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Miguel Cejalvo J, Falato C, Villanueva L, Tolosa P, González X, Pascal M, Canes J, Gavilá J, Manso L, Pascual T, Prat A, Salvador F. Oncolytic Viruses: a new immunotherapeutic approach for breast cancer treatment? Cancer Treat Rev 2022; 106:102392. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2022.102392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Treatment with ribociclib shows favourable immunomodulatory effects in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer-findings from the RIBECCA trial. Eur J Cancer 2021; 162:45-55. [PMID: 34953442 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibitors of the cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) have significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer and have demonstrated favourable antitumour immune responses in preclinical studies. METHODS Here, we investigated peripheral immune responses to ribociclib in patients with metastatic HR+ breast cancer as a preplanned exploratory subanalysis of the RIBECCA trial (NCT03096847). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were subjected to immune cell profiling, gene expression analysis of immune-related signatures, and deep T cell receptor profiling before treatment started and after 12 weeks of treatment with ribociclib. RESULTS Gene expression analysis revealed an upregulation of signatures associated with an activated adaptive immune system and a decrease in immunosuppressive cytokine signalling during treatment with ribociclib. Profiling of peripheral immune cell subpopulations showed a decrease in Treg cell frequencies, which was associated with treatment response. Furthermore, induction of CD4+ naive T cells could be seen, whereas effector and memory T cell populations remained largely unchanged. Correspondingly, T cell repertoire diversity remained mostly unchanged during treatment, although an increase in clonality could be observed in single patients. CONCLUSIONS We show that treatment with ribociclib has significant effects on the peripheral innate and adaptive immune response in patients with HR+ breast cancer. Our data suggest that these effects lead to an activation of an already existing immune response rather than a de novo induction and make a strong case for future combination strategies of CDK4/6i with immunotherapies to enhance the adaptive immune response in HR+ breast cancer.
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Garrone O, Michelotti A, Paccagnella M, Montemurro F, Vandone AM, Abbona A, Geuna E, Vanella P, De Angelis C, Lo Nigro C, Falletta A, Crosetto N, Di Maio M, Merlano M. Exploratory analysis of circulating cytokines in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin: the TRANSERI-GONO (Gruppo Oncologico del Nord Ovest) study. ESMO Open 2021; 5:e000876. [PMID: 33051191 PMCID: PMC7555105 DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2020-000876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Anticancer drugs can interact with the tumour microenvironment and their effects could be exploited to favour anticancer immune response. Eribulin contributes to tumour vasculature remodelling and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) modulation in experimental models and in humans. We performed a prospective, translational, exploratory analysis of the levels of circulating cytokines at different time points in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin. Methods TGF-β, tumour necrosis factor α, vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-21 and C-C motif chemokine ligand-2 levels were assessed in peripheral blood samples obtained from seven healthy volunteers and 41 patients at baseline (T0), after four cycles of eribulin (T1) and at disease progression (TPD). Baseline values and longitudinal changes in cytokine levels were then related to clinical outcome. Results In the 41 patients, high IL-6 and IL-8 (above the median) at T0 significantly correlated with worse survival. At T1, IL-21 significantly decreased in patients with TPD within the fourth course of treatment, compared with patients without progression. TGF-β and IL-8 above the median and IL-21 below the median at T1 significantly correlates with worse progression free survival (PFS). Patients exhibiting an increase of TGF-β or a decline of IL-21 between T0 and T1 showed a significantly worse PFS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that only plasma TGF-β changes at T1 correlated with survival. At TPD, TGF-β significantly increased in all patients. Conclusions We observed a significant correlation between TGF-β decline during eribulin treatment and outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Altogether, our data suggest that eribulin treatment might interfere with the tumour microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ornella Garrone
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy.
