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Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has sporadic clinical efficacy in urothelial carcinoma; the genomic basis for clinical response is not known. In two separate phase I clinical trials testing pharmacokinetic aspects of HDAC inhibitors in advanced solid tumors, we identified one patient with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had a complete response to belinostat, and one patient with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had a partial response to panobinostat. The archived tumors of the responders were genomically characterized in comparison to others with urothelial carcinoma on the trials. Urothelial carcinoma cell lines treated with panobinostat and belinostat were studied to elucidate the mechanisms of benefit. Notably, the urothelial carcinoma tumors that responded to HDAC inhibition had ARID1A mutations. ARID1A mutations were also noted in the tumors of three patients who had stable disease as their best response to HDAC inhibition. Corroborating the basis of sensitivity, transcriptional profiling of platinum-resistant ARID1A-mutated HT1197 cells treated with panobinostat reveals negative enrichment for both cyto-proliferative (MYC and E2F targets) and DNA repair gene sets, and positive enrichment for TP53 and inflammatory gene sets. Our study identifies ARID1A loss as a basis for clinical response to pan HDAC inhibition and offers avenues for potential rational therapeutic combinations with HDAC inhibitors in advanced urothelial carcinoma.

GSEA with Hallmark gene sets performed on transcriptional changes in HT1197 cells treated with panobinostat for 48 hours. A. Top 6 downregulated GSEA signatures B. Top 6 upregulated GSEA signatures C. GSEA HT1197 vs UMUC3 ( comparison of transcriptome of untreated samples reveals significantly greater presence of the E2F target gene signature in HT1197 cells).

Heat map of top 50 genes affected in HT1197 cells when treated with panobinostat at 48 hours log2 gene expression change(HT1197 A-B and C represent control replicates, HT1197 Pano A, B, C represent treated replicates). For the cell lines with replicates, statistically significant genes were identified with a FDR of 2 fold. Plot was generated with R using median-centered regularized log2 values.

Individual drug characteristics and doses, maximum plasma levels and protein binding of panobinostat and belinostat in the two phase 1 studies

Study Schema

Swimmer Plot to show the best overall response and duration of benefit in seven bladder cancer patients from Table 1 treated with HDAC inhibition.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated with belinostat and panobinostat with archived tumor tissue available for study.

Schematic representation of trial design, patient recruitment, arm assignment, and assignment to endpoint investigations.

Interim analysis of Grade {greater than or equal to}3 hematologic toxicity in the first 10 patients recruited to the combination arm (radium-223 + enzalutamide).

Trial Protocol

Purpose:Radium-223 is approved for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) based on improved overall survival, and delay in skeletal related events. However, it is not associated with PSA or radiographic response, which poses a challenge in real-time assessment of its efficacy. Surrogate markers of treatment outcomes may facilitate tailoring treatment duration with radium-223, by limiting the duration of therapy with radium-223 in these patients. Here, we sought to investigate the utility of bone metabolic markers (BMMs) as surrogate markers of response to radium-223 in mCRPC.Patients and Methods:A prospective phase II trial of radium-223 plus enzalutamide (RE) versus enzalutamide alone was designed to assess surrogacy of BMMs with respect to response to radium-223. Enzalutamide was used as a comparator in lieu of placebo due to the progressive disease. Co-primary endpoints were relative change in serum BMM N-telopeptide (NTP) levels from baseline to 6 months between the two arms and safety and feasibility of the combination.Results:Thirty-nine men were randomized to RE (n = 27) or enzalutamide (n = 12). Combination was safe and feasible. Primary endpoint was met. A statistically significant relative change to NTP ratios between arms (0.64, 95% confidence interval, 0.51–0.81; P = 0.00048) favored RE versus enzalutamide. Overall, BMMs decreased with the RE therapy compared with enzalutamide. Improved PSA response rate in RE versus enzalutamide (P = 0.024), correlated with decline in BMMs.Conclusions:BMMs declined significantly with combination therapy, and were associated with improved outcomes. Upon external validation, BMMs may emerge as surrogate markers to monitor treatment with radium-223 in real-time.

Time to nadir for BMMs and PSA.

Background Combination immunotherapy is now considered the standard first-line therapy for patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) after multiple clinical trials demonstrated improved overall survival compared with single-agent tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Cabozantinib modulates critical components of the immune system, such as decreasing regulatory T cells and increasing T-effector cell populations, and is approved for the treatment of mRCC. Avelumab is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to programmed death-ligand 1 protein and inhibits the interaction with PD-1. This phase I trial assessed the safety and clinical activity of avelumab and cabozantinib combination therapy in mccRCC. Methods This study was a phase I, 3+3 dose escalation clinical trial. The primary endpoint was the safety and identification of the recommended phase II dose (RP2D). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) and radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS). There were 3 dose cohorts: cabozantinib 20, 40, and 60 mg/day, each combined with avelumab (10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks). An additional 3 patients were included in the final dose cohort as a confirmation of the RP2D. No dose modifications were allowed for avelumab, but dose delays were permitted. Both dose reductions and holds were allowed for cabozantinib. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1, was used to determine ORR, and treatment beyond progression was allowed. Results Twelve patients with newly diagnosed mccRCC were enrolled from July 2018 until March 2020. Three patients were enrolled in the 20 and 40 mg cohorts each, and 6 were enrolled in the 60 mg cohort. The International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk categories for these patients were: 4 patients (favorable risk), 6 patients (intermediate risk), and 2 patients (poor risk). No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed in any cohort. Six patients developed serious adverse events related to study treatment after the DLT window period. Immune-related adverse events (iRAEs) were reported in 11 patients; fatigue and diarrhea were the most common (each with n = 4, 33.3%), followed by maculopapular rash and hand-foot syndrome (each with n = 3, 25%). Dose reductions were required in 5 of 6 patients in the cabozantinib 60 mg cohort after the DLT period. One patient discontinued avelumab due to irAE (nephritis), while none discontinued cabozantinib due to toxicity. The ORR was 50%, with one complete response (CR) and 5 partial responses (PR). The disease control rate (CR + PR + stable disease) was noted in 92% of the patients. Radiological PFS survival rate at 6 and 12 months was reported in 67.7% and 33.5% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Combination therapy with avelumab and cabozantinib is safe and showed preliminary clinical activity in mccRCC. Even though the DLT was not met in any of the 3 cohorts, the recommended RP2D dose for the combination is cabozantinib 40 mg/day due to a high incidence of grade 2 toxicity for cabozantinib 60 mg/day after the DLT period. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03200587)

