Circulating Tumor Cells Counts Research Articles

EpCAM-CD24+ circulating cells associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients

Following the discovery of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of cancer patients, CTCs were initially postulated to hold promise as a valuable prognostic tool through liquid biopsy. However, a decade and a half of accumulated data have revealed significant complexities in the investigation of CTCs. A challenging aspect lies in the reduced expression or complete loss of key epithelial markers during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This likely hampers the identification of a pathogenetically significant subset of CTCs. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of evidence regarding the prognostic value of such molecules as CD24 expressing in the primary breast tumor. Herewith, the exact relevance of CD24 expression on CTCs remains unclear. We used two epithelial markers (EpCAM and cytokeratin 7/8) to assess the count of CTCs in 57 breast cancer patients, both with (M0mts) and without metastasis (M0) during the follow-up period, as well as in M1 breast cancer patients. However, the investigation of these epithelial markers proved ineffective in identifying cell population expressing different combinations of EpCAM and cytokeratin 7/8 with prognostic significance for breast cancer metastases. Surprisingly, we found CD24+ circulating cells (CCs) in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients which have no epithelial markers (EpCAM and cytokeratin 7/8) but was strongly associated with distant metastasis. Namely, the count of CD45-EpCAM-CK7/8-CD24+ N-cadherin—CCs was elevated in both groups of patients, those with existing metastasis and those who developed metastases during the follow-up period. Simultaneously, an elevation in these cell counts beyond the established threshold of 218.3 cells per 1 mL of blood in patients prior to any treatment predicted a 12-fold risk of metastases, along with a threefold decrease in distant metastasis-free survival over a 90-month follow-up period. The origin of CD45-EpCAM-CK7/8-CD24+ N-cadherin—CCs remains unclear. In our opinion their existence can be explained by two most probable hypotheses. These cells could exhibit a terminal EMT phenotype, or it might be immature cells originating from the bone marrow. Nonetheless, if this hypothesis holds true, it's worth noting that the mentioned CCs do not align with any of the recognized stages of monocyte or neutrophil maturation, primarily due to the presence of CD45 expression in the myeloid cells. The results suggest the presence in the peripheral blood of patients with metastasis (both during the follow-up period and prior to inclusion in the study) of a cell population with a currently unspecified origin, possibly arising from both myeloid and tumor sources, as confirmed by the presence of aneuploidy.

Detection of PD‑L1 expression and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of circulating tumor cells in non‑small cell lung cancer.

The present study aimed to assess the roles of peripheral circulating tumor cell (CTC) count, CTC subtypes and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in the clinical staging and prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 100 patients with NSCLC with available tumor tissues were enrolled in the present study, and 7.5 ml peripheral blood was collected. Patients were divided into PD-L1-positive and PD-L1-negative groups according to PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining. Peripheral blood samples from both groups were analyzed to determine the CTC count, epithelial-type CTCs (E-CTCs), mesenchymal-type CTCs (M-CTCs) and PD-L1 expression. Clinical data were collected, and patients were followed up for a maximum of 36 months, with patient death as the endpoint event. Patients with PD-L1-positive tumors had a worse prognosis compared with those with PD-L1-negative tumors (P=0.045). The PD-L1-positive group exhibited significantly higher numbers of CTCs and M-CTCs compared with the PD-L1-negative group (P≤0.05). However, the number of E-CTCs did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05). PD-L1-positive patients with higher CTC and M-CTC counts had relatively poorer prognoses (P≤0.05), while the number of E-CTCs had no significant effect on prognosis (P>0.05). Compared with the early-stage NSCLC group, the late-stage NSCLC group exhibited a significant increase in the CTC count (P≤0.05), while E-CTC and M-CTC counts did not significantly differ between the two groups (P>0.05). The PD-L1-positive group exhibited a significant increase in the number of PD-L1+ CTCs and PD-L1+ M-CTCs compared with the PD-L1-negative group (P≤0.05), while PD-L1+ E-CTC counts did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05). The PD-L1-positive patients with a higher number of PD-L1+ CTCs and PD-L1+ M-CTCs had relatively poorer prognoses (P≤0.05), while the PD-L1+ E-CTC count had no significant effect on prognosis (P>0.05). Compared with the early-stage NSCLC group, the late-stage NSCLC group exhibited a significant increase in the number of PD-L1+ CTCs and PD-L1+ M-CTCs (P≤0.05), while PD-L1+ E-CTC counts did not significantly differ between the two groups (P>0.05). Based on univariate and multivariate analyses, the number of PD-L1+ M-CTCs was identified as an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC. In conclusion, the presence of CTCs in peripheral blood, particularly PD-L1+ M-CTC subtype, indicated poorer clinical staging and prognosis in patients with NSCLC. These findings suggested that CTCs, specifically the PD-L1+ M-CTC subtype, could serve as a monitoring indicator for the clinical staging and prognosis of patients with NSCLC.

