Outcomes with metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) and fixed-duration systemic therapy in oligometastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (omHSPC)

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Background: Intensification of systemic therapy beyond ADT, with use of novel hormonal agents (NHAs), and radiotherapy (RT) to the prostate have a proven survival benefit in mHSPC. MDT has shown benefit in delaying need for ADT in omHSPC in phase 2 trials. Combination of fixed-duration systemic therapy with MDT (and RT to the prostate in de novo mHSPC) may produce long-term remission and treatment-free survival in selected patients with omHSPC. Methods: Patients with de novo or recurrent omHSPC treated at our institution between 2010-2020 with MDT (+/- prostate RT if de novo) and a fixed duration of systemic therapy completed by September 2022 were identified. There was no limit on number of metastases as long as all sites could be treated with MDT in the view of the treating physician. Oligometastases were defined as bone or soft tissue lesions beyond the pelvic lymph nodes identified on conventional scans (CT, bone scan, MRI) or PET (fluciclovine or PSMA). The primary outcome was freedom from biochemical recurrence (BCR), defined as PSA of >0.02 (if the patient had undergone prior radical prostatectomy) or >2+nadir (if the patient underwent RT) after completion of systemic therapy. Testosterone recovery was defined as serum testosterone >150ng/dL attained after completion of systemic therapy. BCR-free survival after completion of systemic therapy was estimated using the Kaplan Meier method. Results: 32 patients were included. Median age at diagnosis of mHSPC was 67 (range 52-78). 12 patients (38%) had de novo mHSPC while 20 (63%) had oligorecurrent HSPC. Detection of omHSPC was by conventional scans in 23 patients (72%) and by PET only in 9 (28%), and median number of oligometastases was 1 (range 1-6). Median PSA at start of therapy for omHSPC was 8.2ng/mL (range 0.4-1244), with systemic therapy most commonly comprising of ADT and a NHA (abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, n=26 [82%]); 6 patients (19%) had ADT alone. Median duration of systemic therapy was 24 months (range 6-36), with 3 men (9%) having received prior systemic therapy for mHSPC. MDT consisted of external beam RT (EBRT, n=10, 31%), EBRT + stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT, n=8, 25%), or SBRT alone (n=14, 44%). At a median follow-up of 44 months (range 24-127) and 20 months (2-103) after start and completion of systemic therapy respectively, 9 patients (28%) had BCR and 23 (72%) remained free of BCR, of whom 13 (57%) had testosterone recovery. The estimated 2-year BCR-free survival after completion of systemic therapy was 73% (95% CI 51-86). Conclusions: In this carefully selected cohort of men with omHSPC, estimated 2-yr BCR-free survival after completion of therapy was >70% with ~2 years of ADT +/- NHA along with MDT +/- prostate RT (if de novo). Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether this translates to a durable treatment-free remission, and possibly cure, in these patients with omHSPC.

Clinical implementation of 177Lu-PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) at a major academic center: Initial experiences

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Background: LuPSMA received FDA approval in March 2022 for patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Clinical implementation of this treatment requires multidisciplinary team (MDT) involvement and has been beset by challenges in drug supply. We established a joint DFCI GU/Nuclear Medicine Tumor Board (GU-NM TB) to review patients for therapy, and our initial experiences are described. Methods: A joint GU-NM TB was established. All patients with mCRPC who had received at least one prior chemotherapy and a novel hormonal agent were considered eligible and referred to TB through an online referral system after undergoing PSMA-PET/CT. Case details, including prior treatment history, performance status and organ function, and PET/CT imaging were reviewed at TB, with patients either being approved, deferred, or declined for LuPSMA therapy. Patients were scheduled for therapy on a first-come first-served basis. Treatment was delivered per standard-of-care at 180-200 millicurie doses every 6 weeks within NM. A questionnaire was sent to 25 referring physicians 2 months after implementation of the TB to evaluate the referral process. Results: Between May-September 2022, a total of 108 patients were referred for LuPSMA therapy. Median age at time of referral was 73 (range 52-93), and 90% of patients were Caucasian. Median duration between PSMA-PET/CT and TB review was 10 days (IQR 6-17). 84 patients (78%) were approved for therapy, 16 (15%) were deferred and 7 (6%) were declined (reasons including absence of prior chemotherapy, high risk for toxicities, poor performance status); 1 patient died before TB review. Prior therapies included docetaxel (84%), cabazitaxel (56%), abiraterone (67%), enzalutamide (57%), darolutamide (23%), radium-223 (21%) and apalutamide (7%). Median number of prior treatments was 4 (range 2-12). Sites of disease on PSMA-PET/CT included bone (81%), pelvic lymph nodes (42%), extrapelvic lymph nodes (88%), lung (27%) and liver (22%). As of September 2022, a total of 40 patients (48%) have received at least 1 cycle of therapy and 17 (20%) have received 2 cycles; 6 patients (7%) approved for therapy died before receiving 177Lu-PSMA-617. Of the patients that have received 1 cycle of therapy, median duration between TB acceptance and C1 was 52 days (range 32-114). Out of 13 survey respondents, all 13 (100%) reported that their overall experience of the referral process was positive or very positive, and 12 (92%) noted that the Tumor Board had provided additional clinical insights on occasion or frequently. Conclusions: Due to drug supply shortages, <50% of patients approved for LuPSMA therapy have started treatment to date. Median time between TB approval and start of therapy was 7-8 weeks, with 7% of patients dying before receiving therapy. Establishment of a GU-NM TB to review cases and facilitate treatment was viewed favorably by treating physicians.

Higher SUVmax on FDG-PET is associated with shorter survival in adrenocortical carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive, rare malignancy. 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) assesses tumor metabolism and glucose utilization. We hypothesized that higher maximum standard uptake value (SUV_max) is associated with decreased survival.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with ACC. Included patients (n = 26) had an FDG-PET scan available with a documentable SUV_max. Patients were dichotomized into "High" (≥8.4, n = 12) and "Low" (<8.4, n = 14) SUV_max. Univariate analysis and survival analysis were performed to compare groups.

RESULTS

Demographics between groups were equivalent. The high SUV_max cohort demonstrated lower survival (median 479 days or 15.7 months) compared to the low group (median 1490 days or 48.6 months, p = .01). Log-Rank curve confirmed differences in survival (p = .007).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher SUV_max was associated with significantly worse survival in ACC and may reflect a more aggressive phenotype. FDG-PET may provide clinically useful information to determine prognosis and treatment. Further studies should prospectively evaluate using FDG-PET/CT in ACC.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Circulating Tumor DNA Using Sensitive Amplicon-Based Next-Generation Sequencing to Identify Resistance Mechanisms to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

Serial evaluation of circulating tumor DNA may allow noninvasive assessment of drivers of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in advanced urothelial cancer (aUC). We used a novel, amplicon-based next-generation sequencing assay to identify genomic alterations (GAs) pre- and post-therapy in 39 patients with aUC receiving ICI and 6 receiving platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC). One or more GA was seen in 95% and 100% of pre- and post-ICI samples, respectively, commonly in TP53 (54% and 54%), TERT (49% and 59%), and BRCA1/BRCA2 (33% and 33%). Clearance of ≥1 GA was seen in 7 of 9 patients responding to ICI, commonly in TP53 (n = 4), PIK3CA (n = 2), and BRCA1/BRCA2 (n = 2). A new GA was seen in 17 of 20 patients progressing on ICI, frequently in BRCA1/BRCA2 (n = 6), PIK3CA (n = 3), and TP53 (n = 3), which seldom emerged in patients receiving PBC. These findings highlight the potential for longitudinal circulating tumor DNA evaluation in tracking response and resistance to therapy.

Phase 2 trial of CV301 vaccine plus atezolizumab (Atezo) in advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC)

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Background: PD(L)1 inhibitors can achieve durable responses in aUC but only in a minority of patients (pts). Combination strategies with agents that “prime and stimulate” the immune system may improve outcomes. CV301 comprises 2 recombinant poxviruses, Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and Fowlpox (FPV), encoding the human transgenes for CEA, MUC-1, and a Triad of Co-stimulatory Molecules (TRICOM: ICAM-1, LFA-3, and B7-1). MVA-CV301 is used for priming and FPV-CV301 is used for booster doses. Preliminarily, BN-platform vaccine plus PD-(L)1 inhibitors exhibited synergistic preclinical anti-tumor efficacy and the combination of CV301 and anti-PD-(L)1 agent demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. We hypothesized that this combination would be safe and effective in cisplatin-ineligible or platinum-refractory pts with aUC. Methods: A Phase 2, single-arm multicenter trial was designed to study CV301 + atezo as 1st-line treatment in pts with aUC ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy regardless of PD-L1 status (Cohort 1; C1) and in pts progressing on/after platinum-based chemotherapy (Cohort 2; C2). MVA-CV301 was given subcutaneously (SC) on Days 1 and 22 and FPV-CV301 SC from day 43 every 21 days for 4 doses, then every 6 weeks until 6 months, then every 12 weeks until 2 years. Atezo 1200mg IV was given every 21 days. Primary endpoint: objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints: OS, PFS, response duration, AEs and antigen-specific T-cell responses to CEA and MUC-1 by ELISPOT. Using 1-sided α 2.5%/cohort, a 2-stage design with 14/19 and 13/22 stage 1/2 subjects, respectively, will achieve ≥70% power if the true ORR for C1 is 43% and C2 is 33%. 3 C1 and 2 C2 responders were required in stage 1 to move forward. Results: 43 evaluable pts were enrolled and received therapy: 19 in C1; 24 in C 2. Overall, 9 pts experienced ≥ Grade 3 AEs related to the combination of treatment: 5 in C1, and 4 in C2. In C1, 1 pt had partial response (PR), for ORR 5.3% (90%CI: 0.3, 22.6) and 5 (26.3%, 90%CI: 11.0, 47.6) had stable disease (SD) as best response. In C2, 1pt had CR and 1 had PR, for ORR 8.3% (90%CI: 1.5, 24.0) and 3 (12.5%, 90%CI: 3.5, 29.2) had SD as best response. Median PFS and OS in C1 were 2.0 mo and 13.8 mo, and in C2 1.95 and 8.13 mo, respectively. The trial was halted for futility. Responding pts in C2 exhibited T-cell responses to CEA and pts with SD exhibited responses to MUC-1. Conclusions: CV301 + atezo exhibited an acceptable safety profile but did not demonstrate sufficient efficacy in pts with aUC as 1st-line therapy in cisplatin-ineligible pts or in the platinum-refractory setting. The development of effective vaccines to generate robust and durable responses as single agents and/or combined with anti-PD(L)1 remains an unmet need in aUC. Clinical trial information: NCT03628716.

Biomarker-Based Phase II Study of Sapanisertib (TAK-228): An mTORC1/2 Inhibitor in Patients With Refractory Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE

Sapanisertib is a kinase inhibitor that inhibits both mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2. In this multicenter, single-arm phase II trial, we evaluated the efficacy of sapanisertib in patients with treatment-refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC; NCT03097328).