Introduction To describe the efficacy of infigratinib, a potent, selective fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1-3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, across lines of therapy (LOT) in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC). Patients and Methods Eligible patients had mUC and prior platinum-based chemotherapy, unless contraindicated, and activating FGFR3 mutation/fusion. Patients received infigratinib 125 mg orally daily (3 weeks on/1 week off) in a single-arm, open-label study. Primary endpoint: investigator-assessed confirmed objective response rate (ORR). Disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), best overall response (BOR) that included unconfirmed responses, and overall survival (OS) were also assessed. Subgroup analysis of efficacy and safety outcomes by LOT was performed. Results Sixty-seven patients were enrolled; 13 (19.4%) received infigratinib as early-line therapy for mUC due to ineligibility to receive platinum-based chemotherapy. Overall, ORR was 25.4% (95% CI 15.5-37.5) and DCR was 64.2% (95% CI 51.5-75.5). ORR was 30.8% (95% CI 9.1-61.4) with early-line infigratinib and 24.1% (95% CI 13.5-37.6) for ≥2 LOT. DCR was 46.2% (95% CI 19.2-74.9) for early-line and 68.5% (95% CI 54.4-80.5) for ≥2 LOT. PFS and OS appeared similar in both groups. Thirteen of 59 patients with a bladder primary tumor received early-line treatment with an ORR of 30.5% (95% CI 9.1-61.4), and 46 received ≥2 LOT with an ORR of 20.3% (95% CI 9.4-33.9); BOR was 38.5% (95% CI: 13.9-68.4%) and 42.6% (95% CI: 29.2-56.8%) in the early-line and salvage settings, respectively. Eight patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma received salvage therapy (ORR, 50.0%; DCR, 100.0%). No significant differences in toxicities between LOT were observed. Conclusion Infigratinib has notable activity in patients with mUC regardless of LOT. The findings support the evaluation of infigratinib across different settings in mUC.

The NCCN Guidelines for Older Adult Oncology address specific issues related to the management of cancer in older adults, including screening and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), assessing the risks and benefits of treatment, preventing or decreasing complications from therapy, and managing patients deemed to be at high risk for treatment-related toxicity. CGA is a multidisciplinary, in-depth evaluation that assesses the objective health of the older adult while evaluating multiple domains, which may affect cancer prognosis and treatment choices. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines providing specific practical framework for the use of CGA when evaluating older adults with cancer.

Summary Background PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors are active in metastatic urothelial carcinoma, but positive randomised data supporting their use as a first-line treatment are lacking. In this study we assessed outcomes with first-line pembrolizumab alone or combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated advanced urothelial carcinoma. Methods KEYNOTE-361 is a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial of patients aged at least 18 years, with untreated, locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of up to 2. Eligible patients were enrolled from 201 medical centres in 21 countries and randomly allocated (1:1:1) via an interactive voice-web response system to intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for a maximum of 35 cycles plus intravenous chemotherapy (gemcitabine [1000 mg/m2] on days 1 and 8 and investigator's choice of cisplatin [70 mg/m2] or carboplatin [area under the curve 5] on day 1 of every 3-week cycle) for a maximum of six cycles, pembrolizumab alone, or chemotherapy alone, stratified by choice of platinum therapy and PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS). Neither patients nor investigators were masked to the treatment assignment or CPS. At protocol-specified final analysis, sequential hypothesis testing began with superiority of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in the total population (all patients randomly allocated to a treatment) for the dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival (p value boundary 0·0019), assessed by masked, independent central review, and overall survival (p value boundary 0·0142), followed by non-inferiority and superiority of overall survival for pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy in the patient population with CPS of at least 10 and in the total population (also a primary endpoint). Safety was assessed in the as-treated population (all patients who received at least one dose of study treatment). This study is completed and is no longer enrolling patients, and is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT02853305 . Findings Between Oct 19, 2016 and June 29, 2018, 1010 patients were enrolled and allocated to receive pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (n=351), pembrolizumab monotherapy (n=307), or chemotherapy alone (n=352). Median follow-up was 31·7 months (IQR 27·7–36·0). Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy did not significantly improve progression-free survival, with a median progression-free survival of 8·3 months (95% CI 7·5–8·5) in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group versus 7·1 months (6·4–7·9) in the chemotherapy group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·78, 95% CI 0·65–0·93; p=0·0033), or overall survival, with a median overall survival of 17·0 months (14·5–19·5) in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group versus 14·3 months (12·3–16·7) in the chemotherapy group (0·86, 0·72–1·02; p=0·0407). No further formal statistical hypothesis testing was done. In analyses of overall survival with pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy (now exploratory based on hierarchical statistical testing), overall survival was similar between these treatment groups, both in the total population (15·6 months [95% CI 12·1–17·9] with pembrolizumab vs 14·3 months [12·3–16·7] with chemotherapy; HR 0·92, 95% CI 0·77–1·11) and the population with CPS of at least 10 (16·1 months [13·6–19·9] with pembrolizumab vs 15·2 months [11·6–23·3] with chemotherapy; 1·01, 0·77–1·32). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse event attributed to study treatment was anaemia with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (104 [30%] of 349 patients) or chemotherapy alone (112 [33%] of 342 patients), and diarrhoea, fatigue, and hyponatraemia (each affecting four [1%] of 302 patients) with pembrolizumab alone. Six (1%) of 1010 patients died due to an adverse event attributed to study treatment; two patients in each treatment group. One each occurred due to cardiac arrest and device-related sepsis in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group, one each due to cardiac failure and malignant neoplasm progression in the pembrolizumab group, and one each due to myocardial infarction and ischaemic colitis in the chemotherapy group. Interpretation The addition of pembrolizumab to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy did not significantly improve efficacy and should not be widely adopted for treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma. Funding Merck Sharp and Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck, Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is recommended for older patients undergoing surgery. ACP consists of creating advance directives (ADs), identifying surrogate decision makers (SDMs), and documenting goals of care. We identified factors associated with documentation of preoperative ACP to identify opportunities to optimize ACP for older surgical patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of surgical patients ≥70 years old who underwent elective, high-risk abdominal procedures between 01/2015-08/2019. Clinical data were obtained from our institution’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database. ACP metrics were extracted from the electronic medical record. We analyzed the data to identify patient factors associated with ACP metrics. We also analyzed whether ACP was more frequent for patients who experienced postoperative complications or death. Results: 267/1,651 patients were included. 97 patients (36%) had an AD available on the day of surgery, 57 (21%) had an SDM identified, and 31 (12%) had a documented goals of care conversation. On multivariable analysis, older age and white race were associated with an increased likelihood of having an AD available on the day of surgery. Women were 1.7 times more likely to have an SDM (p = 0.02). No patient or surgeon factors were significantly associated with goals of care documentation. ACP was not performed more frequently in patients who experienced postoperative complications or death. Conclusion: In this series, ACP was not routinely documented for older patients undergoing major surgery. ACP was not more frequent in patients who experienced complications or death, demonstrating the importance of universal preoperative ACP in older patients.

