEAP1 mutations seem to derive less benefit., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: JAS reports personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Roche, personal fees from BMS, personal fees from Amgen, personal fees from LEO pharma, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Takeda, outside of the submitted work. FCA has received a research grant from Novartis, support for attending meetings and/or travel from Amgen, and consultant fees from IQVIA.PD has nothing to disclose. JR has nothing to disclose. AT has nothing to disclose. ANH has nothing to disclose. NF reports personal fees from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Berlinchemie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers&Squibb, Lilly, Merck Sharp&Dohme, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, outside of the submitted work. HY has nothing to disclose. PC has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Roche, and Takeda, speaker’s honoraria from AstraZeneca, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Thermo Fisher, Takeda, support for attending meetings from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda, and personal fees for participating to advisory boards from Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, Takeda and Roche, all outside the submitted work. OB has nothing to disclose. CMB has nothing to disclose. ABVD has nothing to disclose. JA has nothing to disclose. SPA as nothing to disclose. MW has nothing to disclose. SK has nothing to disclose. MU has nothing to disclose. GT has nothing to disclose. CFW has nothing to disclose. AR reports grants from AbbVie, grants from AstraZeneca, grants from BMS, grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, grants from Daichi Sankyo, grants from Eli Lilly, grants from GSK, grants from MSD, grants from Novartis, grants from Pfizer, grants from Roche, outside the submitted work. PH has nothing to disclose. JB has nothing to disclose. HGK has nothing to disclose. CG has nothing to disclose. MSch has nothing to disclose. CSch has nothing to disclose. FG reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Siemens, Amgen, Ariad, Abbvie, Tesaro / GSK, Sanofi, Daiichi-Sankyo, Beigene, outside of the submitted work. MSch has nothing to disclose. MS reports personal fees from Lilly, Astra-Zeneca, Bristol-Myers & Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Takeda, Roche, AbbVie, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Novartis, grants from Astra Zeneca outside the submitted work. NR reports personal fees from Amgen, personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, personal fees from Boehringer-Ingelheim, personal fees from Daiichi Sankyo, personal fees from GSK, personal fees from Hoffmann-La Roche, personal fees from Janssen, personal fees from MSD, personal fees from Merck, personal fees from Lilly, personal fees from Pfizer, personal fees from Takeda, outside the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET exon 14 skipping (METΔ14ex) remains controversial., Materials and Methods: 110 consecutive METΔ14ex NSCLC patients receiving first-line chemotherapy (CHT) and/or immunotherapy (IO) in 10 German centers between 2016-2022 were analyzed., Results: Combined CHT-IO was given to 35/110 (32%) patients, IO alone to 43/110 (39%), and CHT to 32/110 (29%) upfront. Compared to CHT, CHT-IO showed longer progression-free survival (median PFS 6 vs. 2.5 months, p = 0.004), more objective responses (ORR 49% vs. 28%, p = 0.086) and numerically longer overall survival (OS 16 vs. 10 months, p = 0.240). For IO monotherapy, OS (14 vs. 16 months) and duration of response (26 vs. 22 months) were comparable to those of CHT-IO. Primary progressive disease (PD) was more frequent with IO compared to CHT-IO (13/43 vs. 3/35, p = 0.018), particularly for never-smokers (p = 0.041). Higher PD-L1 TPS were not associated with better IO outcomes, but TP53 mutated tumors showed numerically improved ORR (56% vs. 32%, p = 0.088) and PFS (6 vs. 3 months, p = 0.160), as well as longer OS in multivariable analysis (HR=0.54, p = 0.034) compared to their wild-type counterparts. Any second-line treatment was administered to 35/75 (47%) patients, with longer survival for capmatinib or tepotinib compared to crizotinib (PFS 10 vs. 3 months, p = 0.013; OS 16 vs. 13 months, p = 0.270)., Conclusion: CHT-IO is superior to CHT, and IO alone also effective for METΔ14ex NSCLC, especially in the presence of TP53 mutations and independent of PD-L1 expression, but never-smokers are at higher risk of primary PD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: JK: speaker’s honoraria from BMS, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, travel grants from Takeda, advisory board honoraria from Takeda, Roche and AstraZeneca. DM: advisory board/lecture fees from AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and Takeda. DiKa: advisory boards/speaker´s honoraria from BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, MSD, Roche, Janssen, Pfizer, AstraZeneca; support for attending meetings from Novartis, Boehringer-Ingelheim. MH: advisory board, speaker’s honoraria and travel grants from Boehringer-Ingelheim. BH: advisory board/lecture fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, MSD, Roche, Pfizer. MF: grants from AstraZeneca, BMS, MSD, and Roche; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, MSD, Roche, BMS; speaker´s honoraria from AstraZeneca, MSD, Roche, BMS. MK: speaker’s honoraria and travel grants from Veracyte Inc. AV: speaker’s honoraria from AstraZeneca. MA: speaker’s honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim. CG: advisory board/lecture fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Takeda, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, AbbVie, Tesaro/GSK and Blueprints Medicines. AT: consulting fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi, Astra Zeneca, Roche, Pfizer, BMS, MSD, Sanofi, Lilly, Novartis; speaker’s honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi, Astra Zeneca, Roche, Pfizer, BMS, MSD, Sanofi, Lilly, Novartis; travel grants from Sanofi, Janssen, Daiichi; BMS, MSD, AstraZeneca. MR: advisory board/lecture fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Samsung. NF: grants from Roche, consulting fees from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Berlinchemie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers&Squibb, Lilly, Merck Sharp&Dohme, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda; support for attending meetings from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Janssen, Lilly, Takeda. AS: advisory board honoraria