PURPOSE: In the treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a driver mutation, the role of anti–PD-(L)1 antibody after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) remains unclear. This randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase III study evaluates the efficacy of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, paclitaxel, and carboplatin (ABCP ) in EGFR- or ALK-rearranged or translocated NSCLC upon progression on TKI therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the clinical efficacy of ABCP followed by maintenance therapy with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab with pemetrexed plus carboplatin or cisplatin (PC) followed by pemetrexed maintenance. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: A total of 228 patients with activating EGFR mutation (n = 215) or ALK translocation (n = 13) were enrolled from 16 sites in the Republic of Korea and randomly assigned at 2:1 ratio to either ABCP (n = 154) or PC arm (n = 74). The median follow-up duration was 26.1 months (95% CI, 24.7 to 28.2). Objective response rates (69.5% v 41.9%, P < .001) and median PFS (8.48 v 5.62 months, hazard ratio [HR], 0.62 [95% CI, 0.45 to 0.86]; P = .004) were significantly better in the ABCP than PC arm. PFS benefit increased as PD-L1 expression increased, with an HR of 0.47, 0.41, and 0.24 for PD-L1 ≥1%, ≥10%, and ≥50%, respectively. Overall survival was similar between ABCP and PC arm (20.63 v 20.27 months, HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.69 to 1.46]; P = .975). The safety profile of the ABCP arm was comparable with that previously reported, with no additional safety signals, but higher rates of treatment-related adverse events were observed compared with the PC arm. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first randomized phase III study to demonstrate the clinical benefit of anti–PD-L1 antibody in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy in patients with EGFR- or ALK-rearranged or translocated NSCLC who have progressed on relevant targeted therapy.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignancy of the kidney originating from the tubular epithelium. Inactivation of the von Hippel–Lindau tumor-suppressor gene (VHL) is found in most clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). The VHL–HIF–VEGF/VEGFR pathway, which involves the von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor protein (VHL), hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and its receptor (VEGFR), is a well-studied therapeutic target for metastatic ccRCC. Therefore, over the past decade, anti-angiogenic agents targeting VEGFR have served as the standard treatment for metastatic RCC. Recently, based on the immunomodulatory effect of anti-VEGFR therapy, anti-angiogenic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitor combination strategies have also emerged as therapeutic strategies. These advances were made possible by the improved understanding of the VHL–HIF pathway. In this review, we summarize the historical evolution of ccRCC treatments, with a focus on the involvement of the VHL–HIF pathway.

In the phase II NeoCOAST-2 platform study, 202 patients with untreated, resectable stage IIA–IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomized to receive neoadjuvant durvalumab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy with oleclumab, a CD73 inhibitor (Arm 1), or with monalizumab, a NKG2A inhibitor (Arm 2), or neoadjuvant durvalumab plus single-agent platinum chemotherapy with the TROP-2 antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) datopotamab deruxtecan (Arm 4), followed by surgical resection and adjuvant durvalumab with oleclumab or monalizumab (Arms 1 and 2) or durvalumab alone (Arm 4). Primary endpoints were pathological complete response (pCR) rate and safety; secondary endpoints included feasibility of surgery and major pathological response (mPR) rate. In the modified intention-to-treat population (n = 198; Arm 1, n = 74; Arm 2, n = 70; Arm 4, n = 54), pCR rates were 20.3% (15/74; 95% CI, 11.8–31.2), 25.7% (18/70; 95% CI, 16.0–37.6) and 35.2% (19/54; 95% CI, 22.7–49.4), and mPR rates were 41.9% (31/74; 95% CI, 30.5–53.9), 50.0% (35/70; 95% CI, 37.8–62.2) and 63.0% (34/54; 95% CI, 48.7–75.7) in arms 1, 2, and 4, respectively. In the safety population, 69/74 (93.2%), 66/71 (93.0%), and 51/54 (94.4%) patients underwent surgery, respectively. Overall, grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 27/74 (36.5%), 29/71 (40.8%) and 11/54 (20.4%) patients, respectively. In NeoCOAST-2, the first neoadjuvant trial examining an ADC plus chemo-immunotherapy in resectable NSCLC, pCR rates were highest in the datopotamab-deruxtecan-containing arm, warranting further investigation in larger trials of ADCs and checkpoint inhibition in the neoadjuvant setting. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05061550.

PURPOSE: WU-KONG1B (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03974022 ) is a multinational phase II, dose-randomized study to assess the antitumor efficacy of sunvozertinib in pretreated patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) exon 20 insertion mutations (exon20ins). METHODS: Eligible patients with advanced-stage EGFR exon20ins NSCLC were randomly assigned by 1:1 ratio to receive sunvozertinib 200 mg or 300 mg once daily (200 and 300 mg-rand cohorts). After predefined interim analysis, additional patients were enrolled and treated with the 300 mg dose once daily. The primary end point was blinded independent review committee (IRC)–assessed confirmed objective response rate (cORR), and the key secondary end point was duration of response (DoR). RESULTS: Among 85, 89, and 107 efficacy-evaluable patients in 200 mg-rand, 300 mg-rand, and 300 mg-all (including randomly assigned and nonrandomized patients) cohorts, the cORRs were 45.9% (97.5% CI, 33.6% to 58.5%), 47.2% (97.5% CI, 35.1% to 59.5%), and 45.8% (97.5% CI, 34.8% to 57.0%), respectively, per IRC assessment. The predefined null hypothesis was rejected with statistical significance ( P < .0001). Comparing 300 and 200 mg-rand cohorts, higher cORRs were observed in patients with baseline brain metastasis (52.4% v 28.6%) and previous amivantamab treatment (41.7% v 25%), as well as longer DoR (13.8 v 11.1 months). At 200 and 300 mg once daily, the most common treatment-related adverse events with grade ≥3 included diarrhea (2.2% v 18%), blood creatine phosphokinase increased (6.6% v 12.6%), and anemia (4.4% v 6.3%). CONCLUSION: Sunvozertinib is efficacious at both 200 and 300 mg once daily in treating platinum-pretreated patients with advanced EGFR exon20ins NSCLC. The treatment-related adverse events of sunvozertinib were consistent with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with a more favorable safety profile at 200 mg than 300 mg once daily.

Jeon YS, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2012 May;53(3):649-653. http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2012.53.3.649

Temporal muscle thickness (TMT) has recently been suggested as a novel biomarker of sarcopenia in head and neck malignancies. However, few studies have evaluated TMT as a prognostic marker in patients with brain metastasis. This study investigated the association of TMT with overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastasis. The records of all NSCLC patients with brain metastasis between 2009 and 2018 at St. Vincent’s Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 221 patients met our eligibility criteria. In the group with TMT thicker than the median, OS was longer than the group with TMT thinner than the median (240 days versus 139 days, p = 0.014). In multivariate analysis, the thicker TMT group had longer survival (HR 0.73 CI 0.56–0.96, p = 0.024). Male (HR 1.58 CI 1.19–2.09, p = 0.002) and older age (≥65 years) (HR 2.05 CI 1.53–2.74, p < 0.001) also showed statistical significance. We also performed subgroup analysis in older patients (≥65 years). In this subgroup of 107 patients, the thicker TMT group also showed longer OS than the thinner TMT group (209 days versus 82 days, p = 0.009). Our findings suggest that TMT can be a useful biomarker for OS in NSCLC patients with brain metastasis.