Detecting genomic alterations (GAs) in advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) can expand treatment options by identifying candidates for targeted therapies. Erdafitinib is FDA-approved for patients with platinum-refractory aUC with activating mutation or fusion in FGFR2/3. We explored the prevalence and spectrum of FGFR2/3 GAs identified with plasma cfDNA NGS testing (Guardant360) in 997 patients with aUC. FGFR2/3 GAs were detected in 201 patients (20%) with characterized activating GAs in 141 (14%). Our results indicate the Guardant360-based FGFR2/3 GA detection rate is similar to those described from previous studies employing tumor tissue testing, suggesting that plasma-based cfDNA NGS may non-invasively identify candidates for anti-FGFR targeted therapies.

Background Progression-free survival was significantly longer in patients who received avelumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib as first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) in a randomized phase III trial. We report long-term safety and efficacy of avelumab plus axitinib as first-line treatment for patients with aRCC from the JAVELIN Renal 100 phase Ib trial (NCT02493751). Materials and Methods In this open-label, multicenter, phase Ib study, patients with untreated aRCC received avelumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks plus axitinib 5 mg twice daily or with axitinib for 7 days followed by avelumab plus axitinib. Safety and efficacy were assessed in all patients receiving at least one dose of avelumab or axitinib. Results Overall, 55 patients were enrolled and treated. Median follow-up was 55.7 months (95% CI, 54.5-58.7). Treatment-related adverse events of any grade or grade ≥3 occurred in 54 (98.2%) and 34 (61.8%) patients, respectively. The confirmed objective response rate was 60.0% (95% CI, 45.9-73.0), including complete response in 10.9% of patients. Median duration of response was 35.9 months (95% CI, 12.7-52.9); the probability of response was 65.8% (95% CI, 46.7-79.4) at 2 years. Median progression-free survival was 8.3 months (95% CI, 5.3-32.0). Median overall survival was not reached (95% CI, 40.8-not estimable); the 5-year overall survival rate was 57.3% (95% CI, 41.2-70.5). Conclusion Five-year follow-up for combination treatment with avelumab plus axitinib in previously untreated patients with aRCC showed long-term clinical activity with no new safety signals, supporting use of this regimen within its approved indication in clinical practice (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02493751).

Background: DNA silencing of gene expression can affect tumorigenesis, treatment outcomes and prognosis. Epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes in prostate cancer detected in plasma at different stages of progression and its effect on clinical outcomes has not been determined. In a cohort study across different stages of prostate cancer (PC) progression, we performed plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based epigenomic profiling for determining the landscape of methylation and Differentially Methylated Region (DMR) classifiers and the potential impact on clinical outcomes in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) state. Methods: Plasma was collected prospectively in a longitudinal cohort study of 108 PC patients (pts) of which 24 had non-metastatic Local PC; 28 had mHSPC; 56 had mCRPC. cfDNA was used for enzymatic methylation sequencing (EM-seq) of a targeted panel of genes (N=441) implicated in prostate cancer biology. Methylation status at CpG islands of these genes were examined using Twist targeted cfDNA methylation assay. The Bismark program was used for methylation calls. Temporal trends of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified in different states of progression by comparing the methylation status of target genes in localized PC, mHSPC and mCRPC states using a False Discovery Rate (FDR-q-value) of 0.2 or less. DMRs uniquely associated with mHSPC state were identified and determination of genes with DMRs in pts experiencing early failure of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)-based therapies was performed. Early failure was defined as progression on ADT within 12 months. Results: We identified 304/441 genes that were differentially methylated between localized PC and advanced PC (mHSPC and mCRPC) (FDR Conclusions. A targeted cfDNA plasma liquid-biopsy based epigenomic profiling of PC cancer related genes was able to capture significant differences in DMRs across different states of cancer progression. Candidate differentially expressed CpG methylome gene biomarkers detected in plasma also identified biomarkers associated with early ADT-based treatment failure in mHSPC. Citation Format: Manish Kohli, Jodie Wong, Yijun Tian, Amir Bitaraf, Claire Hanson, Matt Larsen, Jennifer Lloyd, Julia Batten, Neeraj Agarwal, Umang Swami, Benjamin Maughan, Sumati Gupta, Jonathan Tward. Plasma methylome landscape across the spectrum of prostate cancer progression, and differentially methylated region (DMR) based biomarkers of hormonal therapy failure in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6023.

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) presents most frequently as bladder cancer and is the most common cancer of the urinary system in the United States. UC relapse and progression are common and impose a significant negative impact on the lives of patients and healthcare resources. To elucidate the biological mechanisms of UC and find novel biomarkers, we analyzed the clinical and genomic data in the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN). We conducted gene-based and gene-set based association tests on rare germline variants comparing the exome sequencing of 336 UC patients and genome sequencing of 366 healthy controls (42 unrelated individuals from the Centre d'Etudes du Polymorphisme Humain [CEPH] families and 324 from the University of Utah Heritage 1000 [H1K] Projects). The analysis of loss-of-function (LoF) variants revealed that the forkhead box (FOX) J2 gene set was significantly associated with UC at the genome-wide level (Bonferroni-corrected p-value=0.01). Genes in this gene set contain a motif that matches the FOXJ2 transcription factor binding site. Firth-penalized Cox proportional hazard regression on overall survival identified LoF variants in genes down-regulated in naive CD8 T cells to be associated with worse prognosis (Bonferroni-corrected p-value=0.032, hazard ratio=28.2, and 95% confidence interval 6.66 to 119.0). In exome sequencing of tumor tissues, we searched for driver genes and pathways by testing for higher variant allelic fractions than the genome average. The tests yielded eleven genes with genome-wide significance (Table 1). By gene set analysis using the MSigDB Hallmark database, significant pathways included the P53 pathway (p Table 1. Genes with high allelic fractions Gene P-value Number of Variants TP53 Citation Format: Bing-Jian Feng, Wendy Kohlmann, David A. Nix, Aaron Atkinson, Kenneth M. Boucher, Courtney Carroll, Jill Kolesar, Eric A. Singer, Stephen B. Edge, Kamal Sahu, Alejandro Sanchez, Mikaela Larson, Michelle L. Churchman, Laura Graham, John D. Carpten, Yousef Zakharia, Lindsey Byrne, Rohit K. Jain, Kenneth G. Nepple, Ahmad Shabsigh, Jad Chahoud, Sumati Gupta. Germline and somatic genomic profiling of urothelial carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6074.

