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Michael Wessolly,1,2,* Susann Stephan-Falkenau,3,* Anna Streubel,3 Robert Werner,3 Sabrina Borchert,1,2 Sergej Griff,3 Elena Mairinger,1 Robert FH Walter,1,4 Torsten Bauer,5 Wilfried EE Eberhardt,4,6 Torsten G Blum,5 Kurt W Schmid,1 Jens Kollmeier,5 Thomas Mairinger,1,* Fabian D Mairinger1,2,* 1Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 2German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; 3Department of Tissue Diagnostics, Helios Klinikum Emil Von Behring, Berlin, Germany; 4Ruhrlandklinik, West German Lung Center, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 5Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil Von Behring, Berlin, Germany; 6Department of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Center, University, Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Michael Wessolly Research Group: Translational Cancer Research, Institute for PathologyUniversity Hospital Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen D-45147, GermanyTel +49 201 723 – 83035Fax +49 201 723 – 3880Email michael.wessolly@uk-essen.deBackground: Immune checkpoint inhibition, especially the blockade of PD-1 and PD-L1, has become one of the most thriving therapeutic approaches in modern oncology. Immune evasion caused by altered tumor epitope processing (so-called processing escapes) may be one way to explain immune checkpoint inhibition therapy failure. In the present study, we aim to demonstrate the effects of processing escapes on immunotherapy outcome in NSCLC patients.Patients and Methods: Whole exome sequencing data of 400 NSCLC patients (AdC and SCC) were extracted from the TCGA database. The ICB cohort was composed of primary tumor probes from 48 NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab. Mutations were identified by targeted amplicon-based sequencing including hotspots and whole exomes of 22 genes. The effect of mutations on proteasomal processing was evaluated by deep learning methods previously trained on 1260 known MHC-I ligands. Cox regression modelling was used to determine the influence on overall survival.Results: In the TCGA cohort, processing escapes were associated with decreased overall survival (p= 0.0140). In the ICB cohort, patients showing processing escapes in combination with high levels of PD-L1 (n=8/48) also showed significantly decreased overall survival, independently of mutational load or PD-L1 status.Conclusion: The concept of altered epitope processing may help to understand immunotherapy failure. Especially when combined with PD-L1 status, this method can be used as a biomarker to identify patients not suitable for immunotherapy.Keywords: massive parallel sequencing, NSCLC, immunotherapy, epitope, processing escape, deep learning

Robert Fred Henry Walter,1,2 Saskia Roxanne Sydow,3 Erika Berg,3 Jens Kollmeier,4 Daniel Christian Christoph,5,6 Sandra Christoph,7 Wilfried Ernst Erich Eberhardt,1 Thomas Mairinger,4 Jeremias Wohlschlaeger,2 Kurt Werner Schmid,2 Fabian Dominik Mairinger2 1Ruhrlandklinik, West German Lung Center, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 2Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 3Institute of Pathology, Charité Universitaetsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; 4Institute of Pathology, Helios Klinikum Emil Von Behring, Berlin, Germany; 5Department of Oncology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 6Department of Internistic Oncology, Kliniken Essen Mitte, Essen, Germany; 7Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation, West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, GermanyCorrespondence: Robert Fred Henry WalterUniversity Hospital Essenm, Institute of Pathology, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen D-45147, GermanyTel +49 0 201/723 84828Fax +49 0 201/723 3880Email robert.walter@ruhrlandklinik.uk-essen.deBackground: Bortezomib is an approved proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of certain lymphoma subtypes. Two clinical trials investigated bortezomib in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and failed to improve outcome. We present a potential explanation for this event.Methods: 171 patients with MPM were analyzed for their mRNA expression of proteasomal subunits PSMA1, PSMA5, PSMB1, PSMB2, PSMB4 and PSMB5 via qPCR (n=84) or sequencing (n=87 TCGA/cBioPortal data set “Mesothelioma”). Outcome and subunit expression were correlated. Four mesothelial and one fibroblast cell line were treated with bortezomib and cisplatin. Cellular response was measured after 0, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hrs. Enzyme activity of proteasomal subunits was assessed via functional enzyme activity assays.Results: Patients with MPM presented with elevated expression of proteasomal subunits compared to benign controls (p

Over 40% stage-III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (pts) experience 5-year survival following multimodality treatment. Nevertheless, little is known about relevant late toxicities and quality-of-life (QoL) in the further long-term follow-up. Therefore, we invited pts from our randomized phase-III trial (Eberhardt et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology 2015) after 10 years from diagnosis to participate within a structured survivorship program (SSP) including follow-up imaging, laboratory parameters, cardio-pulmonary investigations, long-term toxicity evaluations and QoL questionnaires. Of 246 pts initially accrued, 161 were considered potentially resectable following the induction therapy and were randomized (80 to arm A: definitive chemoradiation; 81 to arm B: definitive surgery; 85 not randomized for different reasons; group C). 31 from 37 pts still alive after 10 years agreed to the SSP (13 in A; 12 in B; 6 in C). Clinically relevant long-term toxicities (grade 3 and 4) were rarely observed with no signal favoring any of the randomization arms. Furthermore, available data from the global QoL analysis did not show a signal favoring any definitive locoregional approach (Mean QoL in SSP A pts: 56.41/100, B pts: 64.39/100) and no late decline in comparison to baseline and early 1-year follow-up. This is the first comprehensive SSP of very late survival follow-up reported in stage-III NSCLC treated within a randomized multimodality trial and it may serve as important baseline information for physicians and pts deciding for a locoregional treatment option., (© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.)

Rationale: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2)-antagonist satoreotide trizoxetan ( 68 Ga-SSO120) is a novel, promising imaging modality for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), which holds potential for theranostic applications. This study aims to correlate uptake in PET imaging with SSTR2 expression in immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to assess the prognostic value of 68 Ga-SSO120 PET at initial staging of patients with SCLC. Methods: We analyzed patients who underwent 68 Ga-SSO120 PET/CT during initial diagnostic workup of SCLC as part of institutional standard-of-care. SSTR2 expression in IHC was evaluated on a 4-level scale and correlated with normalized standardized uptake values and tumor-to-liver ratios (SUV max and TLR peak ) in 68 Ga-SSO120 PET on a lesion level. Highest lesion SUV max /TLR peak per patient, SSTR2 score in IHC, M status according to TNM classification, and other parameters were analyzed for association with overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) by univariate, multivariate (cut-off values were identified on data for best separation), and stratified Cox regression. Results: We included 54 patients (24 men/30 women, median age 65 years, 21 M0/33 M1 according to TNM classification). In 43 patients with available surplus tumor tissue samples, hottest lesion SUV max /TLR peak showed a significant correlation with the level of SSTR2-expression by tumor cells in IHC (Spearman's rho 0.86/0.81, both p < 0.001; ANOVA p < 0.001). High SSTR2 expression in IHC, 68 Ga-SSO120 SUV max and TLR peak of the hottest lesion per patient, whole-body TLR mean , MTV, TLG, M status, and serum LDH showed a significant association with inferior TTF/OS in univariate analysis. In separate multivariate Cox regression (including sex, age, M stage, and LDH) higher hottest-lesion TLR peak showed a significant association with shorter OS (HR = 0.26, 95%CI: 0.08-0.84, p = 0.02) and SSTR2 expression in IHC with significantly shorter TTF (HR = 0.24, 95%CI: 0.08-0.71, p = 0.001) and OS (HR = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.06-0.84, p = 0.03). In total, 12 patients (22.2%) showed low (< 1), 21 (38.9%) intermediate (≥ 1 but < 2), 14 (25.9%) high (≥ 2 but < 5), and 7 (13.0%) very high (≥ 5) whole-body mean TLR mean . Conclusion: In patients with SCLC, SSTR2 expression assessed by 68 Ga-SSO120 PET and by IHC were closely correlated and associated with shorter survival. More than 75% of patients showed higher whole-body 68 Ga-SSO120 tumor uptake than liver uptake and almost 40% high or very high uptake, possibly paving the way towards theranostic applications., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: Filiz Oezkan received personal fees from Sanofi Aventis, Janssen, DeciBio, ERBE and Genentech/Roche Ltd.; program funding to the institution was received from Olympus, Astrazeneca, ERBE and Janssen, all outside the submitted work. Lale Umutlu is a Speaker / Advisory Board Member for Bayer Healthcare and Siemens Healthcare and received research grants from Siemens Healthcare outside the submitted work. Rainer Hamacher was supported by the Clinician Scientist Program of the University Medicine Essen Clinician Scientist Academy (UMEA; Faculty of Medicine and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DFG]); reports travel grants from Lilly, Novartis, and PharmaMar; and reports personal fees from Lilly and PharmaMar outside the submitted work. Jens Siveke is supported by German Cancer Aid (grant 70112505, PIPAC; grant 70113834, PREDICT-PACA), the Wilhelm-Sander Foundation (grant 2019.008.1), the DFG through grant SI1549/3-1 (Clinical Research Unit KFO337) and SI1549/4-1, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF; SATURN3 consortium); receives honoraria as a consultant or for continuing medical education presentations from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Immunocore, Roche, and Servier; receives research funding (to the institution) from Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, and Roche; and holds ownership and serves on the board of directors of Pharma15—all outside the submitted work. Wolfgang Fendler reports fees from SOFIE Biosciences (research funding), Janssen (consultant, speaker), Calyx (consultant, image review), Bayer (consultant, speaker, research funding), Novartis (speaker, consultant), Telix (speaker), GE Healthcare (speaker), Eczacıbaşı Monrol (speaker), Abx (speaker), Amgen (speaker), and Urotrials, all outside the submitted work. Marcel Wiesweg reports honoraria and advisory role from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, and research funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda outside the submitted work. Ken Herrmann reports personal fees from Bayer, personal fees and other from Sofie Biosciences, personal fees from SIRTEX, non-financial support from ABX, personal fees from Adacap, personal fees from Curium, personal fees from Endocyte, grants and personal fees from BTG, personal fees from IPSEN, personal fees from Siemens Healthineers, personal fees from GE Healthcare, personal fees from Amgen, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from ymabs, personal fees from Aktis Oncology, personal fees from Theragnostics, personal fees from Pharma15, outside the submitted work. Martin Schuler reports personal fees as a consultant from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Merck Serono, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda; honoraria for continuing medical education presentations from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, MSD, and Novartis; and research funding (to the institution) from AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb, all outside the submitted work. Hubertus Hautzel reports personal fees from Roche and Urenco, and other fees from Pari, Roche and Urenco, outside the submitted work. David Kersting reports speaker honoraria from Pfizer and Novartis outside the submitted work. A research grant from Pfizer outside the submitted work and funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG, KE2933/1-1), outside the submitted work., (© The author(s).)

The fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is highly expressed in tumor and stromal cells of mesothelioma and thus is an interesting imaging and therapeutic target. Previous data on PET imaging with radiolabeled FAP inhibitors (FAPIs) suggest high potential for superior tumor detection. Here, we report the data of a large malignant pleural mesothelioma cohort within a 68 Ga-FAPI46 PET observational trial (NCT04571086). Methods: Of 43 eligible patients with suspected or proven malignant mesothelioma, 41 could be included in the data analysis of the 68 Ga-FAPI46 PET observational trial. All patients underwent 68 Ga-FAPI46 PET/CT, contrast-enhanced CT, and 18 F-FDG PET/CT. The primary study endpoint was the association of 68 Ga-FAPI46 PET uptake intensity and histopathologic FAP expression. Furthermore, secondary endpoints were detection rate and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values as compared with 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Datasets were interpreted by 2 masked readers. Results: The primary endpoint was met, and the association between 68 Ga-FAPI46 SUV max or SUV peak and histopathologic FAP expression was significant (SUV max : r = 0.49, P = 0.037; SUV peak : r = 0.51, P = 0.030). 68 Ga-FAPI46 and 18 F-FDG showed similar sensitivity by histopathologic validation on a per-patient (100.0% vs. 97.3%) and per region (98.0% vs. 95.9%) basis. Per-region analysis revealed higher 68 Ga-FAPI46 than 18 F-FDG specificity (81.1% vs. 36.8%) and positive predictive value (87.5% vs. 66.2%). Conclusion: We confirm an association of 68 Ga-FAPI46 uptake and histopathologic FAP expression in mesothelioma patients. Additionally, we report high sensitivity and superior specificity and positive predictive value for 68 Ga-FAPI46 versus 18 F-FDG., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

To evaluate the prognostic value of biomarkers from peripheral blood obtained as routine laboratory assessment for overall survival in a cohort of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with definitive radiochemotherapy at a high-volume cancer center. Seven blood biomarkers from 160 patients treated with definitive radiochemotherapy for stage III NSCLC were analyzed throughout the course treatment. Parameters were preselected using univariable and multivariable proportional hazards analysis and were assessed for internal validity using leave-one-out cross validation. Cross validated classifiers including biomarkers in addition to important clinical parameters were compared with classifiers containing the clinical parameters alone. An increased C-reactive protein (CRP) value in the final week of radiotherapy was found as a prognostic factor for overall survival, both as a continuous (HR 1.099 (1.038-1.164), p < 0.0012) as well as categorical variable splitting data at the median value of 1.2 mg/dl (HR 2.214 (1.388-3.531), p < 0.0008). In the multivariable analysis, the CRP value-maintained significance with an HR of 1.105 (1.040-1.173) and p-value of 0.0012. The cross validated classifier using CRP at the end of radiotherapy in addition to clinical parameters separated equally sized high and low risk groups more distinctly than a classifier containing the clinical parameters alone (HR = 2.786 (95% CI 1.686-4.605) vs. HR = 2.287 (95% CI 1.407-3.718)). Thus, the CRP value at the end of radiation therapy has successfully passed the crucial cross-validation test. The presented data on CRP levels suggests that inflammatory markers may become increasingly important during definitive radiochemotherapy, particularly with the growing utilization of immunotherapy as a consolidation therapy for stage III NSCLC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Patients with lung cancer under treatment have been associated with a high risk of COVID-19 infection and potentially worse outcome, but real-world data on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are rare. We assess patients' characteristics and PROs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in an advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohort in Germany. Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC from the prospective, multicentre, observational CRISP Registry (NCT02622581) were categorised as pre-pandemic (March 2019 to Feb 2020, n = 1621) and pandemic (March 2020 to Feb 2021, n = 1317). From baseline to month 15, patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed by FACT-L, anxiety and depression by PHQ-4. Association of pandemic status with time to deterioration (TTD) in QoL scales adjusted for potential covariates was estimated using Cox modelling. PROs were documented for 1166 patients (72%) in the pre-pandemic, 979 (74%) in the pandemic group. Almost 60% of patients were male, median age was 66 years, comorbidities occurred in 85%. Regarding HRQoL, mean-change-from-baseline plots hardly differed between both samples. Approximately 15%-21% of patients reported anxiety, about 19%-27% signs of depression. For the pandemic group, TTD was slightly, but statistically significantly, worse for the physical well-being-FACT-G subscale (HR 1.15 [95%CI 1.02-1.30]) and the anxiety-GAD-2 subscale (HR 1.14 [95%CI 1.01-1.29]). These prospectively collected real-world data provide valuable insights into PROs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in advanced NSCLC. For the patients, the pandemic seemed to be less of a burden than the disease itself, as there was a considerable proportion of patients with anxiety and depression in both groups., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.)

Introduction: This study analyzed all metastatic categories of the current TNM classification of NSCLC to propose modifications of the M component in the next edition (ninth) of the classification., Methods: A database of 124,581 patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2019 was established; of these, 14,937 with NSCLC in stages IVA to IVB were available for this analysis. Overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and prognosis was assessed using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression., Results: The eighth edition M categories revealed good discrimination in the ninth edition data set. Assessments revealed that an increasing number of metastatic lesions were associated with decreasing prognosis; because this seems to be a continuum and adjustment for confounders was not possible, no specific lesion number was deemed appropriate for stage classification. Among tumors involving multiple metastases, decreasing prognosis was found with an increasing number of organ systems involved. Multiple assessments, including after adjustment for potential confounders, revealed that M1c patients who had metastases to a single extrathoracic organ system were prognostically distinct from M1c patients who had involvement of multiple extrathoracic organ systems., Conclusions: These data validate the eighth edition M1a and M1b categories, which are recommended to be maintained. We propose the M1c category be divided into M1c1 (involvement of a single extrathoracic organ system) and M1c2 (involvement of multiple extrathoracic organ systems)., Competing Interests: Disclosure Dr. Fong reports receiving grants and contracts from MRFF EPCDR, NHMRC Ideas Grant, MRFF Next Generation Clinical Researchers Program, NHMRC; receiving funds from UpToDate as reviewer and Cochrane Clinical Answers as reviewer; and receiving equipment support from Olympus and Mevis Veolity. Mr. Rosenthal reports receiving fees for service from IASLC to complete work associated with publication. Ms. Giroux reports receiving fees for service from IASLC to complete work associated with publication. Dr. Nishimura reports receiving fees for service from IASLC to complete work associated with publication. Dr. Erasmus reports receiving honoraria from Canadian Association of Radiologists. Dr. Lievens reports receiving grants and contracts for the ImmunoSABR EU Project, HERO-VBHC chair; consulting fees from AstraZeneca; and honoraria from Merck Sharp & Dohme. Dr. Marom reports receiving honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, and AstraZeneca. Dr. Putora reports receiving grants or contracts from Bayer, Takeda, and AstraZeneca. Dr. Suárez reports receiving consulting fees from AstraZeneca and Roche; honoraria from AstraZeneca. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Background: In patients with oligometastatic NSCLC, a cT3-cT4 primary tumor or an cN2/cN3 lymph node status was reported to be associated with unfavorable outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of definitive or neoadjuvant thoracic radiochemotherapy for long-term outcome of these patients in order to find more appropriate treatment schedules. Methods: Analysis of the West Cancer Centre (WTZ) institutional database from 08/2016 to 08/2020 was performed. Patients with primary synchronous OMD, all without actionable driver mutations, who received definitive thoracic radiochemotherapy (RCT) or neoadjuvant RCT followed by surgery (trimodality treatment) were included. Survival outcome is compared with stage III NSCLC. Results: Altogether, 272 patients received concurrent radiochemotherapy. Of those, 220 presented with stage III (158 with definitive RCT, 62 with trimodality approach). A total of 52 patients had OMD patients with cT3/cT4 or cN2/cN3 tumors. Overall survival (OS) at five years for OMD patients was 28.3% (95%-CI: 16.4-41.5%), which was not significantly different from OS of patients with stage III NSCLC treated with definitive or neoadjuvant RCT (34.9% (95%-CI: 27.4-42.8%)). However, the PFS of OMD patients at five years or last follow-up was significantly worse than that of stage III patients (13.0% vs. 24.3%, p = 0.0048). The latter was due to a higher cumulative incidence of distant metastases in OMD patients (50.2% vs. 20.4% at 48 months, p < 0.0001) in comparison to stage III patients. A cross-validated classifier that included severe comorbidity, ECOG performance status, gender and pre-treatment serum CRP level as the most important factors in the univariable analysis, was able to divide the OMD patient group into two equally sized groups with a four-year survival rate of 49.4% in the good prognosis group and 9.9% in the poor prognosis group ( p = 0.0021). Laboratory chemistry and clinical parameters, in addition to imaging and high-precision therapies, can help to predict and improve prognosis. Conclusions: A multimodality treatment approach and local metastases-directed therapy in addition to chemoimmunotherapy can lead to good long-term survival in patients with cT3/cT4 or cN2/cN3 OMD NSCLC without severe comorbidities and in good performance status and is therefore recommended.

