Immunogenicity of oncolytic vaccinia viruses JX-GFP and TG6002 in a human melanoma in vitro model: studying immunogenic cell death, dendritic cell maturation and interaction with cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging immunotherapeutic modality for cancer treatment. Oncolytic viruses with genetic modifications can further enhance the oncolytic effects on tumor cells and stimulate antitumor immunity. The oncolytic vaccinia viruses JX-594-GFP+/hGM-CSF (JX-GFP) and TG6002 are genetically modified by secreting granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or transforming 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) into 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We compared their properties to kill tumor cells and induce an immunogenic type of cell death in a human melanoma cell model using SK29-MEL melanoma cells. Their influence on human immune cells, specifically regarding the activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and the interaction with the autologous cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone, was investigated. Melanoma cells were infected with either JX-GFP or TG6002 alone or in combination with 5-FC and 5-FU. The influence of viral infection on cell viability followed a time- and multiplicity of infection dependent manner. Combination of virus treatment with 5-FU resulted in stronger reduction of cell viability. TG6002 in combination with 5-FC did not significantly strengthen the reduction of cell viability in this setting. Expression of calreticulin and high mobility group 1 protein (HMGB1), markers of immunogenic cell death (ICD), could be detected after viral infection. Accordingly, DC maturation was noted after viral oncolysis. DCs presented stronger expression of activation and maturation markers. The autologous CTL clone IVSB expressed the activation marker CD69, but viral treatment failed to enhance cytotoxicity marker. In summary, vaccinia viruses JX-GFP and TG6002 lyse melanoma cells and induce additional immunostimulatory effects to promote antitumor immune response. Further investigation in vivo is needed to consolidate the data.

Impact of BRAF and RAS mutations on first-line efficacy of FOLFIRI plus cetuximab versus FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab: analysis of the FIRE-3 (AIO KRK-0306) study

BACKGROUND

RAS and BRAF mutations have been identified as negative prognostic factors in metastatic colorectal cancer. Efficacy of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus bevacizumab in patients with RAS-mutant tumours needs to be further evaluated. Whether to treat patients with BRAF-mutant tumours with either bevacizumab or anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies remains unclear.

METHODS

Patients treated within the FIRE-3 trial were retrospectively tested for BRAF and RAS mutations using formalin fixated paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumour material applying pyrosequencing for KRAS and NRAS exon 2, 3 and 4 mutations as far as for BRAF mutations. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier estimation and differences were expressed using the log-rank test. Overall response rate (ORR) was compared using Fisher's exact test. Data from a central independent radiological response evaluation were used to calculate early tumour shrinkage (ETS) and depth of response (DpR).

RESULTS

Overall, 188 patients with RAS-mutant tumours and 48 with BRAF-mutant tumours were identified. In BRAF-mutant patients, ORR was numerically higher in the cetuximab versus the bevacizumab arm (52% versus 40%), while comparable results were achieved for progression-free survival (PFS; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84, p = 0.56) and overall survival (OS; HR 0.79, p = 0.45). RAS mutation was associated with a trend towards lower ORR (37% versus 50.5%, p = 0.11) and shorter PFS (7.4 versus 9.7 months; HR 1.25; p = 0.14) in patients receiving FOLFIRI plus cetuximab versus bevacizumab, but OS was comparable (19.1 versus 20.1 months; HR 1.05; p = 0.73), respectively. ETS identified subgroups sensitive to cetuximab-based treatment in both BRAF- (9/17) and RAS-mutant (18/48) patients and was associated with significantly longer OS. DpR was comparable between both treatment arms in RAS- and BRAF-mutant patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In BRAF- and RAS-mutant patients, cetuximab- and bevacizumab-based treatment had comparable survival times. ETS represents an early parameter associated with the benefit from anti-EGFR, while this was not the case with vascular endothelial growth factor A blockade.

[ASCO-update 2015 - highlights of the 51. meeting of the american society of clinical oncology/ASCO 2015]

The field of gastrointestinal oncology is rapidly developing, on the one hand through the identification of novel molecular targets and therapeutic principles, on the other hand through the establishment and improvement of multidisciplinary treatment strategies. The following manuscript summarizes the most important trial results of the ASCO Meeting 2015 for gastrointestinal cancers. Besides trials on perioperative treatment of esophageal-, pancreatic- and colon cancer, we will present impressive data on new therapeutic strategies such as immunotherapy in gastric-, liver and microsatellite instable colorectal cancer. The trials will be put into context by the authors.