Background: Plasma microRNA (miR)-375 and miR-1290 levels have been associated with poor survival and resistance to docetaxel chemotherapy. Detection of plasma miRs is typically performed using qRT-PCR, which is time-intensive and laborious. We developed a novel technique, SiM-Flow, that rapidly and accurately quantifies miRs from low blood volumes (~100 uL). SiM-Flow uses a fluorescence-based flow cytometer to digitally count nucleic acids that have been extended and fluorescently tagged. Our goal was to compare plasma miR detection using SiM-Flow with qRT-PCR assays and determine clinical outcomes in mCRPC stage. Methods: Forty mCRPC patients undergoing state-specific treatment were enrolled prospectively. Uniform processing of plasma was performed on patient blood samples. Total RNA was extracted from 100 µL of plasma and qRT-PCR was performed using TaqMan miRNA assays for targets miR-375 and miR-1290, endogenous controls miR-30a-5p and miR-16, and exogenous control cel-miR-39. SiM-Flow was conducted using a commercial flow cytometer to count fluorescent barcoded rolling-circle-amplification-extended miR nanoparticles for the same targets. Target miR-375 and miR-1290 were normalized using the geometric means of endogenous controls miR-30a-5p, miR-16, and miR-39 and compared across the two assays by Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Survival analysis was calculated from date of developing mCRPC to death using Cox Proportional Hazard Regression (CPHR) for association with mean of the miR targets normalized by miR-16. Results: qRT-PCR assays were optimized to detect native targets, endogenous controls, and spike-in miRs from plasma with ≤100 aM limit of detection (LOD), while SiM-Flow was able to detect miRs from plasma with ≤10 aM LOD. After normalization, target miRs in plasma were detected in 26/40 mCRPC patients by qRT-PCR and in 31/40 patients by SiM-Flow. The Spearman Rho for normalized miR-375 was 0.738 and normalized miR-1290 was 0.130. Survival analysis showed a hazard ratio of 1.03 (95% CI 1.01, 1.05) for the mean of miR-375. Conclusion: Target miR-375 levels detected with SiM-Flow had higher with qRT-PCR, at lower LOD for SiM-Flow. Mean Normalized miR-375 target levels also were associated with poor prognosis in mCRPC. Citation Format: Manish Kohli, Siva Nalla, Chia-Wei Kuo, Claire Hanson, Matt Larsen, Anna Neibling, Jennifer Lloyd, Julia Batten, Neeraj Agarwal, Umang Swami, Benjamin Maughan, Sumati Gupta, Rebecca L. Smith, Andrew Smith. Comparison of Single-Molecule Flow (SiM-Flow) and qRT-PCR for detection of plasma miR-375 and miR-1290 in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4317.

233 Background: In general, older pts are likely to have an advanced stage PCa, hence poor overall survival (PMID: 18660852). Owing to increased awareness and better diagnostics, the incidence of PCa has steadily increased amongst older adolescents and young adult pts (PMID: 31553489). Recent reports suggest that younger pts often are staged less adequately, present with more advanced stages, and could have worse outcomes than older pts (PMID: 33575208). Hence, elucidating the underlying molecular biology of PCa by age may unravel specific biologic features and distinct genomic expressions specific to young-age PCa, and help investigate new therapeutic targets. Methods: In this IRB-approved retrospective study, eligibility criteria included pts diagnosed with advanced PCa with available tumor-based comprehensive transcriptomic profiling from a CLIA-certified lab. DeSeq2 analysis was implemented in Bioconductor software to analyze differentially expressed genes based on the cohort's age cut-off points (< 65 vs. ≥65 years). DeSeq2 results included the Log2 Fold change, Wald-Test p-values, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p-values for each differentially expressed gene. These results were then subjected to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to identify pathways upregulated or downregulated in each cohort. All bioinformatic analysis was conducted in R-Studio, version 4.1.1. The statistical significance level was predetermined at 0.05. Results: 80 pts were eligible: < 65 (n=44) vs ≥65 years (n=36). No differences in Gleason score (

105 Background: In clinical trials, treatment efficacy rates are based on participants who can tolerate treatment through study endpoints. Attrition from clinical trials can potentially lead to biased results (PMID: 30379822). Many oncology clinical trials censor the subject data of participants because of early trial intervention discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs), withdrawal of consent, or loss to follow-up. Despite high attrition rates reported across various oncology clinical trials (10-38%), there is inconsistency regarding investigating the reasons for withdrawal (PMID: 23132290). We aim to identify the causes of the withdrawal of participants with advanced PCa from clinical trials. Methods: In this IRB-approved single-center retrospective study (Sept 2014 to Sept 2022), the OnCore Research Database was used to capture data on the participants with advanced PCa enrolled in clinical trials. The included trials were specific to prostate cancer, and mixed solid tumor trials were excluded. Endpoint reports from all included trials were assessed. Participants who discontinued treatment for any reason were included. The primary objective was to obtain reasons for clinical trial withdrawal before primary endpoints, identify potential clinical intervention areas, and determine potential areas of adjustment to future study designs to improve retention rates. Eligibility criteria: diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer, receipt of protocol treatment until discontinuation, and documentation of a reason for discontinuation of the protocol treatment. Results: 272 pts from the 18 clinical trials met eligibility criteria and were included in the study. The most common reasons documented for discontinuation were: the progression of disease (46.69%), other reasons (15.44%), adverse events (5.15%), personal preference (15.81%), and completion of protocol treatment (11.76%) of the total number of enrolled participants. We noted a statistically significant difference between participants who withdrew for other reasons in the castration-resistant versus castration-sensitive setting (6.08% vs. 32.38%, p value=0.03). Notably, declining performance status and symptom progression were listed under the “other reasons” category. The documentation of patient withdrawal due to clinical symptoms was reported across multiple withdrawal categories. Conclusions: In approximately one-third of participants, the reason for protocol treatment discontinuation was not apparent (documented as patient preference and other reasons with no further specifications). Further exploration of the exact reasons contributing to therapy discontinuation in these patients will be critical to improving patient retention in clinical trials.

