Genetic Alterations of Melanoma Brain Metastases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Data on molecular alterations harbored by melanoma brain metastases (MBMs) are limited, and this has hampered the development of more effective therapeutic strategies. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the studies reporting DNA sequencing data of MBMs, in order to identify recurrently mutated genes and molecular pathways significantly enriched for genetic alterations. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and Scopus for articles published from the inception of each database to June 30, 2021. We included in the analysis all the studies that reported individual patient data on DNA sequencing of MBMs, assessing single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and/or gene copy number variations (CNVs) in at least five tumor samples. Meta-analysis was performed for genes evaluated for SNVs and/or CNVs in at least two studies. Pooled proportions of samples with SNVs and/or CNVs was calculated by applying random-effect models based on the DerSimonian-Laird method. Gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify molecular pathways significantly enriched for mutated genes. RESULTS: Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis, for a total of 531 samples of MBMs evaluated. Twenty-seven genes were found recurrently mutated with a meta-analytic rate of SNVs higher than 5%. GSEA conducted on the list of these 27 recurrently mutated genes revealed vascular endothelial growth factor-activated receptor activity and transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity to be among the top 10 gene ontology (GO) molecular functions significantly enriched for mutated genes, while regulation of apoptosis and cell proliferation were among the top 10 significantly enriched GO biological processes. Notably, a high meta-analytic rate of SNVs was found in several actionable cancer-associated genes, such as all the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor isoforms (i.e., Flt1 and Flt2 genes, for both SNV rate: 0.22, 95% CI 0.04-0.49; KDR gene, SNV rate: 0.1, 95% CI 0.05-0.16). Finally, two tumor suppressor genes were characterized by a high meta-analytic rate of CNVs: CDKN2A/B (CNV rate: 0.59, 95% CI 0.23-0.90) and PTEN (CNV rate: 0.31, 95% CI 0.02-0.95). CONCLUSION: MBMs harbored actionable molecular alterations that could be exploited as therapeutic targets to improve the poor prognosis of patients.

Comparison Between First Line Target Therapy and Immunotherapy in Different Prognostic Categories of BRAF Mutant Metastatic Melanoma Patients: An Italian Melanoma Intergroup Study.

Background: BRAF and MEK inhibitors target therapies (TT) and AntiPD1 immunotherapies (IT) are available first-line treatments for BRAF v600 mutant metastatic melanoma patients. ECOG PS (E), baseline LDH (L), and baseline number of metastatic sites (N) are well-known clinical prognostic markers that identify different prognostic categories of patients. Direct comparison between first-line TT and IT in different prognostic categories could help in first line treatment decision. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis conducted in 14 Italian centers on about 454 metastatic melanoma patients, divided in 3 groups: group A-patients with E = 0, L within normal range, and N less than 3; group B-patients not included in group A or C; group C-patients with E > 0, L over the normal range, and N more than 3. For each prognostic group, we compared TT and IT in terms of progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and disease control rate (DCR). Results: In group A, results in 140 TT and 36 IT-treated patients were, respectively, median PFS 35.5 vs 11.6 months (HR (95% CI) 1.949 (1.180-3.217) p value 0.009); median OS not reached vs 55 months (HR (95% CI) 1.195 (0.602-2.373) p value 0.610); DCR 99% vs 75% p value <0.001). In group B, results in 196 TT and 38 IT-treated patients were, respectively, median PFS 11.5 vs 5 months (HR 1.535 (1.036-2.275) p value 0.033); median OS 19 vs 20 months (HR 0.886 (0.546-1.437) p value 0.623); DCR 85% vs 47% p value <0.001). In group C, results in 41 TT and 3 IT-treated patients were, respectively, median PFS 6.4 vs 1.8 months (HR 4.860 (1.399-16) p value 0.013); median OS 9 vs 5 months (HR 3.443 (0.991-11.9) p value 0.052); DCR 66% vs 33% p value 0.612). Conclusions: In good prognosis, group A-TT showed statistically significant better PFS than IT, also in a long-term period, suggesting that TT can be a good first line option for this patient category. It is only in group B that we observed a crossing of the survival curves after the 3rd year of observation in favor of IT. Few patients were enrolled in group C, so few conclusions can be made on it.

