Circulating Tumor DNA Predicts Early Recurrence Following Locoregional Therapy for Oligometastatic Colorectal Cancer.

(1) Background: Local therapies offer a potentially curative approach for patients with oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). An evidence-based consensus recommendation for systemic therapy following definitive locoregional therapy is lacking. Tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) might provide information to help guide management in this setting. (2) Methods: A multi-institutional retrospective study was conducted, including patients with CRC that underwent curative-intent locoregional therapy to an isolated site of metastatic disease, followed by tumor-informed ctDNA assessment. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used to compare disease-free survival based on ctDNA results. ctDNA test performance was compared to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test results using McNemar's test. (3) Results: Our study cohort consisted of 87 patients treated with locoregional interventions who underwent ctDNA testing. The initial ctDNA test post-intervention was positive in 28 patients and negative in 59 patients. The median follow-up time was 14.0 months. Detectable ctDNA post-intervention was significantly associated with early disease recurrence, with a median disease-free survival (DFS) of 6.63 months compared to 21.30 months in ctDNA-negative patients (p < 0.001). ctDNA detected a numerically higher proportion of recurrences than CEA (p < 0.097). Post-intervention systemic therapy was not associated with improved DFS (p = 0.745). (4) Conclusions: ctDNA results are prognostically important in oligometastatic CRC, and further prospective studies are urgently needed to define its role in guiding clinical decisions.

A Phase I Study of the CDK4/6 Inhibitor Palbociclib in Combination with Cetuximab and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Palbociclib, a cyclin D kinase 4 (CDK4)/6 inhibitor, has shown radiosensitizing effects in preclinical studies. There is a strong rationale for adding palbociclib to cetuximab and radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC), especially in p16-negative HNSCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a phase I dose-escalation study (NCT03024489) using a classical 3+3 design to determine safety, tolerability, and MTD of palbociclib, cetuximab, and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combination. At the recommended phase II dose (RP2D), additional p16-negative patients were enrolled. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with LA-HNSCC (13 in dose escalation, 14 in expansion) with oropharyngeal (41%) and hypopharyngeal (30%) cancers were enrolled. The MTD was not reached, and the RP2D of palbociclib was established at the full standard palbociclib dose of 125 mg/day for 21 days per cycle, administered for two cycles during IMRT. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities were mucositis (59%), radiation dermatitis (22%), and neutropenia (22%), with a febrile neutropenia rate of 7%. Common genomic alterations included mutations in TP53 (57%), GNAQ (35%), and PIK3CA (17%), and copy-number gains in CCND1 (22%), CCND2 (9%), and EGFR (9%). Overall, p16 expression was positive in 15% of patients. No correlation was observed between p16 status, genomic alterations, and preliminary efficacy. The objective response rate was 84%. The rates for 2-year locoregional control, event-free survival, and overall survival were 73%, 48%, and 71%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The palbociclib, cetuximab, and IMRT combination was well tolerated. The RP2D was established, while no MTD was determined. The regimen demonstrated promising preliminary efficacy, suggesting further investigation is warranted in patients with cisplatin-ineligible p16/human papilloma virus-unrelated LA-HNSCC.

Predictive Factors for the Survival Outcomes of Preoperative Chemotherapy in Patients with Resectable and Borderline Resectable Colorectal Cancer with Liver Metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative chemotherapy increases resectability in borderline resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) patients who undergo curative liver surgery. Most clinical risk scores and other predictive factors for survival have been extensively studied in patients who undergo upfront liver surgery. However, predictive factors of CRLM patients who received preoperative chemotherapy remains controversial. METHODS: CRLM patients who received preoperative systemic therapy followed by curative liver surgery at our institution between 1/2012 and 12/2018 were included. This study aimed to investigate factors that predicted the outcomes of preoperative systemic treatment, optimal dose/duration, and toxicity in patients with CRLM. OUTCOMES: Ninety-eight patients were eligible for analysis. Most patients received oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (72.7%), while 15.9% received both oxaliplatin and irinotecan. Biologic agents were administered in 48.9% of patients. Overall, chemotherapy-induced liver injury was observed in 38.5%. The median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 8.7 months and 3.6 years, respectively. Baseline, pre-surgery, and increased Fong scores after preoperative chemotherapy were significantly associated with DFS and OS. In multivariate analysis, a high Fong score at baseline (p=0.018) was significantly associated with shorter DFS, whereas male sex (p=0.040) and liver surgery (p=0.044) were related to longer OS. CONCLUSION: In our study, Fong clinical risk scores, female sex, and liver surgery as a part of liver-directed therapy were independent prognostic factors for survival in CRLM patients who received preoperative chemotherapy. These clinical factors should be considered as an option to guide physicians' decisions in selecting patients with CRLM who may benefit most from curative liver-directed therapy.