from BMS, AstraZeneca, ThermoFisher, Novartis, speaker’s honoraria from BMS, Illumina, AstraZeneca, Novartis, ThermoFisher, MSD, Roche, and research funding from Chugai and BMS. MT: research funding from AstraZeneca, BMS, Merck, Roche, Takeda; speaker’s honoraria from AstraZeneca, Beigene, Novartis, Eli Lilly, BMS, MSD, Roche, Celgene, Takeda, AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, MSD, Takeda, Pfizer, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Oncology, Merck, Sanofi and travel grants from AstraZeneca, BMS, MSD, Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen Oncology, Lilly, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim. PC: research funding from AstraZeneca, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Roche, and Takeda, speaker’s honoraria from AstraZeneca, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Thermo Fisher, Takeda, support for attending meetings from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda, and personal fees for participating to advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, Takeda and Roche, all outside the submitted work. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The current S3 Lung Cancer Guidelines are edited with fundamental changes to the previous edition based on the dynamic influx of information to this field:The recommendations include de novo a mandatory case presentation for all patients with lung cancer in a multidisciplinary tumor board before initiation of treatment, furthermore CT-Screening for asymptomatic patients at risk (after federal approval), recommendations for incidental lung nodule management , molecular testing of all NSCLC independent of subtypes, EGFR-mutations in resectable early stage lung cancer in relapsed or recurrent disease, adjuvant TKI-therapy in the presence of common EGFR-mutations, adjuvant consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibitors in resected lung cancer with PD-L1 ≥ 50%, obligatory evaluation of PD-L1-status, consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibition after radiochemotherapy in patients with PD-L1-pos. tumor, adjuvant consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibition in patients withPD-L1 ≥ 50% stage IIIA and treatment options in PD-L1 ≥ 50% tumors independent of PD-L1status and targeted therapy and treatment option immune chemotherapy in first line SCLC patients.Based on the current dynamic status of information in this field and the turnaround time required to implement new options, a transformation to a "living guideline" was proposed., Competing Interests: Die Ergebnisse der Interessenkonfliktbewertung und die Konsequenzen sind der Tabelle im Leitlinienreport (dort Kapitel 11.2) zu entnehmen., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Pemetrexed-based immunochemotherapy represents an established standard of care as first line treatment for non-oncogenic driven metastatic non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma (NSCLC/ADC). However, retrospective analyses revealed better outcomes for pemetrexed-free regimens compared to pemetrexed-containing regimens in patients with thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) negative NSCLC/ADC. The multicenter, phase II, randomized, open-label ANTELOPE trial evaluates whether atezolizumab, carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel is superior to pembrolizumab, cis-/carboplatin and pemetrexed in TTF-1 negative NSCLC/ADC., Methods: Eligible participants are ≥18 years of age, with histologically or cytologically confirmed, treatment-naïve stage IV TTF-1 negative NSCLC/ADC without actionable genomic alterations or PD-L1-overexpression (TPS ≥50%) and will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to pemetrexed-free (group A) vs. pemetrexed-based (group B) immunochemotherapy. The primary endpoint of this trial is overall survival (OS)., Results: Enrollment will start in Q2 2023 at 30 sites in Germany with a planned inclusion of 136 participants., Conclusion: ANTELOPE will provide efficacy outcomes of the current standard-of-care for the specific subset of TTF-1 negative NSCLC/ADC in a head-to-head comparison of approved immunochemotherapy regimens., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In ADAURA, adjuvant osimertinib significantly improved disease-free survival versus placebo in resected stage IB to IIIA EGFR-mutated NSCLC. We report in-depth analyses of three-year safety, tolerability, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) from ADAURA., Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1 to osimertinib 80 mg or placebo once daily for up to 3 years. Safety assessments were performed at baseline, week 2, week 4, week 12, and every 12 weeks until treatment completion or discontinuation, and 28 days after treatment was stopped. The SF-36 survey measured HRQoL at baseline, week 12, week 24, and every 24 weeks until recurrence, treatment completion or discontinuation. Data cutoff: April 11, 2022., Results: Safety and HRQoL analysis sets: osimertinib, n = 337 and n = 339; placebo, n = 343 each. Median (range) total exposure duration was longer with osimertinib versus placebo: 35.8 (0-38) versus 25.1 (0-39) months. Most adverse events (AEs) were first reported within 12 months of starting treatment (osimertinib 97%, placebo 86%). AEs leading to dose reduction, interruption or discontinuation were reported in 12%, 27% and 13% respectively of patients with osimertinib; 1%, 13% and 3% with placebo. Stomatitis and diarrhea were the most common AEs leading to osimertinib dose reduction or interruption; interstitial lung disease was the most common leading to osimertinib discontinuation (per protocol). There were no differences in time to deterioration for SF-36 physical, mental component summaries between osimertinib and placebo., Conclusions: No new safety signals were reported and HRQoL was maintained with 3 years of adjuvant osimertinib treatment. Combined with significant efficacy benefit, these data further support adjuvant osimertinib in stage IB to IIIA EGFR-mutated NSCLC., (Copyright © 2023 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Among patients with resected, epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR )-mutated, stage IB to IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), adjuvant osimertinib therapy, with or without previous adjuvant chemotherapy, resulted in significantly longer disease-free survival than placebo in the ADAURA trial. We report the results of the planned final analysis of overall survival., Methods: In this phase 3, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned eligible patients in a 1:1 ratio to receive osimertinib (80 mg once daily) or placebo until disease recurrence was observed, the trial regimen was completed (3 years), or a discontinuation criterion was met. The primary end point was investigator-assessed disease-free survival among patients with stage II to IIIA disease. Secondary end points included disease-free survival among patients with stage IB to IIIA disease, overall survival, and safety., Results: Of 682 patients who underwent randomization, 339 received osimertinib and 343 received placebo. Among patients with stage II to IIIA disease, the 5-year overall survival was 85% in the osimertinib group and 73% in the placebo group (overall hazard ratio for death, 0.49; 95.03% confidence interval [CI], 0.33 to 0.73; P<0.001). In the overall population (patients with stage IB to IIIA disease), the 5-year overall survival was 88% in the osimertinib group and 78% in the placebo group (overall hazard ratio for death, 0.49; 95.03% CI, 0.34 to 0.70; P<0.001). One new serious adverse event, pneumonia related to coronavirus disease 2019, was reported after the previously published data-cutoff date (the event was not considered by the investigator to be related to the trial regimen, and the patient fully recovered). Adjuvant osimertinib had a safety profile consistent with that in the primary analysis., Conclusions: Adjuvant osimertinib provided a significant overall survival benefit among patients with completely resected, EGFR -mutated, stage IB to IIIA NSCLC. (Funded by AstraZeneca; ADAURA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02511106.)., (Copyright © 2023 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

The implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), with or without chemotherapy, as first-line treatment for patients who do not have actionable mutations has proved to be a major paradigm shift in the management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the transition of ICIs, such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, to a first-line setting has left an unmet need for effective second-line treatment options, which is an area of intense research. In 2020, we reviewed the biological and mechanistic rationale for anti-angiogenic agents in combination with, or following, immunotherapy with the aim of eliciting a so called 'angio-immunogenic' switch in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we review the latest clinical evidence of the benefits of incorporating anti-angiogenic agents into treatment regimens. While there is a paucity of prospective data, several recent observational studies indicate that the marketed anti-angiogenic drugs, nintedanib or ramucirumab, are effective in combination with docetaxel following immuno-chemotherapy. Addition of anti-angiogenics, like bevacizumab, have also demonstrated clinical benefit when combined with first-line immuno-chemotherapy regimens. Ongoing clinical trials are assessing these agents in combination with ICIs, with encouraging early results (e.g., ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab in LUNG-MAP S1800A). Also, several emerging anti-angiogenic agents combined with ICIs are currently being assessed in phase III trials following immunotherapy, including lenvatinib (LEAP-008), and sitravatinib (SAPPHIRE) It is hoped that these trials will help expand second-line treatment options in patients with NSCLC. Areas of focus in the future will include further molecular dissection of the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy and the various response-progression profiles to immunotherapy observed in the clinic and the monitoring of the dynamics of immunomodulation over the course of treatment. Improved understanding of these phenomena may help identify clinical biomarkers and inform the optimal use of anti-angiogenics in the treatment of individual patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Martin Reck received fees for honoraria, consulting/advisory roles and speaker’s bureau from Boehringer Ingelheim. Sanjay Popat received personal fees from Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, Takeda, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, EMD Serono, Guardant Health, AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Tesaro, OncLive, Medscape. Christian Grohé has received sponsorship or research funding and payment or other financial remuneration from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche; and payment or other financial remuneration from Lilly. Silvia Novello received personal fees for advisor/speaker’s bureaus from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda, Pfizer, Roche, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Eli Lilly, AbbVie. Wolfgang M. Brueckl received lecture and educational event (personal) fees from AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Takeda; congress (personal) fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Roche Pharmaceuticals; and advisory board fees (personal) from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lilly Pharma, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche. Dejan Radonjic and Rolf Kaiser are employees of Boehringer Ingelheim. Rolf Kaiser also has a patent EP 2994125 issued. John Heymach received fees for advisory roles from AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, Boehringer Ingelheim, Catalyst, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Hengrui Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Spectrum, Sanofi, Takeda, Mirati Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, BrightPath Biotherapeutics, Janssen Global Services, Nexus Health Systems, Pneuma Respiratory, RefleXion, Chugai Pharmaceuticals; fees for a Board of Directors role from Rexanna Foundation; corporate-sponsored research fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Spectrum, Takeda; and royalties and licensing fees from Spectrum. Jesus Corral and Maya Gottfried report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Nazartinib, a novel third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, previously demonstrated antitumor activity and manageable safety in patients with EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received ≤ 3 prior lines of systemic therapy. Herein, we report phase 2 efficacy and safety of first-line nazartinib., Methods: This single-arm, open-label, global study enrolled treatment-naive adult patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC harboring EGFR-activating mutations (eg, L858R and/or ex19del). Patients with neurologically stable and controlled brain metastases were also eligible. Patients received oral nazartinib 150 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC)-assessed overall response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1., Results: Forty-five patients received ≥ 1 dose of nazartinib. The median follow-up time from enrollment to data cutoff (November 1, 2019) was 30 months (range: 25-34). The BIRC-assessed ORR was 69% (95% CI, 53-82). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 18 months (95% CI, 15-not estimable [NE]). The median overall survival was NE. In patients with baseline brain metastases (n = 18), the ORR and median PFS (95% CIs) were 67% (41-87) and 17 months (11-21). Seventeen of 18 patients had brain metastases as non-target lesions; the CNS lesions were absent/normalized in 9 of 17 (53%). Only 2 of 27 patients without baseline brain metastases developed new brain metastases postbaseline. Most frequent adverse events (≥ 25%, any grade, all-causality) were diarrhea (47%), maculopapular rash (38%), pyrexia (29%), cough, and stomatitis (27% each)., Conclusions: First-line nazartinib demonstrated promising efficacy, including clinically meaningful antitumor activity in the brain, and manageable safety in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02108964., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships that may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Tan reports consulting or advisory role for Novartis, Merck, Loxo, AstraZeneca, Roche, Pfizer, Amgen, and Janssen; travel, accommodation, and expenses from Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Roche; honoraria from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda, Novartis, Roche, and Pfizer; and research funding (institution) from Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, and AstraZeneca. Dr. S–W Kim reports advisory role for AstraZeneca, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and Novartis; research funding from AstraZeneca and Novartis; and honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. PonceAix reports consulting or advisory role for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, and Roche; speakers' bureau for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, and Roche; and travel, accommodations, expenses from AstraZeneca, Merck, and Roche. Dr. Sequist reports consulting or advisory role for AstraZeneca, Genentech/Roche, Janssen Oncology, and Takeda; and research funding (institution) from AstraZeneca, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Guardant Health, Johnson & Johnson, Loxo, Merck, Merrimack, Novartis, and Pfizer. Dr. Smit reports consulting or advisory role (institution) for AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Merck KGaA, MSD Oncology, Novartis, Roche/Genentech, Seattle Genetics, and Takeda; and research funding (institution) from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Roche/Genentech. Dr. Yang reports personal fees (advisory board) from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ono Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, MSD, Merck, Amgen, Yuhan, and Daiichi Sankyo; grants to conduct investigator initiated study from AstraZeneca; and institutional fees (advisory board) from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, MSD, Merck, Bayer, Yuhan, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen, and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Hida reports honoraria from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharma, Clovis Oncology, Kissei Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, MSD, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, and Taiho Pharmaceutical; and research funding (institution) from Abbvie, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharma, Clovis Oncology, Daiichi Sankyo, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, Eisai, Ignyta, Janssen, Kissei Pharmaceutical, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Eli Lilly, Merck Serono, MSD, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Servier, Taiho Pharmaceutical, and Takeda. Dr. Toyozawa reports honoraria from Chugai Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Lilly Japan, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim, Nippon Kayaku, Novartis, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and MSD; and research funding (institution) from Abbvie, Amgen, Daiichi Sankyo, Lilly Japan, Novartis, Pfizer, and Takeda. Dr. Felip reports consulting or advisory role for Abbvie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Merck Serono, MSD Oncology, Novartis, Pfizer, Puma Biotechnology, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda; speakers' bureau for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, CME outfitters, Eli Lilly, Medscape, MSD, Novartis, PeerVoice, Pfizer, Prime Oncology, Roche, Springer, Takeda, and touchIME; research funding (institution) from EMD Serono and Merck; and other relationship from GRÍFOLS. Dr. Wolf reports consulting or advisory role for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Ignyta, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Loxo, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Seattle Genetics, and Takeda; research funding (institution) from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer; and travel, accommodations, expenses from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Ignyta, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Loxo, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Seattle Genetics, and Takeda. Dr. Grohé reports honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, MSD Oncology, Novartis, Roche, and Takeda; consulting or advisory role for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and MSD Oncology; research funding (institution) from AstraZeneca; and travel, accommodations, expenses from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Roche. Dr. Leighl reports honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim; consulting or advisory role for Xcovery; research funding (institution) from EMD Serono, Guardant Health, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, and Roche Canada; and travel, accommodations, expenses from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, MSD, Nektar, and Roche. Dr. Riely reports research funding (institution) from GlaxoSmithKline, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, and Takeda; patents, royalties, other intellectual property (institution): patent application submitted covering pulsatile use of erlotinib to treat or prevent brain metastases; travel, accommodations, expenses from MSD; and other relationship from Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, and Takeda. Dr. Cui and Dr. Belli report employment at Novartis and own Novartis stock. Dr. Zou is a former employee at Novartis and owns Novartis stock. Dr. Ghebremariam reports employment at Novartis, owns Novartis stock, and reports travel, accommodation, and expenses from Novartis. Leslie O'Sullivan-Djentuh and Dr. Giovannini report employment at Novartis. Dr. D-W Kim reports research funding (institution) from Alpha Biopharma, Amgen, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Hanmi, Janssen, Merus, Mirati Therapeutics, MSD, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, Takeda, TP Therapeutics, Xcovery, and Yuhan; and travel, accommodations, expenses from Amgen and Daiichi Sankyo., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Local ablative therapy (LAT) improves survival in oligometastatic lung cancer (OMD), but there is limited information on recurrence patterns, re-treatments and in particular the role of brain metastases during the course of disease. We therefore conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis to evaluate course of disease, sequence of therapies and predictors for long-term disease-control in the brain and survival endpoints., Patients and Methods: Clinical data of patients with synchronous, single organ OMD with ≤4 metastases were collected from 5 certified German lung cancer centers. All patients underwent thorough initial staging including a 18 FDG-PET/CT scan, brain imaging and mediastinal staging, if necessary, and received LAT to all sites of disease., Results: In total, 164 patients were included (median age 62 years [range 41-84], non-squamous histology 80%, N0-1 64%, single metastasis 84%), 103 had brain (cohort A), 61 extracranial metastases (cohort B). With a median follow-up of 66 months, 115 patients (70%) experienced recurrent disease with a different distribution of sites: In cohort A vs. B, brain relapses occurred in 56% vs. 18% and new distant metastases in 5% vs. 40%. In total, LAT for every relapse was possible for 25% (29/115) of the patients. Patients with initial and secondary onset brain metastases experienced long-term disease-control in the brain and subsequently favorable survival with the application of repeated LAT (disease in the brain controlled vs. not-controlled, HR 0.21, p < 0.001). Comparable long-term overall survival was observed in patients with no or isolated brain relapses (5-years OS 74% and 92%) in contrast to patients with extracranial relapses (5-years OS 19.6%, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Repeated LAT for recurrent synchronous single organ OMD results in a long-term favorable outcome. Disease control in the brain appears crucial and likely determines survival., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: EGFR exon20 insertions (ex20ins) are targeted by novel compounds in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, data about outcome under conventional therapies and the influence of molecular features are scarce., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analysed 118 patients with evaluation of radiologic response based on RECIST v1.1. TP53 status was available for 88 cases., Results: Platinum doublets and chemoimmunotherapy showed similar response rates (20-25%), disease control rates (80%) and median progression-free survival (mPFS, ≈7 months), which were longer compared to monochemotherapy (9%, 59%, 4.1 months), EGFR inhibitors (0%, 46%, 3.0) and PD-(L)1 inhibitors (0%, 30%, 2.1; p < 0.05). Overall survival (OS) was not dependent on the choice of first-line treatment, but related to more lines of systemic therapy (p < 0.05). TP53 mutations and brain metastases were associated with shorter PFS under platinum doublets and EGFR inhibitors (HR 3.3-6.1, p < 0.01), and shorter OS for patients receiving both treatments (p < 0.05). More tumour CD8 + and less Th1 cells were associated with longer OS independent of brain and TP53 status (p < 0.01). No difference in outcome was noted according to the ex20ins site and use of pemetrexed (vs. other cytotoxics) or bevacizumab. Long-lasting responses (>1 year) occasionally occurred under EGFR inhibitors for both 'near-' and 'far-loop' variants., Conclusions: Platinum doublets and chemoimmunotherapy have the highest activity with ORR of 20-25% and mPFS of approximately 7 months, regardless of the cytotoxic partner, while PD-(L)1 inhibitors show limited efficacy. TP53 mutations, brain metastases and a lower tumour CD8/Th1-cell ratio are independently associated with shorter survival., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement PC: research funding from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Roche, Takeda, and advisory board/lecture fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda. JR: lecture fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim. FCS: research funding from Roche; non-financial support from Lilly; personal fees from Takeda, and Pfizer, outside the submitted work. BH: advisory board/lecture fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, MSD, Roche, Pfizer. JK: research funding from AstraZeneca and Celgene. MJ: speaker's honoraria from Roche, Boehringer, and travel grants from Daiichi Sankyo. DK: advisory boards/speakers honoraria from AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda. FE: speaker's honoraria from Roche. FB: research funding from AstraZeneca, BMS and Roche, and travel grants from BMS and MSD. RS: research funding from BMS, and speaker's honoraria from AstraZeneca and Roche. AT: research funding from BMS. MW: research funding from Roche; Personal fees from Roche, AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Kite, Novartis, Merck, BMS, Heidelberg Pharma; Non-financial support from AstraZeneca, BMS, Glenmark; outside the submitted work. SL: advisory board, speaker's honoraria and travel support from BerGenBio, Novartis, Lilly, BMS, MSD, Roche, Celgene, Takeda, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, as well as research funding from Roche, BMS, BerGenBio. WB: consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, honoraria for lectures from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi. Travel grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Roche. CS: advisory board honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Takeda. Speaker's honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Lilly, Roche, MSD, Takeda. DM: advisory board/lecture fees from AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and Takeda (no personal honoraria) NF: advisory board/lecture fees