| | | | - Matteo Paccagnella
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Filippo Montemurro
- Multidisciplinary Oncologic Day Hospital Department of Medical Oncology, Candiolo Cancer Institute, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Vandone
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Andrea Abbona
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Elena Geuna
- Multidisciplinary Oncologic Day Hospital Department of Medical Oncology, Candiolo Cancer Institute, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Paola Vanella
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | | | - Cristiana Lo Nigro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Antonella Falletta
- Department of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Nicola Crosetto
- Science for Life Laboratory Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Massimo Di Maio
- Department of Oncology, Universita' degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Merlano
- Department of Medical Oncology, Candiolo Cancer Institute, Candiolo, Italy
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Criscitiello C, Guerini-Rocco E, Viale G, Fumagalli C, Sajjadi E, Venetis K, Piciotti R, Invernizzi M, Malapelle U, Fusco N. Immunotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Focus on the Use of the Currently Available Biomarkers in Oncology. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2021; 22:787-800. [PMID: 34229592 DOI: 10.2174/1871520621666210706144112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have remarkably modified the way solid tumors are managed, including breast cancer. Unfortunately, only a relatively small number of breast cancer patients significantly respond to these treatments. To maximize the immunotherapy benefit in breast cancer, several efforts are currently being put forward for the identification of i) the best therapeutic strategy (i.e. ICI monotherapy or in association with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or other drugs); ii) the optimal timing for administration (e.g. early/advanced stage of disease; adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting); iii) the most effective and reliable predictive biomarkers of response (e.g. tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, programmed death-ligand 1, microsatellite instability associated with mismatch repair deficiency, and tumor mutational burden). This article reviews the impacts and gaps in the characterization of immune-related biomarkers raised by clinical and translational research studies with immunotherapy treatments. Particular emphasis has been put on the documented evidence of significant clinical benefits of ICI in different randomized clinical trials, along with preanalytical and analytical issues in predictive biomarkers pathological assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giulia Viale
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Caterina Fumagalli
- Division of Pathology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Elham Sajjadi
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Piciotti
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Invernizzi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Viale Piazza D'Armi 1, Novara, Italy
| | - Umberto Malapelle
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Nicola Fusco
- Division of Pathology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, University of Milan, Via Giuseppe Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy
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5
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Circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, and disease characteristics in young women with metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021; 187:397-405. [PMID: 34076801 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-021-06236-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical and genomic data from patients with early-stage breast cancer suggest more aggressive disease in premenopausal women. However, the association between age, disease course, and molecular profile from liquid biopsy in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is not well characterized. METHODS Patients were classified as premenopausal (< 45 years), perimenopausal (45-55 years), or postmenopausal (> 55 years). Cohort 1 consisted of patients with MBC who consented for prospective serial evaluation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using CellSearch™. Cohort 2 included patients who, as part of routine care, had circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequenced by the Guardant360™ assay. Clinicopathologic data were collected from retrospective review to compare disease features between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. RESULTS Premenopausal women represented 26% of 138 patients in Cohort 1 and 21% of 253 patients in Cohort 2. In Cohort 1, younger patients had a shorter time to metastases and a higher prevalence of lung and brain metastases. Overall, there were similar rates of ≥ 5 CTCs/7.5 mL, HER2 + CTC expression, and CTC clusters between pre- and postmenopausal women. However, for those with triple negative breast cancer, premenopausal women had a higher proportion of ≥ 5 CTCs/7.5 mL. In Cohort 2, premenopausal women had a higher incidence of FGFR1 (OR 2.75, p = 0.022) and CCND2 (OR 6.91, p = 0.024) alterations. There was no difference in the ctDNA mutant allele frequency or the number of detected alterations between these age groups. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal that premenopausal women diagnosed with MBC have unique clinical, pathologic, and molecular features when compared to their postmenopausal counterparts. Our results highlight FGFR1 inhibitors as potential therapeutics of particular interest among premenopausal women.
