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Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody against HER2 (also known as ERBB2). The primary objective of the NRG Oncology/RTOG-1010 trial was to establish whether trastuzumab improves disease-free survival when combined with trimodality treatment (paclitaxel plus carboplatin and radiotherapy, followed by surgery) for patients with untreated HER2-overexpressing oesophageal adenocarcinoma. NRG Oncology/RTOG-1010 was an open label, randomised, phase 3 trial for which patients were accrued from 111 NRG-affiliated institutions in the USA. Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with newly diagnosed pathologically confirmed oesophageal adenocarcinoma, American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th edition T1N1–2 or T2–3N0–2 stage disease, and a Zubrod performance status of 0–2. Patients were stratified by adenopathy (no vs yes [coeliac absent] vs yes [coeliac present ≤2 cm]) and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive weekly intravenous paclitaxel (50 mg/m2 intravenously over 1 h) and carboplatin (area under the curve 2, intravenously over 30–60 min) for 6 weeks with radiotherapy 50·4 Gy in 28 fractions (chemoradiotherapy) followed by surgery, with or without intravenous trastuzumab (4 mg/kg in week one, 2 mg/kg per week for 5 weeks during chemoradiotherapy, 6 mg/kg once presurgery, and 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks for 13 treatments starting 21–56 days after surgery). The primary endpoint, disease-free survival, was defined as the time from randomisation to death or first of locoregional disease persistence or recurrence, distant metastases, or second primary malignancy. Analyses were done by modified intention to treat. This study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01196390; it is now closed and in follow-up. 606 patients were entered for HER2 assessment from Dec 30, 2010 to Nov 10, 2015, and 203 eligible patients who were HER2-positive were enrolled and randomly assigned to chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab (n=102) or chemoradiotherapy alone (n=101). Median duration of follow-up was 2·8 years (IQR 1·4–5·7). Median disease-free survival was 19·6 months (95% CI 13·5–26·2) with chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab compared with 14·2 months (10·5–23·0) for chemoradiotherapy alone (hazard ratio 0·99 [95% CI 0·71–1·39], log-rank p=0·97). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 41 (43%) of 95 patients in the chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab group versus 52 (54%) of 96 in the chemoradiotherapy group and grade 4 events occurred in 20 (21%) versus 21 (22%). The most common grade 3 or worse treatment-related adverse events for both groups were haematological (53 [56%] of 95 patients in the chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab group vs 55 [57%] of 96 patients in the chemotherapy group) or gastrointestinal disorders (28 [29%] vs 20 [21 %]). 34 (36%) of 95 patients in the chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab group and 27 (28%) of 96 patients in the chemoradiotherapy only group had treatment-related serious adverse events. There were eight treatment-related deaths: five (5%) of 95 patients in the chemoradiotherapy plus trastuzumab group (bronchopleural fistula, oesophageal anastomotic leak, lung infection, sudden death, and death not otherwise specified), and three (3%) of 96 in the chemoradiotherapy group (two multiorgan failure and one sepsis). The addition of trastuzumab to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for HER2-overexpressing oesophageal cancer was not effective. Trastuzumab did not lead to increased toxicities, suggesting that future studies combining it with or using other agents targeting HER2 in oesophageal cancer are warranted. National Cancer Institute and Genentech.

PurposeAdavosertib may alter exposure to substrates of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes. This study assessed its effect on the pharmacokinetics of a cocktail of probe substrates for CYP3A (midazolam), CYP2C19 (omeprazole), and CYP1A2 (caffeine).MethodsPeriod 1: patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors received ‘cocktail’: caffeine 200 mg, omeprazole 20 mg, and midazolam 2 mg (single dose); period 2: after 7- to 14-day washout, patients received adavosertib 225 mg twice daily on days 1–3 (five doses), with cocktail on day 3. After cocktail alone or in combination with adavosertib administration, 24-h pharmacokinetic sampling occurred for probe substrates and their respective metabolites paraxanthine, 5-hydroxyomeprazole (5-HO), and 1′-hydroxymidazolam (1′-HM). Safety was assessed throughout.ResultsOf 33 patients (median age 60.0 years, range 41–83) receiving cocktail, 30 received adavosertib. Adavosertib co-administration increased caffeine, omeprazole, and midazolam exposure by 49%, 80%, and 55% (AUC0–12), respectively; AUC0–t increased by 61%, 98%, and 55%. Maximum plasma drug concentration (Cmax) increased by 4%, 46%, and 39%. Adavosertib co-administration increased 5-HO and 1′-HM exposure by 43% and 54% (AUC0–12) and 49% and 58% (AUC0–t), respectively; paraxanthine exposure was unchanged. Adavosertib co-administration decreased Cmax for paraxanthine and 5–HO by 19% and 7%; Cmax increased by 33% for 1′-HM. After receiving adavosertib, 19 (63%) patients had treatment-related adverse events (six [20%] grade ≥ 3).ConclusionAdavosertib (225 mg bid) is a weak inhibitor of CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and CYP3A.ClinicalTrials.govNCT03333824