METHODS

Patients with mRCC of any histology progressing through standard therapy (including prior mTOR inhibitors) had baseline biopsy and received sapanisertib 30 mg by mouth once weekly until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression. The primary end point was objective response rate by RECIST 1.1. Tissue biomarkers of mTOR pathway activation were explored.

RESULTS

We enrolled 38 patients with mRCC (clear cell = 28; variant histology = 10) between August 2017 and November 2019. Twenty-four (63%) had received ≥ 3 prior lines of therapy; 17 (45%) had received prior rapalog therapy. The median follow-up was 10.4 (range 1-27.4) months. Objective response rate was two of 38 (5.3%; 90% CI, 1 to 15.6); the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.5 months (95% CI, 1.8 to 3.7). Twelve patients (32%) developed treatment-related grade 3 adverse events, with no grade 4 or 5 toxicities. Alterations in the mTOR pathway genes were seen in 5 of 29 evaluable patients (MTOR n = 1, PTEN n = 3, and TSC1 n = 1) with no association with response or PFS. Diminished or loss of PTEN expression by immunohistochemistry was seen in 8 of 21 patients and trended toward shorter PFS compared with intact PTEN (median 1.9 v 3.7 months; hazard ratio 2.5; 95% CI, 0.9 to 6.7; P = .055).

CONCLUSION

Sapanisertib had minimal activity in treatment-refractory mRCC independent of mTOR pathway alterations. Additional therapeutic strategies are needed for patients with refractory mRCC.

Conditional immune toxicity rate in patients with metastatic renal and urothelial cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Although the incidence and prevalence of irAEs have been well characterized in the literature, less is known about the cumulative incidence rate of irAEs. We studied the cumulative incidence of irAEs, defined as the probability of irAE occurrence over time and the risk factors for irAE development in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) and renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with ICIs.

Methods

We identified a cohort of patients who received ICIs for mUC and mRCC. irAEs were classified using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) V.5.0 guidelines. The monthly incidence of irAEs over time was reported after landmark duration of therapy. Cumulative incidence of irAEs was calculated to evaluate the time to the first occurrence of an irAE accounting for the competing risk of death. Prognostic factors for irAE were assessed using the Fine and Gray method.

Results

A total of 470 patients were treated with ICIs between July 2013 and October 2018 (mUC: 199 (42.3%); mRCC: 271 (57.7%)). 341 (72.6%) patients received monotherapy, 86 (18.3%) received ICIs in combination with targeted therapies, and 43 (9.2%) received dual ICI therapy. Overall, 186 patients (39.5%) experienced an irAE at any time point. Common irAEs included hypothyroidism (n=42, 22.6%), rush and pruritus (n=36, 19.4%), diarrhea/colitis (n=35, 18.8%), transaminitis (n=32, 17.2%), and pneumonitis (n=14, 7.5%). Monthly incidence rates decreased over time; however, 17 of 109 (15.6%, 95% CI: 9.4% to 23.8%) experienced their first irAE at least 1 year after treatment initiation. No differences in cumulative incidence were observed based on cancer type, agent, or irAE grade. On multivariable analysis, combined ICI therapy with another ICI or with targeted therapy (p<0.001), first-line ICI therapy (p=0.011), and PD-1 inhibitor therapy (p=0.007) were all significantly associated with irAE development.

Conclusions

This study quantitates the incidence of developing irAEs due to ICI conditioned on time elapsed without irAE development. Although the monthly incidence of irAEs decreased over time on therapy, patients can still develop delayed irAEs beyond ICI discontinuation, and thus, continuous vigilant monitoring is warranted.

Risk of Immune-related Adverse Events in Melanoma Patients With Preexisting Autoimmune Disease Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Population-based Study Using SEER-Medicare Data

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine the risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients with a preexisting autoimmune disease (pAID) presenting with a cutaneous melanoma receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.

METHODS

Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries and linked Medicare claims between January 2010 and December 2015 was used to identify patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma who had pAID or received ICI or both. Patients were then stratified into 3 groups: ICI+pAID, non-ICI+pAID, and ICI+non-pAID. Inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to assess the risk of cardiac, pulmonary, endocrine, and neurological irAE.

RESULTS

In total, 3704 individuals were included in the analysis. The majority of patients consisted of non-ICI+pAID patients (N=2706/73.1%), while 106 (2.9%) patients and 892 (24.1%) were classified as ICI+pAID and ICI+non-pAID, respectively. The risk of irAE was higher in the ICI+pAID group compared with the non-ICI+pAID and ICI+non-pAID, respectively (non-ICI: cardiac: hazard ratio [HR]=3.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.83-4.55; pulmonary: HR=3.94, 95% CI: 3.23-4.81; endocrine: HR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.53-1.93; neurological: HR=3.88, 95% CI: 2.30-6.57/non-pAID: cardiac: HR=3.83, 95% CI: 3.39-4.32; pulmonary: HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.87-2.32; endocrine: HR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.32; neurological: HR=3.77, 95% CI: 2.75-5.18).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a pAID face a significantly higher risk of irAEs. Further research examining the clinical impact of these events on the patients' oncological outcome and quality of life is urgently needed given our findings of significantly worse rates of adverse events.

An economic analysis comparing health care resource use and cost of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer

PURPOSE

To compare healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs associated with dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, cisplatin (ddMVAC) and gemcitabine, cisplatin (GC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

METHODS

Patient treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from 2010 to 2019 were identified. HRU data on chemotherapy administered, supportive medications, patient monitoring, clinic, infusion, emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization were collected retrospectively. Unit costs for HRU components were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Website and HRU was compared between groups using quantile regression analysis.

RESULTS

137 patients were included; 51 received ddMVAC and 86 GC. Baseline characteristics were similar, except lower mean age (P < 0.001) and higher proportion of ECOG-PS = 0 (P < 0.001) for ddMVAC. ddMVAC required more granulocyte-colony stimulating factor support (P < 0.001), central line placement (P = 0.017), cardiac imaging (P < 0.001), and infusion visits (P < 0.001), whereas GC required more clinic visits. ED visits were higher for ddMVAC (P = 0.048), while chemotherapy cycle delays and hospitalization days were higher for GC (P = 0.008). After adjusting for ECOG-PS and age, the cost per patient was approximately 41% lower (95%CI: 28% to 52%; P < 0.001) for GC vs. ddMVAC, which translated to a median adjusted cost savings of $7,410 (95%CI: $5,474-$9,347) per patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Although excess HRU did not clearly favor one regimen, adjusting for PS and age indicated lower costs with GC vs. ddMVAC. Given the similar cumulative cisplatin delivery with both regimens, the associated values and costs supports the preferential selection of GC in the neoadjuvant setting of MIBC.

Cardiovascular toxicities associated with abiraterone compared to enzalutamide-A pharmacovigilance study

BACKGROUND

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is standard-of-care for advanced prostate cancer. Studies have generally found increased cardiovascular risks associated with ADT, but the comparative risk of newer agents is under-characterized. We defined the cardiac risks of abiraterone and enzalutamide, using gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists to establish baseline ADT risk.

METHODS

We used VigiBase, the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database, to identify cardiac adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in a cohort taking GnRH agonists, abiraterone, or enzalutamide therapy for prostate cancer, comparing them to all other patients. To examine the relationship, we used an empirical Bayes estimator to screen for significance, then calculated the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association. A lower bound of a 95% confidence interval (CI) of ROR > 1 reflects a disproportionality signal that more ADRs are observed than expected due to chance.

FINDINGS

We identified 2,433 cardiac ADRs, with higher odds for abiraterone compared to all other VigiBase drugs for overall cardiac events (ROR 1•59, 95% CI 1•48-1•71), myocardial infarction (1•35, 1•16-1•58), arrythmia (2•04, 1•82-2•30), and heart failure (3•02, 2•60-3•51), but found no signal for enzalutamide. Patients on GnRH agonists also had increased risk of cardiac events (ROR 1•21, 95% CI 1•12-1•30), myocardial infarction (1•80, 1•61-2•03) and heart failure (2•06, 1•76-2•41).

INTERPRETATION

We found higher reported odds of cardiac events for abiraterone but not enzalutamide. Our data may suggest that patients with significant cardiac comorbidities may be better-suited for therapy with enzalutamide over abiraterone.

FUNDING

None.

Randomized phase II study evaluating the addition of pembrolizumab to radium-223 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

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Background: Treatment (tx) options for patients (pts) with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) to bone are limited. Radium-223 (R223) has demonstrated overall survival (OS) benefit, but objective clinical responses to R223 or the anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) pembrolizumab (pem) are infrequent. As R223 may increase immunogenicity of mCRPC to bone and increase activity of CPI, we undertook a Phase 2 study to assess safety of the combination and differences in immune cell infiltrate in bone biopsies (bx) and preliminary clinical activity of R223 + pem vs. R223 alone. Methods: Eligibility required mCRPC to bone with no visceral metastases (mets) or lymph nodes > 2 cm, ECOG PS 0 or 1, Hgb ≥ 9 g/dL, and no prior R223 or CPI. Pts underwent bone bx at screening and at 8 wks. Pts were stratified by alkaline phosphatase ≥220 vs. < 220 U/L and high vs. low volume bony mets (CHAARTED criteria) and randomized 2:1 to receive R223 55 kBq/kg q4wks + pem 200 mg q3wks (Arm A) or R223 55 kBq/kg q4wks alone (Arm B). If restaging after 3 doses R223 showed at least stable disease, pts in Arm A continued pem alone until progressive disease (PD). Upon PD, R223 was resumed if no new visceral mets. Pts continued tx until clinical/radiologic PD, unacceptable toxicity or completion of 6 R223 doses. The primary endpoint was difference in CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell infiltrate in 8 wk vs. baseline bx; secondary endpoints were safety/tolerability, radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and OS. Exploratory endpoints included PSA response and rate of symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs). Results: Of 45 pts enrolled, 42 received study tx (29 Arm A, 13 Arm B) and were eligible for analysis. 21 pts in Arm A and 5 in Arm B had evaluable paired bone bx. Median fold-change of proportion of CD4+ T-cells/total cell count from baseline to 8 wks was 0.90 (range 0.0-26.6) in Arm A and 0.40 (0.0-13.0) in Arm B (P = 0.87); for CD8+ cells, median 0.67 (0.0-40.4) in Arm A and 0.40 (0.1-28.8) in Arm B (P = 0.77). Grade 3 treatment-related non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) occurred in 3 pts (10%) in Arm A (pneumonitis, diarrhea, AST increased); none in Arm B. Median rPFS was 6.7 mo (95% CI 2.7-11.0 mo) in Arm A and 5.7 mo (2.6-NR) in Arm B. Median OS was 16.9 mo (12.7-NR) in Arm A and 16.0 mo (9.0-NR) in Arm B. 3 pts (10%) in Arm A and 0 in Arm B had PSA reduction of ≥ 50%. SSE rate was 38% in Arm A and 54% in Arm B, with pathologic fractures in 0% of pts in Arm A and 23% in Arm B. Conclusions: In the 62% of treated pts with evaluable paired bx at baseline and after 8 wks, there was no evidence of increased CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell infiltration with R223 + pem. Additional biomarker analyses will be presented. This study revealed that R233 + pem did not result in unexpected AEs, but did not lead to prolonged rPFS or OS compared to R223 alone to support this two-drug combination in a biomarker-unselected population in this setting. Clinical trial information: NCT03093428.