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Goldberg J, Pastorello RG, Vallius T, Davis J, Cui YX, Agudo J, Waks AG, Keenan T, McAllister SS, Tolaney SM, Mittendorf EA, Guerriero JL. The Immunology of Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer. Front Immunol 2021; 12:674192. [PMID: 34135901 PMCID: PMC8202289 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.674192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients. The main focus of ICB has been on reinvigorating the adaptive immune response, namely, activating cytotoxic T cells. ICB has demonstrated only modest benefit against advanced breast cancer, as breast tumors typically establish an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with infiltration of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and patients with TNBC have shown clinical responses to ICB. In contrast, hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer is characterized by low TIL infiltration and minimal response to ICB. Here we review how HR+ breast tumors establish a TME devoid of TILs, have low HLA class I expression, and recruit immune cells, other than T cells, which impact response to therapy. In addition, we review emerging technologies that have been employed to characterize components of the TME to reveal that tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are abundant in HR+ cancer, are highly immune-suppressive, associated with tumor progression, chemotherapy and ICB-resistance, metastasis and poor survival. We reveal novel therapeutic targets and possible combinations with ICB to enhance anti-tumor immune responses, which may have great potential in HR+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Goldberg
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ricardo G. Pastorello
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tuulia Vallius
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Janae Davis
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yvonne Xiaoyong Cui
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Judith Agudo
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Adrienne G. Waks
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tanya Keenan
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sandra S. McAllister
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Sara M. Tolaney
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Mittendorf
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Guerriero
- Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Determining Factors in the Therapeutic Success of Checkpoint Immunotherapies against PD-L1 in Breast Cancer: A Focus on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Activation. J Immunol Res 2021; 2021:6668573. [PMID: 33506060 PMCID: PMC7808819 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6668573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm diagnosed in women around the world. Checkpoint inhibitors, targeting the programmed death receptor-1 or ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) axis, have dramatically changed the outcome of cancer treatment. These therapies have been recently considered as alternatives for treatment of breast cancers, in particular those with the triple-negative phenotype (TNBC). A further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of PD-L1 expression is required to increase the benefit of PD-L1/PD-1 checkpoint immunotherapy in breast cancer patients. In this review, we will compile the most recent studies evaluating PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer. We review factors that determine the therapeutic success of PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies in this pathology. In particular, we focus on pathways that interconnect the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) with regulation of PD-L1 expression. We also discuss the relationship between cellular metabolic pathways and PD-L1 expression that are involved in the promotion of resistance in TNBC.
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8
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Miglietta F, Cona MS, Dieci MV, Guarneri V, La Verde N. An overview of immune checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer. EXPLORATION OF TARGETED ANTI-TUMOR THERAPY 2020; 1:452-472. [PMID: 36046385 PMCID: PMC9400749 DOI: 10.37349/etat.2020.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although breast cancer is not traditionally considered an immunogenic type of tumor, the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy has recently emerged as a novel treatment option in triple-negative subtype in the advanced setting and other similar combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy are expected to become part of the neoadjuvant management in the near future. In addition, encouraging results have been observed with the combination of immune checkpoint blockade with diverse biological agents, including anti-HER2 agents, CDK 4/6 inhibitors, PARP-inhibitors. The present review summarized the available evidence coming from clinical trials on the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the management of breast cancer, both in advanced and early setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Miglietta
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy 2Division of Oncology 2, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Silvia Cona
- Department of Oncology, Luigi Sacco Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Dieci
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy 2Division of Oncology 2, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Guarneri
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy 2Division of Oncology 2, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Nicla La Verde
- Department of Oncology, Luigi Sacco Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy
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9