Abstract A003: Characterization of circulating tumor cells from patients with metastatic bladder cancer

Abstract Assessing the molecular profile of bladder tumors from patients with metastatic disease is crucial for implementing personalized treatment. Current standards are based on highly invasive biopsies. Alternatively, liquid biopsies of tumor cells, proteins, and nucleic acids allows longitudinal profiling in a less invasive manner. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from blood are a key analyte of liquid biopsy. In this study, we developed a protein and transcriptomic co-analysis workflow for bladder cancer CTCs utilizing the graphene oxide (GO) microfluidic chip conjugated with antibodies against both EpCAM and EGFR to isolate CTCs from blood of patients with metastatic bladder cancer. Following CTC capture, protein and mRNA were analyzed using immunofluorescent staining and ion-torrent whole transcriptome sequencing. This is the first time that whole transcriptome sequencing was used in a downstream application for the GO microfluidic platform. We found that elevated CTC counts were significantly associated with patient disease status at the time of blood draw and that greater than 2 CTCs per mL were associated with shorter overall survival. Invasive markers, including EGFR, HER-2, CD31, and ADAM15, were detected in subpopulations of CTCs. Targeted whole transcriptome sequencing showed distinct expression profiles from patients with metastatic burden at the time of blood draw. In these patients, we found significant upregulation of several metastasis-related and chemotherapy-resistant genes demonstrating the capability of identifying tumor-related RNA signatures from circulating CTCs using immune-affinity GO chip-based assays. In addition, this workflow highlights the prognostic potential of CTCs in metastatic bladder cancer patients. Citation Format: Zeqi Niu, Molly Kozminski, Kathleen C. Day, Luke Broses, Marian L. Henderson, Sophia Merajver, Aaron Udager, Phillip L. Palmbos, Sunitha Nagrath, Mark L. Day. Characterization of circulating tumor cells from patients with metastatic bladder cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Bladder Cancer: Transforming the Field; 2024 May 17-20; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2024;30(10_Suppl):Abstract nr A003.

Circulating tumor cells: a valuable indicator for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Advancements in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment have led to a focus on personalized treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important for liquid biopsies and personalized treatment but are not being fully utilized. This study examined how pre- and post-treatment CTC counts, EMT subtypes, clinical characteristics, and patient prognosis are related in order to support the use of liquid biopsy in managing NPC. This retrospective study included 141 patients with locally advanced NPC. All patients underwent CanPatrol™ CTC detection pre- and post-treatment and were categorized into EMT subtypes: epithelial type, mixed type, and mesenchymal type. This study analyzed CTC enumeration, EMT subtypes, and their associations with clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. The results indicated a positive correlation between the pre-treatment detection rate of CTCs and N stage (P < 0.01), alongside a positive correlation with the TNM clinical stage (P = 0.02). Additionally, the detection rate of mesenchymal CTCs post-treatment is positively associated with the N stage (P = 0.02). The enumeration of CTCs pre- and post-treatment is negatively correlated with prognosis and has statistical significance. Additionally, an investigation into the EMT subtypes of CTCs revealed a significant association between the presence of mesenchymal CTCs pre- and post-treatment and decreased overall survival (OS) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, T stage, N stage, TNM clinical stage, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA were also significantly correlated with OS. The study found that mesenchymal CTCs pre- and post-treatment, as well as the number of CTCs, were linked to a poor prognosis.