Association of Anticancer Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors With Patient-Reported Outcomes Assessed in Randomized Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: The association of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with patient quality of life has been poorly explored. Objective: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) assessed in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of immunotherapy-based treatments. Data Sources: This systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis used RCTs identified in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus from database inception to June 1, 2021. Study Selection: A total of 2259 RCTs were identified that assessed ICIs as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy or combined with another ICI and/or targeted therapy vs control groups not containing immunotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors. Studies were reviewed independently by 2 authors. Data Extraction and Synthesis: This meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines and recommendations of the Setting International Standards in Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Endpoints Data Consortium. Main Outcomes and Measures: The coprimary aims of the meta-analysis were (1) pooled differences between treatment groups in the mean change of PRO score from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks of follow-up and (2) pooled differences between treatment groups in the time to deterioration of PRO score. For each end point, RCTs have been analyzed according to the type of treatment administered in the experimental group: ICIs given as monotherapy, ICIs combined with chemotherapy, or ICIs in association with another ICI and/or with targeted therapies. Results: Of the 2259 identified RCTs, 34 (18 709 patients) met the selection criteria and were analyzed. In the group of 19 RCTs testing ICIs as monotherapy, the pooled between-groups difference of mean change from baseline to 12 weeks of follow-up was 4.6 (95% CI, 2.8-6.4), and the mean change from baseline to 24 weeks of follow-up was 6.1 (95% CI, 4.2-8.1), significantly favoring ICIs. The pooled difference was 1.4 (95% CI, -0.4 to 3.2) at week 12 and 2.5 (95% CI, -0.8 to 5.9) at week 24 in the group of 8 RCTs testing ICIs combined with chemotherapy and 2.1 (95% CI, -0.8 to 5.0) at week 12 and 2.1 (95% CI, -0.4 to 4.5) at week 24 in the group of 8 RCTs testing other ICI-containing combinations. The time to deterioration was significantly longer in the immunotherapy-containing groups compared with control groups in all 3 groups of RCTs evaluated (hazard ratios of 0.80 [95% CI, 0.70-0.91] for ICIs as monotherapy, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.78-1.00] for ICIs plus chemotherapy, and 0.78 [95% CI, 0.63-0.96] for other ICI-containing combinations). Conclusions and Relevance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors as monotherapy appear to have a favorable association with patient-reported quality of life and can be combined with other classes of anticancer drugs without worsening this quality of life.

Persistence of long-term COVID-19 sequelae in patients with cancer: An analysis from the OnCovid registry.

INTRODUCTION: A significant proportion of patients with cancer who recover from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience COVID-19 sequelae in the early post-infection phase, which negatively affect their continuity of care and oncological outcome. The long-term prevalence and clinical impact of the post-COVID-19 syndrome in patients with cancer are largely unknown. METHODS: In this study, we describe the time course of COVID-19 sequelae in patients with non-advanced cancers enrolled in the OnCovid registry. RESULTS: Overall, 186 patients were included, with a median observation period of 9.9 months (95%CI:8,8-11.3) post-COVID-19 resolution. After a median interval of 2.3 months post-COVID-19 (interquartile range: 1.4-3.7), 31 patients (16.6%) reported ≥1 sequelae, including respiratory complications (14, 7.6%), fatigue (13, 7.1%), neuro-cognitive sequelae (7, 3.8%). The vast majority of the patients were not vaccinated prior to COVID-19. COVID-19-related sequelae persisted in 9.8% and 8% of patients 6 and 12 months after COVID-19 resolution. Persistence of sequelae at first oncological follow-up was associated with history of complicated COVID-19 (45.2% vs 24.8%, p = 0.0223), irrespective of oncological features at COVID-19 diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This study confirms for the first time that, in a largely unvaccinated population, post-COVID-19 syndrome can affect a significant proportion of patients with non-advanced cancer who recovered from the acute illness. COVID-19 sequelae may persist up to 12 months in some patients, highlighting the need for dedicated prevention and supportive strategies.

Different Response to Immunotherapy According to Melanoma Histologic Subtype.

Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) and nodular melanoma (NM) are the most common melanoma histologic subtypes and are characterized by different biological features. We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with advanced melanoma, treated with anti-PD-1 and/or anti-CTLA-4 at our center, with data available on primary tumor subtype. The primary objective was to assess the association between histologic subtype and patients' outcomes. In addition, we analyzed whole-exome and whole-transcriptome sequencing data of a cohort of advanced melanoma to identify genes and related pathways, characterized by significant differences between NMs and SSMs. Twenty-one patients with NM and 39 with SSM, treated with anti-PD-1(53/60) as monotherapy or combined with anti-CTLA-4 (7/60), were analyzed. All known clinical-pathologic prognostic factors were well balanced between NM and SSM groups, except for the ECOG-PS score. The overall response rate was 52.4% (95% confidence interval, 29.8-74.3) in the NMs group versus 20.5% (9.3-36.5) in the SSMs group (P-value=0.02). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were, respectively, 13.9 and 44.5 months in the NMs group versus only 3.2 and 12 months in SSMs group (progression-free survival P-value=0.032; overall survival P-value=0.002). Multivariable analysis adjusting for the ECOG-PS, confirmed similar results. Whole-exome and whole-transcriptome data of 28 NMs and 21 SSMs were analyzed. No significant differences were observed in terms of both TMB and frequency of mutation in any gene. A total of 266 genes were overexpressed in NMs as compared with SSMs, and enrichment-analysis revealed a significant enrichment (false discovery rate<0.05) of genes belonging to immune-related pathways involved in antigens presentation mechanisms, response to interferon gamma and neutrophil activation. We provided clinical evidences suggesting a relevant association between melanoma histologic subtype and response to immunotherapy.

Prevalence and impact of COVID-19 sequelae on treatment and survival of patients with cancer who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection: evidence from the OnCovid retrospective, multicentre registry study.

BACKGROUND: The medium-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 in patients with cancer is not yet known. In this study, we aimed to describe the prevalence of COVID-19 sequelae and their impact on the survival of patients with cancer. We also aimed to describe patterns of resumption and modifications of systemic anti-cancer therapy following recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: OnCovid is an active European registry study enrolling consecutive patients aged 18 years or older with a history of solid or haematological malignancy and who had a diagnosis of RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. For this retrospective study, patients were enrolled from 35 institutions across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Patients who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection between Feb 27, 2020, and Feb 14, 2021, and entered into the registry at the point of data lock (March 1, 2021), were eligible for analysis. The present analysis was focused on COVID-19 survivors who underwent clinical reassessment at each participating institution. We documented prevalence of COVID-19 sequelae and described factors associated with their development and their association with post-COVID-19 survival, which was defined as the interval from post-COVID-19 reassessment to the patients' death or last follow-up. We also evaluated resumption of systemic anti-cancer therapy in patients treated within 4 weeks of COVID-19 diagnosis. The OnCovid study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04393974. FINDINGS: 2795 patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection between Feb 27, 2020, and Feb 14, 2021, were entered into the study by the time of the data lock on March 1, 2021. After the exclusion of ineligible patients, the final study population consisted of 2634 patients. 1557 COVID-19 survivors underwent a formal clinical reassessment after a median of 22·1 months (IQR 8·4-57·8) from cancer diagnosis and 44 days (28-329) from COVID-19 diagnosis. 234 (15·0%) patients reported COVID-19 sequelae, including respiratory symptoms (116 [49·6%]) and residual fatigue (96 [41·0%]). Sequelae were more common in men (vs women; p=0·041), patients aged 65 years or older (vs other age groups; p=0·048), patients with two or more comorbidities (vs one or none; p=0·0006), and patients with a history of smoking (vs no smoking history; p=0·0004). Sequelae were associated with hospitalisation for COVID-19 (p<0·0001), complicated COVID-19 (p<0·0001), and COVID-19 therapy (p=0·0002). With a median post-COVID-19 follow-up of 128 days (95% CI 113-148), COVID-19 sequelae were associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1·80 [95% CI 1·18-2·75]) after adjusting for time to post-COVID-19 reassessment, sex, age, comorbidity burden, tumour characteristics, anticancer therapy, and COVID-19 severity. Among 466 patients on systemic anti-cancer therapy, 70 (15·0%) permanently discontinued therapy, and 178 (38·2%) resumed treatment with a dose or regimen adjustment. Permanent treatment discontinuations were independently associated with an increased risk of death (HR 3·53 [95% CI 1·45-8·59]), but dose or regimen adjustments were not (0·84 [0·35-2·02]). INTERPRETATION: Sequelae post-COVID-19 affect up to 15% of patients with cancer and adversely affect survival and oncological outcomes after recovery. Adjustments to systemic anti-cancer therapy can be safely pursued in treatment-eligible patients. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and the Cancer Treatment and Research Trust.