364 Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients (pts) with DNA repair defects (aka “BRCAness”) generally have more aggressive disease and a worse overall prognosis compared to men without BRCAness (PMID: 33781305). Biochemical recurrence (BCR) develops in almost one-third of men with PCa after treatment with local therapy. We hypothesized that treatment with rucaparib monotherapy in men with systemic treatment naïve high-risk nmHSPC would result in acceptable disease control, allow a delay of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the onset of metastasis. Methods: This is a single-arm, open-label, phase II trial; eligibility criteria: (1) Histologically proven prostate adenocarcinoma, presence of one of the following alterations in (by soft tissue or liquid biopsy): BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, BARD1, BRIP1, CHEK1, CHEK2, FANCA, NBN, PALB2, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD51, RAD51B, (2) No radiographic evidence of metastatic disease by conventional scans (3) PSA doubling time of ≤10 months. The primary endpoint: PSA progression-free survival (PSA-PFS). Secondary endpoints: safety, the proportion of pts with a PSA 50% response (PSA50), and an undetectable PSA. Results: Seven pts were enrolled in the study with the following pathogenic alterations: ATM (n=3), BRCA2 (n=2), BRCA1 (n=1), BRIP1 (n=1), RAD51(n=1), and received treatment with rucaparib at 600 mg twice daily. A 4-week treatment duration comprised one cycle. The median duration of follow-up was 18 months. A median of 20 cycles (range 4-42) was completed, median PSA-PFS was 35.37 months (95% CI: 0 - 85.11 months). 2/7 patients achieved PSA50; both had nadir PSA as undetectable. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) were anemia and rash (in 1 pt each). No dose-limiting toxicities or severe AEs were seen. The study was prematurely terminated in June 2022 after the accrual of 7 pts because next-generation scans (e.g., PSMA-PET) became the standard of care for pts with BCR. Conclusions: Rucaparib demonstrated acceptable toxicity and preliminary efficacy in pts with PCa with BCR. Gene alteration-specific efficacy will be presented in the meeting. Limitations: Small cohort, no comparison arm. Hence results should be interpreted cautiously but generally consistent with larger prospective trials of PARP inhibitors. Clinical trial information: NCT03533946 . [Table: see text]

561 Background: Understanding the influences of cigarette smoke exposure at the gene expression level may have clinical significance and therapeutic implications. Investigating variations in the gene expression patterns could provide insights into differences in disease progression, survival, and therapeutic response based on smoking history amongst smokers vs. non-smokers (PMID: 29050337). Our objective was to correlate smoking with the gene expression of pts with locally advanced or metastatic UC. Methods: In this IRB-approved retrospective study, eligibility criteria included pts with locally advanced or metastatic UC with available tumor-based comprehensive transcriptomic profiling from a CLIA-certified lab. DeSeq2 analysis was implemented in Bioconductor software to analyze differentially expressed genes based on smoking history. DeSeq2 results included the Log2 Fold change, Wald-Test p-values, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p-values for each differentially expressed gene. These results were then subjected to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to identify pathways upregulated or downregulated in each cohort. All bioinformatic analysis was conducted in R-Studio, version 4.1.1. Statistical significance was predetermined at p < 0.05. Results: 38 pts were eligible and included: Smokers (n=18) and non-smokers (n=20). The median age at diagnosis for smokers vs. non-smokers (67 vs.71 years). The three most upregulated significant pathways amongst smokers (vs. non-smokers) were the MYC, E2F target, and cholesterol homeostasis pathways (q for all

TPS294 Background: EV, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), consists of a fully human antibody directed against the extracellular domain of Nectin-4 (N4), which is conjugated to a microtubule-disrupting agent, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), by a protease-cleavable linker. MMAE disrupts tubulin polymerization leading to mitotic arrest and apoptosis. N4 RNA is expressed in prostate tissue, but its expression levels in mCRPC are currently unknown. In animal models of prostate, metastatic lesions showed a very high (++++) membranous N4 expression and correlated with advanced disease (PMID: 30767361). In prostate cancer cell lines engineered to express N4 (PC3-Nectin-4), the hybridoma version of EV: AGS-22M6E, demonstrated potent dose-dependent cytotoxicity (PMID: 27013195). MMAE destabilizes microtubules in contrast to stabilization by taxanes and has shown anti-tumor activity in taxane refractory cell lines and in mCRPC pts with prior taxane therapy (PMID: 31742767). We initiated a phase 2 trial of EV in pts with mCRPC. Methods: This IRB approved, investigator-initiated, single-arm, single-center, non-randomized, open-label study will enroll 34 pts. EV will be administered at 1.25 mg/kg IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of 28- day cycle. Key eligibility criteria: ≥18 years age, mCRPC with histologically/cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma without small cell histology, ECOG performance status ≤ 1, adequate organ function, prior treatment with ≥3 cycles of docetaxel, at least one androgen-receptor axis targeting agent, received/refused all therapies shown to improve overall survival (OS) except cabazitaxel which is exclusionary. Primary objective: To assess the antitumor activity of EV as determined by one of the following: objective response by RECIST 1.1, confirmed conversion of circulating tumor cell count (CTC) to 0) that true response rate (RR) is 25% will be tested against a one-sided alternative. In first stage if ≤3 responses are observed of 11 pts, the study will be stopped. Otherwise, 23 additional pts will be accrued (total 34). H0 will be rejected if ≥13 responses are observed in 34 pts. This design yields type I error rate of 0.046 and power of 0.854 when true RR is 50%. Secondary endpoints: safety, tolerability, progression-free survival (radiological, clinical and PSA), OS, duration of PSA50% response, CTC conversion rate from ≥5/7.5 ml at baseline to

TPS295 Background: Preclinical studies and clinical observations suggest that C promotes an immune permissive environment, which might lead to synergistic effects from combination treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In Cohort 6 of COSMIC-021 study, the combination of C and A showed encouraging clinical activity and acceptable tolerability in mCRPC pts who had radiographically progressed in soft tissue on or after novel hormonal treatment (NHT; PMID: 35690072). CONTACT-02 is a phase 3 study randomizing pts with mCRPC with measurable disease 1:1 to C+A or NHT (NCT04446117). The objective of this study is to specifically evaluate the safety and efficacy of C+A in pts with mCRPC with NMD. Methods: AtezoCab is an IRB approved, investigator-initiated, single-arm, single-center, open-label, non-randomized phase 2 study of C+A in mCRPC patients with NMD to assess disease control rate (DCR). Treatment: C 40 mg oral daily + A 1200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks. Treatment continues until progression or intolerable toxicities. Key inclusion criteria: ≥18 years age, mCRPC with histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma without small cell histology, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2, adequate organ function, prior treatment with NHT, only NMD outside the pelvis (above aortic bifurcation) per RECIST 1.1 criteria. Key exclusion criteria: prior chemotherapy for mCRPC, prior treatment with C, immune checkpoint inhibitors or other systemic immunostimulatory agents, active or history of clinically significant autoimmune disease per treating physician, corticosteroids (> 10 mg daily prednisone equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days before first dose of study treatment. Primary endpoint: Percentage of pts with disease control. DCR will be defined as the percentage of pts with confirmed response of any duration or stable disease or noncomplete response or nonprogressive disease for 24 weeks or longer per PCWG3-modified RECIST v1.1. Up to 33 pts will be enrolled for a total of 30 evaluable pts. This will ensure that DCR can be estimated via a 95% confidence interval (CI) with margin of error

