RESUMO
PURPOSE: Given the emergence of PSMA-targeted diagnostic agents and therapeutics, we sought to investigate patterns of FOLH1 expression in RCC and their impacts on RCC outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a pooled multi-institutional analysis of patients with RCC having undergone DNA and RNA next-generation sequencing. FOLH1-high/low expression was defined as the ≥75th/<25th percentile of RNA transcripts per million (TPM). Angiogenic, T-effector, and myeloid expression signatures were calculated using previously defined gene sets. Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated from the time of tissue collection or therapy start. RESULTS: We included 1,724 patients in the analysis. FOLH1 expression was significantly higher in clear cell (71%) compared to non-clear cell RCC tumors (19.0 versus 3.3 TPM, p < 0.001) and varied by specimen site (45% primary kidney/55% metastasis, 13.6 versus 9.9 TPM, p < 0.001). FOLH1 expression was correlated with angiogenic gene expression (Spearman = 0.76, p < 0.001) and endothelial cell abundance (Spearman = 0.76, p < 0.001). While OS was similar in patients with FOLH1-high versus -low ccRCC, patients with FOLH1-high clear cell tumors experienced a longer time on cabozantinib treatment (9.7 versus 4.6 months, respectively, HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35-0.93, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We observed differential patterns of FOLH1 expression based on histology and tumor site in RCC. FOLH1 was correlated with angiogenic gene expression, increased OS, and a longer duration of cabozantinib treatment.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: The field of immunotherapy combinations for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) has been expanded in recent years. However, the treatment response varies widely among individual patients. It is still a challenge to predict oncological outcome in clinical practice. We assessed the impact of an activated immune system reflected by changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the early onset of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) on the treatment response. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of 57 aRCC patients, CRP kinetics based on previous descriptions of CRP flare-response, CRP response or CRP non-response, and the TRAEs, which occurred within a month after therapy initiation, were obtained for this study. According to logistic regression analysis of both factors, we stratified the patients into risk groups: the presence of CRP flare-response/response and early onset of TRAE (low-risk group); the presence of a single factor (intermediate-risk group); and without both factors (high-risk group). RESULTS: Ten patients (17%) experienced primary disease progression. No progressive disease was observed in the low-risk group, while 60% (n = 6/10) of the high-risk group showed a primary disease progression. Significantly, an increased risk of disease progression was observed by patients without CRP response and TRAEs (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present analysis displays the predictive value of the on-treatment risk model based on CRP kinetics and the early onset of TRAEs, which can be easy to implement in clinical practice to optimize the treatment monitoring.