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Although viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is declining, nonviral HCC, which often is the end stage of nonalcoholic or alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, ASH), is on an upward trajectory. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that block the T cell inhibitory receptor PD-1 were approved for treatment of all HCC types. However, only a minority of HCC patients show a robust and sustained response to PD-1 blockade, calling for improved understanding of factors that negatively impact response rate and duration and the discovery of new adjuvant treatments that enhance ICI responsiveness. Using a mouse model of NASH-driven HCC, we identified peritumoral fibrosis as a potential obstacle to T cell-mediated tumor regression and postulated that antifibrotic medications may increase ICI responsiveness. We now show that the angiotensin II receptor inhibitor losartan, a commonly prescribed and safe antihypertensive drug, reduced liver and peritumoral fibrosis and substantially enhanced anti-PD-1-induced tumor regression. Although losartan did not potentiate T cell reinvigoration, it substantially enhanced HCC infiltration by effector CD8+ T cells compared to PD-1 blockade alone. The beneficial effects of losartan correlated with blunted TGF-β receptor signaling, reduced collagen deposition, and depletion of immunosuppressive fibroblasts.

PurposeMolecular profiling has been used to select patients for targeted therapy and determine prognosis. Noninvasive strategies are critical to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) given the challenge of obtaining liver tissue biopsies.Experimental designWe analyzed blood samples from 206 patients with HCC using comprehensive genomic testing (Guardant Health) of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).ResultsA total of 153/206 (74.3%) were men; median age, 62 years (range, 18-91 years). A total of 181/206 patients had ≥1 alteration. The total number of alterations was 680 (nonunique); median number of alterations/patient was three (range, 1-13); median mutant allele frequency (% cfDNA), 0.49% (range, 0.06%-55.03%). TP53 was the common altered gene [>120 alterations (non-unique)] followed by EGFR, MET, ARID1A, MYC, NF1, BRAF, and ERBB2 [20-38 alterations (nonunique)/gene]. Of the patients with alterations, 56.9% (103/181) had ≥1 actionable alterations, most commonly in MYC, EGFR, ERBB2, BRAF, CCNE1, MET, PIK3CA, ARID1A, CDK6, and KRAS. In these genes, amplifications occurred more frequently than mutations. Hepatitis B (HBV)-positive patients were more likely to have ERBB2 alterations, 35.7% (5/14) versus 8.8% HBV-negative (P = 0.04).ConclusionsThis study represents the first large-scale analysis of blood-derived ctDNA in HCC in United States. The genomic distinction based on HCC risk factors and the high percentage of potentially actionable genomic alterations suggests potential clinical utility for this technology.

The purine nucleoside analogues clofarabine and fludarabine are active in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We conducted a phase I/II randomized study of idarubicin and cytarabine with either clofarabine (CIA) or fludarabine (FIA) for relapsed or refractory AML. Clofarabine 15 mg/m2 was identified as the recommended phase II dose. Eighty-one patients were assigned using adaptive randomization to CIA (n = 48) or FIA (n = 33). The complete response (CR)/CR without platelet recovery rate did not differ between CIA and FIA (38% versus 30%, respectively; p = .50). In both arms, more than half of patients who had received only one prior line of therapy achieved remission. The median event-free survival for CIA and FIA was 2.0 and 1.9 months (p = .48), and the median overall survival was 6.3 and 4.7 months, respectively (p = .28). No significant differences in adverse events or early mortality rates were observed. Overall, CIA and FIA resulted in similar response rates and survival in patients with relapsed/refractory AML.

BACKGROUND: Fludarabine and clofarabine are purine nucleoside analogues with established clinical activity in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: Herein, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of idarubicin and cytarabine with either clofarabine (CIA) or fludarabine (FIA) in adults with newly diagnosed AML. Adults with newly diagnosed AML who were deemed suitable for intensive chemotherapy were randomized using a Bayesian adaptive design to receive CIA (106 patients) or FIA (76 patients). Patients received induction with idarubicin and cytarabine, plus either clofarabine or fludarabine. Responding patients could receive up to 6 cycles of consolidation therapy. Outcomes were compared with a historical cohort of patients who received idarubicin and cytarabine. RESULTS: The complete remission/complete remission without platelet recovery rate was similar among patients in the CIA and FIA arms (80% and 82%, respectively). The median event-free survival was 13 months and 12 months, respectively (P = .91), and the median overall survival was 24 months and not reached, respectively (P = .23), in the 2 treatment arms. CIA was associated with more adverse events, particularly transaminase elevation, hyperbilirubinemia, and rash. Early mortality was similar in the 2 arms (60-day mortality rate of 4% for CIA vs 1% for FIA; P = .32). In an exploratory analysis of patients aged