518 Background: Pembro is standard of care for pts with mUC who progress after 1L PT therapy but only ~21% of pts respond, highlighting an unmet need (Bellmunt, et al. NEJM. 2017). SG is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of an anti-Trop-2 antibody coupled to SN-38 via a hydrolyzable linker. In Cohort 1 of the TROPHY-U-01 study, SG demonstrated a 27% objective response rate (ORR) with manageable safety in 113 pts with locally advanced or mUC who previously received PT and a checkpoint inhibitor (CPI; Tagawa, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021), leading to accelerated FDA approval in this pt population. Preliminary results of the phase 2 TROPHY-U-01 Cohort 3 study showed that SG plus Pembro demonstrated a high ORR (34%) as a 2L therapy in 41 CPI-naive pts with mUC who progressed after PT (Grivas et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021). Here we present the primary analysis of Cohort 3. Methods: Cohort 3 pts (≥18 y) had progression of mUC following PT in the metastatic setting or following ≤12 mo of PT in the (neo)adjuvant setting and ECOG PS 0-1. Pts received 10 mg/kg of SG on D1 and D8 and 200 mg of Pembro on D1 of a 21-D cycle for ≤2 y. The primary endpoint was ORR [complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)] per central review by RECIST 1.1. Secondary endpoints include clinical benefit rate [CBR; CR + PR + stable disease for at least 6 mo], duration of response (DOR) and progression-free survival (PFS) per central review; and safety. Target enrollment was approximately 41 pts based on a Simon two-stage design for 90% power at one-sided α of 0.05 to demonstrate 21% improvement in ORR, with a null hypothesis of historical ORR ≤20% and an alternate hypothesis of ORR ≥41%. Results: As of July 26, 2022, median follow-up was 12.5 mo (range, 0.9-24.6) for treated pts (N=41); median age, 67 y (range, 46-86), 83% male, 61% ECOG PS 1, 76% ≥1 Bellmunt risk factors, and 78% visceral metastases (29% liver). Median duration of last prior anti-cancer therapy was 2.7 mo (range, 0-13). Per central review, ORR was 41% (95% CI, 26.3-57.9; 20% CR); CBR was 46% (95% CI, 30.7-62.6); median DOR was 11.1 mo (95% CI, 4.8-NE [not estimable]; n=17); and median PFS was 5.3 mo (95% CI, 3.4-10.2). Median time to response was 1.4 mo (95% CI, 1.3-2.7) and median OS was 12.7 mo (95% CI, 10.7-NE). Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 61% of pts; most common Grade ≥3 TRAEs were neutropenia (37%; 10% febrile neutropenia), leukopenia (20%), and diarrhea (20%). TRAEs led to a 15% discontinuation rate. Systemic steroid and G-CSF use were both 34%. No treatment-related death occurred. Conclusions: SG plus Pembro demonstrated a high ORR and CBR with a manageable safety profile in 2L mUC in CPI-naive pts who progressed after PT-based therapy. No new safety signals were observed with the combination. These data support further evaluation of SG plus CPI in mUC. Clinical trial information: NCT03547973 .

156 Background: We hypothesized that treatment with Radium-223 (Ra223) and to ≤5 sites of bony metastases (mets) could safely delay the time to start androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and maintain quality of life (QoL). Methods: 20 men previously treated with surgery, radiation, or both for M0 PCa later developed ≤5 bone-only mets were eligible for this prospective trial. Inclusion: testosterone ≥ 100 ng/dL and mets on conventional bone scan, validated by a CT, MRI, or PET/CT. Exclusion: LHRH therapies after initial treatment, or N1 disease at diagnosis of bone mets. Therapy was 6 cycles of Ra223 and SBRT (30 Gy in 5 fractions between cycles 1-2). Bone scan was performed at baseline and q3 months. PSA was evaluated monthly during the Ra223 course, and q3 months after. Therapeutic effectiveness was defined as ≥20% of patients meeting the primary endpoint of freedom from ADT (FFAdt) use at 15 months. Discontinuation of study therapy occurred if: PSA rise > 10% if baseline PSA >20ng/ml, PSA>20 if baseline PSA 1/2 standard deviation from the mean baseline value and were censored after the time of ADT use. Continuous and categorical covariates were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum and Pearson’s Chi2 tests, respectively, and univariate Cox regression. Statistical significance was considered at P0.05). Conclusions: First-line use of Ra223 and SBRT to oligomets in hormone-naïve men in this prospective pilot study resulted in a significant delay in ADT use compared to historical control, is well tolerated, and maintains QoL. Clinical trial information: NCT03304418 .

