Into the Clinic With Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab

In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of nivolumab for treatment of squamous and nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pembrolizumab for use in patients with NSCLC tumors that express PD-L1. This commentary discusses issues with these two drugs relative to best practices and target populations.

Clonal neoantigens elicit T cell immunoreactivity and sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade

As tumors grow, they acquire mutations, some of which create neoantigens that influence the response of patients to immune checkpoint inhibitors. We explored the impact of neoantigen intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) on antitumor immunity. Through integrated analysis of ITH and neoantigen burden, we demonstrate a relationship between clonal neoantigen burden and overall survival in primary lung adenocarcinomas. CD8(+)tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes reactive to clonal neoantigens were identified in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer and expressed high levels of PD-1. Sensitivity to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade in patients with advanced NSCLC and melanoma was enhanced in tumors enriched for clonal neoantigens. T cells recognizing clonal neoantigens were detectable in patients with durable clinical benefit. Cytotoxic chemotherapy-induced subclonal neoantigens, contributing to an increased mutational load, were enriched in certain poor responders. These data suggest that neoantigen heterogeneity may influence immune surveillance and support therapeutic developments targeting clonal neoantigens.

Overall Survival and Long-Term Safety of Nivolumab (Anti-Programmed Death 1 Antibody, BMS-936558, ONO-4538) in Patients With Previously Treated Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

Programmed death 1 is an immune checkpoint that suppresses antitumor immunity. Nivolumab, a fully human immunoglobulin G4 programmed death 1 immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, was active and generally well tolerated in patients with advanced solid tumors treated in a phase I trial with expansion cohorts. We report overall survival (OS), response durability, and long-term safety in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving nivolumab in this trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients (N = 129) with heavily pretreated advanced NSCLC received nivolumab 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg intravenously once every 2 weeks in 8-week cycles for up to 96 weeks. Tumor burden was assessed by RECIST (version 1.0) after each cycle.

RESULTS

Median OS across doses was 9.9 months; 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 42%, 24%, and 18%, respectively, across doses and 56%, 42%, and 27%, respectively, at the 3-mg/kg dose (n = 37) chosen for further clinical development. Among 22 patients (17%) with objective responses, estimated median response duration was 17.0 months. An additional six patients (5%) had unconventional immune-pattern responses. Response rates were similar in squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC. Eighteen responding patients discontinued nivolumab for reasons other than progressive disease; nine (50%) of those had responses lasting > 9 months after their last dose. Grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 14% of patients. Three treatment-related deaths (2% of patients) occurred, each associated with pneumonitis.

CONCLUSION

Nivolumab monotherapy produced durable responses and encouraging survival rates in patients with heavily pretreated NSCLC. Randomized clinical trials with nivolumab in advanced NSCLC are ongoing.

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

We assessed the efficacy and safety of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibition with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer enrolled in a phase 1 study. We also sought to define and validate an expression level of the PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) that is associated with the likelihood of clinical benefit.

METHODS

We assigned 495 patients receiving pembrolizumab (at a dose of either 2 mg or 10 mg per kilogram of body weight every 3 weeks or 10 mg per kilogram every 2 weeks) to either a training group (182 patients) or a validation group (313 patients). We assessed PD-L1 expression in tumor samples using immunohistochemical analysis, with results reported as the percentage of neoplastic cells with staining for membranous PD-L1 (proportion score). Response was assessed every 9 weeks by central review.

RESULTS

Common side effects that were attributed to pembrolizumab were fatigue, pruritus, and decreased appetite, with no clear difference according to dose or schedule. Among all the patients, the objective response rate was 19.4%, and the median duration of response was 12.5 months. The median duration of progression-free survival was 3.7 months, and the median duration of overall survival was 12.0 months. PD-L1 expression in at least 50% of tumor cells was selected as the cutoff from the training group. Among patients with a proportion score of at least 50% in the validation group, the response rate was 45.2%. Among all the patients with a proportion score of at least 50%, median progression-free survival was 6.3 months; median overall survival was not reached.

CONCLUSIONS

Pembrolizumab had an acceptable side-effect profile and showed antitumor activity in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. PD-L1 expression in at least 50% of tumor cells correlated with improved efficacy of pembrolizumab. (Funded by Merck; KEYNOTE-001 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01295827.).

Preliminary Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of Regorafenib, Cisplatin, and Pemetrexed in Patients With Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancers

Regorafenib is an oral multitargeted kinase inhibitor with potent antiangiogenic activity. In this phase I trial we evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of regorafenib with cisplatin and pemetrexed for patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancers (nsNSCLCs). Nine patients enrolled before premature termination of the study. Five of 9 (56%) patients had a partial response and the median progression-free survival was 7 months (range, 1.5-15.1 months). Regorafenib had acceptable tolerability and minor pharmacokinetic interactions in combination with standard doses of cisplatin and pemetrexed in patients with advanced nsNSCLCs.