Real world data of cemiplimab in locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) has an overall favourable outcome, except for patients with an advanced stage disease. The programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor cemiplimab has been approved for use in advanced cSCC. We report clinical outcomes from the named patient programme-compassionate use of cemiplimab for patients with advanced cSCC in Italy. METHODS: This is a retrospective, observational, multicentre study. We analysed medical records of patients with advanced cSCC treated with cemiplimab between May 2019 and February 2020 in 17 referral Italian centres. We assessed the safety profile according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0 (CTCAE v 5.0), the clinical activity in terms of response rate, clinical benefit and duration of response and baseline clinical-pathologic characteristics associated with response. RESULTS: 131 patients were included, with a median age of 79 years. Of them, 9.2% had a concurrent chronic lymphoproliferative disease and 8.5% a concomitant autoimmune disease. Some 42.7% of the total patients had at least one treatment-related adverse events (AEs); out of above, 9.2% had grade 3-4 adverse events, and there were two fatal adverse events. The overall response rate (ORR) was 58%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 71.7%. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) arising on the head and neck area (p = 0.007) and haemoglobin values in normal range (p = 0.034) were significantly associated with a better response, while cSCCs on the genitalia (p = 0.041), treatment with any systemic antibiotic within 1 month of cemiplimab initiation (p = 0.012), performance status ≥1 (p = 0.012), chronic corticosteroids therapy (p = 0.038), previous radiation therapy to lymph nodes (p = 0.052) and previous chemotherapy (p = 0.0020) were significantly associated with a worse response. CONCLUSIONS: Our real-world study showed safety and effectiveness results comparable to those obtained in clinical trials. We identified some clinical and biochemical factors potentially associated with response to cemiplimab.

Sex-Based Dimorphism of Anticancer Immune Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Immune Evasion.

PURPOSE: We previously demonstrated that sex influences response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this article, we investigate sex-based differences in the molecular mechanisms of anticancer immune response and immune evasion in patients with NSCLC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed (i) transcriptome data of 2,575 early-stage NSCLCs from seven different datasets; (ii) 327 tumor samples extensively characterized at the molecular level from the TRACERx lung study; (iii) two independent cohorts of 329 and 391 patients, respectively, with advanced NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 drugs. RESULTS: As compared with men, the tumor microenvironment (TME) of women was significantly enriched for a number of innate and adaptive immune cell types, including specific T-cell subpopulations. NSCLCs of men and women exploited different mechanisms of immune evasion. The TME of females was characterized by significantly greater T-cell dysfunction status, higher expression of inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules, and higher abundance of immune-suppressive cells, including cancer-associated fibroblasts, MDSCs, and regulatory T cells. In contrast, the TME of males was significantly enriched for a T-cell-excluded phenotype. We reported data supporting impaired neoantigens presentation to immune system in tumors of men, as molecular mechanism explaining the findings observed. Finally, in line with our results, we showed significant sex-based differences in the association between TMB and outcome of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 drugs. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated meaningful sex-based differences of anticancer immune response and immune evasion mechanisms, that may be exploited to improve immunotherapy efficacy for both women and men.

Case Report: The Complete Remission of a Mixed Germ Cell Tumor With Somatic Type Malignancy of Sarcoma Type With a GCT-Oriented Therapy: Clinical Findings and Genomic Profiling.

Somatic malignant transformation in a germ cell tumor (GCT) is the development of non-germ malignancies; much of available literature refers to teratoma with malignant transformation (TMT). There are various transformation histologies such as sarcoma, adenocarcinoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors, and more rarely carcinoid tumors, hemangioendothelioma, lymphoma, or nephroblastoma. The treatments of these entities include surgery and/or chemotherapy. A standard approach in choosing chemotherapy in TMT cases has not yet been established. Many authors suggest using chemotherapeutic agents based on the transformed histology, while others recommend GCT-oriented therapy combined with surgery as the primary treatment, reserving histology-driven chemotherapies for metastatic relapse. We report the clinical findings and the genomic profile of a mixed GCT case with somatic-type malignancy of sarcoma type. We achieved a complete radiological response with GCT-oriented chemotherapy performed as salvage therapy after sarcoma-histology therapy. In addition, molecular profiles with RNA-sequencing and exome sequencing analyses of the primary tumor and the tumor with somatic-type malignancy of sarcoma type were explored.