559 Background: BLASST-1 is multi-center phase II trial evaluating neoadjuvant nivolumab (N) with gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) for patients (pts) with MIBC undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) (NCT03294304). 41 pts with MIBC (cT2-T4a, N≤1, M0) were enrolled between Feb 2018 and June 2019; (cT2N0 90%, cT3N0 7%, cT4N1 3%). Pts received C (70mg/m2) IV on D1, G (1000mg/m2) on D1, D8 and N (360 mg) IV on D8 every 21 days for 4 cycles followed by RC within 8 wks. Primary endpoint was pathologic down staging (PaR; ≤pT1N0). Safety, Relapse-free survival (RFS), Progression-free survival (PFS) and biomarker analyses were secondary endpoints. PaR rate was 65.8%, pCR (≤pT is N0) rate was 49% and there were no safety concerns or delays to RC. At a median follow-up of 15.8 mos, 12-month RFS rate was 85.4% and PFS including death from any cause was 83%. We now report correlation of PaR with tumor mutation patterns of responders (R) and non-responders (NR) using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). Methods: DNA was extracted from pre-treatment tumor samples and sequenced to an average depth of 150X and DNA extracted from matched normal tissue (peripheral blood) to a mean depth of 50X. We analyzed 32 Tumor/Normal pairs and 6 Tumor only Whole Genome Samples; 26 pts were classified as (R) and 12 as (NR). Raw sequencing data samples were aligned to hg38 genome build using Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA) followed by duplicate-read removal and base-quality score recalibration using the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK). Somatic SNV and INDELS were called by combination of 5 callers (Mutect2, Strelka, VarScan, Platypus and SomaticSniper) for Tumor/Normal pairs and Mutect2 for Tumor only samples following the guidelines of GDC DNA-Seq analysis pipeline. Set of genes known to be significantly mutated in MIBC and shown to impact response/resistance to chemotherapy/immunotherapy respectively were selected. Samples were grouped by response status. Results: Median tumor mutational burden (TMB) for the dataset closely matches with TCGA results. Genes ERCC2, ARID1A, DSP, HMCN1, ERBB2, ERBB3, STAG2, BRCA2 present in (R) only, whereas VHL, ERCC4, PALB2, CDKN2A and CSMD3 present in (NR) only. We also grouped genes based on their biological processes by known Oncogenic Signaling Pathways and the 3 most common pathways are Genome Integrity, RTK Signaling and Transcription Factor with the latter two primarily enriched in (R). We identified a SNP rs2853669 in 5 (NR) and 14 (R). Conclusions: The genomic analysis suggests ERCC2, ARID1A, DSP, HMCN1, ERBB2, ERBB3,STAG2, BRCA2 correlated with PaR and VHL, ERCC4, PALB2, CDKN2A and CSMD3 correlated with lack of response. In addition, RTK Signaling and Transcription Factor were primarily enriched in (R). This genomic correlation of response/resistance to neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in MIBC can help guide future biomarker-driven studies. Clinical trial information: NCT03294304 .

37 Background: Compared to the urban population, pts in rural areas face healthcare disparities and experience inferior healthcare-related outcomes. Herein we aimed to compare the health care quality metrics and outcomes between pts with aPC from rural versus urban areas treated at a tertiary cancer hospital. Methods: In this IRB approved retrospective study, eligibility criteria were: presence of aPC, treatment at a single center (NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCI-CCC), between 10/2017 to 9/2021). Rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes from the 2010 census /were used to classify the pts’ residences as urban (1-3) or rural (4-10) areas. The straight-line to distance of the pts’ place of residence from our institute was also calculated and included in the analysis. The median household income data were obtained and calculated from “The Michigan Population Studies Center”, based on individual zip codes. Results: A total of 994 pts were eligible and included (83.9% urban vs 16.1% rural). The baseline demographic profile and tumor characteristics were similar between the two groups. The median household income of pts from urban areas was higher by $8604/annum than that from rural areas (p

PURPOSE Platinum-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer is typically administered for a fixed duration followed by observation until progression. “Switch maintenance” therapy with PD-1 blockade at the time of chemotherapy cessation may be attractive for mechanistic and pragmatic reasons. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with metastatic urothelial cancer achieving at least stable disease on first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned double-blind 1:1 to switch maintenance pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks versus placebo for up to 24 months. Patients with disease progression on placebo could cross over to pembrolizumab. The primary objective was to determine the progression-free survival. Secondary objectives included determining overall survival as well as treatment outcomes according to PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS). RESULTS Between December 2015 and November 2018, 108 patients were randomly assigned to pembrolizumab (n = 55) or placebo (n = 53). The objective response rate was 23% with pembrolizumab and 10% with placebo. Treatment-emergent grade 3-4 adverse events occurred in 59% receiving pembrolizumab and 38% of patients receiving placebo. Progression-free survival was significantly longer with maintenance pembrolizumab versus placebo (5.4 months [95% CI, 3.1 to 7.3 months] v 3.0 months [95% CI; 2.7 to 5.5 months]; hazard ratio, 0.65; log-rank P = .04; maximum efficiency robust test P = .039). Median overall survival was 22 months (95% CI, 12.9 months to not reached) with pembrolizumab and 18.7 months (95% CI, 11.4 months to not reached) with placebo. There was no significant interaction between PD-L1 CPS ≥ 10 and treatment arm for progression-free survival or overall survival. CONCLUSION Switch maintenance pembrolizumab leads to additional objective responses in patients achieving at least stable disease with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and prolongs progression-free survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer.

Purpose: Radium-223 is approved for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) based on improved overall survival, and delay in skeletal related events. However, it is not associated with PSA or radiographic response, which poses a challenge in real-time assessment of its efficacy. Surrogate markers of treatment outcomes may facilitate tailoring treatment duration with radium-223, by limiting the duration of therapy with radium-223 in these patients. Here, we sought to investigate the utility of bone metabolic markers (BMMs) as surrogate markers of response to radium-223 in mCRPC. Patients and Methods: A prospective phase II trial of radium-223 plus enzalutamide (RE) versus enzalutamide alone was designed to assess surrogacy of BMMs with respect to response to radium-223. Enzalutamide was used as a comparator in lieu of placebo due to the progressive disease. Co-primary endpoints were relative change in serum BMM N-telopeptide (NTP) levels from baseline to 6 months between the two arms and safety and feasibility of the combination. Results: Thirty-nine men were randomized to RE (n = 27) or enzalutamide (n = 12). Combination was safe and feasible. Primary endpoint was met. A statistically significant relative change to NTP ratios between arms (0.64, 95% confidence interval, 0.51–0.81; P = 0.00048) favored RE versus enzalutamide. Overall, BMMs decreased with the RE therapy compared with enzalutamide. Improved PSA response rate in RE versus enzalutamide (P = 0.024), correlated with decline in BMMs. Conclusions: BMMs declined significantly with combination therapy, and were associated with improved outcomes. Upon external validation, BMMs may emerge as surrogate markers to monitor treatment with radium-223 in real-time.