from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Roche, MSD, Takeda. JK: advisory board member without receiving any personal fees for Roche Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, MSD, Amgen, Lilly and Takeda. MR: advisory board/lecture fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Samsung. FG: grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, as well as personal fees from AbbVie, Tesaro/GSK, Blueprint Medicines, Amgen. CG: advisory board/lecture fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Takeda, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, AbbVie, Tesaro/GSK and Blueprints Medicines. AS: advisory board honoraria from BMS, AstraZeneca, ThermoFisher, Novartis, speaker's honoraria from BMS, Illumina, AstraZeneca, Novartis, ThermoFisher, MSD, Roche, and research funding from Chugai and BMS. MT: advisory board honoraria from Novartis, Eli Lilly, BMS, MSD, Roche, Celgene, Takeda, AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, speaker's honoraria from Eli Lilly, MSD, Takeda, Pfizer, research funding from AstraZeneca, BMS, Celgene, Novartis, Roche, Takeda, and travel grants from BMS, MSD, Novartis, Boehringer. All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are associated with neuronal autoantibodies, and some of these autoantibodies are associated with neuropsychological symptoms. The most common underlying tumor is lung cancer. The association of neuronal autoantibodies with cognitive deficits has not been systematically investigated in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Objective: To assess the frequency of neuronal autoantibodies in patients with lung cancer and analyze their association with cognitive function., Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective, cross-sectional study included 167 patients with lung cancer (both SCLC and NSCLC) recruited at a single lung cancer center in Berlin, Germany, between June 2015 and April 2016. Detailed neuropsychological testing was performed in a carefully selected subgroup of 97 patients (from which patients with potential confounding factors were excluded). Investigators were blinded to patients' autoantibody status and cognitive test results. Data were analyzed from May 2016 to December 2019., Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence of neuronal autoantibodies and their association with cognitive impairment. The evaluation of autoantibodies as potential risk factors for cognitive impairment was performed using bayesian logistic regression models., Results: Among 167 patients with lung cancer (median age, 66.0 years [interquartile range, 59.0-72.0 years]; 105 men [62.9%]), 127 had NSCLC, and 40 had SCLC. Brain-directed autoantibodies were detected in 61 of 167 patients (36.5%); 33 patients (19.8%) had known autoantibodies and 28 patients (16.8%) had autoantibodies against currently unknown antigens that were detected through immunohistochemical analysis. Cognitive impairment was found in 65 of 97 patients (67.0%). Among patients with SCLC, the odds of cognitive impairment for those with any autoantibodies was 11-fold higher (odds ratio [OR], 11.0; 95% credible interval [CrI], 1.2-103.6) than that of autoantibody-negative patients, and the increased odds were independent of age, sex, and neurological deficit. Among patients with NSCLC, those with immunoglobin A autoantibodies targeting the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor had a relevantly increased odds of verbal memory deficits (OR, 182.8; 95% CrI, 3.1-10 852.4). Autoantibodies against currently unknown antigens were also associated with increased odds of cognitive impairment (OR, 2.8; 95% CrI, 0.6-12.1)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, more than one-third of patients with lung cancer had neuronal autoantibodies that were found to be associated with cognitive impairment. These autoantibodies might represent a potentially treatable mechanism of immune-mediated cognitive impairment among patients with lung cancer.

Introduction: Pembrolizumab is a highly effective standard of care in PD-L1 overexpressing (≥ 50%) non-small-cell lung cancer. However, a substantial share of patients from everyday clinical practice is treated without clear evidence from clinical trials., Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective multicentric study including all consecutive patients from 6 certified lung cancer centers in Berlin, Germany, having received pembrolizumab as first-line palliative therapy from January 1 until December 31, 2017. Aims were to validate published clinical trials with a special focus on efficacy and outcome in patients with reduced performance status (PS), brain metastases, and steroids., Results: A total of 153 patients were included (median age 69 years, 58% men, 69% adenocarcinoma). Rates for PS ≥ 2, brain metastases, and steroids were 24.8%, 20.9%, and 24.2%, respectively. Median objective response rate, progression-free and overall survival were 48.5%, 8.2 and 22.0 months for all patients and 52.4%, 8.8 and 29.2 months in patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria for the KEYNOTE-024 trial. Patients with a comorbidity-defined PS ≥ 2, symptomatic brain metastases requiring upfront radiotherapy, or baseline steroids had significantly reduced survival. In contrast, durable responses occurred with a tumor-related PS ≥ 2 or asymptomatic brain metastases. Grade 3/4 and 5 immune-related adverse events affected 13.7% and 2.0% of patients., Conclusion: Real-world and clinical trial efficacy with upfront pembrolizumab correspond well. Pembrolizumab may sufficiently control asymptomatic brain metastases and may improve a cancer-related reduced PS. However, the frail share of patients with a comorbidity-defined PS ≥ 2, symptomatic brain metastases, or baseline steroids derives no relevant benefit., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Clinical trial and real-world data in non-small-cell lung cancer indicate that 10-60% of patients that progressed on first- or second-generation EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) do not receive systemic second-line therapy. In our article, we discuss efficacy, safety and treatment duration with different EGFR-TKIs and stress the need for delivery of the most efficacious therapy in the first-line. We also provide our perspective on analysis of circulating tumor DNA and the role of EGFR-TKI in combined therapies. Finally, we review new therapeutic options to overcome resistance to EGFR-TKI. We believe that overall treatment duration and access to different medications in subsequent lines of therapy should be considered when planning the optimal treatment strategy.