The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Nonrecommended Cancer Screening

INTRODUCTION

Health literacy affects how patients behave within the healthcare system. Overutilization of screening procedures inconsistent with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines contributes to the high cost of health care. The authors hypothesize that higher health literacy supports guideline-concordant screening. This study assesses the effect of health literacy on nonrecommended prostate, breast, and cervical cancer screening in patients older than the recommended screening age limit.

METHODS

The 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System included health literacy modules. Respondents self-reported their ability to obtain and understand health information, resulting in 4 health literacy rankings. The authors calculated the population-weighted proportion of respondents in each health literacy category who underwent screening past the Task Force‒recommended age limit. The ORs of nonrecommended screening for each malignancy were calculated, with low health literacy as the ref category.

RESULTS

Individuals with higher health literacy underwent more nonrecommended screening. Nonrecommended prostate cancer screening was performed in 27.4% (95% CI=23.7%, 31.4%) and 47.7% (95% CI=44.1%, 51.3%) of respondents with low and high health literacy, respectively (p<0.001). Nonrecommended breast cancer screening was performed in 46.8% (95% CI=42.6%, 51.1%) and 67.7% (95% CI=64.2%, 71.1%) of respondents with low and high health literacy, respectively (p=0.002). Nonrecommended cervical cancer screening was performed in 33.8% (95% CI=31.1%, 36.5%) and 48.4% (95% CI=46.3%, 50.5%) of respondents with low and high health literacy, respectively (p<0.001). Individuals with high health literacy were significantly more likely than those with low health literacy to screen against the recommendations for prostate (OR=1.73, 95% CI=1.34, 2.23, p<0.001), cervical (OR=1.533, 95% CI=1.31, 1.80, p<0.001), and breast (OR=8.213, 95% CI=4.90, 13.76, p<0.001) cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher health literacy correlates with increased rates of screening beyond the recommended age, contrary to the study hypothesis. Breast cancer demonstrated the highest rates of nonrecommended screening.

Results of a multicenter, phase 2 study of nivolumab and ipilimumab for patients with advanced rare genitourinary malignancies

BACKGROUND

In this multicenter, single-arm, multicohort, phase 2 trial, the efficacy of nivolumab and ipilimumab was evaluated in patients with advanced rare genitourinary cancers, including bladder and upper tract carcinoma of variant histology (BUTCVH), adrenal tumors, platinum-refractory germ cell tumors, penile carcinoma, and prostate cancer of variant histology (NCT03333616).

METHODS

Patients with rare genitourinary malignancies and no prior immune checkpoint inhibitor exposure were enrolled. Patients received nivolumab at 3 mg/kg and ipilimumab at 1 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks for 4 doses, and this was followed by 480 mg of nivolumab intravenously every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR) by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1).

RESULTS

Fifty-five patients were enrolled at 6 institutions between April 2018 and July 2019 in 3 cohorts: BUTCVH (n = 19), adrenal tumors (n = 18), and other tumors (n = 18). The median follow-up was 9.9 months (range, 1 to 21 months). Twenty-eight patients (51%) received 4 doses of nivolumab and ipilimumab; 25 patients received nivolumab maintenance for a median of 4 cycles (range, 1-18 cycles). The ORR for the entire study was 16% (80% confidence interval, 10%-25%); the ORR in the BUTCVH cohort, including 2 complete responses, was 37%, and it was 6% in the other 2 cohorts. Twenty-two patients (40%) developed treatment-related grade 3 or higher toxicities; 24% (n = 13) required high-dose steroids (≥40 mg of prednisone or the equivalent). Grade 5 events occurred in 3 patients; 1 death was treatment related.

CONCLUSIONS

Nivolumab and ipilimumab resulted in objective responses in a subset of patients with rare genitourinary malignancies, especially those with BUTCVH. An additional cohort exploring their activity in genitourinary tumors with neuroendocrine differentiation is ongoing.

LAY SUMMARY

Patients with rare cancers are often excluded from studies and have limited treatment options. Fifty-five patients with rare tumors of the genitourinary system were enrolled from multiple sites and were treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab, a regimen used for kidney cancer. The regimen showed activity in some patients, particularly those with bladder or upper tract cancers of unusual or variant histology; 37% of those patients responded to therapy. Additional studies are ongoing to better determine who benefits the most from this combination.

Impact of health literacy on shared decision making for prostate-specific antigen screening in the United States

BACKGROUND

Current guidelines endorse shared decision making (SDM) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. The relationship between a patient's health literacy (HL) and SDM remains unclear. In the current study, the authors sought to identify the impact of HL on the rates of PSA screening and on the relationship between HL and SDM following the 2012 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations against PSA screening.

METHODS

Using data from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the authors examined PSA screening in the 13 states that administered the optional "Health Literacy" module. Men aged ≥50 years were examined. Complex samples multivariable logistic regression models were computed to assess the odds of undergoing PSA screening. The interactions between HL and SDM were also examined.

RESULTS

A weighted sample of 12.249 million men with a rate of PSA screening of 33.4% were identified. Approximately one-third self-identified as having optimal HL. Rates of PSA screening were found to be highest amongst the highest HL group (42.2%). Being in this group was a significant predictor of undergoing PSA screening (odds ratio, 1.214; 95% confidence interval, 1.051-1.403). There was a significant interaction observed between HL and SDM (P for interaction, <.001) such that higher HL was associated with a lower likelihood of undergoing PSA screening when SDM was present.

CONCLUSIONS

In the uncertain environment of multiple contradictory screening guidelines, men who reported higher levels of HL were found to have higher levels of screening. The authors demonstrated that increased HL may reduce the screening-promoting effect of SDM. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between HL and SDM that should inform the creation and promulgation of SDM guidelines, specifically when considering patients with low HL.

Mobile Health App for Prostate Cancer Patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Qualitative Usability Study

BACKGROUND

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increases the risk of metabolic adverse effects among patients with prostate cancer. The transformative impact of mobile health (mHealth) apps may benefit men managing activity and nutrition at home.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the usability and patient experience of a newly developed mHealth app among prostate cancer patients on ADT and physicians' beliefs about the potential benefits of using this app.

METHODS

This study took place over 2 months, beginning in March 2019. A sample of 5 patients (age 45-75 years) initiating ADT participated in a semistructured focus group discussion with a facilitator. The study participants also included 5 specialist physicians who provided in-depth interviews. An institutional review board-approved script was used to guide both the focus group and physician interviews. Usability was tested through specific scenarios presented to the patients, including downloading the mHealth app, entering information on physical activity and meals, and navigating the app. The focus group and interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts iteratively and exhaustively. Thematic discrepancies between reviewers were resolved through consensus.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 62 years. This group included 4 White and 1 Latin American patients. The physician specialists included 2 urologists, 2 medical oncologists, and 1 radiation oncologist. Analyses revealed that the patients appreciated the holistic care enabled by the app. Difficulties were observed with registration of the app among 60% (3/5) of the patients; however, all the patients were able to input information about their physical activity and navigate the options within the app. Most patients (4/5, 80%) were able to input data on their recent meal. Among the health care physicians, the dominant themes reflected in the interviews included undermining of patients ability to use technology, patients' fear of technology, and concern for the ability of older patients to access technology.

CONCLUSIONS

The patients reported an overall positive experience of using an mHealth app to record and track diet and exercise. Usability was observed to be an important factor for adoption and was determined by ease of registration and use, intuitive appearance of the app, and focus on holistic cancer care. The physicians believed that the app was easy to use but raised concerns about usability among older men who may not typically use smartphone apps.

Resource utilization and cost efficacy analysis of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (DD-MVAC) versus gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)

e19390

Background: DD-MVAC and GC are commonly used NAC regimens for MIBC. While efficacy across studies appears similar, resource utilization (RU) burden and cost efficacy have not been compared. Methods: We assessed RU and cost effectiveness of NAC with GC vs DD-MVAC among MIBC patients (pts) treated at Dana-Farber. Data on chemotherapy administered, supportive medications, relevant procedures, hospitalizations, clinic, infusion, and emergency room (ER) visits were collected retrospectively. Unit costs for each RU component were sought from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Website as well as relevant published sources. Utilization was compared between MVAC and GC using multivariate quantile regression (QR) analysis. Results: 147 pts were included; 51 received DD-MVAC and 86 GC. Baseline characteristics were similar, except lower mean age (59 vs 67 years, p < 0.001) and higher proportion of ECOG-PS = 0 (96.1% vs 60.5%, p < 0.001) for DD-MVAC. The mean cumulative cisplatin dosage was similar (DD-MVAC = 284 mg/m2, GC = 257 mg/m3). More DD-MVAC pts required G-CSF analogues (100% vs 32.6%, p < 0.001), central line placement (28.6% vs 11.8%, p = 0.017), and ER visits (35% vs 18%, p = 0.048). Infusion visits (12 vs 8/pt) and cardiac imaging (0.98 vs 0.58/pt, p < 0.001) were higher for DD-MVAC, whereas GC pts required more frequent clinic visits (mean of 9 vs 5/pt), chemotherapy cycle delays (30.2% vs 9.8%, p = 0.008) and hospitalization days (mean of 0.88 vs 0.49/pt). After adjusting for PS, the mean total cost/pt was higher for DD-MVAC ($17360 vs $12112, p < 0.001). Age was not statistically significant in the QR model (p = 0.628). Conclusions: DD-MVAC and GC exhibit different RU characteristics as NAC for MIBC. Although excess RU did not clearly favor one regimen, adjustment for PS indicated significant decrease in healthcare costs by approximately 30% using GC compared to DD-MVAC. Given that similar overall delivery of cumulative cisplatin dosage was feasible with both regimens, the values and costs affixed to different resources may impact the selection of DD-MVAC vs GC. Limitations were retrospective design and costs being specific to the US.