Background: Relatives of patients with bladder cancer have been shown to be at increased risk for kidney, lung, thyroid, and cervical cancer after correcting for smoking-related behaviors that may concentrate in some families. We demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously assess risks for multiple cancers to identify distinct multicancer configurations (multiple different cancer types that cluster in relatives) surrounding patients with familial bladder cancer. Methods: This study takes advantage of a unique population-level data resource, the Utah Population Database (UPDB), containing vast genealogy and statewide cancer data. Familial risk is measured using standardized incidence risk (SIR) ratios that account for sex, age, birth cohort, and person-years of the pedigree members. Results: We identify 1,023 families with a significantly higher bladder cancer rate than population controls (familial bladder cancer). Familial SIRs are then calculated across 25 cancer types, and a weighted Gower distance with K-medoids clustering is used to identify familial multicancer configurations (FMC). We found five FMCs, each exhibiting a different pattern of cancer aggregation. Of the 25 cancer types studied, kidney and prostate cancers were most commonly enriched in the familial bladder cancer clusters. Laryngeal, lung, stomach, acute lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin disease, soft-tissue carcinoma, esophageal, breast, lung, uterine, thyroid, and melanoma cancers were the other cancer types with increased incidence in familial bladder cancer families. Conclusions: This study identified five familial bladder cancer FMCs showing unique risk patterns for cancers of other organs, suggesting phenotypic heterogeneity familial bladder cancer. Impact: FMC configurations could permit better definitions of cancer phenotypes (subtypes or multicancer) for gene discovery and environmental risk factor studies.

Objective To review the genomic landscape of advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) to assess the frequencies of EGFR and ERBB2 (HER2) alterations. Materials and methods Tumour specimens from 3753 patients with advanced UC were assayed with hybrid capture-based comprehensive genomic profiling of 180-395 genes. Tumour mutational burden (TMB) was assessed on 0.8 or 1.1 Mb of DNA, and is reported as mutations per megabase. Results In 3753 cases of UC, EGFR alterations were detected in 4.1% (154) and were most commonly amplifications (64%; 99/154), while exon 20 insertions (EGFRexon20ins ) were the second most common alteration (18%; 27/154). Alterations in ERBB2 were observed in 15% (552/3753) of cases and, similarly, ERBB2 amplification was the most commonly observed alteration (278/552; 50%); ERBB2exon20ins occurred in 3.6% (20/552) of cases. EGFRexon20ins and ERBB2exon20ins occurred in younger patients (median age 62 vs 69 years, P = 2.6E-2 and 60 vs 68 years, P = 7.8E-4), and these cases had significantly lower TMB (median 3.6 vs 7.2, P = 2.7E-4 and 2.5 vs 10, P = 1.2E-7) and less frequent TP53 alterations (3.7% vs 83%, P = 4.3E-14 and 20% vs 68%, P = 9.8E-4) compared to cases with other EGFR or ERBB2 alterations. Conclusion EGFR and ERBB2 alterations occur in 4% and 15% of UC, respectively. EGFRexon20ins and ERBB2exon20ins were present in 0.7% and 0.5% of UC overall and collectively define a small, but distinct, subset of UC with infrequent co-occurrence of other drivers and low TMB. Given recent promising clinical studies of inhibitors with activity against exon 20 insertions in non-small cell lung cancer, consideration should be given to developing a trial inclusive of patients with UC harbouring these alterations.

BackgroundOncolytic virus V937 showed activity and safety with intratumoral administration. This phase 1 study evaluated intravenous V937±pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.MethodsPatients had advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urothelial cancer, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or melanoma in part A (V937 monotherapy), and metastatic NSCLC or urothelial cancer in part B (V937+pembrolizumab). Prior immunotherapy was permitted >28 days before study treatment. Patients received intravenous V937 on days 1, 3, and 5 (also on day 8 in part B) of the first 21-day cycle and on day 1 of subsequent cycles for eight cycles. Three ascending dose-escalation cohorts were studied. Dose-escalation proceeded if no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) occurred in cycle 1 of the previous cohort. In part B, patients also received pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks from day 8 for 2 years; dose-expansion occurred at the highest-dose cohort. Serial biopsies were performed.ResultsNo DLTs occurred in parts A (n=18) or B (n=85). Grade 3–5 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were not observed in part A and were experienced by 10 (12%) patients in part B. The most frequent treatment-related AEs (any grade) in part B were fatigue (36%), pruritus (18%), myalgia (14%), diarrhea (13%), pyrexia (13%), influenza-like illness (12%), and nausea (12%). At the highest tested dose, median intratumoral V937 concentrations were 117,631 copies/mL on day 8, cycle 1 in part A (n=6) and below the detection limit for most patients (86% (19/22)) on day 15, cycle 1 in part B. Objective response rates were 6% (part A), 9% in the NSCLC dose-expansion cohort (n=43), and 20% in the urothelial cancer dose-expansion cohort (n=35).ConclusionsIntravenous V937+pembrolizumab had a manageable safety profile. Although V937 was detected in tumor tissue, in NSCLC and urothelial cancer, efficacy was not greater than that observed in previous studies with pembrolizumab monotherapy.Trial registration numberNCT02043665.

Urothelial carcinoma with squamous differentiation (UCS) is the most common variant differentiation of urothelial carcinoma (UC). Although treatment is usually similar to pure UC, there is paucity of data regarding its genomic landscape and putative molecular drivers. In this study, we compared the mutational profile of tumors with UCS and UC histology.In this IRB-approved retrospective study, patients with advanced UCS and UC undergoing tumor based comprehensive genomic profiling from a CLIA-certified laboratory were included. An independent genitourinary pathologist reviewed all cases. Patients were determined to have UCS based on presence of any component of squamous differentiation. Patients with UC having any other secondary histology variant were excluded. Genes with alterations (GA) in less than 5% of patients and variants of unknown significance were excluded from the analysis. Chi-square test was used to compare gene aberration frequency and the p-values were adjusted for false using Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) correction.Among the 87 eligible patients with UCS (n=31) and UC (n=56), patients with UCS were more likely to be female (32.3% vs. 14.3%, p=0.047) with no significant differences in other clinicopathological features. Most common genomic alterations seen in UCS were TP53 (67.7%), KMT2D (48.4%) and ARID1A (32.3%). KMT2D mutations were significantly enriched in UCS (48.4% vs. 0%, FDR adj p0.001, p =0.001) compared to UC. Prevalence of CUL4A mutations was numerically higher in UCS vs. UC (12.9% vs. 1.8%, FDR adj p = 0.43, p = 0.03). Tumor mutation burden and the number of genomic aberrations per patient were not significantly different between the two groups.These findings highlight significant enrichment of KMT2D mutations in UCS and potential role of chromatin remodeling genes as drivers and potential therapeutic targets.

The NCCN Guidelines for Older Adult Oncology address specific issues related to the management of cancer in older adults, including screening and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), assessing the risks and benefits of treatment, preventing or decreasing complications from therapy, and managing patients deemed to be at high risk for treatment-related toxicity. CGA is a multidisciplinary, in-depth evaluation that assesses the objective health of the older adult while evaluating multiple domains, which may affect cancer prognosis and treatment choices. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines providing specific practical framework for the use of CGA when evaluating older adults with cancer.