SDHA Germline Variants in Adult Patients With SDHA-Mutant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.

BACKGROUND: SDH-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) account for 20-40% of all KIT/PDGFRA-negative GIST and are due to mutations in one of the four SDH-complex subunits, with SDHA mutations as the most frequent. Here we sought to evaluate the presence and prevalence of SDHA variants in the germline lineage in a population of SDHA-deficient GIST. METHODS: Germline SDHA status was assessed by Sanger sequencing on a series of 14 patients with gastric SDHA-deficient GIST. RESULTS: All patients carried a germline SDHA pathogenic variant, ranging from truncating, missense, or splicing variants. The second hit was the loss of the wild-type allele or an additional somatic mutation. One-third of the patients were over 50 years old. GIST was the only disease presentation in all cases except one, with no personal or familial cancer history. Seven metastatic cases received a multimodal treatment integrating surgery, loco-regional and medical therapy. The mean follow-up time was of 10 years, confirming the indolent clinical course of the disease. CONCLUSION: SDHA germline variants are highly frequent in SDHA-deficient GIST, and the disease may occur also in older adulthood. Genetic testing and surveillance of SDHA-mutation carriers and relatives should be performed.

Course of Sars-CoV2 Infection in Patients with Cancer Treated with anti-PD-1: A Case Presentation and Review of the Literature.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemia is a major health worldwide concern. Patients with cancer might have a worse outcome, because of the immunosuppression determined by the tumor itself and anti-cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The impact and course of viral infection in patients receiving immunotherapy remains unknown. We report the case of a patient with metastatic melanoma, long responder to anti PD-1 blockade who got infected with Sars CoV-2, recovering without sequelae. A critical review of literature was performed. Limited data available in literature support the possibility to continue the immunotherapy in patients with cancer under control.

Patients with locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy in the era of COVID-19: stop or go? Data from five Italian referral cancer centers.

Since the end of 2019, global healthcare systems have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In oncology, the biggest questions concern interaction of COVID-19 with pre-existing cancer disease and with systemic anticancer treatments. With regards to immunotherapy, there is uncertainty about its effect in the context of COVID-19 in terms of probability and course of viral infection. Herein, we retrospectively report data of patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) treated with immunotherapy at five Italian referral cancer centers during the pandemic. cSCC is a disease poorly represented in the literature, typically affecting fragile, elderly patients, with multiple comorbidities and often immunosuppressed. Overall, 54 patients were identified, most of them coming from Lombardy and Piedmont, the two regions hit hardest by COVID in Italy. In most cases, our choice was to continue treatment, reserving temporary interruptions only to patients considered particularly at risk for age and comorbidity. A total of 9% of patients developed new-onset symptoms or had chest radiological assessment potentially related to COVID-19. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected in all suspicious cases and two hospitalized patients were found to be positive. In conclusion, the outbreak of COVID-19 is a major worldwide health concern. Our data indicate that COVID-19 mortality in patients with cancer may be principally driven by advancing age, the presence of other comorbidities, and other cancer-related conditions (i.e. hospitalization). Our data further suggests the safety of continued use of PD-1 blockade during the COVID-19 pandemic (obviously implementing all the safety measures in the hospital environment) also considering the possible negative effects of a prolonged suspension on the course of the tumor evolution. We think it is useful to collect and report case studies coming from reference centers, because they can represent helpful examples for the scientific community of clinical management of patients affected by cancer in this difficult period and guide further research.

