Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology最新文献

Background: The aging population presents significant challenges to healthcare worldwide. Evidence concerning the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) aged 70 years or older remains limited.

Objectives: To investigate the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in NSCLC patients stratified by age into three groups, and to identify factors associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Design: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 171 NSCLC patients with NSCLC who underwent neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy followed by surgical resection. The patients were categorized by age into three groups: ⩾70 years, 60-69 years, and <60 years.

Methods: The safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy were comprehensively evaluated. Safety was assessed based on the incidence of treatment-related adverse events (AEs) and complications. Efficacy was determined through analyses of tumor response and survival outcomes. OS and DFS were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and independent prognostic factors were identified through the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results: The study cohort comprised 24 patients aged ⩾70 years, 73 patients aged 60-69 years, and 74 patients under 60 years. OS and DFS did not differ significantly among the three age groups following neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy. Multivariate analysis identified major pathological response (MPR) as a significant independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio (HR): 0.232, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.079-0.678, p = 0.008). For DFS, both MPR (HR: 0.342, 95% CI: 0.184-0.638, p = 0.001) and the occurrence of postoperative complications (HR: 2.115, 95% CI: 1.208-3.705, p = 0.009) were independent predictors. Overall, patients across all age groups exhibited acceptable tolerance to neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy.

Conclusion: Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy demonstrated consistent safety and efficacy across all age groups in this cohort of NSCLC patients. Achieving MPR was associated with improved OS and DFS, whereas the occurrence of postoperative complications was associated with diminished DFS.

Background: Relapsed or refractory (R/R) disease following frontline treatment with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) represents a significant clinical challenge in the management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Objectives: To address unmet medical needs, comprehensive clinical data on R/R DLBCL in real-world settings are warranted.

Design: A retrospective observational study including patients from a tertiary medical center and a national population-based cohort.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of R/R DLBCL, derived from 665 consecutive patients treated with R-CHOP. Furthermore, a population-based cohort from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database was established for external validation. Clinical data were comprehensively analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression to identify independent predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: A total of 231 patients were identified from the retrospective cohort. Among them, 88 (38.1%) were found to be primarily refractory to R-CHOP, while 143 (61.9%) experienced recurrent disease. When stratified by time to progression (TTP) after R-CHOP, the 2-year OS rate ranged from 35.4% in patients with TTP <12 months to 74.4% in those with TTP ⩾24 months. Patients with TTP <12 months also demonstrated lower response rates to second-line treatments and were less likely to proceed to stem cell transplantation. In multivariate analysis, TTP was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS. The prognostic significance of TTP was further validated in an external, population-based cohort of 723 patients with R/R DLBCL.

Conclusion: This real-world study provides valuable insights into R/R DLBCL outside of clinical trial settings, revealing that TTP after frontline R-CHOP is an easy-to-use and robust prognostic predictor. Patients with a TTP of less than 12 months exhibited a particularly poor prognosis under conventional treatment, highlighting the urgent need to consider novel therapeutic approaches for this high-risk population.

Background: The optimal induction chemotherapy (IC) regimen for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) remains uncertain.

Objectives: The study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel plus cisplatin (NAB-TP) versus gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) as IC in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC).

Design: A retrospective analysis.

Methods: This study was conducted in LA-NPC patients treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between 2012 and 2024. All patients received IC with either the GP or NAB-TP regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline characteristics between the GP and NAB-TP groups.

Results: In total, 908 patients with LA-NPC (197 in the NAB-TP group) were enrolled. Before PSM, no statistically significant differences were observed between the NAB-TP and GP group in 5-year overall survival (OS; 98.67% vs 91.67%; p = 0.647), 5-year progression-free survival (PFS; 84.18% vs 66.22%; p = 0.587), 5-year locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS; 88.13% vs 81.44%; p = 0.106), or 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS; 98.05% vs 89.88%; p = 0.106). After PSM, no differences were found in 5-year OS (98.60% vs 86.26%; p = 0.536), PFS (84.18% vs 66.22%; p = 0.587), LRFS (88.82% vs 76.14%; p = 0.757), or DMFS (97.95% vs 91.74%; p = 0.105). In the matched cohort, the NAB-TP group showed significantly lower incidences of anemia and thrombocytopenia than the GP group.

Conclusion: IC with the NAB-TP combined with CCRT showed comparable survival efficacy for LA-NPC patients compared with the GP, with reduced acute toxicity.

Sarcomatoid malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer with limited therapeutic options. We describe an exceptionally rare case of sarcomatoid MPM in a man in his 50s who developed three severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs)-Grade 3 pneumonitis, Grade 3 hepatitis, and Grade 4 agranulocytosis-within 55 days of initiating nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Corticosteroid treatment and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor resulted in recovery from these toxicities, while two liver biopsies provided essential diagnostic insights, distinguishing drug-induced liver injury from immune-related hepatitis. Despite receiving only a limited number of immune checkpoint inhibitor doses and discontinuing therapy, the patient exhibited rapid pleural tumor regression and sustained clinical benefit. This case highlights the potential association between severe immune-related side effects and favorable treatment response in MPM, and underscores the importance of pathology-supported diagnosis and shared decision-making in managing complex irAEs.

Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) shows promise as a minimally invasive alternative to tissue sequencing. However, concordance between genomic alterations in tumor tissue and plasma ctDNA remains incompletely characterized in ovarian cancer, particularly in the pretreatment setting.

Objectives: To identify factors influencing concordance between tissue and ctDNA genomic profiling and explore the potential clinical implications (including treatment and survival outcomes) of this concordance.

Design: A prospective, single-center, observational study.

Methods: A total of 40 matched pretreatment tumor specimens and blood samples were prospectively collected from patients with ovarian cancer and subsequently sequenced using a customized gene panel. Overall and individual concordance rates were calculated as the ratio of total concordant mutations to total tissue mutations, with patients stratified into highly concordant (⩾50%) and poorly concordant (<50%) groups.

Results: The overall tissue-plasma concordance rate was 40.8%, with shared variants exhibiting identical abundance patterns across sample types and capturing the majority of functionally relevant mutations. Single-nucleotide variants in tissue showed a higher detection rate in plasma than structural variants. Individual concordance rates displayed significant inter-patient variability. Higher tissue tumor mutation burden (odds ratio (OR) 2.165, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.183-3.965) and plasma ctDNA fraction (OR 1.433, 95% CI 1.063-1.933) were independently associated with high concordance rates. In advanced-stage patients, the poorly concordant group showed lower CA125 elimination rate constant K (KELIM) scores (median 0.7 vs 1.3; 15.0% vs 68.8% patients with score ⩾1), indicating reduced chemosensitivity. The poorly concordant group demonstrated a higher disease recurrence rate (40.0% vs 6.2%) and elevated early recurrence risk (12-month progression-free survival rate 82.0% vs 100.0%) compared with the highly concordant group.

Conclusion: In the field of ovarian cancer, NGS of ctDNA showed moderate concordance with tissue-based sequencing in the pretreatment setting, influenced by both technical and biological factors. The tissue-plasma concordance may serve as a chemosensitivity and prognostic indicator.

Immunotherapy has shown inconsistent results in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) despite being associated with an active tumour microenvironment. This calls for the identification of subtypes within the EBVaGC subtype, and subsequent treatments tailored for their properties. This review identified six different EBVaGC subtypes alongside potential therapeutic opportunities. EBVaGCs, which express immune checkpoints, high microsatellite instability or high tumour mutational burden, are shown to respond better to immune checkpoint inhibitors, each due to their own specific characteristics. Co-infection of EBV and Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer (GC) can exacerbate their impact on inflammatory stress and has the potential to be treated by antiviral agents and antimicrobials. EBVaGCs are also more likely to express wild-type p53 than other GCs, which suggests potential for lytic-induction therapy, where the EBV genome is kicked out of latency and subsequently killed using antiviral nucleoside analogue prodrugs. Lastly, EBVaGC is more likely to express the PI3K and ARID1A mutations, which can potentially be treated using PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors and Akt/PARP inhibitors. These six subtypes could aid the selection of more successful treatments for EBVaGC, thereby improving the current overall survival and prognosis of patients.

Background: Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (Pembrolizumab-CT) has been suggested as first-line treatment over pembrolizumab alone in aggressive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ⩾50% PDL1, but studies comparing these two strategies are lacking.

Objectives: To compare overall survival under pembrolizumab and Pembrolizumab-CT depending on tumor aggressiveness in PDL1 ⩾50% advanced NSCLC patients.

Design: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted of all patients with advanced NSCLC, PDL1 ⩾50% and ECOG 0-1, who received pembrolizumab or Pembrolizumab-CT as first-line treatment.

Methods: Tumor aggressiveness was defined as a sum of longest diameters (SLD) ⩾ 100 mm, a largest lesion diameter (LLD) >60 mm, ECOG 1, or need for corticosteroid therapy. Overall survival was analyzed in the whole population and in subgroups as restricted mean survival time (RMST) adjusted for the main prognostic variables.

Results: Ninety-six of the 164 included patients (58.5%) received pembrolizumab, and 68 (41.5%) received Pembrolizumab-CT. In the study group overall, the RMST was significantly shorter under Pembrolizumab-CT than under pembrolizumab (-7.9 months; p = 0.03). RMSTs were significantly shorter in the Pembrolizumab-CT group among patients with LLD <60 mm (-8.6 months, p = 0.04) and among ECOG-0 patients (-12.3 months, p < 0.001). RMSTs did not differ significantly between groups in patients with SLD ⩾ 100 mm (-1.1 months; p = 0.82), in patients with SLD <100 mm (-3.1 months, p = 0.54), in patients with LLD ⩾ 60 mm (0.9 months; p = 0.75), in patients with need for corticosteroid therapy (-2.9 months, p = 0.62), or in ECOG-1 patients (-6.1 months, p = 0.12). Toxicity-related hospitalizations appeared more frequent under Pembrolizumab-CT (20.5%) than under pembrolizumab (12.5%).