Results of a phase II trial of intense androgen deprivation therapy prior to radical prostatectomy (RP) in men with high-risk localized prostate cancer (PC)

5503

Background: Patients with high-risk localized PC have an increased risk of recurrence and death despite treatment. Abiraterone acetate (AA), a potent CYP17 inhibitor, and apalutamide, a next generation anti-androgen, have each demonstrated improved overall survival in metastatic PC. In this multicenter randomized phase II trial we investigate the impact of intense androgen deprivation on RP pathologic response (NCT02903368). Methods: Eligible patients had a Gleason score ≥4+3=7, PSA >20 ng/mL or T3 disease (by prostate MRI) and lymph node <20 mm. During Part 1 of the study, patients were randomized 1:1 to AA + prednisone + apalutamide + leuprolide (APAL) or AA + prednisone + leuprolide (APL) for 6 cycles (1 cycle=28 days) followed by RP. All RPs underwent central pathology review. The primary endpoint was the rate of a pathologic complete response (pCR) or minimum residual disease (MRD, tumor ≤5 mm). Secondary endpoints include PSA response, surgical staging at RP, positive margin rate, and safety. Results: 118 patients were enrolled at four sites. Median age was 61 (range 46-72) years. The majority of patients had NCCN high-risk disease [n=111, 94%; T3 n=73 (62%), Gleason 8-10 n=84 (71%), PSA >20 ng/mL n=28 (24%)]. 114 (97%) patients completed 6 therapy cycles followed by RP. Median PSA nadir was <0.01 versus 0.02 ng/mL and time to nadir was 4.2 versus 4.6 months in the APAL and APL arms, respectively. RP outcomes are displayed in Table. The combined pCR or MRD rate was 21.8% in the APAL arm and 20.3% in the APL arm (p=0.85). 13 (11%) patients (8 in APAL; 5 in APL) experienced grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TrAEs). The most common grade 3 TrAEs were hypertension (5%), elevated ALT (3%) and elevated AST (3%). No grade 4 or 5 TrAE was reported. Conclusions: Intense neoadjuvant hormone therapy followed by RP in men with high-risk PC resulted in favorable pathologic responses (<5 mm residual tumor) in 21% of patients. Pathologic responses were similar between the treatment arms. Follow-up is necessary to evaluate the significance of a pathologic response on recurrence rates. Part 2 of this trial will investigate the impact of an additional 12 months of APAL post-RP on biochemical recurrence. A phase 3 trial investigating neoadjuvant apalutamide + leuprolide prior to RP is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT02903368 . [Table: see text]

Impact of concurrent angiotensin inhibitors on outcomes with PD1/L1 inhibitors for patients (pts) with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC)

e17044

Background: Preclinical data indicate that angiotensin inhibition may improve drug delivery by enhancing tumor perfusion partly by downregulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Since (TGF)-β appears to be associated with resistance in patients with mUC receiving PD1/L1 inhibitors, we investigated whether angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may enhance the outcomes of mUC pts receiving PD1/L1 inhibitors. Methods: Data from mUC pts who received PD1/L1 inhibitors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) was obtained. Data for ACEI and ARB administration was collected with concurrent administration defined as ongoing therapy from the time of starting PD1/L1 inhibitor treatment. A Cox logistic regression was used to investigate the impact of concurrent ACEI/ARB on any regression of tumor (ART, any decrease in size of tumor on scan) defined as any tumor regression after controlling for known prognostic factors (performance status, sites of metastasis, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet count, hemoglobin). Results: Data was available for 178 pts with mUC who received pembrolizumab (79), atezolizumab (83), nivolumab (15), and durvalumab (1). Prior platinum chemotherapy was administered in 153 pts (86%). 33 pts (18.5%) received AECI/ARBs: 24 pts (13.5%) received ACEI and 9 pts (5.1%) received ARBs. Of 145 patients who did not receive an ACE-inhibitor nor an ARB, 49 (33.8%) patients experienced ART and their median overall survival (OS) was 9.1 months. Among/33 patients who did receive an ACEI or an ARB, 17 (51.5%) exhibited ARTand their median OS was 17.0 months. Multivariable analysis controlling for known prognostic factors revealed that patients who received ACE inhibitors or ARBs had greater ART (HR 3.0 [95% CI 1.25-7.17], p = 0.014) and improved OS, (HR 0.49 [95% CI 0.28-0.88] p = 0.016). Conclusions: In this hypothesis-generating study, concurrent angiotensin inhibitors including ACEI or ARBs were associated with significantly better outcomes in mUC pts receiving PD-1/L1 inhibitors. These results require validation in a larger mUC dataset in conjunction with probing the effect in other malignancies.

Phase II study of nivolumab and ipilimumab for advanced rare genitourinary cancers

5018

Background: Patients with rare genitourinary malignancies (Bladder cancer of variant histologies (BCVH), adrenal tumors, chemotherapy refractory germ cell tumors (CRGCT), penile carcinoma and prostate cancer of variant histology (PCVH)) have poor outcomes. Nivolumab and ipilimumab has demonstrated safety and efficacy in genitourinary malignancies. In this multicenter, single arm, multi-cohort phase II trial we evaluated the efficacy of nivolumab and ipilimumab in pts with advanced rare genitourinary cancers (NCT 03333616). Herein, we report the results of the fully accrued BCVH, adrenal and other cohorts. Methods: Eligible pts had a metastatic rare genitourinary malignancy, ECOG performance status of 0-2 and no prior immune checkpoint inhibitor exposure; aside from CRGCT pts could be treatment naïve. Eligible pts received nivolumab 3 mg/kg and ipilimumab 1 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks for 4 doses with continued nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) by RECIST 1.1. Results: 56 pts were enrolled at 6 institutions between 4/2018 and 7/2019 in 3 cohorts: BCVH (N = 19), adrenal tumors (n = 18) and other tumors (n = 19). Median follow-up was 9.9 (range < 1~21) months. 28(50%) pts received all 4 doses of nivolumab and ipilimumab. 25 pts received nivolumab maintenance at a median of 4 (range 1-18) cycles. ORR in entire cohort was 16% (n = 9: 2 CR 7 PR, Table); 67% of responders (6/9) maintained response greater than 9 months. Median PFS was 2.8 (2.7-5.2) months. 22 pts (39%) developed treatment-related ≥ grade 3 toxicity; 23% required high dose steroids (≥40 mg prednisone or equivalent) and 15 (27%) pts discontinued treatment due to an AE. Grade 5 toxicity occurred in 3 pts; 1 death was treatment related. Conclusions: Nivolumab and ipilimumab resulted in objective responses in a subset of pts with rare GU malignancies, especially in BCVH. Biomarkers are being evaluated and an additional cohort exploring the activity in genitourinary tumors with neuroendocrine differentiation is ongoing. This combination warrants further investigation in these pts with substantial unmet needs. Clinical trial information: NCT 03333616 . [Table: see text]

Geographic Distribution of Racial Differences in Prostate Cancer Mortality

IMPORTANCE

While racial disparities in prostate cancer mortality are well documented, it is not well known how these disparities vary geographically within the US.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize geographic variation in prostate cancer-specific mortality differences between black and white men.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included data from 17 geographic registries within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2014. Inclusion criteria were men 18 years and older with biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer. Men missing data on key variables (ie, cancer stage, Gleason grade group, prostate-specific antigen level, and survival follow-up data) were excluded. Analysis was performed from September 5 to December 25, 2018.

EXPOSURE

Patient SEER-designated race (ie, black, white, or other).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Fine and Gray competing-risks regression analyses were used to evaluate the difference in prostate-cancer specific mortality between black and white men. A stratified analysis by Gleason grade group was performed stratified as grade group 1 and grade groups 2 through 5.

RESULTS

The final cohort consisted of 229 771 men, including 178 204 white men (77.6%), 35 006 black men (15.2%), and 16 561 men of other or unknown race (7.2%). Mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 64.9 (8.8) years. There were 4773 prostate cancer deaths among white men and 1250 prostate cancer deaths among black men. Compared with white men, black men had a higher risk of mortality overall (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.39 [95% CI, 1.30-1.48]). In the stratified analysis, there were 4 registries in which black men had worse prostate cancer-specific survival in both Gleason grade group 1 (Atlanta, Georgia: AHR, 5.49 [95% CI, 2.03-14.87]; Greater Georgia: AHR, 1.88 [95% CI, 1.10-3.22]; Louisiana: AHR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.06-3.07]; New Jersey: AHR, 2.60 [95% CI, 1.53-4.40]) and Gleason grade groups 2 through 5 (Atlanta: AHR, 1.88 [95% CI, 1.46-2.45]; Greater Georgia: AHR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.07-1.56]; Louisiana: AHR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.07-1.54]; New Jersey: AHR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.24-1.87]), although the magnitude of survival difference was lower than for Gleason grade group 1 in each of these registries. The greatest race-based survival difference for men with Gleason grade group 1 disease was in the Atlanta registry.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that population-level differences in prostate cancer survival among black and white men were associated with a small set of geographic areas and with low-risk prostate cancer. Targeted interventions in these areas may help to mitigate prostate cancer care disparities at the national level.

Conditional immune adverse event rate in urothelial and renal cell carcinoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

481

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). While the incidence and prevalence of irAEs have been well characterized in the literature, much less is known about the cumulative incidence (CI) rate of irAEs. We sought to evaluate the CI of irAEs in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients (pts) treated with ICIs. Methods: We identified a cohort of mUC and mRCC pts who received ICIs at DFCI. irAEs were classified using CTCAE v.5.0 guidelines. The CI rate was a defined measure that accounted for elapsed time since treatment initiation and estimated the risk of irAE development conditioned on time elapsed without experiencing an irAE, accounting for the competing risk of death. Incidence and CI of irAEs at each monthly landmark time was calculated. Prognostic factors of irAE were assessed using the Fine and Gray method. Results: A total of 470 pts was treated with ICIs between July 2013 and October 2018 [mUC: 199 (42.3%); mRCC: 271 (57.7%)]. 341 (72.6%) pts received ICI monotherapy, 86 (18.3%) received ICIs in combination with targeted therapies, and 43 (9.2%) received a combination of two ICIs. Overall, 186 pts (39.5%) experienced any irAE at any time point. Common irAEs included hypothyroidism (n=42 [22.6%]), skin (n=36 [19.4%]), colitis (n=35 [18.8%]), transaminitis (n=32 [17.2%]), and pneumonitis (n=14 [7.5%]). The risk of developing an irAE over time was as follows: 33.5% if no irAE within the 1st month(mo), 27.3% if no irAE in 3mo, 18.8% if no irAE in 6mo, and 16.4% if no irAE by 12mo. No difference was observed in CI based on type of cancer (mUC vs mRCC) or agent (PD1 vs. PD-L1). Multivariable analysis showed that ICI combined with ICI or other agents vs. ICI monotherapy (p<0.001), firstline therapy (p=0.013) and PD-1 vs. PD-L1 inhibitors (p=0.008) were statistically correlated with the development of irAEs. Conclusions: This study quantitates the incidence of developing irAEs with ICI conditioned on time elapsed without irAE development. Although the incidence of irAEs decreased over time on therapy, irAEs require continuous vigilant monitoring because of the long tail in its incidence.

