Project description:Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective against advanced and even perioperative non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and result in durable clinical benefit, regardless of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression status in cancer. Existing clinical evidence shows that the effect of immunotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC after the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance is not satisfactory. However, compared with monotherapy, ICIs combined with chemotherapy can improve the efficacy. Encouragingly, compared with that of patients with sensitive mutations, the progression-free survival of patients with rare mutations who were treated with ICIs was increased. Adequately maximizing the efficacy of ICIs in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients is worth exploring. In this review, we described preclinical and clinical studies of ICIs or combined therapy for EGFR-mutant NSCLC. We further focused on EGFR mutations and the cancer immune response, with particular attention given to the role of EGFR activation in the cancer-immunity cycle. The mechanisms for the natural resistance to ICIs were explored to identify corresponding countermeasures that made more EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients benefit from ICIs.
Project description:BackgroundWhile prospective clinical studies on immunotherapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with acquired resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are ongoing, this study aimed to investigate the outcomes of immunotherapy combinations in such a population in a real-world setting.MethodsThe clinical data of pretreated EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients who acquired EGFR-TKI resistance and received immunotherapy were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test, and univariate and multivariate analysis were performed.ResultsA total of 31 patients were analyzed in this study. A total of 25 (80.6%) patients received combination immunotherapy. In the univariate analysis, patients who received combination immunotherapy seemingly acquired longer PFS than those who received monotherapy, although there was no significant difference (3.42 months vs. 1.61; P = 0.078; hazard ratio (HR) 0.43, 95% CI: 0.16-1.13). Patients who received antiangiogenic drugs prior to immunotherapy acquired better PFS (3.42 months vs. 1.58; P = 0.027; HR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15-0.93), while patients with liver metastasis had inferior PFS (2.04 months vs. 3.42; P = 0.031; HR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.05-7.60). Furthermore, multivariate analysis confirmed that the above three factors had independent prognostic value.ConclusionsThe study revealed that immunotherapy combinations are better choices than single-agent regimens in previously treated and EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with progressive disease. In addition, antiangiogenic drugs administered before immunotherapy might be a favorable prognostic factor, while liver metastasis was associated with a short PFS in this setting. In future, more robust and prospective clinical trial results are expected to guide clinical practice.Key pointsSignificant study findings Immunotherapy-based combination therapies are better choices than single-agent regimens in heavily treated EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients. What this study adds Patients without liver metastasis and with prior antiangiogenic drugs obtained more benefit from immunotherapy in this setting.
Project description:Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are the molecular driver of a subset of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC); tumors that harbor these mutations are often dependent on sustained oncogene signaling for survival, a concept known as "oncogene addiction". Inhibiting EGFR with tyrosine kinase inhibitors has improved clinical outcomes for patients; however, successive generations of inhibitors have failed to prevent the eventual emergence of resistance to targeted agents. Although these tumors have a well-established dependency on EGFR signaling, there remain questions about the underlying genetic mechanisms necessary for EGFR-driven oncogenesis and the factors that allow tumor cells to escape EGFR dependence. In this review, we highlight the latest findings on mutant EGFR dependencies, co-operative drivers, and molecular mechanisms that underlie sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors. Additionally, we offer perspective on how these discoveries may inform novel combination therapies tailored to EGFR mutant NSCLC.
Project description:Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was first recognized in 2004 as a distinct, clinically relevant molecular subset of lung cancer. The disease has been the subject of intensive research at both the basic scientific and clinical levels, becoming a paradigm for how to understand and treat oncogene-driven carcinomas. Although patients with EGFR-mutant tumours have increased sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), primary and acquired resistance to these agents remains a major clinical problem. This Review summarizes recent developments aimed at treating and ultimately curing the disease.
Project description:Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are important treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At present, the clinical and basic research of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation NSCLC is still in the exploratory stage, needing to optimize the efficacy, combination, sequence and dosage of immunotherapy and other treatments, to clarify the relationship between EGFR mutation, immune microenvironment and the efficacy of immunotherapy. In this review, we summarized the newly updated data about immunotherapy in EGFR mutant NSCLC in term of pre-clinical study, programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, tumor mutation burden and treatment.?.