Introduction: Patients with metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinical practice may often not meet the strict inclusion criteria of clinical trials. Our aim was to assess the trial eligibility of patients with mNSCLC treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy in real-world and to compare the outcome of "trial-ineligible" and "potentially trial-eligible" patients., Methods: Data from the prospective, clinical research platform CRISP were used to compare patient characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with programmed cell death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score greater than or equal to 50% tumors treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy who are deemed either "potentially trial-eligible" or "trial-ineligible" according to inclusion and exclusion criteria of the registrational studies (KEYNOTE-024 and -042)., Results: Of 746 patients included, 343 patients (46.0%) were classified as "trial-ineligible" and had significantly worse outcomes compared with "potentially trial-eligible" patients (n = 403, 54.0%): median progression-free survival: 6.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.2-8.4) versus 10.3 (95% CI: 8.4-13.8) months, hazard ratio (trial-ineligible versus potentially trial-eligible) of 1.43 (95% CI: 1.19-1.72), p less than 0.001; median overall survival: 15.9 (95% CI: 11.4-20.3) versus 25.3 (95% CI: 19.8-30.4) months, hazard ratio of 1.36 (95% CI: 1.10-1.67), p equals 0.004., Conclusions: Our data reveal that a considerable proportion of patients with mNSCLC are not eligible to participate in a clinical trial and were found to have worse outcomes than potentially trial-eligible patients, whose outcomes were comparable with those obtained from pivotal clinical trials. This is of substantial clinical relevance for physicians discussing outcomes to be expected with their patients and stresses the need for real-world effectiveness analyses., Competing Interests: Dr. Griesinger has received support for the present manuscript (grants to the institution) from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda. Furthermore, he has received grants (to the institution) from Amgen and Siemens; personal fees for consulting from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda; payment for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda; support for attending meetings and/or travel from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda; and personal fees for participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board from Merck Sharp & Dohme. He declares an unpaid fiduciary role in the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (first author of Oncopedia recommendations) and in the German Cancer Society (S3 guidelines author). Dr. Sebastian has a consulting or advisory role and has received honoraria from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen-Cilag, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, and Tesaro; he has also received research funding from AstraZeneca. Dr. Brueckl has received personal fees and fees for lectures from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche and fees for educational events from AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Roche. Furthermore, he has received congress fees and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer, and Roche Pharma and has received personal fees and support for participation on advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly Pharma, Novartis, Merck Sharp & Dohme and Roche. He declares a patent planned (EP21183549). Dr. Hummel has received personal fees as steering board member and fees for consulting from Amgen; has received personal fees for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Boehringer Ingelheim; payment for expert testimony from Amgen and Boehringer Ingelheim; support for attending meetings and/or travel from Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb; and personal fees for participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board from Amgen and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Kern has received support for attending meetings and/or travel from AstraZeneca, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, and Roche and for participation on advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck/Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda. Dr. Wesseler has received honoraria for lectures and travel from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda. Dr. Hipper and Mrs. Groth have received research funding (to their employer AIO-Studien-gGmbH) from Amgen Ltd., AstraZeneca GmbH, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Celgene GmbH, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development Limited, Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Eli Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Merck Sharp & Dohme GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Roche Pharma AG, and Takeda Pharma Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG. Dr. Weichert has received research support (to the institution) from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Roche; fees for consulting, travel support, fees for participation on advisory boards and lectures, and payment or honoraria for presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from ADC, Agilent, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Illumina, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Merck, Molecular Health, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Siemens, Takeda, and Roche. Mr. Dörfel holds iOMEDICO shares. Dr. Schröder has received consulting fees from iOMEDICO, Celgene, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis Oncology GmbH, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Novartis, Merck Sharp & Dohme, AOP, Searchlight, Pharma Partner, Medixline GmbH, Eisai, HE Research GmbH, AbbVie, NIO, I+E Research, Octapharma and IPSEN. Further he declares honoraria from iOMEDICO, Celgene, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis Oncology GmbH, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Novartis, Merck Sharp & Dohme, AOP, Searchlight, Pharma Partner, Medixline GmbH, Eisai, HE Research GmbH, AbbVie, NIO, I+E Research, Octapharma, IPSEN, BeiGene, and Miltenyi. Dr. Eberhardt has received research funding (to the institution) from Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb; honoraria for advisory boards from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen-Cilag, Merck/Merck Sharp & Dohme, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AbbVie; and honoraria for lectures from Amgen, Baumgart Consult, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck/Merck Sharp & Dohme, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AbbVie. Dr. Thomas has received research funding (to the institution) from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche, and Takeda; personal fees for speakers bureaus and advisory boards from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Beigene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Oncology, Eli Lilly, Merck, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda; and support for attending meetings and/or travel from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen Oncology, Eli Lilly, Merck, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.)

PET imaging using the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) antagonist satoreotide trizoxetan (SSO-120, previously OPS-202) could offer accurate tumor detection and screening for SSTR2-antagonist radionuclide therapy in patients with SSTR2-expressing small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The aim of this single-center study was to investigate tumor uptake and detection rates of 68 Ga-SSO-120 in comparison to 18 F-FDG PET in the initial staging of SCLC patients. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed SCLC who underwent additional whole-body 68 Ga-SSO-120 PET/CT during the initial diagnostic workup were retrospectively included. The mean administered activity was 139 MBq, and the mean uptake time was 60 min. Gold-standard staging 18 F-FDG PET/CT was evaluated if available within 2 wk before or after 68 Ga-SSO-120 PET if morphologic differences in CT images were absent. 68 Ga-SSO-120- or 18 F-FDG-positive lesions were reported in 7 anatomic regions (primary tumor, thoracic lymph node metastases, and distant metastases including pleural, contralateral pulmonary, liver, bone, and other) according to the TNM classification for lung cancer (eighth edition). Consensus TNM staging (derived from CT, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, PET, and brain MRI) by a clinical tumor board served as the reference standard. Results: Thirty-one patients were included, 12 with limited and 19 with extensive disease according to the Veterans Administration Lung Study Group classification. 68 Ga-SSO-120-positive tumor was detected in all patients (100%) and in 90 of the 217 evaluated regions (41.5%). Thirteen patients (42.0%) had intense average 68 Ga-SSO-120 uptake (region-based mean SUV max ≥ 10); 28 patients (90.3%) had average 68 Ga-SSO-120 uptake greater than liver uptake (region-based mean peak tumor-to-liver ratio > 1). In 25 patients with evaluable 18 F-FDG PET, primary tumor, thoracic lymph node metastases, and distant metastases were detected in 100%, 92%, and 64%, respectively, of all investigated patients by 68 Ga-SSO-120 and in 100%, 92%, and 56%, respectively, by 18 F-FDG PET. 68 Ga-SSO-120 PET detected additional contralateral lymph node, liver, and brain metastases in 1, 1, and 2 patients, respectively (no histopathology available), and 18 F-FDG PET detected additional contralateral lymph node metastases in 3 patients (1 confirmed, 1 systematic endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration-negative, and 1 without available histopathology). None of these differences altered Veterans Administration Lung Study Group staging. The region-based monotonic correlation between 68 Ga-SSO-120 and 18 F-FDG uptake was low (Spearman ρ = 0.26-0.33). Conclusion: 68 Ga-SSO-120 PET offers high diagnostic precision with comparable detection rates and additional complementary information to the gold standard, 18 F-FDG PET. Consistent uptake in most patients warrants exploration of SSTR2-directed radionuclide therapy., (© 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Introduction: Understanding prognosis, especially long-term outcome, in advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is crucial to inform patients, guide treatment and plan supportive and palliative care., Methods: Prognostic factors influencing overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in 2082 patients with wild-type (WT)-NSCLC (629 M1a, 249 M1b, 1204 M1c) are reported. Patients were included in the prospective German CRISP registry recruiting in >150 centres. Analysis for pre-therapeutic factors was based on results from Cox proportional hazard models., Results: Current M-descriptors of the Union for International Cancer Control-8 staging system were validated: M1a and M1b patients had significantly longer median time to events compared to M1c (OS/PFS 16.4/7.2 months, 17.8/6.7 months and 10.9/5.4 months, respectively). OS and PFS were influenced by number and location of metastatic organ systems. M1c and four or more metastatic organs involved had shorter OS and PFS than M1c with one to three organs (OS hazard ratio (HR) 1.69, p<0.001; PFS HR 1.81, p<0.001). M1b-liver metastases had shorter OS/PFS than M1b involving other organs (OS HR 2.70, p=0.006; PFS HR 2.48, p=0.007). Based on number of involved organs (orgsys) and liver metastases, two risk groups (low-risk: M1a, M1b-non-liver, M1c-1-3-orgsys-non-liver; high-risk: M1c-liver, M1b-liver, M1c-4+-orgsys) with significantly different prognoses could be amalgamated (median OS/PFS 14.3/6.5 months and 7.7/4.1 months, respectively). Other favourable factors were female gender and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group stage 0, with age showing no impact. Those with T1- or N0-status were associated with longer OS than T2-4 or N2-3., Conclusion: In this large observational dataset, we further defined factors for outcome in WT-NSCLC, including increased number of involved metastatic organ systems and liver metastases, as those with overall poorer prognosis and reduced survival chance., Competing Interests: M. Metzenmacher has received honoraria for advisory boards from AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi Aventis and Takeda. F. Griesinger has received research funding (paid to institution) from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda and Siemens, honoraria for educational lectures from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Ariad, Abbvie, Sanofi Genzyme, Siemens, Tesaro/GSK and Amgen, honoraria for advisory boards from Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Takeda and Aria, travel support from Roche, MSD, Merck, Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbvie, Sanofi Genzyme, BMS and AstraZeneca, and has leadership roles at Ethikkommission, Forschungskommission, Fakultätsrat University of Internal Medicine of Oldenburg. H-D. Hummel has received travel, accommodation, or other expenses from Johnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Amgen. C. Elender declares that there is no conflict of interest. H. Schäfer has received honoraria for advisory boards from Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Pfizer and Roche. M. de Wit reports grants from AstraZeneca, Abbvie and Novartis (paid to institution), has received honoraria for lectures and writing from AstraZeneca, support for meetings and travel from AstraZeneca and Abbvie, and has a leadership position as member of the steering committee in the German Society for Hematology and Oncology (“Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hämatologie und Onkologie”; DGHO). U. Kaiser declares that there is no conflict of interest. J. Kern has received honoraria for scientific meetings from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda, advisory board honoraria from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda, travel support from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. M. Jänicke declares that there is no conflict of interest. L. Spring declares that there is no conflict of interest. S. Zacharias declares that there is no conflict of interest. A. Kaiser-Osterhues declares that there is no conflict of interest. A. Groth has received research funding (paid to the employer AIO-Studien-gGmbH) from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, Lilly, MSD Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda. A. Hipper has received research funding (paid to the employer AIO-Studien-gGmbH) from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, Lilly, MSD Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda. G. Zaun declares that there is no conflict of interest. S. Dörfel declares that there is no conflict of interest. B. Güldenzoph has received advisory board honoraria from MSD Oncology, Roche Pharma AG, Amgen and AstraZeneca, and support for travel from Amgen. L. Müller declares that there is no conflict of interest. J. Uhlig has received honoraria for advisory boards and workshops from: Roche, Amgen, Servier, MSD, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Merck, Celgene, Novartis, Janssen-Cilag, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer and Biogene. M. Thomas has received honoraria for scientific meetings from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda, advisory board honoraria from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai Pharma, Janssen Oncology, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda, travel support from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Janssen Oncology, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda, research funding (paid to institution) from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and Takeda. M. Sebastian has received research funding (paid to institution) from AstraZeneca, honoraria for advisory boards from AstraZeneca, BMS, MSD/Merck, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Tesaro and Eli Lilly, honoraria for educational lectures from AstraZeneca, BMS, Novartis, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda, Sanofi, GSK, Amgen, MSD, Janssen-Cilag and Eli Lilly, travel support from BMS and Pfizer, patents from CureVax, BioTech, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, BMS, Roche, Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda, Sanofi, GSK, Amgen, MSD and Janssen-Cilag. W.E.E. Eberhardt has received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Roche Pharma AG, Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD Oncology, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Takeda, Pfizer, Amgen, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi Aventis and Abbvie, consulting or advisory role for AstraZeneca, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD Oncology, Bayer Health, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Pfizer, MSD/Merck, Novartis, Takeda, Sanofi Aventis, Abbvie, Amgen, Bayer and Janssen-Cilag, research funding from AstraZeneca, Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb, and is a member of the IASLC Staging Committee, M-track., (Copyright ©The authors 2023.)

Accurate determination of lymph-node (LN) metastases is a prerequisite for high precision radiotherapy. The primary aim is to characterise the performance of PET/CT-based machine-learning classifiers to predict LN-involvement by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in stage-III NSCLC. Prediction models for LN-positivity based on [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT features were built using logistic regression and machine-learning models random forest (RF) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) for stage-III NSCLC before radiochemotherapy. A total of 675 LN-stations were sampled in 180 patients. The logistic and RF models identified SUV max , the short-axis LN-diameter and the echelon of the considered LN among the most important parameters for EBUS-positivity. Adjusting the sensitivity of machine-learning classifiers to that of the expert-rater of 94.5%, MLP (P = 0.0061) and RF models (P = 0.038) showed lower misclassification rates (MCR) than the standard-report, weighting false positives and false negatives equally. Increasing the sensitivity of classifiers from 94.5 to 99.3% resulted in increase of MCR from 13.3/14.5 to 29.8/34.2% for MLP/RF, respectively. PET/CT-based machine-learning classifiers can achieve a high sensitivity (94.5%) to detect EBUS-positive LNs at a low misclassification rate. As the specificity decreases rapidly above that level, a combined test of a PET/CT-based MLP/RF classifier and EBUS-TBNA is recommended for radiation target volume definition., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Abstarct: BACKGROUND: To examine long-term-survival of cT4 cN0/1 cM0 non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients undergoing definitive radiochemotherapy ( cc RTx/CTx) in comparison to the trimodality treatment, neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy followed by surgery, at a high volume lung cancer center., Methods: All consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC (cT4 cN0/1 cM0) with a curative-intent-to-treat cc RTx/CTx were included between 01.01.2001 and 01.07.2019. Mediastinal involvement was excluded by systematic EBUS-TBNA or mediastinoscopy. Following updated T4-stage-defining-criteria initial staging was reassessed by an expert-radiologist according to UICC-guidelines [8th edition]. Outcomes were compared with previously reported results from patients of the same institution with identical inclusion criteria, who had been treated with neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and resection. Factors for treatment selection were documented. Endpoints were overall-survival (OS), progression-free-survival (PFS), and cumulative incidences of isolated loco-regional failures, distant metastases, secondary tumors as well as non-cancer deaths within the first year., Results: Altogether 46 consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC cT4 cN0/1 cM0 [cN0 in 34 and cN1 in 12 cases] underwent cc RTx/CTx after induction chemotherapy ( i CTx). Median follow-up was 133 months. OS-rates at 3-, 5-, and 7-years were 74.9%, 57.4%, and 57.4%, respectively. Absolute OS-rate of cc RTx/CTx at 5 years were within 10% of the trimodality treatment reference group (Log-Rank p = 0.184). The cumulative incidence of loco-regional relapse was higher after i CTx +  cc RT/CTx (15.2% vs. 0% at 3 years, p = 0.0012, Gray's test) while non-cancer deaths in the first year were lower than in the trimodality reference group (0% vs 9.1%, p = 0.0360, Gray's test). None of the multiple recorded prognostic parameters were significantly associated with survival after i CTx +  cc RT/CTx: Propensity score weighting for adjustment of prognostic factors between i CTx +  cc RT/CTx and trimodality treatment did not change the results of the comparisons., Conclusions: Patients with cT4 N0/1 M0 NSCLC have comparable OS with cc RTx/CTx and trimodality treatment. Loco-regional relapses were higher and non-cancer related deaths lower with cc RTx/CTx. Definitive radiochemotherapy is an adequate alternative for patients with an increased risk of surgery-related morbidity., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Asbestos-related mesotheliomas belong to the group of the most frequent occupational diseases in Germany, reaching about 1,000 new cases per year. The disease has a dismal prognosis because most tumors remain asymptomatic for a long time and therefore are diagnosed as incidental findings at later stages.During the last decade the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) has made considerable efforts to prepone the diagnosis in order to detect the disease at earliest possible stages. These efforts resulted in new findings showing that, in a high-risk group, a combination of the biomarkers calretinin and mesothelin was able to advance the diagnosis up to 12 months.Ideally, the diagnosis of a mesothelioma at an early stage has to be accompanied by the best possible individualized therapy. Standard therapeutic strategies are surgery and chemotherapy, added by radiotherapy and psycho-oncology. In recent years, several new therapeutic avenues are being explored. This review comprehensively presents both old and new therapeutic options in mesothelioma, based on international Leitlinien and new studies., Competing Interests: Clemens Aigner: keine.Thomas Brüning: keine.Wilfried E. E. Eberhardt: Außerhalb der Publikation besteht folgender Interessenkonflikt: Honorare für Advisory Boards: Astra Zeneca, BMS, Roche, MSD, Pfizer, Novartis, Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer, Takeda, Sanofiabentis. Honorare für Fortbildungsvorträge: Astra Zeneca, BMS, MSD, Roche, Takeda, Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Boehringer. Amgen Research Grants für die Institution: Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, BMS.Martin Härter: keine.Hans-Peter Kaelberlah: keine.Martin Metzenmacher: Außerhalb der eingereichten Publikation Honorare für Beratung von Amgen, Astra Zeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Takeda.Rajiv Shah: Speakersʼ Honoraria von Roche. Study Grant von Bristol-Myers Squibb.Christian Taube: keine.Michael Thomas: Honoraria – Scientific Meetings (self): AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda. Travelling support (self): AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda. Advisory-Board Honoraria (self): AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai Pharma, Janssen Oncology, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda. Research Funding (institution): AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Takeda., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the pattern of intra-patient spread of lymph-node (LN)-metastases within the mediastinum as assessed by 18 F-FDG PET/CT and systematic endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial-needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for precise target volume definition in stage III NSCLC., Methods: This is a single-center study based on our preceding investigation, including all consecutive patients with initial diagnosis of stage IIIA-C NSCLC, receiving concurrent radiochemotherapy (12/2011-06/2018). Inclusion criteria were curative treatment intent, 18 F-FDG PET/CT and EBUS-TBNA prior to start of treatment. The lymphatic drainage was classified into echelon-1 (ipsilateral hilum), echelon-2 (ipsilateral LN-stations 4 and 7) and echelon-3 (rest of the mediastinum, contralateral hilum). The pattern of spread was classified according to all permutations of echelon-1, echelon-2, and echelon-3 EBUS-TBNA findings., Results: In total, 180 patients were enrolled. Various patterns of LN-spread could be identified. Skip lesions with an involved echelon distal from an uninvolved one were detected in less than 10% of patients by both EBUS-TBNA and PET. The pattern with largest asymmetry was detected in cases with EBUS-TBNA- or PET-positivity at all three echelons (p < 0.0001, exact symmetry test). In a multivariable logistic model for EBUS-positivity at echelon-3, prognostic factors were PET-positivity at echelon-3 (Hazard ratio (HR) = 12.1; 95%-CI: 3.2-46.5), EBUS-TBNA positivity at echelon-2 (HR = 6.7; 95%-CI: 1.31-31.2) and left-sided tumor location (HR = 4.0; 95%-CI: 1.24-13.2). There were significantly less combined ipsilateral upper (LN-stations 2 and 4) and lower (LN-station 7) mediastinal involvements (16.8% of patients) with EBUS-TBNA than with PET (38.9%, p < 0.0001, exact symmetry test). EBUS-TBNA detected a lobe specific heterogeneity between the odds ratios of LN-positivity in the upper versus lower mediastinum (p = 0.0021, Breslow-Day test), while PET did not (p = 0.19)., Conclusion: Frequent patterns of LN-metastatic spread could be defined by EBUS-TBNA and PET and discrepancies in the pattern were seen between both methods. EBUS-TBNA showed more lobe and tumor laterality specific patterns of LN-metastases than PET and skipped lymph node stations were rare. These systematic relations offer the opportunity to further refine multi-parameter risk of LN-involvement models for target volume delineation based on pattern of spread by EBUS-TBNA and PET., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

PURPOSE/INTRODUCTION: [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT is the standard imaging-technique for radiation treatment (RT) planning in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study was to examine the additional value of endobronchial-ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to standard PET/CT for mediastinal lymph-node (LN) staging and its impact on clinical target volume (CTV)., Materials and Methods: All consecutive patients with primary stage III NSCLC who underwent [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT and EBUS-TBNA prior to RT were analyzed from 12/2011 to 06/2018. LN-stations were assessed by an expert-radiologist and a nuclear medicine-physician. CTV was evaluated by two independent radiation oncologists. LNs were grouped with increasing distance along the lymphatic chains from primary tumor into echelon-1 (ipsilateral hilum), echelon-2 (LN-station 7 and ipsilateral 4), and echelon-3 (remaining mediastinum and contralateral hilum)., Results: A total of 675 LN-stations of which 291 were positive for tumor-cells, were sampled by EBUS-TBNA in 180 patients. The rate of EBUS-positive LNs was 43% among all sampled LNs. EBUS-positivity in EBUS-probed LNs decreased from 85.8% in echelon-1 LNs to 42.4%/ 9.6% in echelon-2/ -3 LNs, respectively (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). The false discovery rate of PET in comparison with EBUS results rose from 5.3% in echelon-1 to 32.9%/ 69.1% in echelon-2/ -3 LNs, respectively (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). Sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT ranged from 85 to 99% and 67 to 80% for the different echelons. In 22.2% patients, EBUS-TBNA finding triggered changes of the treated CTV, compared with contouring algorithms based on FDG-avidity as the sole criterion for inclusion. CTV was enlarged in 6.7% patients due to EBUS-positivity in PET-negative LN-station and reduced in 15.5% by exclusion of an EBUS-negative but PET-positive LN-station., Conclusion: The false discovery rate of [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT increased markedly with distance from the primary tumor. Inclusion of systematic mediastinal LN mapping by EBUS-TBNA in addition to PET/CT has the potential to increase accuracy of target volume definition, particularly in echelon-3 LNs. EBUS-TBNA is recommended as integral part of staging for radiochemotherapy in stage III NSCLC.

Purpose/Objective(s): The aim of this follow-up analysis of the ESPATUE phase-3 trial was to explore the prognostic value of post-induction chemotherapy PET metrics in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were assigned to receive definitive chemoradiotherapy. Materials/Methods: All eligible patients stage IIIA (cN2) and stage IIIB of the trial received induction chemotherapy consisting of 3 cycles of cisplatin/paclitaxel and chemoradiotherapy up to 45 Gy/1.5 Gy per fraction twice-a-day, followed by a radiation-boost with 2 Gy once per day with concurrent cisplatin/vinorelbine. The protocol definition prescribed a total dose of 65-71 Gy. 18 F-FDG-PET/CT (PETpre) was performed at study entry and before concurrent chemoradiotherapy (interim-PET; PETpost). Interim PETpost metrics and known prognostic clinical parameters were correlated in uni- and multivariable survival analyses. Leave-one-out cross-validation was used to show internal validity. Results: Ninety-two patients who underwent 18 F-FDG-PET/CT after induction chemotherapy were enrolled. Median MTVpost value was 5.9 ml. Altogether 85 patients completed the whole chemoradiation with the planned total dose of 60-71 Gy. In univariable proportional hazard analysis, each of the parameters MTVpost, SUV max (post) and TLGmax(post) was associated with overall survival ( P < 0.05). Multivariable survival analysis, including clinical and post-induction PET parameters, found TLGmax(post) (hazard ratio: 1.032 (95%-CI: 1.013-1.052) per 100 ml increase) and total radiation dose (hazard ratio: 0.930 (0.902-0.959) per Gray increase) significantly related with overall survival in the whole group of patients, and also in patients receiving a total dose ≥ 60 Gy. The best leave-one-out cross-validated 2 parameter classifier contained TLGmax(post) and total radiation dose. TLGmax(post) was associated with time to distant metastases ( P = 0.0018), and SUV max (post) with time to loco-regional relapse ( P = 0.039) in multivariable analysis of patients receiving a total dose ≥ 60 Gy. Conclusion: Post-induction chemotherapy PET parameters demonstrated prognostic significance. Therefore, an interim 18 F-FDG-PET/CT is a promising diagnostic modality for guiding individualized treatment intensification., (Copyright © 2021 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.)