Data of Italian Cancer Centers from two regions with high incidence of SARS CoV-2 infection provide evidence for the successful management of patients with locally advanced and metastatic melanoma treated with immunotherapy in the era of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer are presumed to have a higher risk to contract SARS-CoV-2 infection, because of their immunosuppressed status. The impact and course of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety of the management of patients with advanced melanoma treated with immunotherapy in 2 Cancer Centers located in areas of Italy with a high incidence of COVID-19 infections. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from January 1 to April 30, 2020 on patients with locally advanced and metastatic melanoma receiving immunotherapy at either Istituto Europeo di Oncologia or Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital. RESULTS: One-hundred and sixty-nine patients with stage III and IV melanoma were treated with an immunotherapy regimen at either Istituto Europeo di Oncologia or Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital. One-hundred and four patients continued treatment without interruption or delay, while 49 patients had a treatment delay. The main reasons for treatment delay were older age (median age of the group of patients with or without treatment-delay, respectively 60 and 69 years, P value <0.001) and/or presence of comorbidities (percentage of patients with at least one comorbidity respectively 81% and 62%, in patients with or without treatment delay, P value = 0.001). One-hundred and twelve patients had at least 1 thoracic CT scan performed and radiological findings suspicious for COVID-19 were observed in only 7 cases (4%). Fifteen patients (9%) developed symptoms potentially related to COVID-19; nasopharyngeal swabs were collected in 9 patients and only 1 was positive for SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 infection observed in our cohort of patients with advanced malignant melanoma treated with immunotherapy appears meaningfully lower as compared with that reported in the overall population in Italy as well as in patients affected by solid tumors. We conclude that in patients with locally advanced and metastatic melanoma, immunotherapy can be safely continued without delay in the majority of cases, reserving precautionary delay only for the most frail patients.

Complete radiological response to first-line regorafenib in a patient with abdominal relapse of BRAF V600E mutated GIST.

Up to 13% of KIT and PDGFRA wild-type (WT) gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) harbour a BRAF mutation, mostly involving the exon 15 V600E hot spot. Even if BRAF mutation is recognized as druggable target in other solid tumours, currently advanced BRAF-mutant GIST share the same therapeutical algorithm of KIT/PDGFRA mutants. We report a complete radiological response in a 51-year-old woman with V600E BRAF-mutated metastatic GIST who was treated with regorafenib (REG) as first-line therapy. REG represents the standard third-line therapy for advanced GIST patients progressing on or failing to respond to imatinib and sunitinib. However, according to its wide spectrum of action, with MAPK signalling pathway blockade at different levels, metastatic KIT/PDGFRA WT, including BRAF mutants, may benefit from REG upfront in first line.

Gene Expression Profiling of PDGFRA Mutant GIST Reveals Immune Signatures as a Specific Fingerprint of D842V Exon 18 Mutation.

Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha (PDGFRA) mutations occur in only about 5-7% of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), notably with alterations on exons 12/14/18. The most frequent PDGFRA mutation is the exon 18 D842V, which is correlated to specific clinico-pathological features, such as primary imatinib resistance and higher indolence. Here, we present a gene expression profile (GEP) comparison of D842V vs. PDGFRA with mutations other than D842V (non-D842V). GEP was followed by in silico bioinformatic analysis aimed at evaluating differential expression, tumor microenvironment composition and pathway enrichment. We found a large set of oncogenes, transcription factors and nuclear receptors downregulated in the D842V mutant. Conversely, D842V showed a significant enrichment of immune- and interferon- related gene signatures. Differences in tumor microenvironment composition were also highlighted, including a higher abundance of CD8+ T-cells and an overexpression of the T cell-inflamed signature in the D842V mutant subgroup, which is predictive of immunotherapy response. PDGFRA D842V vs. non-D842V GIST display a different expression profile, with a prominent immunological signature, that could represent a proof of principle for testing immunotherapeutic strategies in this drug-orphan subset of GIST.

Genetic aberrations and molecular biology of cardiac sarcoma.