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Terranova-Barberio M, Pawlowska N, Dhawan M, Moasser M, Chien AJ, Melisko ME, Rugo H, Rahimi R, Deal T, Daud A, Rosenblum MD, Thomas S, Munster PN. Exhausted T cell signature predicts immunotherapy response in ER-positive breast cancer. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3584. [PMID: 32681091 PMCID: PMC7367885 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17414-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Responses to immunotherapy are uncommon in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer and to date, lack predictive markers. This randomized phase II study defines safety and response rate of epigenetic priming in ER-positive breast cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors as primary endpoints. Secondary and exploratory endpoints included PD-L1 modulation and T-cell immune-signatures. 34 patients received vorinostat, tamoxifen and pembrolizumab with no excessive toxicity after progression on a median of five prior metastatic regimens. Objective response was 4% and clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + SD > 6 m) was 19%. T-cell exhaustion (CD8+ PD-1+/CTLA-4+) and treatment-induced depletion of regulatory T-cells (CD4+ Foxp3+/CTLA-4+) was seen in tumor or blood in 5/5 patients with clinical benefit, but only in one non-responder. Tumor lymphocyte infiltration was 0.17%. Only two non-responders had PD-L1 expression >1%. This data defines a novel immune signature in PD-L1-negative ER-positive breast cancer patients who are more likely to benefit from immune-checkpoint and histone deacetylase inhibition (NCT02395627).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nela Pawlowska
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mallika Dhawan
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mark Moasser
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Amy J Chien
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michelle E Melisko
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hope Rugo
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Roshun Rahimi
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Travis Deal
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adil Daud
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Scott Thomas
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Pamela N Munster
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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10
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Kyte JA, Andresen NK, Russnes HG, Fretland SØ, Falk RS, Lingjærde OC, Naume B. ICON: a randomized phase IIb study evaluating immunogenic chemotherapy combined with ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with metastatic hormone receptor positive breast cancer. J Transl Med 2020; 18:269. [PMID: 32620163 PMCID: PMC7333428 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02421-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) targeting PD-1 or CTLA-4 has emerged as an important treatment modality for several cancer forms. In hormone receptor positive breast cancer (HR + BC), this therapeutic approach is largely unexplored. We have started a clinical trial, ICON (CA209-9FN), evaluating CPI combined with selected chemotherapy in patients with metastatic HR + BC. The tumor lymphocyte infiltration is predictive for the effect of chemotherapy in BC. In ICON, we use anthracycline, which are considered as "immunogenic" chemotherapy, and low-dose cyclophosphamide, which has been reported to counter immunosuppressive cells. METHODS ICON is a randomized exploratory phase IIb study evaluating the safety and efficacy of combining nivolumab (nivo; anti-PD-1) and ipilimumab (ipi; anti-CTLA-4) with chemotherapy in subjects with metastatic HR + BC. Primary objectives are aassessment of toxicity and progression-free survival. The trial will enrol 75 evaluable subjects, randomized 2:3 into two arms (A:B). Patients in Arm A receive only chemotherapy, i.e. pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD 20 mg/m2 intravenously every 2nd week) + cyclophosphamide (cyclo; 50 mg per day, first 2 weeks in each 4 week cycle). Patients in Arm B receive PLD + cyclo + ipilimumab (1 mg intravenously every 6th week) + nivolumab (240 mg intravenously every 2nd week). Patients in arm A will be offered ipi + nivo after disease progression. DISCUSSION ICON is among the first clinical trials combining chemotherapy with PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade, and the first in BC. There is a strong preclinical rationale for exploring if anthracyclines, which are considered to induce immunogenic cell death, synergize with CPI, and for combining PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade, as these checkpoints are important in different phases of the immune response. If the ICON trial suggests acceptable safety and provide a signal of clinical efficacy, further studies are warranted. The cross-over patients from Arm A receiving ipilimumab/nivolumab without concomitant chemotherapy represent the first BC cohort receiving this therapy. The ICON trial includes a series of translational sub-projects addressing clinically important knowledge gaps. These studies may uncover biomarkers or mechanisms of efficacy and resistance, thereby informing the development of novel combinatory regimes and of personalised biomarker-based therapy. Trial registration NCT03409198, Jan 24th 2018; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT03409198.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Kyte
- Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. .,Department of Cancer Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - N K Andresen
- Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - H G Russnes
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - S Ø Fretland
- Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - R S Falk
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - O C Lingjærde
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - B Naume
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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11