Project description:Acquired resistance is inevitable in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) treated with osimertinib (OSI), and the mechanisms are not well defined. The MERTK ligand GAS6 promoted downstream oncogenic signaling in EGFR-mutated (EGFRMT) NSCLC cells treated with OSI, suggesting a role for MERTK activation in OSI resistance. Indeed, treatment with MRX-2843, a first-in-class MERTK kinase inhibitor, resensitized GAS6-treated NSCLC cells to OSI. Both GAS6 and EGF stimulated downstream PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling in parental cells, but only GAS6 activated these pathways in OSI-resistant (OSIR) derivative cell lines. Functionally, OSIR cells were more sensitive to MRX-2843 than parental cells, suggesting acquired dependence on MERTK signaling. Furthermore, MERTK and/or its ligands were dramatically upregulated in EGFRMT tumors after treatment with OSI in both xenograft models and patient samples, consistent with induction of autocrine/paracrine MERTK activation. Moreover, treatment with MRX-2843 in combination with OSI, but not OSI alone, provided durable suppression of tumor growth in vivo, even after treatment was stopped. These data identify MERTK as a driver of bypass signaling in treatment-naive and EGFRMT-OSIR NSCLC cells and predict that MRX-2843 and OSI combination therapy will provide clinical benefit in patients with EGFRMT NSCLC.
Project description:Targeted therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is an effective treatment for EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however most patients invariably relapse after a period of minimal residual disease (MRD). This mini-review explores the mechanistic pathways leading to tumour dormancy, cellular senescence and epigenetic changes involving YAP/TEAD activation. We describe the various approaches of utilising TKIs in combination with agents to intensify initial depth of response, enhance apoptosis and target senescence-like dormancy. This mini-review will also highlight the potential novel therapies under development targeting MRD to improve outcomes for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Project description:Whether ICIs combined with chemotherapy can improve outcomes in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains uncertain. Patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC and who progressed on first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment were retrospectively collected. We reviewed the outcome of these patients treated with ICIs or ICIs combined chemotherapy (ICI + C). Total 30 patients were included. The ORR were 9.1% and 25.0% for the ICI and ICI + C groups. The ICI + C group showed the trend of longer progression-free survival and overall survival periods. Patients without the T790M mutation had a significantly longer PFS than did those without this mutation (4.23 [95% CI: 2.75-5.72] vs. 1.70 [95% CI: 0.00-3.51] months, HR:4.45, p = 0.019). ICIs combined with chemotherapy tended to be more effective than ICIs alone in pretreated EGFR-mutant NSCLC. The T790M mutation may be a potential biomarker.
Project description:Treatment options for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure are limited, and platinum-based chemotherapy remains the main treatment. The development of effective immunotherapy for this disease has been challenging. In the present study, 37 patients with EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC who were treated with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor-based combinations after TKI failure were reviewed. The total cohort had a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 5.2 months (95% CI, 4.077-6.323 months) and a median overall survival (mOS) of 18.3 months (95% CI, 12.932-23.668 months). Patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance-status (ECOG-PS) scores of 0 or 1 had longer mPFS than those with ECOG-PS scores of 2 (5.4 vs. 2.4 months; P=0.006). In addition, a PFS benefit was observed in patients with EGFR T790M-negative compared with EGFR T790M-positive tumors (mPFS 6.2 vs. 4.4 months; P=0.041). Patients treated with immunotherapy-based combinations as a front-line therapy had a longer mPFS than those in which the combinations were used as a late-line therapy (6.2 vs. 2.4 months; P<0.001). PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab did not show a clear advantage over PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy alone (mPFS, 6.2 vs. 4.4 months; P=0.681), although it resulted in an improved overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate. Notably, the 7 patients with a programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score of ≥50% had an ORR of 100% and an mPFS of 8.3 months. Therefore, it is suggested that PD-1 inhibitor-based combinations should be a priority treatment option in selective populations, such as those with low ECOG-PS scores, T790M-negative status or high PD-L1 expression in EGFR-mutant NSCLC after TKI failure. The use of immunotherapy and chemotherapy in combination with antiangiogenic agents appears to be a promising combination therapy for such patients.
Project description:Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) that harbor mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are sensitive to the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib and erlotinib. Unfortunately, all patients treated with these drugs will acquire resistance, most commonly as a result of a secondary mutation within EGFR (T790M). Because both drugs were developed to target wild-type EGFR, we hypothesized that current dosing schedules were not optimized for mutant EGFR or to prevent resistance. To investigate this further, we developed isogenic TKI-sensitive and TKI-resistant pairs of cell lines that mimic the behavior of human tumors. We determined that the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant EGFR-mutant cells exhibited differential growth kinetics, with the drug-resistant cells showing slower growth. We incorporated these data into evolutionary mathematical cancer models with constraints derived from clinical data sets. This modeling predicted alternative therapeutic strategies that could prolong the clinical benefit of TKIs against EGFR-mutant NSCLCs by delaying the development of resistance.