Health technology assessment (HTA) of clinical and economic value of a new intervention is an integral step in providing the access of patients to innovative cancer care and treatment. Overall survival (OS) is the preferred criterion for demonstrating the therapeutic efficacy in HTA given its direct clinical and patient relevance. However, with often long life expectancy of patients with early cancer, analysis of OS becomes less practical. Partially due to this reason, pathological complete response (pCR) and time-to-event end-points like disease-free survival are frequently incorporated into the pivotal clinical trials in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. However, there exists a discrepancy between different national HTA bodies regarding the acknowledgement of patient relevance of these end-points. In this article, we analysed the perspectives of patients on different aspects of end-points used in clinical trials in early cancer. Gathered evidence strongly suggests that complete tumour eradication and reduced risk of recurrence provide important psychological benefits thus signifying that pCR and time-to-event end-points are directly relevant to patients. Additionally, we reviewed opinions on patient relevance of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy end-points adopted by HTA bodies during the recent evaluations. We found that improvements in end-points used in the adjuvant setting were commonly considered as valuable to patients. In contrast, opinions on patient relevance of neoadjuvant therapy end-points varied between the national HTA bodies. Universal acknowledgement of patient relevance of therapeutic end-points for early cancer by HTA bodies is necessary to balance the inequality in uptake of innovative therapies into national healthcare systems., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships, which may be considered as potential competing interests: Nadia Harbeck received honoraria for lectures and/or consulting from Amgen, Astra Zeneca, BMS, Celgene, Daiichi-Sankyo, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Odonate, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Roche, Samsung, Sandoz/Hexal and Seattle Genetics. Andreas Schneeweiss reports grants from Celgene, Roche, AbbVie and Molecular Partner; and personal fees from Roche, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, Tesaro and Lilly; outside the submitted work. Kurt Miller served as advisor and reports honoraria from Astellas, Bayer, BMS, Ferring, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. Claus Garbe reports personal fees from Amgen, MSD and Philogen; grants from Roche; and grants and personal fees from BMS, Novartis, NeraCare and Sanofi; outside the submitted work. Wilfried EE Eberhardt reports personal fees from MSD/Merck, Roche, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, Novartis, Takeda and Ingelheim; and grants and personal fees from Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly; outside the submitted work. Jens P Klussmann reports personal fees from Merck and BMS; and grants from MSD. Marc-Oliver Grimm reports grants and personal fees from Novartis and BMS; and personal fees from Pfizer, Bayer HealthCare, Astellas, Intuitive Surgical, Sanofi Aventis, Hexal, Apogepha, Amgen, AstraZeneca, MSD, Janssen Cilag, Ono Pharma, Ipsen Pharma, Medac and Merck; outside the submitted work. Diana Lüftner reports personal fees from MSD, Loreal, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, GSK and Teva; and grants and personal fees from Novartis; outside the submitted work. Peter Thuss-Patience, Frank Griesinger, Barbara Wollenberg and Thomas Zander have no potential conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background/introduction: In contrast to patients who present with advanced stage lung cancer and associated poor prognosis, patients with early-stage lung cancer may be candidates for curative treatments. The results of the NELSON lung cancer screening trial are expected to stimulate the development and implementation of a lung cancer screening strategy in most countries. Widespread use of chest computed tomography scans will also result in the detection of solitary pulmonary nodules. Because reliable biomarkers to distinguish between malignant and benign lesions are lacking, tissue-based histopathological diagnostics remain the gold standard. In this study, we aimed to establish a test to assess the predictive ability of DNA hypermethylation of SHOX2 and PTGER4 in plasma to discriminate between patients with 1.) lung cancer, 2.) benign lesions, and 3.) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analysed SHOX2 and PTGER4 methylation in 121 prospectively collected plasma samples of patients with lung cancer (group 1A), benign lesions (group 1B), and COPD without nodules (group 2)., Results: PTGER4 DNA hypermethylation was more frequently observed in patients with lung cancer than in controls (p = 0.0004). Results remained significant after correction for tumour volume, smoking status, age, and eligibility for the NELSON trial., Conclusions: Detection of methylated PTGER4 in plasma DNA may serve as a biomarker to support clinical decision-making in patients with pulmonary lesions at lung cancer screening in high-risk populations. Further exploration in prospective studies is warranted., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement Lea Schotten and Filiz Oezkan received travel reimbursements from Epigenomics AG. Filiz Oezkan received honorarium for a medical advisory board sponsored by Epigenomics AG. The other authors did not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: After decades of unsuccessful efforts in inhibiting KRAS, promising clinical data targeting the mutation subtype G12C emerge. Since little is known about outcome with standard treatment of patients with G12C mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we analyzed a large, representative, real-world cohort from Germany., Patients and Methods: A total of 1039 patients with advanced KRAS-mutant or -wildtype NSCLC without druggable alterations have been recruited in the prospective, observational registry CRISP from 12/2015 to 06/2019 by 98 centers in Germany. Details on treatment, best response, and outcome were analyzed for patients with KRAS wildtype, G12C, and non-G12C mutations., Results: Within the study population, 160 (15.4 %) patients presented with KRAS G12C, 251 (24.2 %) with non-G12C mutations, 628 (60.4 %) with KRAS wildtype. High PD-L1 expression (Tumor Proportion Score, TPS > 50 %) was documented for 28.0 %, 43.5 %, and 28.9 % (wildtype, G12C, non-G12C) of the tested patients; 68.8 %, 89.3 %, and 87.7 % of the patients received first-line treatment combined with an immune checkpoint-inhibitor in 2019. TPS > 50 % vs. TPS < 1 % was associated with a significantly decreased risk of mortality in a multivariate Cox model (HR 0.39, 95 % CI 0.26-0.60, p=<0.001). There were no differences in clinical outcome between KRAS wildtype, G12C or non-G12C mutations and KRAS mutational status was not prognostic in the model., Conclusion: Here we describe the so far largest prospectively recruited cohort of patients with advanced NSCLC and KRAS mutations, with special focus on the G12C mutation. These data constitute an extremely valuable historical control for upcoming clinical studies that employ KRAS inhibitors., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pemetrexed and cisplatin is a first-line standard in non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer without targetable mutations. It became the backbone of checkpoint-inhibitor-chemotherapy combinations. Single high doses of cisplatin pose toxicity risks and require hyperhydration, potentially prolonging outpatient application. The aim of this study was to compare efficacy, safety and tolerability of split-dose cisplatin with the standard schedule., Methods: Patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer were randomly assigned to up to six 21-day cycles of pemetrexed 500 mg/m 2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m 2 on day 1 (arm A), or pemetrexed 500 mg/m 2 (day 1) and cisplatin 40 mg/m 2 (day 1 + 8, arm B), followed by pemetrexed maintenance. Primary endpoint was objective response rate. Secondary objectives were overall survival, progression-free survival, time to progression, treatment compliance, toxicity profile, and quality of life., Results: We enrolled 130 patients (129 evaluable). Median cycle numbers in A and B were six (1-6) and five (1-6). Dose intensities were comparable between arms. More patients in A received pemetrexed maintenance (24.2% versus 11.1%). With 16 (24.2%) in A and 19 (30.2%) patients in B achieving objective responses [odds ratio 0.74 (0.34-1.62), p  = 0.55] the primary endpoint was met. Overall survival was not different between arms (median 14.4 versus 14.9 months); [HR = 1.07; (0.68-1.68), p  = 0.78]. Median progression-free survival was 7.0 months in A and 6.2 months in B [HR = 1.63; (1.17-2.38); p  = 0.01]. Adverse events of CTCAE grade ⩾3, particularly hematological, were more frequent in B. No difference in grade 4 and 5 infections between arms was noted. Treatment-related asthenia and nausea/vomiting of any grade were more frequent in A. Global health status, fatigue and constipation measured on day 1 of cycle 4 demonstrated superior scores in B., Conclusion: Pemetrexed and split-dose cisplatin is safe and effective. Advantages of split-dose cisplatin with regard to specific toxicities allow personalization of this important chemotherapy backbone., Trial Registration: European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT) number 2011-001963-37., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: M.M. reports honoraria for advisory boards from MSD, BMS, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Novartis, Pfizer and Takeda H.G.K. reports no relevant conflicts of interest F.G. reports research funding to institution from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Siemens, honoraria for educational lectures from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Ariad, Abbvie, Siemens, Tesaro/GSK, Amgen, honoraria for advisory boards from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Ariad, Abbvie, Tesaro/GSK, Siemens, Tesaro, Amgen N.R. received honoraria for educational lectures and advisory services from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda. M.S. (Sebastian) reports research funding to institution from Astra Zeneca, honoraria for advisory boards from Astra Zeneca, BMS, MSD/Merck, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Tesaro, Eli Lilly, honoraria for educational lectures rom Astra Zeneca, BMS, Novartis, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen and Eli Lilly. M.S. (Serke) reports research funding to institution from Astra Zeneca, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Roche, honoraria for educational lectures from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, honoraria for advisory boards from Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Abbvie C.F.W. Honoraria for advisory boards from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Chugai, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda: He received consultancy fees from Mylan; Alvotech; Roche and travel grants from IPSEN, BMS and Lilly. M.T. reports Honoraria for Scientific Meetings from Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, MSD, Novartis Pfizer, Roche, Takeda Advisory-Board Honoraria from Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda Travelling support from Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda Research funding to institution from Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Takeda J. E. reports no conflict of interest G. S.-B. reports consultation honoraria from Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, BMS. After completion of study temporarily employed by Eli Lilly from 2015–2017 M. H. Honoraria for advisory boards from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Chugai, Pfizer, Roche and MSD; honoraria for educational lectures from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Roche D.C.C. reports personal fees, non-financial support and other from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai, MSD Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda M.K. reports no conflict of interest B.D. reports no conflict of interest S.S. reports no conflict of interest S.H. reports no conflict of interest M.S. (Schuler) reports Consultant Honoraria from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Takeda. Honoraria for CME presentations from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, MSD, Novartis. Research funding to institution from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis T.H. reports no conflict of interest F.B. reports no conflict of interest W.E.E. reports research funding to institution from BMS, Astra Zeneca and Eli Lilly, honoraria for advisory boards from Astra Zeneca, BMS, MSD/Merck, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Abbvie, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Daichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, honoraria for educational lectures from Astra Zeneca, BMS, MSD/Merck, Roche, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Amgen and Eli Lilly., (© The Author(s), 2021.)

Purpose: Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In two phase III trials (CheckMate 017 and CheckMate 057), nivolumab showed an improvement in overall survival (OS) and favorable safety versus docetaxel in patients with previously treated, advanced squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC, respectively. We report 5-year pooled efficacy and safety from these trials., Methods: Patients (N = 854; CheckMate 017/057 pooled) with advanced NSCLC, ECOG PS ≤ 1, and progression during or after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned 1:1 to nivolumab (3 mg/kg once every 2 weeks) or docetaxel (75 mg/m 2 once every 3 weeks) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point for both trials was OS; secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Exploratory landmark analyses were investigated., Results: After the minimum follow-up of 64.2 and 64.5 months for CheckMate 017 and 057, respectively, 50 nivolumab-treated patients and nine docetaxel-treated patients were alive. Five-year pooled OS rates were 13.4% versus 2.6%, respectively; 5-year PFS rates were 8.0% versus 0%, respectively. Nivolumab-treated patients without disease progression at 2 and 3 years had an 82.0% and 93.0% chance of survival, respectively, and a 59.6% and 78.3% chance of remaining progression-free at 5 years, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were reported in 8 of 31 (25.8%) nivolumab-treated patients between 3-5 years of follow-up, seven of whom experienced new events; one (3.2%) TRAE was grade 3, and there were no grade 4 TRAEs., Conclusion: At 5 years, nivolumab continued to demonstrate a survival benefit versus docetaxel, exhibiting a five-fold increase in OS rate, with no new safety signals. These data represent the first report of 5-year outcomes from randomized phase III trials of a programmed death-1 inhibitor in previously treated, advanced NSCLC.