Cardiac tumors are rare and complex entities. Early assessment and differentiation between non-neoplastic and neoplastic masses, be they benign or malignant, is essential for guiding diagnosis, determining prognosis, and planning therapy. Cardiac sarcomas represent the most frequent primary malignant histotype. They could have manifold presentations so that the diagnosis is often belated. Moreover, considering their rarity and the limitation due to the cardiac location itself, the optimal multimodal management of patients affected by primary cardiac sarcomas still remains highly difficult and outcome dismal. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve these results mainly focusing on more adequate tools for prompt diagnosis and exploring new and more effective therapies. Knowledge about the molecular landscape and pathogenesis of cardiac sarcoma is even more limited due to the rarity of this disease. In this sense, the molecular characterization of heart tumors could unfold potentially novel, druggable targets. In this review, we focused on genetic aberrations and molecular biology of cardiac sarcomas, collecting the scarce information available and resuming all the molecular findings discovered in each tumor subtype, with the aim to get further insights on mechanisms involved in tumor growth and to possibly highlight specific molecular profiles that can be used as diagnostic tests and unveil new clinically actionable targets in this tricky and challenging disease.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cardiac Computed Tomography and 18-F Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Cardiac Masses.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac computed tomography (CT) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in defining the nature of cardiac masses. BACKGROUND: The diagnostic accuracy of cardiac CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in identifying the nature of cardiac masses has been analyzed to date only in small samples. METHODS: Of 223 patients with echocardiographically diagnosed cardiac masses, a cohort of 60 cases who underwent cardiac CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT was selected. All masses had histological confirmation, except for a minority of thrombotic formations. For each mass, 8 morphological CT signs, standardized uptake value (SUVmax, SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis in 18F-FDG PET were used as diagnostic markers. RESULTS: Irregular tumor margins, pericardial effusion, invasion, solid nature, mass diameter, CT contrast uptake, and pre-contrast characteristics were strongly associated with the malignant nature of masses. The coexistence of at least 5 CT signs perfectly identified malignant masses, whereas the detection of 3 or 4 CT signs did not accurately discriminate the masses' nature. The mean SUVmax, SUVmean, metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis values were significantly higher in malignant than in benign masses. The diagnostic accuracy of SUV, metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters was excellent in detecting malignant masses. Among patients with 3 or 4 pathological CT signs, the presence of at least 1 abnormal 18F-FDG PET/CT parameter significantly increased the identification of malignancies. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac CT is a powerful tool to diagnose cardiac masses as the number of abnormal signs was found to correlate with the lesions' nature. Similarly, 18F-FDG PET/CT accurately identified malignant masses and contributed with additional valuable information in diagnostic uncertainties after cardiac CT. These imaging tools should be performed in specific clinical settings such as involvement of great vessels or for disease-staging purposes.

Targeted Deep Sequencing Uncovers Cryptic KIT Mutations in KIT/PDGFRA/SDH/RAS-P Wild-Type GIST.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are known to carry oncogenic KIT or PDGFRA mutations, or less commonly SDH or NF1 gene inactivation, with very rare cases harboring mutant BRAF or RAS alleles. Approximately 10% of GISTs are devoid of any of such mutations and are characterized by very limited therapeutic opportunities and poor response to standard treatments. Methods: Twenty-six sporadic KIT/PDGFRA/SDH/RAS-pathway wild type GIST were profiled for the molecular status of genes frequently altered in GIST by a targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) approach. Molecular findings were validated by alternative amplicon-based targeted sequencing, immunohistochemistry, gene expression profiling and Sanger sequencing. Results: Three patients harboring NF1 inactivating mutations were identified and excluded from further analysis. Intriguingly, five patients carried cryptic KIT alterations, mainly represented by low-allele-fraction mutations (12-16% allele ratio). These mutations were confirmed by another targeted NGS approaches and supported by CD117 immuno-staining, gene expression profiling, Sanger sequencing, with peak signals at the level of background noise, and by the patients' clinical course assessment. Conclusion: This study indicates that ~20% patients diagnosed with a KIT/PDGFRA/SDH/RAS-pathway wild-type GIST are bona-fide carriers of pathogenic KIT mutations, thus expected to be eligible for and responsive to the various therapeutic lines of TK-inhibitors in use for KIT/PDGFRA-mutant GIST. The centralization for a second level molecular analysis of GIST samples diagnosed as wild-type for KIT and PDGFRA is once again strongly recommended.

Primary malignant pericardial tumour in Lynch syndrome.

BACKGROUND: This case represents the first report of malignant primary cardiac tumour in a patient with Lynch Syndrome associated with MSH2 pathogenic variant. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old woman with previous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma was admitted to the emergency room for hematic pericardial effusion. Multimodal diagnostic imaging revealed two solid pericardial vascularized masses. After pericardiectomy, the final histological diagnosis was poorly differentiated pleomorphic sarcomatoid carcinoma. During follow-up she developed an ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma. Genetic analysis identified an MSH2 pathogenic variant. CONCLUSION: This case contributes to expand the tumour spectrum of Lynch syndrome, suggesting that MSH2 pathogenic variants cause a more complex multi-tumour cancer syndrome than the classic Lynch Syndrome. In MSH2 variant carriers, symptoms such as dyspnoea and chest discomfort might alert for rare tumours and a focused cardiac evaluation should be considered.