Background Accurate prognostic stratification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is vital for clinical trial enrollment and treatment allocation. Multiple scoring systems have been created to predict patient survival, but no standardized scoring systems account for radiologic tumor features. We sought to create a generalizable scoring system for HCC which incorporates standardized radiologic tumor features and more accurately predicts overall survival (OS) than established systems. Methods Clinicopathologic parameters were collected from a prospectively collected cohort of patients with HCC treated at a single institution. Imaging studies were evaluated for tumor characteristics. Patients were randomly divided into a training set for identification of covariates that impacted OS and a validation set. Cox models were used to determine the association of various factors with OS and a scoring system was created. Results We identified 383 patients with HCC with imaging and survival outcomes, n  = 255 in the training set and 128 in the validation cohort. Factors associated with OS on multivariate analysis included: tumor margin appearance on CT or MRI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.37, 95% CI, 1.01-1.88) with infiltrative margins portending worse outcomes than encapsulated margins, massive tumor morphology (HR 1.64, 95% CI, 1.06-2.54); >2 lesions (HR 2.06, 95% CI, 1.46-2.88), Child-Turcotte-Pugh class C (HR 3.7, 95% CI, 2.23-6.16), and portal vein thrombus (HR 2.41, 95% CI, 1.71-3.39). A new scoring system was developed and more predictive of OS than other well-established systems. Conclusions Incorporation of standardized imaging characteristics to established clinical and lab predictors of outcome resulted in an improved predictive scoring system for patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Traditional constraints specify that 700 cc of liver should be spared a hepatotoxic dose when delivering liver-directed radiotherapy to reduce the risk of inducing liver failure. We investigated the role of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to identify and preferentially avoid functional liver during liver-directed radiation treatment planning in patients with preserved liver function but limited functional liver volume after receiving prior hepatotoxic chemotherapy or surgical resection. Methods This phase I trial with a 3 + 3 design evaluated the safety of liver-directed radiotherapy using escalating functional liver radiation dose constraints in patients with liver metastases. Dose-limiting toxicities were assessed 6-8 weeks and 6 months after completing radiotherapy. Results All 12 patients had colorectal liver metastases and received prior hepatotoxic chemotherapy; 8 patients underwent prior liver resection. Median computed tomography anatomical nontumor liver volume was 1584 cc (range = 764-2699 cc). Median SPECT functional liver volume was 1117 cc (range = 570-1928 cc). Median nontarget computed tomography and SPECT liver volumes below the volumetric dose constraint were 997 cc (range = 544-1576 cc) and 684 cc (range = 429-1244 cc), respectively. The prescription dose was 67.5-75 Gy in 15 fractions or 75-100 Gy in 25 fractions. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed during follow-up. One-year in-field control was 57%. One-year overall survival was 73%. Conclusion Liver-directed radiotherapy can be safely delivered to high doses when incorporating functional SPECT into the radiation treatment planning process, which may enable sparing of lower volumes of liver than traditionally accepted in patients with preserved liver function. Trial registration NCT02626312. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundA high pretreatment β2 -microglobulin (B2M) level is associated with inferior survival outcomes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, to the authors' knowledge, the prognostic and predictive significance of changes in B2M during treatment have not been reported to date.MethodsThe authors analyzed 83 patients treated with ibrutinib-based regimens (66 with recurrent/refractory disease) and 198 treatment-naive patients who were treated with combined fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) to characterize changes in B2M and their relationship with clinical outcomes.ResultsB2M rapidly decreased during treatment with ibrutinib; on multivariable analysis, patients who received FCR (odds ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.18-0.90 [P = .027]) were less likely to have normalized B2M at 6 months than patients treated with ibrutinib. On univariable analysis, normalization of B2M was associated with superior progression-free survival (PFS) from the 6-month landmark in patients treated with ibrutinib-based regimens and FCR. On multivariable analysis, failure to achieve normalized B2M at 6 months of treatment was associated with inferior PFS (hazard ratio, 16.9; 95% CI, 1.3-220.0 [P = .031]) for patients treated with ibrutinib, after adjusting for the effects of baseline B2M, stage of disease, fludarabine-refractory disease, and del(17p). In contrast, in patients treated with FCR, negative minimal residual disease status in the bone marrow was the only variable found to be significantly associated with superior PFS (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.12-0.67 [P = .004]).ConclusionsNormalization of B2M at 6 months in patients treated with ibrutinib was found to be a useful predictor of subsequent PFS and may assist in clinical decision-making.