PurposeAdavosertib is a small-molecule, ATP-competitive inhibitor of Wee1 kinase. Molecularly targeted oncology agents have the potential to increase the risk of cardiovascular events, including prolongation of QT interval and associated cardiac arrhythmias. This study investigated the effect of adavosertib on the QTc interval in patients with advanced solid tumors.MethodsEligible patients were ≥ 18 years of age with advanced solid tumors for which no standard therapy existed. Patients received adavosertib 225 mg twice daily on days 1–2 at 12-h intervals and once on day 3. Patients underwent digital 12-lead electrocardiogram and pharmacokinetic assessments pre-administration and time-matched assessments during the drug administration period. The relationship between maximum plasma drug concentration (Cmax) and baseline-adjusted corrected QT interval by Fridericia (QTcF) was estimated using a prespecified linear mixed-effects model.ResultsTwenty-one patients received adavosertib. Concentration–QT modeling of ΔQTcF and the upper limit of the 90% confidence interval corresponding to the geometric mean of Cmax observed on days 1 and 3 were below the threshold for regulatory concern (not > 10 ms). No significant relationship between ΔQTcF (vs baseline) and adavosertib concentration was identified (P = 0.27). Pharmacokinetics and the adverse event (AE) profile were consistent with previous studies at this dose. Eleven (52.4%) patients experienced 17 treatment-related AEs in total, including diarrhea and nausea (both reported in six [28.6%] patients), vomiting (reported in two [9.5%] patients), anemia, decreased appetite, and constipation (all reported in one [4.8%] patient).ConclusionAdavosertib does not have a clinically important effect on QTc prolongation.ClinicalTrials.govNCT03333824.

Background Intergroup 0139 Trial suggests an increase in mortality after pneumonectomy in patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy and radiation. We evaluate our outcomes with pneumonectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. Methods Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation consisted of cisplatin 50 mg/m 2 on days 1, 8, 29, and 36 and etoposide 50 mg/m 2 on days 1–5 and 29–33 given concurrently with 5,040 cGy radiation. From a prospective database, results after pneumonectomy were compared between patients receiving and not receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation during the same time period. Results Over 7 years, 50 pneumonectomies were performed for non-small-cell carcinoma; 18 received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation (group A) and 32 did not (group B). Comparing group A with group B, there was no significant difference in patient demographics, blood loss, transfusion requirements or pneumonectomy side. Group A had more patients with stage III disease [17/18 (94%) versus 15/32 (47%), P  = 0.001] and also more often had vascularized flap for bronchial stump coverage [17/18 (94%) versus 4/32 (13%), P  < 0.001]. There was no significant difference in operative morbidity or mortality. Mortality for group A was 0/18 and for group B was 2/32 (6.3%) ( P  = 0.530). Group A patients with IIIA(N2) disease ( n  = 13) had median recurrence-free survival of 12.4 months, median overall survival of 25 months, and 3-year overall survival of 22.2%. Conclusions Using a multidisciplinary team approach at a tertiary care center, pneumonectomy can be performed successfully after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation for advanced-stage lung cancer. Vascularized flap for bronchial stump coverage may be important in this regard.

In the last decade there has been a focus on biomarkers that play a critical role in understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms which drive tumor initiation, maintenance and progression of cancers. Characterization of genomes by next-generation sequencing (NGS) has permitted significant advances in gastrointestinal cancer care. These discoveries have fueled the development of novel therapeutics and have laid the groundwork for the development of new treatment strategies. Work in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been in the forefront of these advances. With the continued development of NGS technology and the positive clinical experience in CRC, genome work has begun in esophagogastric, pancreatic, and hepatocellular carcinomas as well.

Survival of patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancer is suboptimal despite the availability of various treatment modalities. The recently developed bacterial vector Listeria monocytogenes ( Lm ) activates innate and adaptive immune responses and is expected to offer immunologic advantages. Axalimogene filolisbac (AXAL or ADXS11–001) is a novel immunotherapeutic based on the live, irreversibly attenuated Lm fused to the nonhemolytic fragment of listeriolysin O ( Lm -LLO) and secretes the Lm -LLO-HPV E7 fusion protein targeting HPV-positive tumors. Herein are reported the development and recent results of various clinical trials in patients with HPV-associated cervical, head and neck, and anal cancers.