Capivasertib in combination with enzalutamide for metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel and abiraterone: Results from the randomized phase II RE-AKT trial

BackgroundPTEN loss and aberrations in PI3K/AKT signaling kinases associate with poorer response to abiraterone acetate (AA) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In this study, we assessed antitumor activity of the AKT inhibitor capivasertib combined with enzalutamide in mCRPC with prior progression on AA and docetaxel. MethodsThis double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase 2 trial, recruited men ≥ 18 years with progressing mCRPC and performance status 0–2 from 15 UK centers. Randomized participants (1:1) received enzalutamide (160 mg orally, once daily) with capivasertib (400 mg)/ placebo orally, twice daily on an intermittent (4 days on, 3 days off) schedule. Primary endpoint was composite response rate (RR): RECIST 1.1 objective response, ≥ 50 % PSA decrease from baseline, or circulating tumor cell count conversion (from ≥ 5 at baseline to < 5 cells/7.5 mL). Subgroup analyses by PTENIHC status were pre-planned. ResultsOverall, 100 participants were randomized (50:50); 95 were evaluable for primary endpoint (47:48); median follow-up was 43 months. RR were 9/47 (19.1 %) enzalutamide/capivasertib and 9/48 (18.8 %) enzalutamide/placebo (absolute difference 0.4 % 90 %CI −12.8 to 13.6, p = 0.58), with similar results in the PTENIHC loss subgroup. Irrespective of treatment, OS was significantly worse for PTENIHC loss (10.1 months [95 %CI: 4.6–13.9] vs 14.8 months [95 %CI: 10.8–18]; p = 0.02). Most common treatment-emergent grade ≥ 3 adverse events for the combination were diarrhea (13 % vs 2 %) and fatigue (10 % vs 6 %). ConclusionsCombined capivasertib/enzalutamide was well tolerated but didn’t significantly improve outcomes from abiraterone pre-treated mCRPC.

Abstract PO1-16-02: Correlation of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) with Clinical Characteristics, Pathological Factors, and Treatment Response in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC)