Impact of histology and toxicities on outcomes of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy

540

Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) extends survival in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients (pts). Pathologic complete response (pCR) is associated with survival. We conducted a retrospective study to examine the prognostic impact of other variables including histologic subtype, location, multifocality, margins, size of tumor and toxicities. Methods: Pts who underwent RC at Dana-Farber for MIBC stage T2-T4N0-1 were studied. Data were collected for demographics, clinical and pathologic variables. Descriptive stats were reported, and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to examine the association with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: From 2002 to 2018, 150 patients were available. The median age was 66 (range 36-89) and 102 (68%) were male. MVAC/dose dense MVAC, GC and other non-standard regimens were given in 42 (28%), 85 (56.7%) and 23 (15.3%) pts, respectively. The 2-yr RFS was 63.6%, the 5-yr OS was 68.7% and pCR occurred in 38 pts (25.3%). Multivariable analysis identified pure urothelial carcinoma in the residual tumor and absence of pathologic response to be associated with poor RFS and OS. Positive margins were associated with poor RFS, while grade ≥3 toxicities were associated with poor OS. Conclusions: Pure urothelial carcinoma histology was associated with worse RFS and OS following RC after NAC for MIBC, suggesting molecular studies may be useful in these cases. The association of severe toxicities with poor OS suggests that optimal pt selection for NAC and early recognition of toxicities is important.[Table: see text]

Results from BLASST-1 (Bladder Cancer Signal Seeking Trial) of nivolumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) undergoing cystectomy

439

Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in MIBC improves survival which correlates with pathologic response (PaR) at radical cystectomy (RC). The combination of immunotherapy and NAC may improve PaR and outcomes in MIBC. We tested the efficacy and safety of nivolumab (N) with gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) as neoadjuvant therapy for MIBC in our phase II trial (NCT03294304). Methods: Eligible pts with MIBC (cT2-T4a, N≤1, M0) who were candidates for RC were enrolled. Pts received C (70mg/m2) IV on D1, G (1000mg/m2) on D1,D8 and N (360 mg) IV on D8 every 21 days for 4 cycles followed by RC within 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was PaR (≤pT1,N0). Secondary objectives were safety of GC+N and PFS at 2 years. The correlative objectives based on pre-treatment biopsies were correlation of PaR with 1) WGS 2) molecular subtypes of BC; 3) PD-L1 expression; 4) baseline TILs, CD3, CD8 and CD56.. Evaluable pts. should have received at least 1 dose of N. PaR will be summarized by the PaR rate as estimated by the sample proportion with exact 95% confidence intervals. We specified a null PaR of 0.35 and an alternative hypothesis of 0.55; we will reject the null hypothesis if at least 20 of 41 pts. have a PaR. Results: Between Feb 2018 and June 2019, 41 pts. were enrolled (cT2N0 90%, cT3N0 7%, cT4N1 3%); 2 patients refused surgery but were included in ITT population. PaR was observed in 27/41 pts. (65.8%), including pts with N1 disease. The combination was safe with manageable toxicities and no deaths from treatment. Majority of AEs were from GC; the overall rates of grade 3-4 AEs was 20%, majority being neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and renal insufficiency. Immune related AEs were seen in 3 patients, 2 had "adenitis" which wasymptomatic,1 pt developed Guillian Barre Syndrome after surgery, which resolved with IVIG; and none of them required steroids. There was no delay in time to RC and no unexpected surgical complications from treatment. Patients are being followed for progression and survival. Correlative work is ongoing. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant N+GC is safe and effective in MIBC with significant pathologic downstaging rates and no added toxicities or delay to surgery. Clinical trial information: NCT03294304.

Association of checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy with less cardiac toxicity than combination therapy

671

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) demonstrate impressive clinical benefit across a variety of cancers. NCCN guidelines for several cancers including renal cell carcinoma now support ICI monotherapy and combination therapy with ipilimumab. Cardiac toxicity is a rare but catastrophic adverse event associated with ICIs. We sought to define the comparative cardiac risk profile of ICI combination versus monotherapy in a real world setting. Methods: We used VigiBase, the World Health Organization database of case safety reports, which collects data from more than 130 countries to identify drug-associated adverse events. Using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities terminology, we identified cardiac adverse events (AE) related to monotherapy (nivolumab, ipilimumab, pembrolizumab) or combination therapy (ipilimumab/nivolumab). To explore a possible relationship we used the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association using all other reactions as non-cases. A lower bound of a 95% confidence interval of ROR > 1 reflects a disproportionality signal that more AEs are observed than expected due to chance. Results: We found 7,644, 25,016, and 14,681, and 5,191 AEs for ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and combination therapy respectively. No signal existed for overall cardiac events, but combination therapy was associated with significantly higher odds of pericarditis or myocarditis (ROR 6.9, 95% CI 5.7—8.3) versus pembrolizumab (5.6, 4.9—6.4), nivolumab (5.1, 4.6-5.7), or ipilimumab monotherapy (1.9, 1.4-2.7). Pericarditis and myocarditis with combination therapy was fatal for 23% of reported AEs, compared to 14%, 14%, and 20% for ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab (p = 0.003) respectively. Conclusions: Using validated pharmacovigilance methodology, we found significantly increased odds of myocarditis and pericarditis for all ICI, with the highest odds for combination therapy. These adverse events were often fatal. Further research is needed to identify patients at high risk for immunotherapy related cardiac toxicity.

Safety and efficacy of retreatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) who have previously received an ICI

698

Background: Several ICIs are approved for use in first and subsequent lines of therapy in mRCC, either alone or in combination with another ICI or targeted therapy. There is limited data on whether patients who receive an ICI derive benefit from a subsequent line of ICI-based therapy. Methods: We reviewed mRCC patients at our institution who were treated with an ICI between 2009 and 2018 having previously received ICI-based therapy. The primary outcomes of interest were radiologic response and time to treatment failure (TTF) on ICI retreatment. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were graded using CTCAE v5.0. Results: A total of 31 patients were retreated with an ICI, either alone (n=15) or in combination with another ICI (n=8), tyrosine kinase inhibitor (n=2) or investigational agent (n=6); reasons for discontinuation of prior ICI were disease progression (n=23), toxicity (n=7) and study completion (n=1). Median age at the start of first-line therapy was 62 years and the majority of patients (n=30, 90%) had International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium intermediate- or poor-risk disease; median follow-up was 3.4 years (95% CI 2.5-4.6). The median number of lines of therapy received prior to ICI retreatment was 3 (range 1-7). Of 27 evaluable patients, 3 (11%) had a partial response (PR) to ICI retreatment (2 with ICI-ICI combination therapy and 1 with single-agent ICI), 13 (48%) had stable disease, and 11 (41%) had progressive disease (PD) as their best response; of the 3 with a PR, 2 had a PR and 1 had SD to prior ICI therapy. In comparison, 13 of 31 patients (42%) had a PR or better to first ICI-based therapy, with 4 (13%) having PD. Median TTF on ICI retreatment was 3.2 months (95% CI 1.8-5.2), compared to 8.2 months (3.3-10.0) on prior ICI. 19 patients experienced an irAE with ICI retreatment, with 8 (26%) suffering a grade 3 or higher irAE. Conclusions: Retreatment with ICIs after prior therapy with an ICI was relatively safe but demonstrated limited efficacy. Additional data, ideally from prospective studies, assessing outcomes of retreating patients with ICIs are needed to determine whether using different ICIs in sequence has a role in treatment of mRCC.

Durvalumab as neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Preliminary results from the Bladder Cancer Signal Seeking Trial (BLASST)-2

507

Background: There is no established neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for patients (pt) with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy preceding radical cystectomy. Encouraging prospective data indicate PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, including pembrolizumab and atezolizumab, are safe and active as NAT for MIBC. Durvalumab (D), a PD-L1 inhibitor, is FDA approved for treating locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma following platinum-based chemotherapy. The safety and activity of D as NAT in MIBC have not been reported. Methods: We are conducting a single-center sequential multicohort trial (NCT03773666) of D alone (Cohort 1, N=10) and D plus the CD73 inhibitor oleclumab (Cohort 2, N=10) in cT2-T4aN0M0 MIBC pts who are RC candidates and are ineligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The primary endpoint is feasibility, defined as ≥7 of 10 pts receiving at least 1 dose of D followed by radical cystectomy without dose limiting toxicity (DLT) up to 12 wks post-RC. In Cohort 1, D is administered at 750mg IV Q2W for 3 cycles followed by RC 2-4 weeks after the last dose. Baseline and RC tissue and baseline and on-study blood are collected for correlative studies, including immunohistochemistry, genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. Results: Cohort 1 has completed enrollment; ten pts were enrolled between Feb 2019 to Sept 2019. Median age was 67 (Range: 53-85) and 8 (80%) were men. All 10 pts completed 3 durvalumab doses. Eight pts completed planned RC with at least 12wk follow-up post-op to date. No DLTs were observed. One Grade 3 treatment-related adverse event (trAE) was reported (anemia), with no Grade 4 or higher trAE. Pathologic response (<pT2N0) was seen in 2 of 8 (25%) pts with pathologic complete response (pT0) in 1 (12.5%) pts. Updated safety and efficacy data from Cohort 1 will be presented. Conclusions: D appears to be feasible as NAT in MIBC with preliminary evidence for antitumor activity. Toxicities are consistent with data from other PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor trials. Future cohorts will examine D-containing combination NAT strategies. Analysis of tissue and blood-based predictive biomarkers are ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03773666.

Association of abiraterone and higher odds of cardiac complications compared to enzalutamide

70

Background: The standard of care for advanced prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The novel second generation agents abiraterone and enzalutamide were initially approved in castration resistant disease, but are now being used in the hormone sensitive setting. The FDA issued a 2010 warning about cardiovascular risks associated with ADT, but the risk of novel agents is less well understood, especially in comparison to each other. We sought to define the comparative cardiac risk profile of enzalutamide and abiraterone. Methods: We used VigiBase, the World Health Organization database of individual case safety reports, which collects data from more than 130 countries to identify drug associated adverse events (AE). Using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities terminology, we identified cardiac AEs related to abiraterone or enzalutamide therapy for prostate cancer. To explore a possible relationship we used the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association using all other reactions as non-cases. A lower bound of a 95% confidence interval of ROR > 1 reflects a disproportionality signal that more AEs are observed than expected due to chance. Results: Vigibase contained 8203 AEs for abiraterone and 26024 for enzalutamide; 808 (9.9%) were cardiac-related for abiraterone, and 1000 for enzalutamide (3.8%). We found no disproportionality signal for cardiac events or any subtype for enzalutamide, but identified significantly higher odds of overall cardiac events (ROR 1.64, 95% CI 1.53—1.76), myocardial infarction (1.34, 1.17—1.58), arrythmia (2.09, 1.87—2.34), and heart failure (3.35, 2.92—3.85) for patients taking abiraterone. Conclusions: Using validated pharmacovigilance methodology, we found significantly increased odds of cardiac events for abiraterone but not for enzalutamide. Clinicians may need to consider these findings in the context of their patients’ comorbidities when prescribing ADT.

Any regression of tumor (ART) within 12 weeks versus RECIST 1.1 response category as an intermediate endpoint to assess the activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC)

473

Background: Many ICIs are approved to treat mUC following platinum-based chemo and as 1st-line therapy for selected patients (pts). While RECIST 1.1 responses are generally durable and associated with prolonged survival, the benefit of ICIs extends beyond this group of pts. Stable disease (SD) consists of a heterogeneous population of pts with both increase and decrease in tumor size and is confounded by the impact of pre-ICI disease pace. We hypothesized that in the setting of ICIs, any regression of tumor (ART) within 12 weeks may capture early benefit and correlate with survival more comprehensively than RECIST 1.1. Methods: mUC pts who received an ICI following platinum-based chemo at DFCI were eligible for analysis. Pts were required to have tumor size changes, RECIST 1.1 response by week 12 and survival data available. Demographics and prognostic factors were collected. Descriptive stats were calculated, and univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted to examine the prognostic effect of ART and RECIST 1.1 with overall survival (OS). Results: 104 pts were evaluable. The median age was 66 (range 34-89). 71% were male. The numbers of pts with ART and RECIST1.1 partial response (PR) were 45 (43.3%) and 32 (30.1%), respectively. Univariable analyses identified an association between ART and RECIST 1.1 response with OS (p<0.001). The 1-year OS (95% CI) for ART vs. no ART was 83.6 % (68.7, 91.8) and 35.9 % (23.1, 48.8), while the 1-year OS (95% CI) for RECIST 1.1 response vs. no response was 81.3% (62.9, 91.1) and 45.6% (32.9, 57.4), respectively. RECIST 1.1 category was not significantly associated with OS (p-value=0.68) after adjusting for ART; however, statistically, ART associated with OS (p=0.002) after adjusting for RECIST 1.1 category. The modest size of this cohort is a limitation. Conclusions: ART within 12 weeks is identified early and is robustly associated with OS in pts with mUC receiving post-platinum ICIs. ART may serve as a more optimal intermediate endpoint for survival compared to RECIST 1.1 in the setting of ICIs. Evaluating this endpoint in other malignancies is warranted.