Objective: Current predictive biomarkers for PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1)/PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1)-directed immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mostly focus on features of tumour cells. However, the tumour microenvironment and immune context are expected to play major roles in governing therapy response. Against this background, we set out to apply context-sensitive feature selection and machine learning approaches on expression profiles of immune-related genes in diagnostic biopsies of patients with stage IV NSCLC., Methods: RNA expression levels were determined using the NanoString nCounter platform in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour biopsies obtained during the diagnostic workup of stage IV NSCLC from two thoracic oncology centres. A 770-gene panel covering immune-related genes and control genes was used. We applied supervised machine learning methods for feature selection and generation of predictive models., Results: Feature selection and model creation were based on a training cohort of 55 patients with recurrent NSCLC treated with PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy. Resulting models identified patients with superior outcomes to immunotherapy, as validated in two subsequently recruited, separate patient cohorts (n = 67, hazard ratio = 0.46, p = 0.035). The predictive information obtained from these models was orthogonal to PD-L1 expression as per immunohistochemistry: Selecting by PD-L1 positivity at immunohistochemistry plus model prediction identified patients with highly favourable outcomes. Independence of PD-L1 positivity and model predictions were confirmed in multivariate analysis. Visualisation of the models revealed the predictive superiority of the entire 7-gene context over any single gene., Conclusion: Using context-sensitive assays and bioinformatics capturing the tumour immune context allows precise prediction of response to PD-1/PD-L1-directed immunotherapy in NSCLC., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement M.W. reports honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Roche and Takeda and research funding from Bristol Myers Squibb and Takeda. F.M. reports research funding from Bristol Myers Squibb. Henning Reis reports a consulting and advisory role for Bristol Myers Squibb; honoraria from Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb; travel support from Philips, Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb; research funding from Bristol Myers Squibb and share ownership from Bayer. M.G. reports travel support from MSD Sharp & Dohme. J.K. reports a consulting and advisory role without personal honoraria for Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD and Takeda. T.H. reports honoraria from Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, MSD Sharp & Dohme and Roche and a consulting and advisory role for Bristol Myers Squibb and Chugai. M.M. reports honoraria from Roche and Boehringer Ingelheim. W.E.E.E. reports honoraria from Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Astellas, Bayer, Teva, Merck Serono, Daiichi Sankyo and Hexal; a consulting or advisory role for Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astellas, Bayer, Teva and Daiichi Sankyo and research funding from Eli Lilly (institutional). C.A. reports research funding from Bristol Myers Squibb. K.D. reports a consultancy/advisory role for Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis and honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim. M.S. reports consultancy for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (IQWiG), Lilly and Novartis; honoraria for CME presentations from Alexion, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly and Novartis; research funding to the institution from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis and other support from Universität Duisburg-Essen (patents). All the remaining authors declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Deregulated signal transduction pathways play a key role in development, progression and therapeutic resistance of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). The purpose of this study is to assess the downstream markers of two well-characterized pathways and to correlate them with clinical outcome., Design: 670 patients with metastatic NSCLC were prospectively enrolled in a comprehensive biomarker profiling program at a single center from 2012 to 2016. Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), and protein kinase B (p-AKT) was assessed by standardized immunohistochemistry. Product of scores for quantity and quality of staining were calculated (immunoreactive score, 0-9). Somatic mutations of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog [KRAS], epithelial growth factor receptor [EGFR], v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B [BRAF] and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PIK3CA]) were detected by Sanger (2012-03/2015) and amplicon NGS (04/2015-02/2016). Patients enrolled during the first year (2012) were used as discovery cohort. Patients enrolled from 2013 to 02/2016 were used as validation cohort. Clinical data were retrieved from the electronic medical records and were analyzed retrospectively., Results: Using a discovery cohort, we identified an immunoreactive score of p-ERK ≥3 to be prognostically relevant. The validation cohort confirmed that higher levels of p-ERK correlated with worse overall survival (OS) and higher proportion of RAS mutations. Multivariate analysis including established risk factors such EGFR, ALK or ROS mutations and metastatic disease showed a trend of a detrimental effect of high p-ERK on OS (HR 1.23, CI 0.94-1.59, p = 0.131 for p-ERK immunoreactive score ≥3) and time to treatment failure after first-line therapy in the validation cohort. Phosphorylated AKT did not correlate with clinical outcome., Conclusion: While serving as a prognosticator in univariate analysis, highly phosphorylated ERK does not convey a significant prognostic effect for OS in the presence of other prognostic factors. Phosphorylated ERK indicates a higher activity of RAS in advanced NSCLC., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, but aggressive tumor with dismal prognosis. Platinum-based chemotherapy is regularly used as part of multimodality therapy. The expression of metallothioneins (MT) has been identified as a reason for cisplatin resistance, which often leads to early therapy failure or relapse. Thus, knockdown of MT expression may improve response to cisplatin treatment. The MT gene- and protein expression of the MPM-cell lines MSTO-211H, NCI-H2052 and NCI-H2452 and the human fibroblast cell line MRC-5, as well as their sensitivity to cisplatin treatment have been evaluated. Knockdown of MT1A, 1B and 2A expression was induced by RNA interference. MT expression was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. An in vitro Assay based on enzyme activity was used to detect cell viability, necrosis and apoptosis before and after incubation with cisplatin. MT2A gene expression could be detected in all MPM cell lines, showing the highest expression in NCI-H2452 and NCI-H2052, whereas gene expression levels of MT1A and MT1B were low or absent. The immunohistochemically protein expression of MT-I/II reflect MT2A gene expression levels. Especially for MSTO-211H cell presenting low initial MT2A levels, a strong induction of MT2A expression could be observed during cisplatin treatment, indicating a cell line-specific and platin-dependent adaption mechanism. Additionally, a MT2A-dependent cellular evasion of apoptosis during cisplatin could be observed, leading to three different MT based phenotypes. MSTO-211H cells showed lower apoptosis rates at an increased expression level of MT2A after cisplatin treatment (from sixfold to fourfold). NCI-H2052 cells showed no changes in MT2A expression, while apoptosis rate is the highest (8-12-fold). NCI-H2452 cells showed neither changes in alteration rate of MT2A expression nor changes in apoptosis rates, indicating an MT2A-independent resistance mechanism. Knockdown of MT2A expression levels resulted in significantly induced apoptotic rates during cisplatin treatment with strongest induction of apoptosis in each of the MPM cell lines, but in different markedness. A therapeutic meaningful effect of MT2A knockdown and subsequent cisplatin treatment could be observed in MSTO-211H cells. The present study showed MT2A to be part of the underlying mechanism of cisplatin resistance in MPM. Especially in MSTO-211H cells we could demonstrate major effects by knockdown of MT2A expression, verifying our hypothesis of an MT driven resistance mechanism. We could prove the inhibition of MT2A as a powerful tool to boost response rates to cisplatin-based therapy in vitro. These data carry the potential to enhance the clinical outcome and management of MPM in the future.

Objectives: Somatic chromosomal rearrangements resulting in ALK fusion oncogenes are observed in 3-7 % of lung adenocarcinomas. ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALKi) induce initially response, however, various resistance mechanisms limit their efficacy. Novel therapeutic approaches are of utmost importance to tailor these targeted therapies., Materials and Methods: A synchronous ALK-rearranged and mutated lung cancer cell line pair was established from malignant pleural effusion (PF240-PE) and carcinosis (PF240-PC) at time of ALKi resistance. Immunohistochemistry, FISH and sequencing were performed in pre- and post-treatment tumors and in both cell lines. Differentiation markers were measured by immunoblot. Viability was tested following treatment with ALKi and/or a pan-HDAC inhibitor. Additionally, a novel treatment-naïve ALK-rearranged cell line served as control. In vivo tumorigenicity was evaluated in subcutaneous xenografts., Results: Two distinct resistance mutations were identified in different carcinosis tissues at time of resistance, the previously described resistance mutation L1152R and the hitherto uncharacterized E1161K. Strikingly, PF240-PC cells carried E1161K and PF240-PE cells harbored L1152R. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblot identified epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers upregulated following ALKi resistance development both in carcinosis tissues and cell lines. While both lines grew as xenografts, they differed in morphology, migration, in vivo growth and sensitivity to ALKi in vitro. Strikingly, the combination of ALKi with SAHA yielded strong synergism., Conclusion: Using a patient-derived ALKi resistant lung cancer model we demonstrated the synergism of HDAC and ALK inhibition. Furthermore, our findings provide strong evidence for intratumoral heterogeneity under targeted therapy and highlight the importance of site-specific mutational analysis., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, predominantly asbestos-related and biologically highly aggressive tumor associated with a dismal prognosis. Multimodal therapy consisting of platinum-based chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. The reasons underlying the rather poor efficacy of platinum compounds remain largely unknown. Kinase activity might influence cellular response to these regimens., Materials and Methods: For this exploratory study, we screened MPM cell lines (NCI-H2452, NCI-H2052, and MSTO-211H) differing in response to cisplatin and benign control fibroblasts (MRC-5) for overall phosphorylation patterns as well as kinase activity with respect to cellular response to cisplatin-based therapeutics. We analysed the cell lines for cellular kinases in a high-throughput manner using the highly innovative technique PamGene. Cell state analysis including apoptosis, necrosis, and cell viability was performed by using enzyme activity and fluorescent-based assays., Results: Cisplatin alters cellular phosphorylation patterns affecting cell cycle, migration, adhesion, signal transduction, immune modulation, and apoptosis. In cisplatin-responsive cell lines, phosphorylation of AKT1 and GSK3B was decreased but could not be influenced in cisplatin-resistant NCI-H2452 cells. Cisplatin-responsive cell lines showed increased phosphorylation levels of JNK1/2/3 but decreased phosphorylation in cisplatin-resistant NCI-H2452 cells., Conclusion: Kinase phosphorylation and activity might play a crucial role in cellular response to cytostatic agents. Cisplatin influences phosphorylation patterns with distinct features in cisplatin-resistant cells. These alterations exert a significant impact on cell cycle, migration, adhesion, signal transduction, immune modulation, and apoptosis of the respective tumor cells. Based on our results, the induction of p38 or JNK1/3, or inhibition of AKT1 by, for example, BIA-6, might offer a positive synergistic effect by induction of an apoptotic response to cisplatin-based treatment, thus potentially enhancing the clinical outcome of MPM patients., Competing Interests: All authors state that they have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2019 Sabrina Borchert et al.)

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a tumour arising from pleural cavities with poor prognosis. Multimodality treatment with pemetrexed combined with cisplatin shows unsatisfying response-rates of 40%. The reasons for the rather poor efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatment are largely unknown. However, it is conceivable that DNA repair mechanisms lead to an impaired therapy response. We hypothesize a major role of homologous recombination (HR) for genome stability and survival of this tumour. Therefore, we analysed genes compiled under the term "BRCAness". An inhibition of this pathway with olaparib might abrogate this effect and induce apoptosis., Methods: We investigated the response of three MPM cell lines and lung fibroblasts serving as a control to treatment with pemetrexed, cisplatin and olaparib. Furthermore, we aimed to find possible correlations between response and gene expression patterns associated with BRCAness phenotype. Therefore, 91 clinical MPM samples were digitally screened for gene expression patterns of HR members., Results: A BRCAness-dependent increase of apoptosis and senescence during olaparib-based treatment of BRCA-associated-protein 1 (BAP1)-mutated cell lines was observed. The gene expression pattern identified could be found in approx. 10% of patient samples. Against this background, patients could be grouped according to their defects in the HR system. Gene expression levels of Aurora Kinase A (AURKA), RAD50 as well as DNA damage-binding protein 2 (DDB2) could be identified as prognostic markers in MPM., Conclusions: Defects in HR compiled under the term BRCAness are a common event in MPM. The present data can lead to a better understanding of the underlaying cellular mechanisms and leave the door wide open for new therapeutic approaches for this severe disease with infaust prognosis. Response to Poly (ADP-ribose)-Polymerase (PARP)-Inhibition could be demonstrated in the BAP1-mutated NCI-H2452 cells, especially when combined with cisplatin. Thus, this combination therapy might be effective for up to 2/3 of patients, promising to enhance patients' clinical management and outcome.