Conclusion: Pembrolizumab-CT was not associated with improved survival compared with pembrolizumab alone, in PDL1 ⩾ 50% advanced NSCLC patients, even in cases of aggressive disease. Chemotherapy-related toxicities may have had a negative effect on survival.

Background: Metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) remains a challenging malignancy with limited treatment options. The combination of RC48 (Disitamab Vedotin) plus programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor represents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of RC48 plus PD-1 inhibitors as first-line therapy for mUC in real-world practice.

Design: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

Methods: We retrospectively collected data from mUC patients who received RC48 plus PD-1 inhibitors as first-line therapy between July 2021 and February 2024 from three medical centers. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) were calculated to evaluate the clinical efficacy. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were analyzed to assess the safety profiles.

Results: A total of 63 patients with mUC were included, with a mean age of 67 years, and 71.4% were male. The most frequent metastatic sites were lymph nodes (77.8%), followed by the lung (31.7%), bone (23.8%), liver (19.0%), and others. The treatment response rates were as follows: 12 patients (19.0%) achieved a complete response, 33 patients (52.4%) had a partial response, and 10 patients (15.9%) experienced stable disease. The ORR was 71.4%, and the DCR was 87.3%. The median PFS was 10.5 months (95% confidence interval: 8.8-14.6 months), and the median OS was not reached. The most common TRAEs included fatigue (36.5%), anemia (34.9%), pruritus (33.3%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (28.6%), and nausea (28.6%). Grade III TRAEs occurred in seven patients (11.1%), and no Grade IV or V TRAEs were observed.

Conclusion: The combination of RC48 and PD-1 inhibitors administered in 3-week cycles demonstrates efficacy and manageable safety as first-line therapy for mUC patients in a real-world setting.

Background: Second-line options for biliary tract cancer (BTC) are limited. While nab-paclitaxel has demonstrated certain antitumor activity, evidence remains scarce. With gemcitabine-cisplatin plus anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-(L)1) established as the first-line standard, the benefit of second-line immunotherapy-especially in patients without prior anti-PD-(L)1 exposure-remains unclear.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel-based second-line treatments for advanced BTC, and compare outcomes between regimens with and without anti-PD-(L)1.

Design: This is a real-world retrospective study.

Methods: This study reviewed BTC patients who received second-line nab-paclitaxel-based therapy at West China Hospital between August 2018 and August 2023. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) in the entire population. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, adverse events (AEs) in the entire population, and comparison of survival outcomes and response rate between the chemo-anti-PD-(L)1 and chemotherapy groups.

Results: Among 84 patients (41 in the chemo-anti-PD-(L)1 group and 43 in the chemotherapy group), the median OS was 15.17 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.63-21.43), median PFS was 5.40 months (95% CI, 3.23-8.03), objective response rate (ORR) was 21.43% (95% CI, 13.22-31.74), and disease control rate (DCR) was 60.71% (95% CI, 49.45-71.20). Common grade 3-4 AEs were leukopenia (21.4%), neutropenia (17.9%), and anemia (13.1%). Hepatitis (14.6%) was the most frequent immune-related AE. Although a numerical trend favored the chemo-anti-PD-(L)1 group, no statistically significant differences were observed in OS (16.9 vs 14.6 months), PFS (7.3 vs 4.6 months), ORR (29.3% vs 13.9%), or DCR (68.3% vs 53.5%). In the entire cohort, radical surgery improved OS. In addition, patients with a baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ⩾3 and a ⩽30% reduction in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 from an initially elevated level during treatment had worse OS and PFS.

Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel-based regimens represent a promising second-line treatment option for BTC. Although the improvement was not statistically significant, adding anti-PD-(L)1 therapy showed a trend toward improved survival.

Trial registration: ChiCTR2500096599.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare mesenchymal tumors in which gene fusions occur in approximately one-third of cases, serving as key diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This study investigates the presence and implications of gene fusions in STS, focusing on a novel PRUNE2::NTRK2 gene fusion identified in two adult patients. The PRUNE2 gene plays a role in cellular processes and is a potential tumor biomarker. PRUNE2 plays a role in various tumors as a tumor suppressor, including prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and neuroblastoma. The NTRK2 oncogene is, however, associated with tumor progression. In this report, we describe a possible molecular characterization of a novel PRUNE2::NTRK2 gene fusion. Although NTRK-associated fusions are significant in various cancers and have led to the development of targeted therapies, such as larotrectinib and entrectinib, the specific molecular impact of atypical PRUNE2::NTRK2 fusion remains unclear. The PRUNE2::NTRK2 gene fusions described here express a non-functional TrkB protein, and it is unclear whether the PRUNE2 function is intact or affected.