BACKGROUND

The combination of bevacizumab, an antiangiogenesis agent, with cytotoxic chemotherapy improves survival in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancers (nsNSCLCs). Regorafenib is an oral multitargeted kinase inhibitor with potent antiangiogenic activity that is approved for patients with advanced colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In this phase I trial we evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and efficacy of regorafenib with cisplatin and pemetrexed for patients with advanced nsNSCLCs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced nsNSCLCs were treated with regorafenib 60 mg/d continuously and cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) with pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) once every 21 days for up to 6 cycles. Thereafter, regorafenib with or without pemetrexed could be continued as maintenance.

RESULTS

Nine patients enrolled before premature termination of the study because of slow recruitment and a change in the development strategy of regorafenib by the study sponsor. Five patients experienced at least 1 treatment-related Grade 3 adverse event. No Grade 4 or 5 toxicity occurred. Five of 9 (56%) patients had a partial response and the median progression-free survival was 7 months (range, 1.5-15.1 months). Minor PK interactions between regorafenib and chemotherapy were observed.

CONCLUSION

Regorafenib had acceptable tolerability and minor PK interactions in combination with standard doses of cisplatin and pemetrexed in patients with advanced nsNSCLCs. Encouraging activity was appreciated in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced nsNSCLCs. However, the small number of patients treated limits conclusions that can be drawn from these results.

Cancer immunology. Mutational landscape determines sensitivity to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which unleash a patient's own T cells to kill tumors, are revolutionizing cancer treatment. To unravel the genomic determinants of response to this therapy, we used whole-exome sequencing of non-small cell lung cancers treated with pembrolizumab, an antibody targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). In two independent cohorts, higher nonsynonymous mutation burden in tumors was associated with improved objective response, durable clinical benefit, and progression-free survival. Efficacy also correlated with the molecular smoking signature, higher neoantigen burden, and DNA repair pathway mutations; each factor was also associated with mutation burden. In one responder, neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses paralleled tumor regression, suggesting that anti-PD-1 therapy enhances neoantigen-specific T cell reactivity. Our results suggest that the genomic landscape of lung cancers shapes response to anti-PD-1 therapy.

Cancer immunology. Mutational landscape determines sensitivity to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which unleash a patient's own T cells to kill tumors, are revolutionizing cancer treatment. To unravel the genomic determinants of response to this therapy, we used whole-exome sequencing of non-small cell lung cancers treated with pembrolizumab, an antibody targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). In two independent cohorts, higher nonsynonymous mutation burden in tumors was associated with improved objective response, durable clinical benefit, and progression-free survival. Efficacy also correlated with the molecular smoking signature, higher neoantigen burden, and DNA repair pathway mutations; each factor was also associated with mutation burden. In one responder, neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses paralleled tumor regression, suggesting that anti-PD-1 therapy enhances neoantigen-specific T cell reactivity. Our results suggest that the genomic landscape of lung cancers shapes response to anti-PD-1 therapy.

Activity and safety of nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, for patients with advanced, refractory squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (CheckMate 063): a phase 2, single-arm trial

BACKGROUND

Patients with squamous non-small-cell lung cancer that is refractory to multiple treatments have poor outcomes. We assessed the activity of nivolumab, a fully human IgG4 PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, for patients with advanced, refractory, squamous non-small-cell lung cancer.

METHODS

We did this phase 2, single-arm trial at 27 sites (academic, hospital, and private cancer centres) in France, Germany, Italy, and USA. Patients who had received two or more previous treatments received intravenous nivolumab (3 mg/kg) every 2 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxic effects. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a confirmed objective response as assessed by an independent radiology review committee. We included all treated patients in the analyses. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01721759.

FINDINGS

Between Nov 16, 2012, and July 22, 2013, we enrolled and treated 117 patients. 17 (14·5%, 95% CI 8·7-22·2) of 117 patients had an objective response as assessed by an independent radiology review committee. Median time to response was 3·3 months (IQR 2·2-4·8), and median duration of response was not reached (95% CI 8·31-not applicable); 13 (77%) of 17 of responses were ongoing at the time of analysis. 30 (26%) of 117 patients had stable disease (median duration 6·0 months, 95% CI 4·7-10·9). 20 (17%) of 117 patients reported grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events, including: fatigue (five [4%] of 117 patients), pneumonitis (four [3%]), and diarrhoea (three [3%]). There were two treatment-associated deaths caused by pneumonia and ischaemic stroke that occurred in patients with multiple comorbidities in the setting of progressive disease.

INTERPRETATION

Nivolumab has clinically meaningful activity and a manageable safety profile in previously treated patients with advanced, refractory, squamous non-small cell lung cancer. These data support the assessment of nivolumab in randomised, controlled, phase 3 studies of first-line and second-line treatment.