This Review Article provides a multi-stakeholder view on the current status of neoadjuvant therapy in lung cancer. Given the success of oncogene-targeted therapy and immunotherapy for patients with advanced lung cancer, there is a renewed interest in studying these agents in earlier disease settings with the opportunity to have an even greater impact on patient outcomes. There are unique opportunities and challenges with the neoadjuvant approach to drug development. To achieve more rapid knowledge turns, study designs, endpoints, and definitions of pathologic response should be standardized and harmonized. Continued dialogue with all stakeholders will be critical to design and test novel induction strategies, which could expedite drug development for patients with early lung cancer who are at high risk for metastatic recurrence., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: First-line afatinib treatment prolongs overall survival in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring exon 19 deletion of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRdelEx19) mutations. In contrast, Kirsten rat sarcoma 2 viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations are negative predictors for benefit from EGFR-targeting agents. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is well-established for lung cancer diagnosis and staging. Next generation sequencing (NGS) allows for simultaneous interrogation for multiple mutations but has limitations (required tumor tissue amount, assay times). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using light-Cycler technology (LCRT-PCR) can rapidly and sensitively detect somatic mutations from NSCLC patients. In the present study, we analyzed the feasibility of LCRT-PCR for rapid EGFRdelEx19 and KRAS exon 2 mutation detection in EBUS-TBNA samples and compared the LCRT-PCR and NGS results., Materials and Methods: A total of 48 EBUS-TBNA samples from 47 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma were analyzed using LCRT-PCR (as previously described) and NGS (MiSeq; Illumina) using targeted resequencing and a customized multiplex PCR panel. The processing time was ∼1 week for the NGS and < 24 hours for the LCRT-PCR analyses., Results: All (100%) EGFRdelEx19 and KRAS exon 2 mutations detected by NGS were detected by LCRT-PCR. In addition, LCRT-PCR detected 2 KRAS exon 2 mutations and 3 EGFRdelEx19 mutations that were not detected by NGS., Conclusion: LCRT-PCR is a highly sensitive method to rapidly detect mutations of therapeutic relevance (eg, EGFRdelEx19 and KRAS exon 2) in EBUS-TBNAs from NSCLC patients. It is of value as an initial assay for first-line treatment decisions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The progress in molecular biology has revolutionized systemic treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from conventional chemotherapy to a treatment stratified by histology and genetic aberrations. Tumors harboring a translocation of the anaplastic-lymphoma-kinase (ALK) gene constitute a distinct genetic and clinico-pathologic NSCLC subtype with patients with ALK-positive disease being at a higher risk for developing brain metastases. Due to the introduction of effective targeted therapy with ALK-inhibitors, today, patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC achieve high overall response rates and remain progression-free for long time intervals. Moreover, ALK-inhibitors seem to exhibit efficacy in the treatment of brain metastases. In the light of this, it needs to be discussed how treatment algorithms for managing patients with brain metastases should be modified. By integrating systemic ALK-inhibitor therapy, radiotherapy, in particular whole brain radiotherapy might be postponed deferring potential long-term impairment by neurocognitive deficits to a later time point in the course of the disease. An early treatment of asymptomatic brain metastases might offer patients a longer time without impairment of cerebral symptoms or radiotherapeutic interventions. Based on an updated extensive review of the literature this article provides an overview on the epidemiology and the treatment of patients' brain metastases. It describes the specifics of ALK-positive disease and proposes an algorithm for the treatment of patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC and brain metastases., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Previously, our group demonstrated that nuclear expression of E3 ubiquitin ligase (MDM2) in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is significantly associated with decreased overall survival. A possible explanation may be that overexpression of MDM2 leads to a proteasomal degradation of TP53 that eventually results in a loss of TP53-induced apoptosis and senescence. It is well known from other tumor entities that restoration of TP53 activity, e.g., by MDM2 inhibition, results in an instant TP53-induced stress and/or DNA damage response of cancer cells. Nutlin-3A (a cis -imidazoline analogue) has been described as a potent and selective MDM2 inhibitor preventing MDM2-TP53-interaction by specific binding to the hydrophobic TP53-binding pocket of MDM2. In the present study, the effects of MDM2 inhibition in MPM via Nutlin-3A and standard platinum based chemotherapeutic agents were comparatively tested in three MPM cell lines (NCI-H2052, MSTO-211H, and NCI-H2452) showing different expression profiles of TP53, MDM2, and its physiological inhibitor of MDM2-P14/ARF. Our in vitro experiments on MPM cell lines revealed that Nutlin-3A in combination with cisplatin resulted in up to 9.75 times higher induction of senescence (p=0.0050) and up to 5 times higher apoptosis rate (p=0.0067) compared to the commonly applied cisplatin and pemetrexed regimens. Thus Nutlin-3A, a potent inhibitor of MDM2, is associated with a significant induction of senescence and apoptosis in MPM cell lines, making Nutlin-3A a promising substance for a targeted therapy in the subgroup of MPM showing MDM2 overexpression.

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a biologically highly aggressive tumor arising from the pleura with a dismal prognosis. Cisplatin is the drug of choice for the treatment of MPM, and carboplatin seems to have comparable efficacy. Nevertheless, cisplatin treatment results in a response rate of merely 14% and a median survival of less than seven months. Due to their role in many cellular processes, methallothioneins (MTs) have been widely studied in various cancers. The known heavy metal detoxifying effect of MT-I and MT-II may be the reason for heavy metal drug resistance of various cancers including MPM., Methods: 105 patients were retrospectively analyzed immunohistochemically for their MT expression levels. Survival analysis was done by Cox-regression, and statistical significance determined using likelihood ratio, Wald test and Score (logrank) tests., Results: Cox-regression analyses were done in a linear and logarithmic scale revealing a significant association between expression of MT and shortened overall survival (OS) in a linear (p=0.0009) and logarithmic scale (p=0.0003). Reduced progression free survival (PFS) was also observed for MT expressing tumors (linear: p=0.0134, log: p=0.0152)., Conclusion: Since both, overall survival and progression-free survival are negatively correlated with detectable MT expression in MPM, our results indicate a possible resistance to platin-based chemotherapy associated with MT expression upregulation, found exclusively in progressive MPM samples. Initial cell culture studies suggest promoter DNA hypomethylation and expression of miRNA-566 a direct regulator of copper transporter SLC31A1 and a putative regulator of MT1A and MT2A gene expression, to be responsible for the drug resistance., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: We evaluated treatment decisions and outcomes in a cohort of predominately Caucasian patients with EGFR mutation-positive (EGFR Mut+) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Methods: REASON (NCT00997230) was a non-interventional study in German patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. Secondary endpoints for EGFR Mut + NSCLC included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), adverse event (AE) management, and pharmacoeconomic outcomes., Results: Among 334 patients with EGFR Mut + NSCLC, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were the most common first-line therapy (56.6%, 53.0% gefitinib). Among patients who received TKIs/gefitinib before first disease progression, PFS was longer compared with those who did not receive a TKI (median 10.1/10.0 vs. 7.0 months; HR 0.67/0.69; log-rank p = 0.012/p = 0.022). OS was longer for those patients who ever received a TKI/gefitinib during their complete therapy course compared with those who never received a TKI (median 18.4/18.1 vs. 13.6 months; HR 0.53/0.55; p = 0.003/p = 0.005). Total mean first-line treatment healthcare costs per person were higher for those receiving TKIs (€46,443) compared with those who received chemotherapy (€27,182). Mean outpatient and inpatient costs were highest with chemotherapy. Rash, diarrhea, and dry skin were the most commonly reported AEs for patients receiving gefitinib., Conclusions: In REASON, TKI therapy was the most common first- and second-line treatment for EGFR Mut + NSCLC, associated with increased drug costs compared with chemotherapy. Patients who received gefitinib or a TKI ever during their complete therapy course had prolonged PFS and OS compared with patients who did not receive a TKI., Trial Registration: The trial was registered on October, 2009 with ClinicalTrials.gov : https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00997230?term=NCT00997230&rank=1.

Purpose Nivolumab, a programmed death-1 inhibitor, prolonged overall survival compared with docetaxel in two independent phase III studies in previously treated patients with advanced squamous (CheckMate 017; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01642004) or nonsquamous (CheckMate 057; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01673867) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report updated results, including a pooled analysis of the two studies. Methods Patients with stage IIIB/IV squamous (N = 272) or nonsquamous (N = 582) NSCLC and disease progression during or after prior platinum-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned 1:1 to nivolumab (3 mg/kg every 2 weeks) or docetaxel (75 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks). Minimum follow-up for survival was 24.2 months. Results Two-year overall survival rates with nivolumab versus docetaxel were 23% (95% CI, 16% to 30%) versus 8% (95% CI, 4% to 13%) in squamous NSCLC and 29% (95% CI, 24% to 34%) versus 16% (95% CI, 12% to 20%) in nonsquamous NSCLC; relative reductions in the risk of death with nivolumab versus docetaxel remained similar to those reported in the primary analyses. Durable responses were observed with nivolumab; 10 (37%) of 27 confirmed responders with squamous NSCLC and 19 (34%) of 56 with nonsquamous NSCLC had ongoing responses after 2 years' minimum follow-up. No patient in either docetaxel group had an ongoing response. In the pooled analysis, the relative reduction in the risk of death with nivolumab versus docetaxel was 28% (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.84), and rates of treatment-related adverse events were lower with nivolumab than with docetaxel (any grade, 68% v 88%; grade 3 to 4, 10% v 55%). Conclusion Nivolumab provides long-term clinical benefit and a favorable tolerability profile compared with docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced NSCLC.