Search

(1) Background: Disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes have long been well-documented in the medical literature. With the eruption of advances in new treatment modalities, the long-existing disparities are now being further uncovered and brought to the attention of the medical community. While social health determinants have previously been linked to treatment disparities in lung cancer, we analyzed data from the National Cancer Database to explore sociodemographic and geographic factors related to accepting or declining physician-recommended chemotherapy. Patients diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer between 2004 and 2016 who declined chemotherapy recommended by their physicians were included in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Cox Regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to look for survival characteristics. (2) Results: 316,826 patients with Stage IV lung cancer were identified. Factors related to a higher rate of refusal by patients included older age > 70, female sex, low income, lack of insurance coverage, residency in the New England region, and higher comorbidity. Patients living in areas with lower education were less likely to decline chemotherapy. (3) Conclusion: Further understanding of the factors impacting treatment decisions would be essential to improve the efficacy of care delivery in patients with cancer and reduce reversible causes of disparity.

Background: dNLR at the baseline (B), defined by neutrophils/[leucocytes-neutrophils], correlates with immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) outcomes in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). However, dNLR is dynamic under therapy and its longitudinal assessment may provide data predicting efficacy. We sought to examine the impact of dNLR dynamics on ICI efficacy and understand its biological significance. Patients and methods: aNSCLC patients receiving ICI at 17 EU/US centres were included [Feb/13-Jun/18]. As chemotherapy-only group was evaluated (NCT02105168). dNLR was determined at (B) and at cycle2 (C2) [dNLR

Introduction Presently, programmed death ligand 1 is the most commonly used biomarker to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in NSCLC. Owing to its several limitations, there is continuous search for more precise and reliable markers. Frameshift mutations by insertion or deletion (fsindels) are suggested to induce more immunogenic tumor-specific neoantigens, conferring better response to ICIs. Positive correlation of fsindels with ICI response has been studied in melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. We investigated the implication of fsindels in the clinical outcomes and immune landscape of patients with NSCLC treated with ICIs. Methods We utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas data set to analyze tumor mutational burden, neoantigen burden, and immune landscape in relation to fsindel status. In addition, utilizing the clinical data from 122 patients treated with ICIs, we evaluated the influence of fsindels on disease response rates and survival outcomes. Results A positive correlation between fsindel burden and tumor mutational burden and activated CD4/CD8 T-cell infiltration was shown. Presence of fsindels was also associated with significant prolongation of progression-free survival in patients treated with ICIs (median 6.2 versus 2.7 months [p = 0.01]). In addition, significant differences in the overall response rates (26% versus 12% [p = 0.04]) and disease control rates (68% versus 48% [p = 0.02]) were observed in patients with fsindels. Conclusion Our findings suggest that fsindels may have a predictive role for ICI response in NSCLC.

8552 Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States (U.S.). For stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), concurrent chemotherapy (CT) plus radiotherapy (RT) within 30 days (CCRT) confers a survival benefit. The proportion of Black and White NSCLC patients not receiving CCRT and their outcomes have not been explored. Methods: Stage III NSCLC in Black and White patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 from the U.S. NCDB were included. Those with multiple tumors and who received surgery were excluded. Six groups were analyzed: CCRT (0-30 days between CT and RT), SCRT (31-120 days between CT and RT), RT (only RT), CT (only CT), No-RT-nor-CT (didn’t receive RT nor CT), and other (uncategorized). Univariate, multivariate, and Kaplan-Meier analyses were utilized (p

e21547 Background: While genetic profiling has become standard of care for patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides a wealth of information about targetable mutations. Advances in genetic testing have led to sequencing platforms that utilize tissue itself or extracellular circulating tumor DNA in the blood, known as a “liquid biopsy.” Methods: We identified 55 patients with NSCLC who had undergone both tissue and liquid biopsy, using Foundation One and Guardant 360 at the University of Miami / Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center between January 2016 and December 2018, and performed retrospective analysis to determine patient characteristics as well concordance between different NGS platforms. Results: In our patient population, 34% of patients had never smoked prior to diagnosis, while 22% had more than a 30 pack-year smoking history. 64% of patients had no treatment prior to initial NGS. 40% of patients had both testing done essentially simultaneously, while 60% of patients had one test done after disease progression. Of these patients, therapy was changed as a result in 73%. Median number of days between tests was 21 days, with 56% of testing done within 90 days of the previous testing. Nine patients had an additional Foundation One tissue NGS performed. Concordance across all genes tested in both platforms was 98 ± 0.2%. Concordance with consideration of genetic alterations detected in both assays was 24.5 ± 3.0%. The median number of gene alterations determined by Foundation One testing was 4 (range 1-9), while the median for gene alterations detected by Guardant 360 was 3 (range 1-13). The median number of variants of unknown significance (VUS) was 10 (range 5-25). Conclusions: Our analysis indicates a role for both tissue-based and circulating tumor DNA-based NGS for determination of targetable mutations and thus appropriate treatment regimens. Low levels of concordance are potentially related to post-treatment changes in the tumor genetic profile as well as evolution in the testing itself.

e15135 Background: While the use of monoclonal antibodies targeting the PD-1 axis in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to expand since initial FDA approval in 2015, factors predictive of response still remain to be determined. Mutation status may provide insight as to which subgroups exhibit resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Methods: We conducted a single center retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic NSCLC treated at the University of Miami / Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center who underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) and identified patients that harbor either STK11 mutation alone (S) or co-mutations with STK11 and KRAS (S/K). Genomic results were obtained from Guardant360 and Foundation One testing in blood and tissue, respectively. Results: We identified 37 S patients and 36 S/K patients and determined no significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS). However, overall survival (OS) was significantly increased in patients with S/K co-mutation (20.3 ± 4.1 months) vs. patients with S alone (11.9 ± 1.9 months, p = 0.028). Furthermore, S/K patients who received immunotherapy had longer OS (20.7 ± 5.6 months) vs. S patients (13.6 ± 3.4 months, p = 0.049). We further investigated any population-specific factors that may contribute to the enhanced survival in the S/K cohort that had received immunotherapy, as previous studies have reported that STK11/KRAS co-mutations may confer a resistance to PD-1 axis-directed therapy. We found that S/K patients were older at diagnosis and were more likely to have received nivolumab (as compared to newer therapies pembrolizumab and atezolizumab). In addition, S/K patients were more likely to have longer smoking histories (81% smoked more than 30 pack-years at diagnosis) vs. S patients (53%, p = 0.01) and also had a higher number of additional targetable mutations found on NGS (4.7 ± 0.4 vs. 2.9 ± 0.3, p = 0.001). The most commonly identified mutations were TP53 (30%), KEAP1 (19%), CDKN2A/B (18%), SMARCA4/BRG1 (16%), and ARID1A (11%). Conclusions: Our study reveals an interesting analysis of potential predictors of resistance to immunotherapy with the utilization of precision medicine in combination with patient characteristics to identify the most appropriate treatment regimens for patients with NSCLC. Further studies will explore whether patients receiving immunotherapy as first line could overcome any inherent resistance to PD-1 axis-directed therapy from non-modifiable factors at diagnosis.

Background Accessible biomarkers are needed for immunotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We previously described a multivariate risk prediction model, the iSEND, which categorises advanced NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab into Good, Intermediate or Poor groups. This model was developed by using only clinical and analytical variables (sex, ECOG-performance status, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR] and post-treatment delta NLR). Methods An international database of 439 patients who received post-platinum PD-1/L1 monotherapies was collected for validation. Performance of the iSEND to different PD-L1 groups was compared by using time-dependent positive predictive value (PPV) for their mortality events. Results Median follow-up was 18.2 months (95% CI: 15.9–19.6). The overall survival of the iSEND Good (HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.22–0.43, p p = 0.01) and 18 months (85 vs. 46%, p = 0.03). However, female gender did not independently associate with better outcome in the validation cohort. Conclusion The iSEND model is associated with the outcome of post-platinum PD-1/L1 monotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients. The iSEND Poor demonstrated a superior performance to PD-L1 = 0% in negative prognostication. Prospective investigation and modelling with other significant parameters in a larger cohort are warranted.

e18109 Background: The main immunotherapy (IMMUNO) trials that led to the approval of these agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accrued a minimum number of Hispanic (HISP) patients (pts) or, in some studies, no HISP pts at all. Additional data is thus needed to validate outcomes in HISP pts with NSCLC treated with IMMUNO. While it is known that genomic profiles and cancer survivals are different between HISP, Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and African-Americans; no study has yet looked at differences in IMMUNO outcomes between these populations. Methods: We present data in 436 NSCLC pts treated with IMMUNO at 5 large institutions (3 in the US, 2 in Latin America). The agents evaluated include: nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab. 256 pts were HISP and 180 pts were NHW. Most of the pts were treated with single agent therapy as second line (or beyond) while a small group of pts were treated as first line. The primary endpoints of the study were: response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Among NHW pts, disease control rate (DCR) was 67% for Adenocarcinomas (Adeno) and 46% for squamous cell carcinomas (SQCC). In HISP pts there were no differences in DCR rates between both histologies: 68% for Adeno and 67% SQCC. There were no statistical significant differences among HISP and NHW pts regarding ORR, PFS, OS, and responses according to PD-L1 status. Conclusions: This is the largest publication and comparison of NSCLC immunotherapy outcomes in HISP vs NHW pts. No significant differences were found in the clinical outcomes between these 2 ethnic groups despite expected genomic differences. Pts with actionable mutations were excluded as they usually do not get IMMUNO as first or second line; an approach that might change after IMPOWER 150. These results are comparable to the ones seen in Checkmate and Keynote studies. As expected, higher response rates were seen in first line therapy and pts with PD-L1 (+) status. Further comparisons will be better addressed by a larger prospective study.[Table: see text]

Background: The dual roles of inflammation in malignancy has been well-described. Neutrophils play a key role in inflammation and carcinogenesis. We previously showed that high NLR may confer resistance to PD1/PDL1 inhibitors in lung cancer patients. In addition, obesity has been shown to produce chronic inflammation and neutrophil dysfunction have been described. The interplay between obesity and neutrophil in solid tumor patients treated with immunotherapy is unknown. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 408 patients with solid tumors who treated with immunotherapies at the University of Miami. Cox regression was performed to evaluate correlation of obesity (BMI >30) and NLR Table 1. Multivariate analysisPFSOSFactorHR95% C.I.p-valueHR95% C.I.p-valueECOG>12.188(1.561-3.068)0.00013.031(1.937-4.742)0.0001BMI Citation Format: Wungki Park, Vaia Florou, Alfredo Torres, Diana Saravia, Sandra Algaze, Gilberto Lopes, University of Miami. An inflammation paradox: Obesity vs. neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 701.

3015Background: There is an unmet need for affordable and readily available biomarkers to predict outcomes to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (PD-1/L1i) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients (aNSCL...

e15102Background: PD-L1 expression is an imperfect predictor of outcomes for patients (pts) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (PD-1/L1i). Immunosu...

Introduction Despite significant improvement of clinical outcomes of advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immunotherapy, our knowledge of optimal biomarkers is still limited. Patients and Methods We retrospectively evaluated 159 advanced NSCLC patients in our institution treated with nivolumab after disease progression during platinum-based chemotherapy. We correlated several variables with progression-free survival (PFS) to develop the immunotherapy, Sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and Delta NLR (iSEND) model. We categorized patients into iSEND good, intermediate, and poor risk groups and evaluated their clinical outcomes. Performance of iSEND at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months was evaluated according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and internally validated using bootstrapping. The association of iSEND risk groups with clinical benefit was evaluated using logistic regression. Results Median follow-up was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.4-13.1). There were 50 deaths and 43 with disease progression without death. PFS rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 78.4%, 63.7%, 55.3%, and 52.2% in iSEND good; 79.4%, 44.3%, 25.9%, and 19.2% in iSEND intermediate; and 65%, 25.9%, 22.8%, and 17.8% in iSEND poor. Time-dependent area under ROC curves of iSEND for PFS at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 0.718, 0.74, 0.746, and 0.774. The iSEND poor group was significantly associated with progressive disease at 12 ± 2 weeks (odds ratio, 9.59; 95% CI, 3.8-26.9; P Conclusion The iSEND model is an algorithmic model that can characterize clinical outcomes of advanced NSCLC patients receiving nivolumab into good, intermediate, or poor risk groups and might be useful as a predictive model if validated independently.