Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
-
Programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis inhibitors have been proven effective, especially in patients with tumors expressing PD-L1. Their clinical efficacy in patients with EGFR-activating mutations is still unclear, whereas KRAS mutations seem to be associated with good response. ⋯ Our findings show the unique immune profile of EGFR-mutant tumors. The high frequency of inactive TILs could explain the low immunotherapy response rates in these patients, whereas PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker may reflect the constitutive oncogenic signaling rather than immune signaling, which would be associated with high PD-L1 levels and TILs activation.
-
Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) is an immune-related adverse event that can occur after initiation of anti-programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for the treatment of multiple malignancies, including NSCLC. However, the incidence of CIP has not been previously examined in a population that included both trial-enrolled and non-trial-enrolled patients with advanced NSCLC. Furthermore, risk factors and other clinical characteristics associated with CIP severity are not known. ⋯ We observed a wide range of time to onset of CIP (median 82 days), with high morbidity and mortality associated with higher-grade CIP regardless of degree of immunosuppression. Our data provide new insight into the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of CIP. Further studies are needed to increase CIP pharmacovigilance, improve risk stratification, and refine diagnostic algorithms for the diagnosis and management of this potential life-threatening complication of ICI therapy.
-
The FIR phase II study (NCT01846416) evaluated the efficacy and safety of anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) atezolizumab in advanced NSCLC selected by tumor cell (TC) or tumor-infiltrating immune cell (IC) PD-L1 expression. ⋯ Atezolizumab monotherapy showed clinical activity in patients with NSCLC, including those with brain metastases; safety was consistent with previous trials. Atezolizumab has completed phase III monotherapy studies in second-line. Front-line trials are ongoing, confirming these favorable results.
-
Case Reports
CUX1-ALK, a Novel ALK Rearrangement That Responds to Crizotinib in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. ALK receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ALK) rearrangement has been identified in 3% to 5% of patients with NSCLC. The most common ALK rearrangement is echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4 (EML4)-ALK, with several variants that can be targeted by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib. ⋯ This study provides the novel finding of a CUX1-ALK fusion gene from a patient with NSCLC that could provide personalized treatment solutions for the maximum benefit to patients with NSCLC.
-
Lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) with synchronous ground-glass/lepidic (GG/L) nodules is considered a distinct disease entity in multiple synchronous lung cancers. Few studies have performed next-generation sequencing analysis of these synchronous sequential lesions, and genetic alterations of GG/L nodules must be further investigated. ⋯ This study suggests that ADC and synchronous GG/L nodules are genetically independent tumors. Intratumoral genetic heterogeneity of ADC was present, but driver gene mutations were homogeneously distributed. Driver gene mutations with a high variant allele frequency were identified in the invasive tumor. These findings support the relevance of molecular characterization of lung ADC and synchronous GG/L nodules.