Immune responses to the facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes ( Lm ) are robust and well characterized. Utilized for decades as a model of host-disease immunology, Lm is well suited for use as an immunotherapeutic bacterial vector for the delivery of foreign antigen. Genetic modification of Lm has been undertaken to create an attenuated organism that is deficient in its master transcriptional regulator, protein-related factor A, and incorporates a truncated, nonhemolytic version of the listeriolysin O (LLO) molecule to ensure its adjuvant properties while also preventing escape of the live organism from the phagolysosome. Delivery of a vaccine construct ( Lm -LLO-E7; axalimogene filolisbac [AXAL] or ADXS11-001) in which the modified LLO molecule is fused with the E7 oncoprotein of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) consistently stimulates strong innate and E7 antigen-specific adaptive immune responses, resulting in reduction of tumor burden in animal cancer models. In the clinical setting, AXAL has shown early promise in phase I/II trials of women with cervical cancer, and several more trials are currently underway to assess the efficacy and safety of this antitumor vaccine in patients with HPV-positive head and neck and anal cancers.

Background: The blockade of the androgen receptor (AR) pathway is an effective treatment for prostate cancer (PCa), but many patients progress to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Therapies for mCRPC include AR inhibitors (ARi), chemotherapy, PARP inhibitors, and radioligands. Checkpoint inhibitor activity is limited to a small subset of MSI-H mCRPC. AR signaling modulates CD8+ T cell function, but its impact on NK cell (NKc) cytotoxicity is unknown. We investigated the effect of ARi on NKc activation, cytokine secretion, expression of inhibitory receptor NKG2A, and killing of PCa cells in vitro. Methods: PCa cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1 [ARv7 mutation], DU145[AR-], PC3 [AR-]) were co-cultured with NK-92 cells and treated with ARi (enzalutamide [enza] and darolutamide [daro]) or in combination with anti-NKG2A antibody monalizumab. Immune cell-mediated tumor cell killing assays and multiplexed cytokine profiling were performed. NKc expression of NKG2A and PCa cells expression of HLA-E were investigated by flow cytometry. The AR-negative cell lines (PC3 and DU145) were stably transduced with a functional AR pathway to evaluate the modulation of HLA-E by AR. The activation status of peripheral blood NKc isolated from patients with PCa before and post-initiation of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was investigated by flow cytometry. Results: ARi significantly increased immune-mediated NK-92 cell killing of PCa cells independent of their sensitivity to androgen signaling. Cytokine analysis revealed that ARi-induced NKc activation is mediated by IFN-gamma and TRAIL, as confirmed by blocking antibodies. ARi increased NKG2A expression in NK cells. Immune killing of PCa cells was enhanced with the combination of ARi and monalizumab. ARi also increased the expression of HLA-E, the ligand of the inhibitory NKG2A receptor, on PCa cell lines. Using AR-negative cell lines (PC3 and DU145) and stable transduction of AR, we demonstrate that androgen signaling regulates HLA-E expression. HDAC inhibitors (vorinostat and panobinostat) did not alter the androgen-induced expression of HLA-E in PCa cells. Mirroring the results from NK-92 cells, ADT also activated peripheral blood NK cells isolated from patients with metastatic PCa. Conclusions: ARi activates NK cells through upregulating IFN-γ and TRAIL and promotes the killing of PCa cells. This enhanced cytotoxic killing of PCa cells is augmented by monalizumab. ARi upregulates PCa cell's expression of HLA-E, suggesting a mechanism suppressing the innate immune response against PCa. These results support novel therapeutic strategies for PCa targeting NK activation with the combination of ARi and monalizumab.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.

Diagnosis of intraparenchymal brain lesions has usually required invasive diagnostic procedures, because too few cells are shed into cerebrospinal fluid to permit cytologic diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction technology makes it possible to identify cell populations that are present at a much lower frequency than traditional techniques. A young woman presented with multiple brain lesions raised the question of primary central nervous system lymphoma. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of cerebrospinal fluid showed evidence of a monoclonal B-cell population heightening suspicion of lymphoma. Brain biopsy showed acute demyelination most consistent with multiple sclerosis. Although T-cell restriction has been demonstrated in multiple sclerosis lesions, the finding of a monoclonal B-cell population was unexpected and to our knowledge has not been previously reported. This case emphasizes that monoclonality is not always indicative of a neoplastic process, particularly in the central nervous system.