High-definition endoscopy with iScan and Lugol's solution for the detection of inflammation in patients with nonerosive reflux disease: histologic evaluation in comparison with a control group

Nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) is commonly diagnosed in patients with symptoms of reflux. The aim of the present study was to determine whether high-definition endoscopy (HD) plus equipped with the iScan function or chromoendoscopy with Lugol's solution might permit the differentiation of NERD patients from those without reflux symptoms, proven by targeted biopsies of endoscopic lesions. A total of 100 patients without regular intake of proton pump inhibitors and with a normal conventional upper endoscopy were prospectively divided into NERD patients and controls. A second upper endoscopy was performed using HD+ with additional iScan function and then Lugol's solution was applied. Biopsy specimens were taken from the gastroesophageal junction in all patients. A total of 65 patients with reflux symptoms and 27 controls were included. HD(+) endoscopy with iScan revealed subtle mucosal breaks in 52 patients; the subsequent biopsies confirmed esophagitis in all cases. After Lugol's solution, 58 patients showed mucosal breaks. Sensitivity for the iScan procedure was 82.5%, whereas that for Lugol's solution was 92.06%. Excellent positive predictive values of 100% and 98.3%, respectively, were noted. The present study suggests that the majority of patients with NERD and typical symptoms of reflux disease can be identified by iScan or Lugol's chromoendoscopy as minimal erosive reflux disease (ERD) patients.

Gemcitabine plus sorafenib versus gemcitabine alone in advanced biliary tract cancer: a double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre phase II AIO study with biomarker and serum programme

BACKGROUND

Since sorafenib has shown activity in different tumour types and gemcitabine regimens improved the outcome for biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients, we evaluated first-line gemcitabine plus sorafenib in a double-blind phase II study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

102 unresectable or metastatic BTC patients with histologically proven adenocarcinoma of gallbladder or intrahepatic bile ducts, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2 were randomised to gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 once weekly, first 7-weeks+1-week rest followed by once 3-weeks+1-week rest) plus sorafenib (400 mg twice daily) or placebo. Treatment continued until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Tumour samples were prospectively stained for sorafenib targets and potential biomarkers. Serum samples (first two cycles) were measured for vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF1)α by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

Gemcitabine plus sorafenib was generally well tolerated. Four and three patients achieved partial responses in the sorafenib and placebo groups, respectively. There was no difference in the primary end-point, median progression-free survival (PFS) for gemcitabine plus sorafenib versus gemcitabine plus placebo (3.0 versus 4.9 months, P=0.859), and no difference for median overall survival (OS) (8.4 versus 11.2 months, P=0.775). Patients with liver metastasis after resection of primary BTC survived longer with sorafenib (P=0.019) compared to placebo. Patients who developed hand-foot syndrome (HFS) showed longer PFS and OS than patients without HFS. Two sorafenib targets, VEGFR-2 and c-kit, were not expressed in BTC samples. VEGFR-3 and Hif1α were associated with lymph node metastases and T stage. Absence of PDGFRβ expression correlated with longer PFS.

CONCLUSION

The addition of sorafenib to gemcitabine did not demonstrate improved efficacy in advanced BTC patients. Biomarker subgroup analysis suggested that some patients might benefit from combined treatment.

Deterioration in quality of life (QoL) in patients with malignant ascites: results from a phase II/III study comparing paracentesis plus catumaxomab with paracentesis alone

BACKGROUND

Malignant ascites (MA) is associated with poor prognosis and limited palliative therapeutic options. Therefore, quality of life (QoL) assessment is of particular importance to demonstrate new treatment value. Following the demonstration of the superiority of catumaxomab and paracentesis over paracentesis on puncture-free survival, this analysis aimed at comparing deterioration in QoL between both the treatment options.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a randomised, multicentre, phase II/III study of patients with MA due to epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) positive cancer, the QoL was evaluated using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 items (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire at screening, 1, 3 and 7 months after treatment and in the case of re-puncture on the day of paracentesis. Time to first deterioration in QoL was defined as a decrease in the QoL score of at least five points and compared between the catumaxomab (n=160) and control (n=85) groups using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline score, country and primary tumour type.

RESULTS

Deterioration in QoL scores appeared more rapidly in the control than in the catumaxomab group (median 19-26 days versus 47-49 days). The difference in time to deterioration in QoL between the groups was statistically significant for all scores (P<0.01). The hazard ratios ranged from 0.08 to 0.24 (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with catumaxomab delayed deterioration in QoL in patients with MA. Compared with paracentesis alone, catumaxomab enabled patients to benefit from better QoL for a prolonged survival period.

[S3 guideline - diagnosis and treatment of gastric carcinoma: relevance for radiologic imaging]

The new German S3 guideline regarding stomach cancer includes a variety of innovations with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of adenocarcinoma of the stomach and the esophagogastric junction. The guideline has been strongly supported by the "oncology" guidelines program consisting of the "Deutsche Krebshilfe" and the German Cancer Society and the AWMF (Dr. M. Follmann). This guideline contains evidence-based treatment recommendations and quality indicators for guideline implementation and evaluation in order to improve broad medical care and to facilitate development and subsequent adjustment. The purpose of this article is to introduce the innovations with regard to radiological diagnosis and to discuss the latest literature on the subject.