Six-MicroRNA Prognostic Signature in Patients With Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been evaluated as biomarkers in cancers. Therefore, we aimed to identify a prognostic miRNA signature from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and validate it in the Ramathibodi (RA) locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) cohort. METHODS: The correlation between candidate miRNAs and the survival of patients with LA-HNSCC in TCGA database was analyzed. A prognostic miRNA signature model was generated that classified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. This candidate miRNA signature was further validated in the independent RA cohort using droplet-digital polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In TCGA database, we compared the expression of 277 miRNAs between 519 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tissues and 44 normal tissues. The expression of hsa-miR-10b, hsa-miR-148b, hsa-miR-99a, hsa-miR-127, hsa-miR-370, and hsa-miR-500a was independently associated with overall survival (OS). Thus, we established the miRNA signature risk score from these six miRNAs and categorized patients into low-risk and high-risk groups. The median OS of TCGA patients was significantly shorter in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group (P < .001). The six-miRNA signature was further validated in the RA cohort (N = 87). The median OS of the low-risk group was significantly shorter compared with the high-risk group (P = .03). In multivariate analysis, the six-miRNA signature was an independent prognostic factor for OS in the RA cohort (HR, 1.958; 95% CI, 1.006 to 3.812; P = .048). CONCLUSION: We identified a prognostic six-miRNA signature for patients with LA-HNSCC from TCGA cohort and validated it in our independent cohort. However, larger studies are warranted to confirm these results.

Efficacy, Safety, and Patient-Reported Outcomes of Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Thailand: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

PURPOSE: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab treatment is a first-line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. The efficacy, safety, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of HCC in Thailand have not yet been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and PROs of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September 2020 to August 2021, 30 patients with unresectable HCC who met the inclusion criteria of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab as first-line treatment were enrolled. Analysis was assessed for progression-free survival, overall survival, adverse events (AEs), and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: The median progression-free survival and overall survival periods were 6.7 and 10.2 months, respectively. The disease control rate was 63.3%. The frequent AEs were proteinuria, hypertension, and hepatitis. Serious AEs included gastrointestinal bleeding, but none of the patients died from serious AEs. The discontinuation rate was 23.3%, and the median number of treatment cycles was 10.5 cycles. In total, 23.3% of the patients continued treatment after 1 year of therapy. The global health status/QoL and physical function scores showed less deterioration at baseline than at 3 and 6 months (median scores = 76.7, 71.6, and 64.1 in QoL and 84.7, 79.6, and 79.0 in physical function, respectively). The HCC18 symptom score index data showed a slow progression of symptom scores from baseline to 3 and 6 months (12.7, 19.6, and 22.3, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that atezolizumab plus bevacizumab is effective and has a safety profile comparable with that of previous studies as first-line therapy for unresectable HCC in a real-world setting and in Thai populations. Data on PROs also demonstrate benefits in terms of patients' QoL and symptoms.

Clinical Study of Long-Term Survival in Colorectal Cancer Patients in Thailand: A 10-Year Follow-Up.