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O'Meara T, Marczyk M, Qing T, Yaghoobi V, Blenman K, Cole K, Pelekanou V, Rimm DL, Pusztai L. Immunological Differences Between Immune-Rich Estrogen Receptor-Positive and Immune-Rich Triple-Negative Breast Cancers. JCO Precis Oncol 2020; 4:1900350. [PMID: 32923897 PMCID: PMC7446500 DOI: 10.1200/po.19.00350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE A subset of estrogen receptor–positive (ER-positive) breast cancer (BC) contains high levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), similar to triple-negative BC (TNBC). The majority of immuno-oncology trials target TNBCs because of the greater proportion of TIL-rich TNBCs. The extent to which the immune microenvironments of immune-rich ER-positive BC and TNBC differ is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; n = 697 ER-positive BCs; n = 191 TNBCs) were used for discovery; microarray expression data from Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC; n = 1,186 ER-positive BCs; n = 297 TNBCs) was used for validation. Patients in the top 25th percentile of a previously published total TIL metagene score distribution were considered immune rich. We compared expression of immune cell markers, immune function metagenes, and immuno-oncology therapeutic targets among immune-rich subtypes. RESULTS Relative fractions of resting mast cells (TCGA Padj = .009; METABRIC Padj = 4.09E-15), CD8+ T cells (TCGA Padj = .015; METABRIC Padj = 0.390), and M2-like macrophages (TCGA Padj= 4.68E-05; METABRIC Padj = .435) were higher in immune-rich ER-positive BCs, but M0-like macrophages (TCGA Padj = 0.015; METABRIC Padj = .004) and M1-like macrophages (TCGA Padj = 9.39E-08; METABRIC Padj = 6.24E-11) were higher in immune-rich TNBCs. Ninety-one immune-related genes (eg, CXCL14, CSF3R, TGF-B3, LRRC32/GARP, TGFB-R2) and a transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) response metagene were significantly overexpressed in immune-rich ER-positive BCs, whereas 41 immune-related genes (eg, IFNG, PD-L1, CTLA4, MAGEA4) were overexpressed in immune-rich TNBCs in both discovery and validation data sets. TGF-β pathway member genes correlated negatively with expression of immune activation markers (IFNG, granzyme-B, perforin) and positively with M2-like macrophages (IL4, IL10, and MMP9) and regulatory T-cell (FOXP3) markers in both subtypes. CONCLUSION Different immunotherapy strategies may be optimal in immune-rich ER-positive BC and TNBC. Drugs targeting the TGF-β pathway and M2-like macrophages are promising strategies in immune-rich ER-positive BCs to augment antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess O'Meara
- Department of Medical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Michal Marczyk
- Department of Medical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Data Mining Division, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Tao Qing
- Department of Medical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Vesal Yaghoobi
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Kim Blenman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Kimberly Cole
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Vasiliki Pelekanou
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Sanofi, Oncology and Translational Medicine, Bridgewater Township, NJ
| | - David L Rimm
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Lajos Pusztai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
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12
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Clinical Development of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors in Breast Cancer: Still a Long Way to Go. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2020; 21:59. [PMID: 32556894 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-020-00756-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Currently, only patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer whose tumors are PD-L1 positive are eligible for receiving immunotherapy. Other studies have explored new combinations with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in different disease settings and populations. Data from neoadjuvant trials testing the addition of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to standard treatment are promising and have led to increases in pathologic complete response rates; however, data on survival outcomes are still immature. There is still much work needed to optimize benefits of immunotherapy in breast cancer and correlative studies in patients treated with immunotherapy are urgently needed to inform the best strategies for further development.
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13
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Zhao J, Huang J. Breast cancer immunology and immunotherapy: targeting the programmed cell death protein-1/programmed cell death protein ligand-1. Chin Med J (Engl) 2020; 133:853-862. [PMID: 32106121 PMCID: PMC7147660 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000000710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, breast cancer has been regarded as an immunogenic "cold" tumor. However, the discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors has made immunotherapy becoming an emerging new treatment modality for breast cancer. This review discusses the immune system, immune features of breast cancer, and the programmed cell death protein-1/programmed cell death protein ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors used in the treatment of breast cancer. High T lymphocyte infiltration and mutation burden were observed in triple-negative breast cancer and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive breast cancer. Increasing breast cancer immunogenicity and modulating the tumor microenvironment has been reported to improve the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy. Recent clinical trials involving PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors monotherapy in breast cancer has revealed little efficacy, which highlights the need to develop combinations of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with chemotherapy, molecularly targeted therapies, and other immunotherapies to maximize the clinical efficacy. Collectively, the immunotherapy might be a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer and several clinical trials are still on-going.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immune Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China
| | - Jian Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immune Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China
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14