Resource utilization analysis of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (DD-MVAC) versus gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)

474

Background: DD-MVAC and GC are commonly used NAC regimens for MIBC. While efficacy across studies appears similar, the resource utilization burdens have not been compared. Methods: We assessed the resource utilization and cost effectiveness of NAC with GC vs DD-MVAC for MIBC patients (pts) treated at Dana-Farber. Data on chemotherapy administered, supportive medications, relevant procedures, hospitalizations, clinic, infusion, and emergency room visits were collected retrospectively. Results: 147 patients were included, 51 in the DD-MVAC and 86 in the GC group. The two groups had similar baseline pt characteristics except lower mean age (59 vs 67 years, p<0.001) and higher proportion of ECOG-PS=0 (96.1% vs 60.5%, p<0.001) in the DD-MVAC group. The mean cumulative cisplatin dosages were similar (DD-MVAC=284 mg/m2, GC= 257 mg/m3). The DD-MVAC group exhibited a greater use of G-CSF analogues (100% vs 32.6%, p < 0.001), central line placement (28.6% vs 11.8%, p = 0.017), infusion visits/pt (12 vs 8), ER visits (35% vs 18%, p = 0.048), and cardiac imaging (0.98 vs 0.58/pt, p<0.001). Patients receiving GC were more likely to experience delayed chemotherapy cycles (30.2% vs 9.8%, p = 0.008) and required more frequent clinic visits (9 vs 5/pt). The frequency and duration of hospitalization (23.6% vs 13.7% and 0.88 vs 0.49 days/pt, p = 0.46) and rate of grade ≥3 toxicities (32.6% vs 45.1%, p = 0.18) were numerically but not statistically different between the GC and DD-MVAC group. Cost efficacy analysis is pending and will be presented. Conclusions: DD-MVAC and GC exhibit different characteristics in terms of resource utilization as NAC for MIBC. Importantly, excess resource utilization did not clearly favor one of the regimens, although the DD-MVAC group was younger with better ECOG-PS. Given that similar overall delivery of cumulative cisplatin dosage was feasible with both regimens, the values and costs affixed to different resources may impact the selection of DD-MVAC vs GC in different regions of the world.

Lower odds of cardiac events for gonadotropic releasing hormone antagonists versus agonists

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Background: Gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and antagonists are first-line for advanced prostate cancer, but may be associated with cardiac toxicity. Observational studies show a relatively lower risk for GnRH antagonists, but a randomized trial found no difference. We compared the reporting of cardiac events for GnRH agonists and antagonists. Methods: We used VigiBase, the World Health Organization global database of case safety reports, which collects data from more than 130 countries to extract drug-adverse event (AE) pairs. Using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities terminology, we identified AEs related to GnRH antagonist (degarelix) or agonist (leuprolide, goserelin, triptorelin, histrelin) therapy for prostate cancer, including myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, new-onset valvular dysfunction, and other major cardiac events. To explore a possible relationship we used the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association using all other reactions as non-cases. A lower bound of a 95% confidence interval of ROR > 1 reflects a disproportionality signal that more AEs are observed than expected. Results: We found 10,504 AEs for GnRH agonists, and 1,606 for GnRH antagonists; 805 (7.7%) were cardiac for agonists, and 102 for antagonists (6.4%). We found no signal for overall cardiac events or any subgrouping for GnRH antagonists, but identified a signal both for overall cardiac events (ROR 1.20, 95% CI 1.12-1.29) and myocardial infarction (1.76, 1.57-1.97) for GnRH agonists. Conclusions: Using validated pharmacovigilance methodology, we found a signal for myocardial infarction for GnRH agonists, but did not detect one for GnRH antagonists. As cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of non-cancer death in prostate cancer patients, this finding is of specific relevance in the current era of novel second-line anti-androgen therapies which may compound toxicity when added to first-line therapy. The relative cardiac toxicity of GnRH agonist therapy compared to GnRH antagonists merits renewed attention.

Delayed nephrectomy has comparable long-term overall survival to immediate nephrectomy for cT1a renal cell carcinoma: A population-based analysis

OBJECTIVES

Early surgical resection remains the recommended treatment option for most small renal mass (≤4 cm). We examined the long-term overall survival (OS) of patients managed with delayed and immediate nephrectomy of cT1a renal cancer.

PATIENT AND METHODS

We utilized the National Cancer Database (2005-2010) to identify 14,677 patients (immediate nephrectomy: 14,050 patients vs. late nephrectomy: 627 patients) aged <70 years with Charlson Comorbidity Index 0 and cT1aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma. Immediate nephrectomy and late nephrectomy were defined as nephrectomy performed <30 days and >180 days from diagnosis, respectively. Inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to compare OS of patients in the 2 treatment arms. Influence of patient age and Charlson Comorbidity Index on treatment effect was tested by interactions. Sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the outcome of delaying nephrectomy for >12 months.

RESULTS

Median patient age was 55 years with a median follow-up of 82.5 months. Inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves suggest no significant difference between treatment arms (immediate nephrectomy [<30 days] vs. delayed nephrectomy [>180 days]) (Hazard ratio 0.96; 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.26; P = 0.77). This outcome was consistent between all patients regardless of age (P = 0.48). Sensitivity analysis reports no difference in OS even if nephrectomy was delayed by >12 months (P = 0.60).

CONCLUSIONS

We report that delayed and immediate nephrectomy for cT1a renal cell carcinoma confers comparable long-term OS. These findings suggest that a period of observation of between 6 and 12 months is safe to allow identification of renal masses, which will benefit from surgical resection.

Facility-Level Variation in Pelvic Lymphadenectomy During Radical Prostatectomy and Effect on Overall Survival in Men with High-Risk Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE

This study was designed to examine facility-level variation in the extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy and to determine whether more extensive lymphadenectomy is associated with a survival benefit among men with localized high-risk prostate cancer.

METHODS

Using data from the National Cancer Data Base, we identified 13,652 men with a high predicted probability of 10-year survival (≤ 65 years of age and Charlson Comorbidity Index score of 0) who underwent radical prostatectomy at 1023 facilities for biopsy-confirmed localized high-risk prostate cancer diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2011. Multilevel, multinomial logistic regression was fitted to predict facility-level probability of receiving different extents of lymphadenectomy. Inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Cox regression model with Bonferroni correction was fitted to compare risk of overall mortality.

RESULTS

Overall, 11,284 (82.7%), 1601 (11.7%), and 767 (5.6%) men who underwent radical prostatectomy underwent concomitant none/limited lymphadenectomy (0-9 lymph nodes), standard lymphadenectomy (10-16 lymph nodes), and extended lymphadenectomy (≥ 17 lymph nodes), respectively. Extended lymphadenectomy was not associated with a survival benefit relative to standard lymphadenectomy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-1.23; p = 0.4) nor no/limited lymphadenectomy (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.87-2.20; p = 0.29) at a median follow-up of 83.3 months. Risk-adjusted facility-level predicted probabilities of extended, standard, or no/limited lymphadenectomy ranged from 0.01 to 52.6%, 3.3-53.3%, and 17.8-96.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

We found significant facility-level variation in the extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy during radical prostatectomy despite no apparent survival benefit associated with more extensive lymphadenectomy. Further prospective data are needed to reevaluate the role of lymphadenectomy in the management of clinically localized prostate cancer.

Adoption of immunotherapy in the community for patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma

BACKGROUND

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors has led to a survival benefit in patients with advanced melanoma; however data on the adoption of immunotherapy in the community are scarce.

METHODS

Using the National Cancer Database, we identified 4725 patients aged ≥20 diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in the United States between 2011 and 2015. Multinomial regression was used to identify factors associated with the receipt of treatment at a low vs. high immunotherapy prescribing hospital, defined as the bottom and top quintile of hospitals according to their proportion of treating metastatic melanoma patients with immunotherapy.

RESULTS

We identified 246 unique hospitals treating patients with metastatic melanoma. Between 2011 and 2015, the proportion of hospitals treating at least 20% of melanoma patients with immunotherapy within 90 days of diagnosis increased from 14.5 to 37.7%. The mean proportion of patients receiving immunotherapy was 7.8% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 7.47-8.08) and 50.9% (95%-CI 47.6-54.3) in low and high prescribing hospitals, respectively. Predictors of receiving care in a low prescribing hospital included underinsurance (no insurance: relative risk ratio [RRR] 2.44, 95%-CI 1.28-4.67, p = 0.007; Medicaid: RRR 2.10, 95%-CI 1.12-3.92, p = 0.020), care in urban areas (RRR 2.58, 95%-CI 1.34-4.96, p = 0.005) and care at non-academic facilities (RRR 5.18, 95%CI 1.69-15.88, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

While the use of immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma has increased over time, adoption varies widely across hospitals. Underinsured patients were more likely to receive treatment at low immunotherapy prescribing hospitals. The variation suggests inequity in access to these potentially life-saving drugs.

The impact of underinsurance on bladder cancer diagnosis, survival, and care delivery for individuals under the age of 65 years

BACKGROUND

Health insurance is a key mediator of health care disparities. Outcomes in bladder cancer, one of the costliest diseases to treat, may be especially sensitive to a patient's insurance status.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry and the National Cancer Data Base were used to identify individuals younger than 65 years who were diagnosed with bladder cancer from 2007 to 2014. The associations between the insurance status (privately insured, insured by Medicaid, or uninsured) and the following outcomes were evaluated: diagnosis with advanced disease, cancer-specific survival, delay in treatment longer than 90 days, treatment in a high-volume hospital, and receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

RESULTS

Compared with those with private insurance, uninsured and Medicaid-insured individuals were nearly twice as likely to receive a diagnosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (odds ratio [OR] for uninsured individuals, 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70-2.12; OR for Medicaid-insured individuals, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.87-2.20). They were also more likely to die of bladder cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] for uninsured individuals, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.31-1.71; AHR for Medicaid-insured individuals, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.46-1.79). Delays in treatment longer than 90 days were more likely for uninsured (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.12-1.65) and Medicaid-insured individuals (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.44) in comparison with the privately insured. Uninsured patients had lower odds of treatment at a high-volume facility, and Medicaid-insured patients had lower odds of receiving NAC (P < .001 for both).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with privately insured individuals, uninsured and Medicaid-insured individuals experience worse prognoses and poorer care quality. Expanding high-quality insurance coverage to marginalized populations may help to reduce the burden of this disease.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) experience

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Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) extends overall survival in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients (pts) and pathologic complete response (pCR) is associated with improved survival. We conducted a retrospective study at DFCI to examine the impact of different chemotherapy regimens and renal function on pCR and tolerability. Methods: Pts who underwent RC for MIBC were retrospectively studied. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted to examine the prognostic effect of candidate factors (age, gender, chemotherapy regimen, creatinine clearance [Cr Cl] by Cockroft Gault formula) on pCR (ypT0), < ypT2N0 rate and early discontinuation for toxicities. Results: 196 patients treated with NAC were identified from 2002 -2018 (Table). Unconventional regimens (split dose cisplatin or carboplatin combined with gemcitabine) exhibited lower pCR rate (14%), but a moderate < ypT2N0 rate (36%). Among those receiving conventional cisplatin-based regimens, we did not identify an association between renal function (Cr Cl < 60 vs. ≥60 ml/min), age, gender and specific regimen (Cisplatin/Gemcitabine, MVAC, ddMVAC) with pCR or early discontinuation ( < 4 cycles) for toxicities, although the < ypT2N0 rate was numerically higher for MVAC/ddMVAC. The modest size of this cohort limited the analysis. Conclusions: pCR rates were similar with ddMVAC/MVAC and GC for MIBC, with potential superiority of MVAC/ddMVAC to GC for a subset of pts. If Cr Cl ≥50 ml/min, it may be reasonable to consider conventional cisplatin therapies as non-conventional NAC appeared to yield lower depth of benefit emphasizing need for evaluation of new tolerable regimens. [Table: see text]

Phase II study of nivolumab and ipilimumab for advanced bladder cancer of variant histologies (BCVH)

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Background: Patients with BCVH have poor outcomes and data regarding the management of this heterogeneous group of patients is limited. Nivolumab and ipilimumab has demonstrated safety and efficacy in urothelial carcinoma and other malignancies. In this multicenter, single arm, multi-cohort phase II trial we evaluate the efficacy of nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with BCVH and other advanced rare genitourinary cancers (NCT 03333616). Herein, we report the preliminary results of the fully accrued BCVH cohort. Methods: Eligible patients had metastatic BCVH, ECOG performance status of 0-2 and were either untreated or had received any number of lines of prior therapy excluding prior immunotherapy. Patients underwent a baseline biopsy and blood collection for correlative studies and received treatment with nivolumab 3 mg/kg and ipilimumab 1 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks for 4 cycles with continued maintenance of nivolumab 480 mg IV every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) by RECIST 1.1. Results: 19 BCVH patients were enrolled at 4 institutions between 4/2018 and 1/2019: squamous cell (n = 6), small cell (n = 3), adenocarcinoma (n = 3), urachal (n = 5), plasmacytoid (n = 1), and spindle cell (n = 1). 13 (68%) patients had received prior systemic therapy including platinum-based chemotherapy in 92% patients. Median number of cycles of ipilimumab plus nivolumab received was 3 (range 1-8) and median follow-up was 3.6 (0.3-8.8) months. 13 patients had undergone at least one scan; ORR was 31% (4/13, 80%CI: 14-52%), with partial responses seen in small cell carcinoma (n = 2), urachal (n = 1) and a complete response in 1 patient with plasmacytoid carcinoma. 3 patients (16%) developed treatment-related grade 3 toxicities with 1 (5%) grade 4 toxicity. Conclusions: Nivolumab and ipilmumab resulted in objective responses in a subset of patients with BCVH with manageable toxicities. Updated clinical and correlative data will be presented. This combination may warrant further investigation in patients with BCVH, which has substantial unmet needs. Clinical trial information: NCT 03333616.

Genetic counseling processes and outcomes among prostate cancer patients (ProGen)

TPS343

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is among the leading causes of cancer mortality in males. Recent studies found 8-12% of advanced PC cases may be hereditary. Germline mutations have been reported in BRCA1/2, other DNA repair genes including ATM, CHEK2, PALB2 and DNA mismatch repair genes. Genetic testing can inform treatment decisions including drug targeting, such as PARP inhibitors for men with BRCA mutations, and checkpoint inhibitors for those with pathogenic mutations in mismatch repair genes2. Discovering a pathogenic mutation associated with increased cancer risk also prompts dissemination of this information to family, where subsequent testing can lead to risk stratification and impactful opportunities for cancer screening and prevention. It is critical that men with high risk and potentially lethal prostate cancer routinely be offered genetic testing as a component of their cancer care. Genetic counseling services are limited, and more efficient services are needed. Methods: We are investigating video education prior to genetic testing compared with in-person pretest counseling with a licensed genetic counselor (GC). ProGen is an ongoing randomized trial evaluating two distinct models of cancer genetics service delivery in 450 PC cases over a two-year period. The study is conducted in collaboration with Ambry Genetics utilizing a 67-gene cancer panel. The primary aim is analysis of the proportion and type of germline mutations identified. Secondary aims include testing uptake by arm, evaluation of distress, knowledge, satisfaction with testing services, family communication, and impact on cancer care. Results are communicated by telephone with a GC. Inclusion criteria are: potentially lethal PC (metastatic, localized with Gleason score ≥8, rising/persistent PSA after local therapy), early diagnosis (≤ 55 years), prior malignancy, and/or family history potentially indicating a hereditary cancer risk. Enrollment is 74% completed at a single institution. (NCT03328091). 1 Pritchard CC, et al. Inherited DNA‐repair gene mutations in men with metastatic prostate cancer. NEJM. 2016;375:443 2 Mateo J, et al. DNA-Repair Defects and Olaparib in Metastatic Prostate Cancer. NEJM . 2015;373(18):1697-1708 Clinical trial information: NCT03328091.

Impact of concurrent medications on outcomes with PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors for metastatic urothelial carcinoma

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Background: The impact of concurrent medications (meds) on outcomes with PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) is unclear. We investigated whether candidate concurrent meds (NSAIDS [N], metformin [M], antibiotics [A], statins [S] and corticosteroids [C]) have an association with outcomes in mUC patients (pts) receiving a PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor. We hypothesized that A and C compromise outcomes, while N, M and S improve outcomes. Methods: Data from mUC pts who received PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) was obtained. The concurrent medication was required to be administered within 1 month before starting to anytime during PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. A Cox regression analysis was done to study the association of variables with response and survival. Results: Data was available for 101 pts with mUC who received atezolizumab [n = 52], pembrolizumab [n = 39], nivolumab [n = 9] and durvalumab [n = 1]. Prior platinum had been administered in 74 pts (73.2%), 25 were chemonaive (24.8%) and prior therapy status was unknown in 2 pts (2%). The concurrent meds were N (n = 30), M (n = 7), A (n = 26), S (n = 33) and C (n = 12). The median survival was 57.9 weeks. Response was seen in 26 pts [25.7%]. A was associated with a lower probability of response (11.5%) than those not on A (30.7%), and worse survival (HR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.93 – 3.42, P = 0.024). Pts who received neither A nor C, one of them or both had a response rate (RR) of 30.6%, 20% and 0%, and median survival of 65.3, 53.1 and 14.9 weeks, respectively (HR = 3.02, 95% CI = 1.34-6.83, p = 0.027). Pts who did not receive N, M and S (n = 52) exhibited a median OS of 39.6 weeks, while those who received ≥1 of these meds (n = 49) exhibited a median survival of 160.3 weeks (p = NS). The study is limited by the retrospective design and modest sample size. Conclusions: In this hypothesis-generating study, concurrent antibiotics or corticosteroids compromised outcomes in mUC pts receiving a PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor and receiving both further compromised outcomes. The numerically higher survival with concurrent N, M or S did not attain statistical significance, but requires further study in larger datasets.

Health literacy is a barrier to shared decision making in early prostate cancer (PCA) among African American (AA) men

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Background: ASCO, AUA, ASTRO and SUO endorse shared decision making for men with localized PCa. We explored treatment decisions among providers and their AA patients (pts) in a prospective cohort study at Grady Memorial Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital. Methods: Following their visit, 18 providers documented the PCa treatment options they had discussed with 124 newly diagnosed, early-stage, African American PCa pts. At a subsequent visit, prior to choosing their cancer treatment, pts were asked to name the options they had discussed with their provider. Demographics were collected. Health literacy was measured using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). Numeracy, comprehension of common PCa terms, and anatomic knowledge were assessed using published methods (Kilbridge K, et al. J Clin Oncol 27:2015-2021, 2009). Chi-square, t-tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify variables associated with correct understanding of treatment choices. Results: Just 23.4% of pts correctly understood their treatment options. In univariate analysis, only health literacy was statistically significantly associated with comprehension of PCa treatment options (p < 0.05). In a multivariate logistic model adjusting for age, education, income, numeracy, comprehension of common PCa terms, and anatomic knowledge; health literacy remained the only significant predictor of pts’ comprehension of their treatment choices (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-11.9, p = 0.021). Even among the 49 pts with the highest level of health literacy, only 34.7% correctly understood their cancer treatment options (compared to 16.0% among low literacy patients). Conclusions: Successful shared decision making requires pts to understand their treatment choices. Information presented by healthcare providers may be overwhelming for newly diagnosed pts, particularly those with lower health literacy. Our study suggests that even pts with the highest level of health literacy may need additional support to understand their PCa treatment options.

A phase II, multicenter, single-arm trial of CV301 plus atezolizumab (Atezo) in locally advanced (unresectable) or metastatic urothelial cancer (UC)

TPS494

Background: Anti-PD1/PD-L1 can achieve durable responses in advanced UC but most patients (pts) do not respond. Combination strategies with agents that “prime” the immune system may improve outcomes. CV301 comprises two recombinant poxviruses, Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and Fowlpox (FPV), encoding the human transgenes for CEA, MUC-1, and a Triad of Co-stimulatory Molecules (TRICOM: ICAM-1, LFA-3, and B7-1). MVA-CV301 is used for priming doses and FPV-CV301 is used for booster doses to achieve a heterologous prime boost regimen. In preclinical studies, BN-platform vaccine plus PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors exhibited synergistic anti-tumor efficacy, T-cell infiltration, and PD-L1 upregulation in tumors. CEA and MUC-1 are expressed, in 41-90% and 55-91% of any stage UC, respectively, and in ~100% of metastatic UC. An ongoing Phase Ib trial of CV301 plus anti-PD-1 agent has demonstrated a similar safety profile to anti-PD-1 monotherapy with only mild vaccine-related adverse events (AEs). Methods: This is a Phase 2, single-arm, multi-institutional trial designed to study CV301 plus atezo as 1st-line treatment in pts with advanced UC ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy regardless of PD-L1 (Cohort 1) and as salvage treatment in pts with UC progressing after platinum-based chemotherapy (Cohort 2). MVA-CV301 is given subcutaneously (SC) on Days 1 and 22 and FPV-CV301 SC every 21 days for 4 doses, then every 6 weeks until 6 months, then every 12 weeks until 2 years. Atezo 1200mg is given every 21 days. Primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR; RECIST 1.1). Secondary endpoints: immune response, OS, PFS, response duration, AEs. Tumor and serial blood samples will be collected for biomarker analyses; 1-sided α is 0.025/cohort in this design. With a 2-stage design, success criteria are based on historic ORR (H0) and alternative ORR (H1) with ≥70% power. For Cohort 1, assuming H0 = 0.23, H1 = 0.43, then Cohort 1 sample size N1= 14, responders required at stage 1 to continue R1≥3, total accrual goal N = 33, total responders to reject H0, R≥13. For Cohort 2, assuming H0 = 0.15, H1 = 0.33, then N1= 13, R1≥2, N = 35, R≥10. Accrual has begun; completion is expected within 1 year. Clinical trial information: NCT03628716.

Providers’ inability to estimate health literacy among African American (AA) patients (pts) with early prostate cancer (PCa)

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Background: Providers’ estimates of a pt’s health literacy are important for communication and shared decision making among men with early PCa. We explored differences between providers’ estimates of health literacy and measured health literacy among AA pts in a prospective cohort study at Grady Memorial Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital. Methods: Providers (n=18) estimated the health literacy of 124 newly diagnosed, early-stage, AA PCa pts after discussions with each pt regarding his PCa treatment options, categorized as ≤Grade (Gr) 3; Gr 4-6; Gr 7-8; and High school. At a subsequent visit, prior to choosing his cancer treatment, each pt’s health literacy was measured using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), using the same categories. Domains of numeracy, comprehension of common PCa terms, and anatomic knowledge were assessed using published methods. Concordance between estimated and actual health literacy was evaluated via Cohen’s Kappa coefficient (1.00 = perfect agreement). Results: Despite their discussions with the pts, providers consistently overestimated pts’ health literacy. Agreement between provider estimates and pts’ measured values was consistently low (32.0%-37.6%). These rates were approximately what would be expected by chance. Among the 75 patients with the lowest levels of health literacy, agreement was even lower (12.3%-35.6%). In this group 26.7% of provider assessments were off by ≥2 REALM categories. Conclusions: Healthcare providers are surprisingly ineffective at estimating the health literacy of their pts with early stage PCa. This poor accuracy may diminish providers’ ability to communicate successfully with pts and engage in shared decision making, especially among pts with poor health literacy. [Table: see text]

Association of Care at Minority-Serving vs Non-Minority-Serving Hospitals With Use of Palliative Care Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities With Metastatic Cancer in the United States

IMPORTANCE

It is not known whether racial/ethnic differences in receipt of palliative care are attributable to different treatment of minorities or lower utilization of palliative care at the relatively small number of hospitals that treat a large portion of minority patients.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association of receipt of palliative care among patients with metastatic cancer with receipt of treatment at minority-serving hospitals (MSHs) vs non-MSHs.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective cohort study used Participant Use Files of the National Cancer Database, a prospectively maintained, hospital-based cancer registry consisting of all patients treated at more than 1500 US hospitals, to collect data from individuals older than 40 years with metastatic prostate, lung, colon, and breast cancer, diagnosed from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2015. Data were accessed in October 2017, and the analysis was performed in July 2018.

EXPOSURES

Hospitals in the top decile in terms of the proportion of black and Hispanic patients for each cancer type were defined as MSHs.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

A multilevel logistic regression model that estimated the odds of palliative care was fit, adjusting for year of diagnosis, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance, income, educational level, and cancer type, with an interaction term between cancer type and MSH status and a hospital-level random intercept to account for unmeasured hospital characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 601 680 individuals (mean [SD] age, 67.4 [11.4] years; 95% CI, 67.2-67.6 years; 314 279 [52.2%] male; 475 039 [78.9%] white) were studied. In total, 130 813 patients (21.7%) received palliative care, ranging from 102 019 (25.4%) with lung cancer to 9966 (11.1%) with colon cancer. In total, 16 435 black individuals (20.0%) and 3551 Hispanic individuals (15.9%) received palliative care vs 106 603 non-Hispanic white individuals (22.5%) (P < .001). The MSH patients were less likely than the non-MSH patients to receive palliative care, regardless of race/ethnicity (12 692 [18.0%] vs 118 121 [22.3%]; P = .002). In an adjusted analysis, treatment at an MSH had a statistically significant association with lower odds of receiving palliative care (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53-0.84).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Although the factors associated with minority patients' receipt of palliative care are complex, in this study, treatment at MSHs was associated with significantly lower odds of receiving any palliative care in an adjusted analysis, but black and Hispanic race/ethnicity was not. These findings suggest that the site of care is associated with race/ethnicity-based differences in palliative care.

Thirty-day mortality following interventional line or drain placement among hospitalized cancer patients

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Background: Percutaneous lines and drains provide a less invasive alternative to operative procedures for patients with cancer. We categorized outcomes for placements among solid tumor patients hospitalized on the medical oncology services of a tertiary care academic center. Methods: Consecutive cases (n=71, Mar-Sept 2016) were identified by electronic medical record orders for non-vascular lines and drains placed in solid tumor patients hospitalized on medical oncology services and confirmed by retrospective chart review. Percutaneous nephrostomy tubes, pleurx catheters (abdominal and thoracic), gastrojejunostomy/gastric tubes, biliary drains, and wound/abscess drains were included. Retrospective chart review was used to categorize 30-day outcomes including those deemed related or possibly related to the placement that resulted in a phone call, office visit, ED evaluation, or hospital readmission. Results: Mean age at placement was 62 years and 53% of patients were female. All patients had metastatic tumor. The majority of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 3-4 (63.4%). Patients with gastrointestinal, gynecological and genitourinary malignancies required more procedures than all other tumor types combined. The 30-day mortality rate following line and drain placement was 32.4%. Of these deaths, 43.5% occurred prior to discharge and 30.4% occurred within two weeks. 40.8% of patients required ED evaluation or hospital readmission and 29.6% of patients required an office visit or phone call within 30 days. Conclusions: Although percutaneous interventions are generally safe and minimally invasive, there is a high 30-day mortality rate associated with line and drain placement among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. Among patients who expired, over forty percent of deaths occurred during the index hospitalization, suggesting placements are occurring at the end of life, may potentially reflect overuse and may represent a missed opportunity to address goals of care. [Table: see text]

The challenges of improving peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) care instructions at hospital discharge

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Background: Teaching patients and caregivers to manage a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) line placed during hospitalization is essential to successful outpatient transitions. The aim was to improve written care instructions at hospital discharge (CIHD) given to solid tumor oncology patients with new PICC lines by creating an electronic template in the electronic health record. Methods: Inpatients with newly placed PICC lines discharged from the physician assistants' (PA) oncology teams at Brigham and Women's Hospital were identified through PICC team consult lists. We identified 9 elements of complete line care, modeled on National Quality Forum discharge metrics, to include in a template for PICC line care instructions at discharge. PAs received instruction on template use at their weekly meeting. A retrospective chart review of CIHD (February 19, 2016 and October 13, 2016) was performed. Results: A total of 47 cases were reviewed, 19 cases Pre-introduction and 28 cases Post. Before introduction of the template, 74% of cases lacked PICC care instructions (including 13 cases with no mention of the PICC line), 26% had incomplete care instructions, and none had full instructions. Following the intervention, 64% still lacked care instructions (16 cases with no mention of the PICC line), 21% had incomplete care instructions, and 4 patients (14%) had full instructions. Only those CIHD that used the template had complete care instructions. A c-chart demonstrated special cause variation following the intervention but the process was chaotic. Conclusions: The introduction of a template for PICC care instructions led to modest improvement in the number of patients discharged with full instructions. This project highlights the limitations of solutions that incorporate technical solutions but only weak adaptive ones. The next phase of our work will introduce human factors interventions (e.g. automation and forcing functions) to improve the success rate of this critically important function. [Table: see text]

Development of a screening tool to assess prostate cancer health literacy

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Background: Poor comprehension of prostate cancer (PCa) related terms can create barriers to informed discussions on screening, treatment, and measuring outcomes, and contribute to disparities in African American (AA) men. We developed a screening tool to assess for low PCa-related health literacy. Methods: We assessed PCa-related literacy in a sample of 189 AA men, age >40 years from diverse socioeconomic status (SES) using a 27-item scale derived comprehension of commonly used terms for urinary, bowel and sexual function. Using item-response models we examined differential item functioning by education. We developed rapid screening tools based on understanding of 1 or 2 words to predict overall comprehension. Receiver operating characteristic curves assessed the sensitivity and specificity for individuals understanding less than a pre-specified threshold of 70% on the overall scale, defined as “low literacy.” Results are being tested in an independent sample of 110 AA men. Results: The 27-item scale had good internal reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.93). 47% of the sample met criteria for low literacy. Lower education groups had relatively poor comprehension of sexual function terms compared to higher education groups. 1-item scales using comprehension of the term “rectal urgency” had a sensitivity of 95% for identifying low literacy, “erection” had a specificity of 98%, and “vaginal intercourse” had a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 81%. Combining “vaginal intercourse” and “rectal urgency” yielded a 2-item scale with strong characteristics (sensitivity 88%, specificity 89%), as did combining “vaginal intercourse” and “erection” (sensitivity 94%, specificity 81%). Conclusions: Rapid screening tools assessing PCa-related literacy performed well in a community sample of AA men with varied SES. Providers can use these tools to identify those at risk of poor comprehension to tailor outcome measurement and shared decision making. [Table: see text]

Severe lack of comprehension of common prostate health terminology in underserved populations: External validation

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Background: Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer are often counseled about treatment options by healthcare providers who commonly use terms that are part of the ‘core’ vocabulary of prostate cancer. We hypothesized that a predominantly lower-literacy patient population would demonstrate a severe lack of comprehension of prostate cancer terms, which would validate the findings of Kilbridge et al. (JCO, 2009) who found a profound lack of comprehension in a single institution series. Methods: A previously developed survey was used to evaluate understanding of terms related to urinary, bowel, and sexual function. The survey was conducted by trained evaluators, recruiting patients, age ≥ 40, from two low-income safety-net clinics with primarily African-American populations. Comprehension was assessed using semi-qualitative methods coded by two independent investigators. Literacy and numeracy were also evaluated. Results: 109 patients completed the study. Overall prostate cancer knowledge was poor, with only 5% of patients understanding the function of the prostate, 15% understanding the term ‘incontinence’, 29% understanding ‘urinary function’ and 32% understanding ‘bowel habits’ (see Table). Comprehension decreased with the use of compound words, such as ‘intercourse’ (95%) vs. ‘vaginal intercourse’ (58%), validating previous work. Median school level completed was the 12th grade; yet median literacy level was only 9th grade, and reading level was significantly correlated with comprehension. Only 30% of patients correctly calculated both a fraction and a percent. Conclusions: Lack of comprehension of terms related to prostate health is pronounced in this patient population and may be widespread. This lack of comprehension potentially limits the ability of patients to participate in shared and informed decision-making. These results validate the findings of previous studies and support a continued need for refined methods of prostate cancer education. [Table: see text]