Background: In Thailand, data on colorectal cancer (CRC) patient characteristics and overall survival (OS) rates are limited. We aimed to describe the overall 5-year, 10-year survival and to examine factors effecting the survival outcome among patients who were diagnoses of colorectal cancer. Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients diagnosed with invasive CRC from 2007 through 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected upon diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate the association of overall (OS) with risk factors. Results: A total of 3,402 CRC patients (colon 59.4%, rectum 34. 5%, and rectosigmoid 6.1%) were identified. Mean (SD) and median age were 62.9 (12.7) and 63 years old (rang 14-98 years). Stages at diagnosis were I (10.1%), II (23.3), III (35.9%) and IV (30.7%). Five-year and 10-year OS of the entire cohort were 52.7% and 41.5%, respectively. Over the part 10 years, there was a trend toward improved 5-year OS in stages I, II and III. However, 3-year OS in stage IV patients remained unchanged. Confirmed poor prognostic factors included patient age ≥65 years, high grade, and advanced stage at diagnosis. Conclusion: Advanced disease was a significant prognostic factor for shorter survival. A trend toward improvement in 5-year OS in early stages over the past decade might be related to better surgical quality, improved radiation technique, and adjuvant chemotherapy. Given that patients received better systemic treatment in stage IV disease, the reason their OS was not improved should be examined.

Immunotherapy and Biomarkers in Sarcoma.

OPINION STATEMENT: Sarcoma describes a rare and heterogeneous group of diseases. Current treatment options for metastatic sarcoma are quite limited. Conventional treatments with chemotherapy or anti-angiogenic agents result in a non-durable response and a survival rate of approximately 12 to 18 months. In addition, the benefits of such treatments remain limited in some sarcoma subtypes only. Immunotherapy is an emerging treatment for several cancer types with promising outcomes. Studies at the cellular level have shown a relatively high immunogenicity in some subtypes of sarcoma. It is therefore hypothesized that sarcoma may respond to immunotherapy. However, sarcoma is a heterogeneous disease and differences in terms of immunogenicity exist. A multitude of immune-based treatment approaches for sarcoma have been explored. This includes immune checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic vaccines, and adoptive cell therapy. Single-agent immunotherapy has exhibited efficacy against some sarcoma subtypes, including alveolar soft-part sarcoma, angiosarcoma, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Combination immunotherapy appears superior to single-agent immunotherapy in terms of response, and several ongoing studies of immunotherapy using single/combination immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination with anti-angiogenesis have begun to report beneficial results. Predictive and prognostic biomarkers are also under active investigations, with particular interest in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or high tumor mutational burden levels. However, the information is still limited and further studies are needed.

Effect of Primary Tumor Location on Second- or Later-Line Treatment With Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Antibodies in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Multi-Center Study.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies (anti-EGFR Ab) as first-line treatment only in patients with left-sided RAS wild type (RASwt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, there are no guideline recommendations specific to tumor sidedness in subsequent-line treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of primary tumor location on second- or later-line treatment outcomes in patients with KRASwt mCRC. METHODS: Medical records of patients diagnosed with mCRC at 3 academic centers in Thailand (Siriraj, Chulalongkorn, and Ramathibodi hospital) between 2008 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with KRASwt mCRC who received anti-EGFR Ab in second- or later-line treatment were included. The impact of tumor sidedness on progression-free survival (PFS) was determined using Kaplan-Meier method, and those results were compared using log-rank test. RESULTS: Among the 2,102 patients who had KRAS analysis data, 1,130 (54%) patients had KRASwt. Of those, 413 patients received anti-EGFR Ab in second- or later-line treatment. One hundred and sixty-two of 413 (39%) patients had extended RAS analysis. Seventy (17%) patients had right-sided tumors. Two hundred and thirty-eight (58%) patients received anti-EGFR Ab in the third line, and 132 (32%) patients and 43 (10%) patients were treated in the second and more than third line, respectively. Single-agent irinotecan was the most commonly used backbone chemotherapy (303/413, 73%). Patients with right-sided tumors had non-significantly inferior PFS compared to patients with left-sided tumors (median PFS: 5.7 months (mo), 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-7.5 vs. 7.5 mo, 95% CI 6.5-8.5; p=0.17). Subgroup analysis showed no difference in PFS when stratified by treatment lines. Patient with right-sided tumors had significantly inferior OS compared to patients with left-sided tumors (median OS: 23.3 mo vs. 29.9 mo; p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: To date, this is the largest real world data of the effect of primary tumor location on anti-EGFR Ab which demonstrated that tumor sidedness has no significant impact on treatment outcomes in KRASwt mCRC patients receiving second- or later-line therapy. Our findings do not support the utility of tumor sidedness for treatment selection in these settings. We confirmed that patients with right-sided tumors had significantly worse survival.

