Interim results of a phase Ib single-center study of pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic small cell/neuroendocrine cancers of the prostate and urothelium.

Abstract

510 Background: Small cell/neuroendocrine cancers irrespective of origin share aggressive phenotypes. Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) is a humanized antibody targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) that has shown activity against small cell lung cancers. Preclinical studies showed molecular commonality amongst small cell/neuroendocrine cancers across multiple tissue types. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy signals of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy in patients with small cell/neuroendocrine cancer of the prostate and urothelium. Methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic small cell cancer of the bladder or upper urinary tract (cohort 1) and primary small cell or treatment-derived neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) (cohort 2) received pembrolizumab and standard of care chemotherapy (etoposide and cisplatin/carboplatin for cohorts 1 and 2, with option of docetaxel and carboplatin for cohort 2) with maintenance pembrolizumab for 2 years until unequivocal progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was to estimate ORR and PFS compared to historical controls as well as safety and tolerability. Pretreatment targeted gene mutation sequencing was performed. Results: 14 patients were enrolled (7 cohort 1, 7 cohort 2) with mean age 64.9 (range 53 to 81). ORR across cohorts was 43% (95% CI: (0.17, 0.69)), and 43% (95% CI: (0.06, 0.80)) within each cohort. PFS rate at 12 months (proportion of patients who have not progressed at 12 month) was 61% (95% CI: (0.40,0.95)) across cohorts, 86% (95% CI: (0.63,1.00)) within cohort 1, and 36% (95% CI: (0.12,1.00)) within cohort 2. 3 patients in cohort 1 with locally advanced disease exhibited SD and underwent radical cystectomy, with one patient pT0 and no PD at a mean follow up of 20 months. Grade 3 or higher AEs occurred in 71% of patients, while 29% of patients experienced grade 3 or higher AEs related to pembrolizumab. No patients died or discontinued therapy secondary to adverse treatment effects. In 12 patients where tissue was sufficient, all patients had genomic alterations in either p53 (75%) or Rb (58%). Of the 5 available patients with NEPC, 60% had alternations in DNA damage response genes. Conclusions: In patients with locally advanced or metastatic small cell/neuroendocrine prostate and bladder cancers, combination pembrolizumab with standard of care chemotherapy and maintenance pembrolizumab showed promising efficacy with tolerable adverse events. Clinical trial information: NCT03582475.