FUNDING

Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Broad, Hybrid Capture-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Identifies Actionable Genomic Alterations in Lung Adenocarcinomas Otherwise Negative for Such Alterations by Other Genomic Testing Approaches

PURPOSE

Broad, hybrid capture-based next-generation sequencing (NGS), as a clinical test, uses less tissue to identify more clinically relevant genomic alterations compared with profiling with multiple non-NGS tests. We set out to determine the frequency of such genomic alterations via this approach in tumors in which previous extensive non-NGS testing had not yielded a targetable driver alteration.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We enrolled patients with lung adenocarcinoma with a ≤ 15 pack-year smoking history whose tumors previously tested "negative" for alterations in 11 genes (mutations in EGFR, ERBB2, KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, MAP2K1, PIK3CA, and AKT1 and fusions involving ALK, ROS1, and RET) via multiple non-NGS methods. We performed hybridization capture of the coding exons of 287 cancer-related genes and 47 introns of 19 frequently rearranged genes and sequenced these to deep, uniform coverage.

RESULTS

Actionable genomic alterations with a targeted agent based on NCCN guidelines were identified in 26% [8 of 31: EGFR G719A, BRAF V600E, SOCS5-ALK, HIP1-ALK, CD74-ROS1, KIF5B-RET (n = 2), CCDC6-RET]. Seven of these patients either received or are candidates for targeted therapy. Comprehensive genomic profiling using this method also identified a genomic alteration with a targeted agent available on a clinical trial in an additional 39% (12 of 31).

CONCLUSIONS

Broad, hybrid capture-based NGS identified actionable genomic alterations in 65% [95% confidence interval (CI), 48%-82%] of tumors from never or light smokers with lung cancers deemed without targetable genomic alterations by earlier extensive non-NGS testing. These findings support first-line profiling of lung adenocarcinomas using this approach as a more comprehensive and efficient strategy compared with non-NGS testing. See related commentary by McCutcheon and Giaccone, p. 3584.

Quantitative method for the determination of iso-fludelone (KOS-1803) in human plasma by LC-MS/MS

Epothilones are relatively new tubulin-poison anticancer drugs. Iso-fludelone (KOS-1803) is a synthetic third generation epothilone drug discovered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and currently in phase I clinical trials. We report an LC-MS/MS assay for the sensitive, accurate and precise quantitation of iso-fludelone in 0.2mL of human plasma. Validation was performed according to FDA guidance. The assay comprised of KOS-1724 as the internal standard and an MTBE liquid-liquid extraction with a water wash step. Separation was achieved with an YMC-Pack ODS-AQ column and an isocratic mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and water (70:30, v/v) at 0.3mL/min for 4min. Chromatographic separation was followed by electrospray, positive-mode ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The assay was linear from 0.1 to 300ng/mL and was accurate (-9.41 to -7.07%) and precise (1.03-13.7%) which fulfilled FDA criteria for validation. Recovery from plasma was 73.9-79.7% and ion suppression was negligible (-22.8 to -31.3%). Plasma freeze-thaw stability (99.97-105.7%), stability for 11 months at -80°C (94.93-107.9%), and stability for 6h at room temperature (94.75-105.5%) were all acceptable. This assay is currently being applied to quantitate iso-fludelone in clinical samples.

Survival, response duration, and activity by BRAF mutation (MT) status of nivolumab (NIVO, anti-PD-1, BMS-936558, ONO-4538) and ipilimumab (IPI) concurrent therapy in advanced melanoma (MEL)

LBA9003^

Background: We report updated survival and clinical activity in initially enrolled cohorts and activity by BRAF MT status in a phase I trial of concurrent and sequenced NIVO + IPI. Methods: MEL pts (n=53, enrolled 2009-2012, data analysis Dec 2013) with ≤3 prior therapies received IV concurrent NIVO + IPI, Q3Wk × 4 doses, followed by NIVO Q3Wk × 4. At wk 24, NIVO + IPI continued Q12Wk × 8 in pts with disease control and no DLT. Tumor responses were evaluated by WHO and immune-related criteria. Results: Pt characteristics included stage M1c: 55% and prior systemic therapy: 40%. Across doses, 1- and 2-y OS rates were 82% and 75%. Clinical activity was similar to previous reports except CRs rose to 9/53 (17%). Pts with/without tumor BRAF MT (n=36) had similar activity (Table). By wk 36, 42% demonstrated ≥80% tumor reduction. Median duration of response (DOR) was not reached (NR). Of 22 pts with objective response, 14 (64%) had DOR ≥24 wk (range: 25+, 106+). Treatment-related adverse events were as reported previously: grade 3-4, 53% of pts; most common: ↑ lipase and AST (13% ea). Data for sequenced cohorts are shown (Table). Conclusions: Concurrent NIVO + IPI therapy showed encouraging survival and a manageable safety profile in advanced MEL pts. Responses were observed regardless of BRAF MT status and were durable in the majority of pts. Forty additional pts were enrolled (last pt: Nov 2013) on a cohort of NIVO 1 mg/kg + IPI 3 mg/kg Q3Wk × 4 doses, followed by NIVO 3mg/kg Q2Wk (the selected regimen for phase II/III trials). Clinical trial information: NCT01024231. [Table: see text]