Patterns and outcomes of immune-related adverse events in solid tumor patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in Thailand: a multicenter analysis.

BACKGROUND: Most immune-related adverse event (irAE) patterns and treatment guidelines are based on western clinical data. We evaluated the incidence and patterns of irAEs in patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in Thailand. METHODS: All solid tumor patients treated with ICIs were retrospectively reviewed in a multicenter analysis. The study aims to evaluate the incidence of irAEs and their characteristics, treatments, outcomes, and impact on survival. All irAEs were graded using the CTCAE version 4.0. Characteristics of irAEs including time to onset, duration of irAEs, specific treatments, and outcomes of irAEs were reviewed. The Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used to compare variables. Overall survival (OS) was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared by the log-rank test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: irAEs of any grade were observed in 98 of 414 patients (24%), whereas grades 3-4 irAEs were observed in 5.6%. The majority of patients (78%) were treated with monotherapy ICI (anti-PD1/PD-L1 92%). The most common all-grade irAEs were hypothyroidism (7.5%), hepatitis (6.5%), and rash (4.8%). Median onset of overall irAEs was 63 days. Pancreatitis and pneumonitis had the earliest onset at 30 and 34 days, respectively. ICIs were rechallenged in 68 of 98 patients with irAE. Eleven of sixty-eight patients (11.2%) with initial irAE had reoccurrence after ICI rechallenge. Based on a multivariate analysis, pre-existing hypothyroidism, ICI used in a clinical trial setting, and combinations of ICI/ICI were independent factors predicting irAE occurrence. Patients with irAE had a statistically significant longer overall survival (OS) when compared to patients without irAE (p = 0.019). A multivariate analysis revealed that occurrence of irAE was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.51-0.96; p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: irAE was commonly observed in Thai cancer patients treated with ICIs. Most irAEs were low-grade and manageable. Re-occurrence of irAE after re-challenging ICI was not uncommonly observed. Patients who experienced irAEs might have significantly longer OS compared to patients without irAEs. However, OS in this study should be interpreted with caution since it might be affected by various tumor types, treatment settings, dosing schedule, and ICI combinations.

Plasma extracellular vesicle microRNA-491-5p as diagnostic and prognostic marker for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Poor survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) is partly due to early diagnosis difficulties and the lack of reliable biomarkers for predicting treatment outcomes. In the discovery cohort, plasma-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from LA-HNSCC patients (n = 48) and healthy volunteers (n = 12) were used for profiling for microRNA (miRNA) expression by NanoString analysis. Ten EV-associated miRNAs were differentially expressed between LA-HNSCC patients and healthy volunteers. Subsequently, the results were validated in the individual discovery and additional cases (HNSCC, n = 73; control, n = 20) by quantitative RT-PCR. Among 10 EV-miRNAs, four (miR-27b-3p, miR-491-5p, miR-1910-5p, and miR-630) were significantly dysregulated in LA-HNSCC patients (n = 73) compared with healthy volunteers (n = 20). The miRNA prediction models were developed to discriminate HNSCC patients from healthy volunteers. The model using miR-491-5p was selected as a diagnostic biomarker for LA-HNSCC with a sensitivity and specificity of 46.6% and 100%, respectively (P < .001). The dynamic changes of miRNA model score (ΔmiRNAs) were determined using scores pre- and postdefinitive treatment to further investigate the prognostic value of miRNA prediction models. The univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that ΔmiR-491-5p was the most powerful and independent prognostic indicator for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 5.66, 95% confidence interval, 1.77-18.01; P = .003) and disease-free survival (HR 2.82, 95% CI, 1.13-7.05; P = .027) of HNSCC patients. In summary, the miR-491-5p prediction model could serve as a blood-based diagnostic marker for LA-HNSCC. Moreover, ΔmiR-491-5p could be a potential monitoring prognostic marker to reflect the survival of HNSCC patients.