Multicentre phase II trial of trastuzumab and capecitabine in patients with HER2 overexpressing metastatic pancreatic cancer

Background:

New therapeutic options for metastatic pancreatic cancer are urgently needed. In pancreatic cancer, overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has been reported in up to 45%. This multicentre phase II study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of the HER2 antibody trastuzumab combined with capecitabine in the patients with pancreatic cancer and HER2 overexpression.

Methods:

Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) after 12 weeks. A total of 212 patients were screened for HER2 expression.

Results:

Immunohistochemical (IHC) HER2 expression was: 83 (40%) grade 0, 71 (34%) grade 1, 31 (15%) grade 2, 22 (11%) grade 3. A total of 17 patients with IHC +3 HER2 expression or gene amplification could be assessed for the treatment response. Grade 3/4 treatment toxicities were: each 7% leucopenia, diarrhoea, nausea and hand-foot syndrome. Progression-free survival after 12 weeks was 23.5%, median overall survival (OS) 6.9 months.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates +3 HER2 expression or gene amplification in 11% of patients. Contrary to breast and gastric cancer, only 7 out of 11 (64%) patients with IHC +3 HER2 expression showed gene amplification. Although the therapy was well tolerated, PFS and OS did not perform favourably compared with standard chemotherapy. Together, we do not recommend further evaluation of anti-HER2 treatment in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Esophagogastric cancer: integration of targeted therapies into systemic chemotherapy

Although combination chemotherapy has been shown to be more effective than single agents in advanced esophagogastric cancer, the better response rates have not fulfilled their promise as overall survival times from best combination still range between 8 to 11 months. So far, the development of targeted therapies stays somewhat behind their integration into treatment concepts compared to other gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, the review summarizes the recent advances in the development of targeted therapies in advanced esophagogastric cancer. The majority of agents tested were angiogenesis inhibitors or agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptors EGFR1 and HER2. For trastuzumab and bevacizumab, phase III trial results have been presented recently. While addition of trastuzumab to cisplatin/5-fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy results in a clinically relevant and statistically significant survival benefit in HER 2+ patients, the benefit of the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy was not significant. Thus, all patients with metastatic disease should be tested for HER-2 status in the tumor. Trastuzumab in combination with cisplatin/5-fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy is the new standard of care for patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

Cetuximab with irinotecan, folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil as first-line treatment in advanced gastroesophageal cancer: a prospective multi-center biomarker-oriented phase II study

BACKGROUND

Cetuximab plus irinotecan/folinic acid/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (IF) was evaluated as first-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction tumors. Preplanned analyses of the influence of tumor biomarkers on treatment outcome were carried out.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received weekly cetuximab (400 mg/m(2) on day 1, subsequently 250 mg/m(2)) plus irinotecan (80 mg/m(2)) and a 24-hour continuous infusion of folinic acid (200 mg/m(2)) and 5-FU (1500 mg/m(2)) on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and 36 of a 50-day cycle, until progressive disease (PD).

RESULTS

The most common grade 3/4 toxic effects in 49 patients were diarrhea (15%) and skin toxic effects (14%). In 48 assessable patients, the overall response rate was 46% and disease control rate was 79%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 9.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.1-15.6] and 16.5 months (95% CI 11.7-30.1), respectively. Tumor response was more common than nonresponse in epidermal growth factor receptor-expressing tumors (P = 0.041). Tumor PTEN expression was associated with longer PFS (P = 0.035) and OS (P = 0.0127) than no PTEN expression.

CONCLUSION

Cetuximab plus IF was well tolerated and efficacy data were encouraging. This treatment combination and the role of selected biomarkers are under investigation in the ongoing phase III EXPAND trial.

[Diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer]

From a global perspective, gastric cancer including cancer of the esophago-gastric junction is the fourth most common malignant tumor and the second-most common cause of cancer-related death. Due to the lack of screening programs in Western countries, most gastric cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages. A sophisticated staging should include high-resolution computed tomography of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis and video-documented endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound. In mucosal gastric cancer, endoscopic resection can replace surgical resection if specific criteria are present. In the stages II and III perioperative chemotherapy has been established as a standard of care and should be applied. In the metastatic setting, treatment goals are palliative. Chemotherapy can prolong survival, improve symptoms and can help to maintain a better quality of life. Combination chemotherapy including a platinum compound and a fluoropyrimidine regarded as standard. About 20 % of gastric cancers exhibit overexpression of the growth factor receptor family member Her2. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against Her2 and has shown to prolong survival when combined with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine.