BRAF V600 mutations have been found in 1–2% of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment of dabrafenib plus trametinib and progression free survival (PFS) of 10.9 months. However, 50–80% of BRAF mutations in lung cancer are non-V600, and can be class II, with intermediate to high kinase activity and RAS independence, or class III, with impaired kinase activity, upstream signaling dependence, and consequently, sensitivity to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of 185 newly diagnosed advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients (Spanish Lung Liquid versus Invasive Biopsy Program, SLLIP, NCT03248089) was examined for BRAF and other alterations with a targeted cfDNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay (Guardant360®, Guardant Health Inc., CA, USA), and results were correlated with patient outcome. Cell viability with single or combined RAF, MEK, and SHP2 inhibitors was assessed in cell lines with BRAF class I, II, and III mutations. Out of 185 patients, 22 had BRAF alterations (12%) of which seven patients harbored amplifications (32%) and 17 had BRAF mutations (77%). Of the BRAF mutations, four out of 22 (18%) were V600E and 18/22 (82%) were non-V600. In vitro results confirmed sensitivity of class III and resistance of class I and II BRAF mutations, and BRAF wild type cells to SHP2 inhibition. Concomitant MEK or RAF and SHP2 inhibition showed synergistic effects, especially in the class III BRAF-mutant cell line. Our study indicates that the class of the BRAF mutation may have clinical implications and therefore should be defined in the clinical practice and used to guide therapeutic decisions.

Background: The analysis of liquid biopsies brings new opportunities in the precision oncology field. Under this context, extracellular vesicle circular RNAs (EV-circRNAs) have gained interest as biomarkers for lung cancer (LC) detection. However, standardized and robust protocols need to be developed to boost their potential in the clinical setting. Although nCounter has been used for the analysis of other liquid biopsy substrates and biomarkers, it has never been employed for EV-circRNA analysis of LC patients. Methods: EVs were isolated from early-stage LC patients (n = 36) and controls (n = 30). Different volumes of plasma, together with different number of pre-amplification cycles, were tested to reach the best nCounter outcome. Differential expression analysis of circRNAs was performed, along with the testing of different machine learning (ML) methods for the development of a prognostic signature for LC. Results: A combination of 500 μL of plasma input with 10 cycles of pre-amplification was selected for the rest of the study. Eight circRNAs were found upregulated in LC. Further ML analysis selected a 10-circRNA signature able to discriminate LC from controls with AUC ROC of 0.86. Conclusions: This study validates the use of the nCounter platform for multiplexed EV-circRNA expression studies in LC patient samples, allowing the development of prognostic signatures.

Background: Covid-19 pandemic by the new coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 has produced devastating effects on the health care system, affecting also cancer patient care. Data about COVID-19 infection in cancer patients are scarce, and they point out a higher risk of complications due to the viral infection in this population. Moreover, cancer treatments could increase viral complications, specially those treatments based on the use of immunotherapy with checkpoints antibodies. There are no clinical data about the safety of immune check point antibodies in cancer patients when they become infected by SARS-CoV-2. As checkpoint inhibitors, mainly anti PD-1 and anti CTLA-4 antibodies, are an effective treatment for most melanoma patients, avoiding their use during the pandemic could lead to a decrease in the chances of curing melanoma. Methods: In Spain we have started a national registry of melanoma patients infected by SARS-Cov-2 since April 1st, 2020. A retrospective analysis of patients included in the Spanish registery has been performed weekly since the activation of the study. Interim analysis shows unexpected findings about cancer treatment safety in SARS-Cov-2 infected melanoma patients, so a rapid communication to the scientific community is mandatory Results: Fifty patients have been included as of May 17th, 2020. Median age is 69 years (range 6 to 94 years), 27 (54%) patients are males and 36 (70%) patients have stage IV melanoma. Twenty-two (44%) patients were on active anticancer treatment with anti PD-1 antibodies, 16 (32%) patients were on treatment with BRAF plus MEK inhibitors and 12 (24%) patients were not on active cancer treatment. COVID-19 episode has been resolved in 43 cases, including 30 (70%) patients cured, four (9%) patients that have died due to melanoma progression, and nine (21%) patients that have died from COVID-19. Mortality rates from COVID-19 according to melanoma treatment type were 16%, 15% and 36% for patients on immunotherapy, targeted drugs, and for those that were not undergoing active cancer treatment, respectively. Conclusion: These preliminary findings show that the risk of death in those patients undergoing treatment with anti PD-1 antibodies does not exceed the global risk of death in this population. These results could be relevant in order to select melanoma therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs) are an emerging threat to global health. They negatively impact ecosystems and many physiological processes, causing alterations in xenobiotic metabolism, nutrient uptake, energy metabolism, or cytotoxicity. In humans, we are beginning to analyze these plastics for the mechanisms by which they enter the organism, accumulate, and diffuse as well as for their pathogenic potential. NP accumulation has been demonstrated in human tissues, such as blood or placenta, while in others it remains largely unstudied. In this work, we detected NP accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs), cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs), lymph nodes (LNs), urine, pleural fluids (PFs), ascitic fluids (AFs), and peripheral blood (PB) by combining fluorescence and nanocytometry techniques. NP analysis was compared with two strains of mice, and the results support that inhalation is the main route of NP accumulation.

Even though anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have improved survival, a high percentage of patients still do not respond to ICIs. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are circulating cells that express PD-L1 and can infiltrate and proliferate in the tumor microenvironment, inducing immunosuppression. By evaluating changes in PD-L1 expression of live peripheral blood MDSCs, we are able to define a new PD-L1 index, useful in predicting ICI escape in NSCLC patients before initiating anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy. In this study, a cohort of 37 NSCLC patients was prospectively analyzed, obtaining independent PD-L1 indexes. In patients with a PD-L1 index > 5.88, progressive disease occurred in 58.33% of patients [median progression-free survival (PFS) = 5.73 months; 95%CI = 2.67–20.53], showing significant differences when compared with patients with a PD-L1 index ≤ 5.88, in whom 7.69% progressed and median PFS was not reached (NR); p-value = 0.0042. Overall survival (OS) was significantly worse in patients with a high vs. low PD-L1 index (41.67% vs. 76.92%; median OS = 18.03 months, 95%CI = 6.77–25.23 vs. NR, 95%CI = 1.87-NR; p-value = 0.035). The PD-L1 index can be applied to stratify NSCLC patients according to their probability of response to ICIs at baseline. In addition to quantifying tumoral expression, this index could be used to compare nonresponse to treatment.