Discrepancy in p16 expression in patients with HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in Thailand: clinical characteristics and survival outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Lower prevalence HPV infection has been previously reported in Thai population when compared with Western countries. p16 expression indicates HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), but not non-OPSCC. We therefore evaluated the characteristic and association of p16 and HPV in Thai patients with HNSCC. METHODS: We used immunohistochemistry and qPCR, respectively, to detect p16 and HPV DNA in archrival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded HNSCC tissues. Patient characteristics and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: p16 expression was detected in tumors of 72 of 662 (10.9%) patients with HNSCC and was significantly associated with higher-grade histology, advanced nodal stage, and oropharynx. p16 was expressed in 28 and 6.5% of patients with OPSCC or non-OPSCC, respectively, and HPV DNA was detected in 15.6 and 1% of patients, respectively. Using p16 as a surrogate for HPV status, sensitivities were 80 and 25% in OPSCC and non-OPSCC, respectively. Positive and negative predictive rates of OPSCC were 38 and 95%. Discordance rates between HPV and p16 were 23 and 7% in OPSCC and non-OPSCC, respectively. Overall survival (OS) were significantly longer in both p16-positive OPSCC (p = 0.049), and non-OPSCC (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Low prevalence of p16 and HPV associated OPSCC and non-OPSCC were confirmed in Thai patients. High discordance and low positive predictive rates of p16 were observed in HPV-associated OPSCC. p16 was a significant prognostic factor for OS for patients with OPSCC or non-OPSCC. Therefore, HPV testing should be performed to assess the association of HPV with HNSCC regardless of p16 expression.

MALAT1 Decreases the Sensitivity of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells to Radiation and Cisplatin.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Two-thirds of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients present with locally advanced (LA) stages and have a poor survival rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of the long non-coding RNAs MALAT1 on radiation and cisplatin sensitivity of HNSCC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clonogenic, cell viability, and apoptosis assays were performed in cells following MALAT1 knockdown using CRISPR/Cas9 system. RESULTS: MALAT1 was overexpressed in HNSCC cell lines as compared to a non-tumorigenic cell line. The number of colonies formed after radiation was significantly reduced in MALAT1 knockdown cells. The IC50 value of cisplatin in MALAT1 knockdown cells was lower than that of the control cells. MALAT1 knockdown resulted in cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, DNA damage and apoptotic cell death. CONCLUSION: MALAT1 knockdown enhanced the sensitivity of HNSCC cells to radiation and cisplatin partly through the induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest resulting in DNA damage and apoptosis.

Characteristics and impact of programmed death-ligand 1 expression, CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and p16 status in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: No predictive biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been well established. The impact of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and p16 status in HNSCC is unclear and may vary according to ethnicity. METHODS: HNSCC patients treated between 2007 and 2013 were reviewed. Archival tissues were retrieved for PD-L1, CD8+ TILs, and p16 analyses. PD-L1 expression was evaluated by using the validated SP142 assay on the VENTANA platform. CD8+ TILs were defined by using semiquantitative scoring. RESULTS: A total of 203 patients were analyzed. PD-L1 expression was observed in 80% of patients and was significantly associated with older age (P < 0.001). A high CD8+ TIL score (≥ 6) was significantly associated with never-smoking (P = 0.020), oral cavity cancer (P < 0.001), and stage M0 at presentation (P = 0.025). The p16 status was positive in 12% of patients. Patients with a high TIL score had a significantly longer OS (P = 0.032). Patients with PD-L1 expression of 1-49% and ≥ 50% were associated with a significantly shorter OS compared with those with PD-L1 < 1% (P = 0.027 and P = 0.011, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that PD-L1 ≥ 50% was significantly associated with a poor OS. (HR 2.98 [95% CI 1.2-7.39]; P = 0.019.) CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of PD-L1 expression was observed in HNSCC using the validated SP142 assay. PD-L1 expression was associated with older age, while highly PD-L1 expression (≥ 50%) was an independent prognostic factor for poor OS in anti-PD1/PD-L1 untreated HNSCC patients.