B cell receptor (BCR) signalling is an important pathway in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In response to BCR triggering, normal and malignant B cells secrete the chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 to attract accessory cells to the tissue microenvironment. We measured CCL3 and CCL4 serum concentrations in 102 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, investigated their prognostic impact and validated our findings in an independent cohort of 51 patient samples. We also tested CCL3 and CCL4 secretion by DLBCL cells, and the influence of BTK inhibitors on the secretion of these chemokines. High CCL3 (≥40 pg/ml) serum concentrations correlated with higher international prognostic index, lactate dehydrogenase and β2 microglobulin, as did CCL4 (≥180 pg/ml) with advanced Ann Arbor stages. High CCL3 levels correlated with significantly shorter progression-free and overall survival. The in vitro studies demonstrated that activated B cell-like, but not germinal centre B cell-like DLBCL cells, secrete high levels of CCL3 and CCL4 after BCR triggering, which was exquisitely sensitive to BCR pathway inhibition. These findings support CCL3 and CCL4 protein concentrations as biomarkers for BCR pathway activation and prognosis in DLBCL.

PurposePrevious studies suggest a potential therapeutic role for mTOR inhibition in lymphoid malignancies. This single-center phase I/II study was designed to test the safety and efficacy of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in combination with HyperCVAD chemotherapy in relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).Experimental designTwenty-four patients were treated; 15 received everolimus 5 mg/day and 9 received 10 mg/day with HyperCVAD.ResultsThe median age of patients was 25 years (range, 11-64) and median number of prior treatments was 2 (range, 1-7). Grade 3 mucositis was the dose-limiting toxicity and the maximum tolerated everolimus dose was 5 mg/day. Responses included complete remission (CR) in 6 patients (25%), CR without platelet recovery (CRp) in 1 (4%), and CR without recovery of counts (CRi) in 1 (4%), for an overall response rate of 33%. In addition, partial response (PR) was noted in 2 patients (8%). Seven of 11 patients treated in first salvage achieved CR/CRp (64%). The median OS was 29 weeks for patients in first salvage versus 15 weeks for patients in second salvage and beyond (P ≤ 0.001). A response was noted in 5 of 10 (50%) heavily pretreated T-ALL patients (median of 4 prior salvage regimens). Everolimus significantly inhibited phosphorylation of S6RP, but this did not correlate with response. No significant decreases in p4EBP1 and pAkt levels were noted. Responders had higher everolimus dose-adjusted area under the curve (P = 0.025) and lower clearance (P = 0.025) than nonresponders.ConclusionsThe combination of HyperCVAD and everolimus is well tolerated and moderately effective in relapsed ALL, specifically T-ALL.

BackgroundHigh-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is frequently upstaged after surgery and is associated with uniformly poor survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may offer a way to improve clinical outcomes. The authors compared the survival rates of patients with UTUC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery with the rates among patients who did not.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted of patients with high-risk UTUC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery from 2004 to 2008 (study group) compared with a matched cohort who underwent initial surgery from 1993 to 2003 (control group). Fisher exact tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Kaplan-Meier methods were used. The log-rank test and Cox proportional-hazards models were used to evaluate the association of the 2 outcomes with patient, treatment, and tumor characteristics in univariate and multivariate models.ResultsOf 112 patients, there were 31 in the study group and 81 in the control group. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy had improved overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) with a 5-year DSS rate of 90.1% and a 5-year OS rate of 80.2% versus DSS and OS rates of 57.6% for those who underwent initial surgery (P = .0204 and P = .0015, respectively). In multivariate analyses, the neoadjuvant group had a lower risk of mortality (OS: hazard ratio, 0.42 [P = .035]; DSS: hazard ratio, 0.19 [P = .006]).ConclusionsNeoadjuvant chemotherapy improved the survival of patients with UTUC compared with a matched historic cohort of patients who underwent initial surgery. Patients with high-risk UTUC should be considered for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in view of the limited opportunity to administer effective cisplatin-based chemotherapy after nephroureterectomy.

Introduction: Circulating inflammatory cytokines play critical roles in tumor-associated inflammation and immune responses. Recent data have suggested that several interleukins (ILs) mediate carcinogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the predictive and prognostic value of circulating ILs is yet to be validated. Our study aimed to evaluate the association of the serum ILs with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathologic features in a large cohort of HCC patients. Methods: We prospectively collected data and serum samples from 767 HCC patients treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2001 and 2014, with a median follow-up of 67.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.5, 83.3). Biomarker association with OS was evaluated by the log-rank method. Results: The median OS in this cohort was 14.2 months (95% CI: 12, 16.1 months). Clinicopathologic features were more advanced, and OS was significantly inferior in patients with high circulating levels of IL1-R1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, IL-16, and IL-18. Conclusion: Our study shows that several serum IL levels are valid prognostic biomarker candidates and potential targets for therapy in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]