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Shah AN, Flaum L, Helenowski I, Santa-Maria CA, Jain S, Rademaker A, Nelson V, Tsarwhas D, Cristofanilli M, Gradishar W. Phase II study of pembrolizumab and capecitabine for triple negative and hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative endocrine-refractory metastatic breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:e000173. [PMID: 32060053 PMCID: PMC7057426 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Response rates to single agent immune checkpoint blockade in unselected pretreated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are low. However, they may be augmented when combined with chemotherapy. METHODS We conducted a single-arm, phase II study of patients with triple negative (TN) or hormone receptor-positive endocrine-refractory (HR+) MBC who were candidates for capecitabine. Patients were treated with pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously day 1 and capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 by mouth twice daily on days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle. The primary end point was median progression-free survival (mPFS) compared with historic controls and secondary end points were overall response rate (ORR), safety and tolerability. The study had 80% power to detect a 2-month improvement in mPFS with the addition of pembrolizumab over historic controls treated with capecitabine alone. RESULTS Thirty patients, 16 TN and 14 HR+ MBC, were enrolled from 2017 to 2018. Patients had a median age of 51 years and received a median of 1 (range 0-6) prior lines of therapy for MBC. Of 29 evaluable patients, the mPFS was 4.0 (95% CI 2.0 to 6.4) months and was not significantly longer than historic controls of 3 months. The median overall survival was 15.4 (95% CI 8.2 to 20.3) months. The ORR was 14% (n=4), stable disease (SD) was 41% (n=12) and clinical benefit rate (CBR=partial response+SD>6 months) was 28% (n=8). The ORR and CBR were not significantly different between disease subtypes (ORR 13% and 14%, CBR 25% and 29% for TN and HR+, respectively). The 1-year PFS rate was 20.7% and three patients have ongoing responses. The most common adverse events were low grade and consistent with those seen in MBC patients receiving capecitabine, including hand-foot syndrome, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue and cytopenias. Toxicities at least possibly from pembrolizumab included grade 3 or 4 liver test abnormalities (7%), rash (7%) and diarrhea (3%), as well as grade 5 hepatic failure in a patient with liver metastases. CONCLUSIONS Compared with historical controls, pembrolizumab with capecitabine did not improve PFS in this biomarker unselected, pretreated cohort. However, some patients had prolonged disease control. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03044730.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ami N Shah
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lisa Flaum
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Irene Helenowski
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Cesar A Santa-Maria
- Johns Hopkins Medicine Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarika Jain
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alfred Rademaker
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Valerie Nelson
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Dean Tsarwhas
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Massimo Cristofanilli
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - William Gradishar
- Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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15
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Planes-Laine G, Rochigneux P, Bertucci F, Chrétien AS, Viens P, Sabatier R, Gonçalves A. PD-1/PD-L1 Targeting in Breast Cancer: The First Clinical Evidences Are Emerging. A Literature Review. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1033. [PMID: 31336685 PMCID: PMC6679223 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11071033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, the development of immunotherapy through the immune checkpoint blockade led to long-lasting responses in several types of cancers that are refractory to conventional treatments, such as melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy has also demonstrated significant improvements in various other types of cancers. However, breast cancer remains one of the tumors that have not experienced the explosion of immunotherapy yet. Indeed, breast cancer was traditionally considered as being weakly immunogenic with a lower mutational load compared to other tumor types. In the last few years, anti-PD1/PD-L1 (Programmed death-ligand 1) agents have been evaluated in breast cancer, particularly in the triple negative subtype, with promising results observed when delivered as monotherapy or in combination with conventional treatments. In this review, we will report the results of the most recent studies evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer. In addition, we will discuss the concomitant development of possible biomarkers, which is required for improving the selection of patients with the highest probability of benefiting from these agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Planes-Laine
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Rochigneux
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
- CRCM-Tumor Immunology laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - François Bertucci
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
- CRCM-Predictive Oncology laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Chrétien
- CRCM-Tumor Immunology laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Patrice Viens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Renaud Sabatier
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
- CRCM-Predictive Oncology laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Anthony Gonçalves
- Department of Medical Oncology, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France.
- CRCM-Predictive Oncology laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Inserm U1068, CNRS UMR7258, Institute Paoli-Calmettes, 13009 Marseille, France.
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