The introduction of licensed front-line immunotherapies has heralded a new era for the treatment of non-oncogene-addicted, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Yet as with all evolutions in clinical management, changes in practice can outpace the availability of the clinical evidence needed to inform subsequent therapeutic decision making. At the time of writing, there is limited available evidence on the optimum therapeutic options after progression on immunotherapy. Further research is needed to define mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance in patients with advanced NSCLC, and to understand the implications for subsequent treatment response. Pending the availability of robust clinical data and proven therapeutic options to underpin an optimized therapeutic pathway after progression on immunotherapy, attention must turn to the potential utility of currently licensed agents and any available supporting clinical data in this setting. Within this context we review the mechanistic arguments and supporting evidence for the use of anti-angiogenic agents as a means of targeting immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment. We consider whether VEGF inhibition may help to normalize the tumor vasculature and to address immunosuppression - reinstating, and potentially enhancing, the effect of subsequent therapies. We also highlight evidence needs and signpost ongoing trials that should enable current clinical opinion in this area to be replaced by robust, evidence-based guidance., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Standard therapy of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer harboring an activating mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). However, for rare and compound mutations of the EGFR gene, the clinical evidence of TKI therapy is still unclear., Patients and Methods: A total of 2906 lung cancer samples were analyzed for EGFR mutations during routine analysis between 2010 and 2017. The samples have been investigated by Sanger sequencing and since 2014 by next-generation sequencing., Results: We detected EGFR mutations in 408 specimens (14%). Among these, we found 41 samples with rare and 22 with compound mutations. In these 63 samples, 56 different rare EGFR mutations occurred. Information about the clinical outcome was available for 37. Among those with rare mutations, only one patient harboring the mutation p.G874D had disease that responded to first-generation TKI therapy. In contrast, the disease of all patients with compound mutations responded to first- or second-generation TKI therapy. Furthermore, we collected data on clinical relevance regarding TKI therapy from different databases and from an additional literature search, and only found data for 36 of the 56 detected rare mutations., Conclusion: Information about the clinical outcome of patients with rare and compound EGFR mutations remains limited. At present, second- and third-generation TKIs are available, which may represent new treatment strategies for these patients. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to maintain databases concerning rare EGFR mutations., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To assess outcomes in patients with advanced adenocarcinoma non-small-cell lung cancer who received nintedanib plus docetaxel after progression on prior chemotherapy followed by immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Patients & methods: VARGADO is a prospective, noninterventional study. We describe initial data from a cohort of 22 patients who received nintedanib plus docetaxel after chemotherapy and ICI therapy. Results: Median progression-free survival with nintedanib plus docetaxel was 5.5 months (95% CI: 1.9-8.7 months). The objective response rate was 7/12 (58%) and the disease control rate was 10/12 (83%). Data for overall survival rate 12 months after the start of treatment (primary end point) are not yet mature and are not reported. Of 22 patients, 73% experienced drug-related adverse events; adverse events led to treatment discontinuation in 32% of patients. Conclusion: These data highlight the potential clinical benefit of nintedanib plus docetaxel in patients who failed prior ICI therapy. Trial registration number: NCT02392455.

Introduction: ROS1 rearrangements are found in 1% of lung cancer patients. Therapeutic efficacy of crizotinib in this subset has been shown in early phase trials in the United States and East Asia. Here we present data on efficacy and safety of a prospective phase II trial evaluating crizotinib in European ROS1-positive patients (EUCROSS)., Patients and Methods: The trial was a multicenter, single-arm phase II trial (Clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT02183870). Key eligibility criteria included patients who were 18 years of age or older with advanced/metastatic lung cancer and centrally confirmed ROS1-rearranged lung cancer (fluorescence-in situ hybridization). Treatment included 250 mg crizotinib twice daily. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR) (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1). Key secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, efficacy by independent radiologic review, safety, health-related quality of life, and molecular characterization of tumor tissue., Results: Thirty-four patients received treatment. Four patients were excluded from efficacy analysis. Investigator ORR was 70% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51-85; 21 of 30 patients) and median PFS was 20.0 months (95% CI: 10.1-not reached). Two patients with ROS1 wild-type sequences assessed by DNA sequencing had progression as best response. CD74-ROS1-positive patients had a trend towards a higher ORR and longer median PFS. TP53-co-mutant patients had a significantly shorter median PFS than wild-type patients (7.0 months, 95% CI: 1.7-20.0 versus 24.1 months, 95% CI: 10.1-not reached; p = 0.022). Treatment-related adverse events were documented in 33 of 34 patients (97%)., Conclusions: Crizotinib is highly effective and safe in patients with ROS1-rearranged lung cancer. ROS1-/TP53-co-aberrant patients had a significantly worse outcome compared to TP53 wild-type patients., (Copyright © 2019 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Although KRAS mutations in NSCLC have been considered mutually exclusive driver mutations for a long time, there is now growing evidence that KRAS-mutated NSCLC represents a genetically heterogeneous subgroup. We sought to determine genetic heterogeneity with respect to cancer-related co-mutations and their correlation with different KRAS mutation subtypes., Methods: Diagnostic samples from 4507 patients with NSCLC were analyzed by next-generation sequencing by using a panel of 14 genes and, in a subset of patients, fluorescence in situ hybridization. Next-generation sequencing with an extended panel of 14 additional genes was performed in 101 patients. Molecular data were correlated with clinical data. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in two patients., Results: We identified 1078 patients with KRAS mutations, of whom 53.5% had at least one additional mutation. Different KRAS mutation subtypes showed different patterns of co-occurring mutations. Besides mutations in tumor protein p53 gene (TP53) (39.4%), serine/threonine kinase 11 gene (STK11) (19.8%), kelch like ECH associated protein 1 gene (KEAP1) (12.9%), and ATM serine/threonine kinase gene (ATM) (11.9%), as well as MNNG HOS Transforming gene (MET) amplifications (15.4%) and erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 gene (ERBB2) amplifications (13.8%, exclusively in G12C), we found rare co-occurrence of targetable mutations in EGFR (1.2%) and BRAF (1.2%). Whole-exome sequencing of two patients with co-occurring phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha gene (PIK3CA) mutation revealed clonality of mutated KRAS in one patient and subclonality in the second, suggesting different evolutionary backgrounds., Conclusion: KRAS-mutated NSCLC represents a genetically heterogeneous subgroup with a high frequency of co-occurring mutations in cancer-associated pathways, partly associated with distinct KRAS mutation subtypes. This diversity might have implications for understanding the variability of treatment outcome in KRAS-mutated NSCLC and for future trial design., (Copyright © 2019 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A substantial proportion of patients with nononcogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has 'aggressive disease', as reflected in short time to progression or lack of disease control with initial platinum-based chemotherapy. Recently, clinical correlates of aggressive disease behavior during first-line therapy have been shown to predict greater benefit from addition of nintedanib to second-line docetaxel in adenocarcinoma NSCLC. Positive predictive effects of aggressive disease have since been reported with other anti-angiogenic agents (ramucirumab and bevacizumab), while such features may negatively impact on outcomes with nivolumab in nonsquamous NSCLC with low PD-L1 expression. Based on a review of the clinical data, we recommend aggressive nonsquamous NSCLC should be defined by progression within <6-9 months of first-line treatment initiation.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is primarily treated with radiation, surgery, and platinum-based drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin. The major challenge in the treatment of NSCLC patients is intrinsic or acquired resistance to chemotherapy. Molecular markers predicting the outcome of the patients are urgently needed., Methods: Here, we employed patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) to detect predictive methylation biomarkers for platin-based therapies. We used MeDIP-Seq to generate genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of 22 PDXs, their parental primary NSCLC, and their corresponding normal tissues and complemented the data with gene expression analyses of the same tissues. Candidate biomarkers were validated with quantitative methylation-specific PCRs (qMSP) in an independent cohort., Results: Comprehensive analyses revealed that differential methylation patterns are highly similar, enriched in PDXs and lung tumor-specific when comparing differences in methylation between PDXs versus primary NSCLC. We identified a set of 40 candidate regions with methylation correlated to carboplatin response and corresponding inverse gene expression pattern even before therapy. This analysis led to the identification of a promoter CpG island methylation of LDL receptor-related protein 12 (LRP12) associated with increased resistance to carboplatin. Validation in an independent patient cohort (n = 35) confirmed that LRP12 methylation status is predictive for therapeutic response of NSCLC patients to platin therapy with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 84% (p < 0.01). Similarly, we find a shorter survival time for patients with LRP12 hypermethylation in the TCGA data set for NSCLC (lung adenocarcinoma)., Conclusions: Using an epigenome-wide sequencing approach, we find differential methylation patterns from primary lung cancer and PDX-derived cancers to be very similar, albeit with a lower degree of differential methylation in primary tumors. We identify LRP12 DNA methylation as a powerful predictive marker for carboplatin resistance. These findings outline a platform for the identification of epigenetic therapy resistance biomarkers based on PDX NSCLC models.

Introduction: To offer patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC appropriate EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment, mutation testing of tumor samples is required. However, tissue/cytologic samples are not always available or evaluable. The large, noninterventional diagnostic ASSESS study (NCT01785888) evaluated the utility of circulating free tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA) from plasma for EGFR mutation testing., Methods: ASSESS was conducted in 56 centers (in Europe and Japan). Eligible patients (with newly diagnosed locally advanced/metastatic treatment-naive advanced NSCLC) provided diagnostic tissue/cytologic and plasma samples. DNA extracted from tissue/cytologic samples was subjected to EGFR mutation testing using local practices; designated laboratories performed DNA extraction/mutation testing of blood samples. The primary end point was level of concordance of EGFR mutation status between matched tissue/cytologic and plasma samples., Results: Of 1311 patients enrolled, 1288 were eligible. Concordance of mutation status in 1162 matched samples was 89% (sensitivity 46%, specificity 97%, positive predictive value 78%, and negative predictive value 90%). A group of 25 patients with apparent false-positive plasma results was overrepresented for cytologic samples, use of less sensitive tissue testing methodologies, and smoking habits associated with high EGFR mutation frequency, indicative of false-negative tumor results. In cases in which plasma and tumor samples were tested with identical highly sensitive methods, positive predictive value/sensitivity were generally improved., Conclusions: These real-world data suggest that ctDNA is a feasible sample for EGFR mutation analysis. It is important to conduct mutation testing of both tumor and plasma samples in specialized laboratories, using robust/sensitive methods to ensure that patients receive appropriate treatments that target the molecular features of their disease., (Copyright © 2016 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Afatinib, an irreversible ErbB family blocker, demonstrated superiority to chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Afatinib is also active in patients progressing on EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). We report the results of a large cohort of NSCLC patients receiving afatinib within a compassionate-use program (CUP)., Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC progressing after one line or more of chemotherapy and one line or more of EGFR-TKI treatment with either an EGFR mutation or documented clinical benefit were enrolled. Data collection was not monitored or verified by central review. The intention of this CUP was to provide controlled preregistration access to afatinib for patients with life-threatening diseases and no other treatment option., Results: From May 2010 to October 2013, 573 patients (65% female; median age: 64 years [range: 28-89 years]) were enrolled, with strong participation of community oncologists. Comorbidities were allowed, including second malignancies in 11% of patients. EGFR mutation status was available in 391 patients (72%), and 83% tested mutation positive. Median time to treatment failure (TTF) of 541 patients treated with afatinib was 3.7 months (range: 0.0 to >29.0 months). Median TTF was 4.0 and 2.7 months in patients with adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, respectively, and 4.6 months in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Adverse events were generally manageable., Conclusion: Afatinib was able to be given in a real-world setting to heavily pretreated patients with EGFR-mutated or EGFR-TKI-sensitive NSCLC. Acknowledging the constraints of data collection in a CUP, afatinib appears to be safe and to confer some clinical benefit in this population., (©AlphaMed Press.)