Abstract Background: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) can be isolated in 40-80% of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). High levels of CTC, defined as ≥5/7.5 ml of blood are associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. CTC can be tested for clinically relevant biomarkers, such as ER, and HER2 status, and have the potential to guide therapy as well as help with disease monitoring. We investigated CTC detection rate, its correlation with clinical characteristics, pathological characteristics, and response to treatment in patients with any type of metastatic breast cancer who progressed on at least one line of therapy. Methods: Eligible patients with MBC were enrolled in the IMAGE-II study (Individualized Molecular Analyses Guide Efforts in Breast Cancer) NCT02965755, in which we obtained archival tissue as part of the standard of care, and prospectively collected serial blood samples for CTC analysis. We compared CTC levels and biomarker status with clinical factors, tissue-based pathology, and molecular biomarkers. We assessed whether changes in CTC count correlated with treatment response. Blood samples were collected at baseline (Day 1), after 1-2 weeks of therapy, after 8-12 weeks, and at subsequent restaging (every 8-12 weeks). Medical records were reviewed every 3 months for ongoing treatment response, and death. Samples were processed at the Biocept CLIA-certified Laboratory. CTC were enumerated by the presence of CD45- and DAPI+ cells. Further CTC characterization was performed by antibody staining of specific protein biomarkers (ER, HER2). Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the association between baseline CTC &amp;lt; 5 and ≥5/7.5ml with patient characteristics. McNemar’s test was used to assess discordance between tissue-based and CTC-defined markers. Results: Between 1/26/2018 and 12/31/22 baseline samples were collected from 70 women with a median age of 56 (36-82) who were enrolled at four study sites. CTC was detected in 59 (84%) of participants. Baseline CTC counts were &amp;lt; 5/7.5 ml in 37/59 (63%) and ≥5/7.5 ml in 22/59 (37%) of participants. Differences between breast cancer subtype and CTC-receptor status were observed (Table 1). Among the 41 patients who were ER-positive, 31 (76%) were CTC ER-negative(p&amp;lt; 0.001). Among 29 patients who were ER-negative, 4 (14%) were CTC ER-Positive (P&amp;lt; 0.001). Among the 7 patients who were HER2 positive, 2(29%) were HER2 positive on CTC. Among 63 patients who were HER2 negative, 7(11%) had HER2 expression on their CTC. The discordance in the classification of HER2 wasn't statistically significant (p=0.77). Elevated CTC at baseline was more frequently detected in younger participants (&amp;lt; 50 years old) (55% vs 27%; P=0.22), in Black women compared to White (60 % vs 29 %, P=0.27), and in participants with visceral vs non-visceral metastasis (52% vs 28 %, P=0.40). Patients with CTC ≥5 vs &amp;lt; 5/7.5mL at baseline had a shorter duration of anti-HER2-based therapy (61.5 vs 836 days, p=0.04). There were no statistically significant differences among participants who received chemotherapy agents (316.5 vs 365.5 days, P=0.88), endocrine therapy (376 vs 490 days, P=0.89), or overall therapy (272 vs 390 days, P=0.21). Conclusions: We observed significant differences in the expression of ER between tumor tissue and CTC, which can be partly due to tumor evolution over time. Additionally, participants who are young, Black, and those who have visceral metastasis may have higher CTC counts. Higher CTC counts were associated with a shorter duration of anti-HER2 therapy. Although it didn’t meet statistical significance, a similar trend was observed in patients who received chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Table 1: MBC Tissue-Based Subtype and CTC-receptor status at baseline Citation Format: Asnakech Bayable, Tingchang Wang, Amanda Blackford, Jessica Tao, Jenna Canzoniero, Seoho Lee, Faith Too, Barbara Blouw, Mary Wilkinson, Rima Couzi, Antonio Wolff, Christie Hiton, Ben Park, Vered Stearns, Cesar Santa-Maria. Correlation of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) with Clinical Characteristics, Pathological Factors, and Treatment Response in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-16-02.

Abstract PO3-06-14: Phase I/II study of pembrolizumab in combination with oral binimetinib in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract Background: Activation of the RAS/MAPK pathway is associated with reduced tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and poor outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This trial evaluated the efficacy of pembrolizumab in combination with binimetinib, a MEK inhibitor. Methods: Patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC with ≤ 3 prior lines of therapy were enrolled. Treatment includes a 2-week run-in with binimetinib followed by pembrolizumab. There were 2 dose levels (DL) with binimetinib at 45 mg at DL 0 and 30 mg at DL -1. A standard 3+3 design was used in Phase I, and Simon’s two-stage Optimal design was used in Phase II. PD-L1 22C3 was performed in archival samples with CPS ≥ 10 considered as positive (PD-L1+). Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were quantified into 0, 1, 2, and 3+. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating cancer-associated macrophage-like cells (CAML) were isolated using CellSieve microfilters and immunofluorescently labeled with PD-L1 and p-ERK. Wilcoxon rank sum test, Chi-square test, Cox regression model, and Spearman correlation were used for analysis. Results: 22 patients were enrolled with a median age of 58 years old. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed in 2 out of 4 patients in DL 0, with grade 3 ALT abnormality, flank pain, and nausea. In the next 6 patients in DL -1, there was 1 DLT with grade 3 AST/ALT abnormality. There were 17 patients treated with DL -1 and were evaluable for response. The objective response rate (ORR) was 29.41% (95% CI: 10.31-55.9) with 1 complete response (CR) and 4 partial responses (PR). The clinical benefit rate (CBR ≥ 24 weeks) was 35.29% (95% CI: 14.21-61.67). ORR in patients without liver metastases was 55.56% (95% CI: 21.20 - 86.30) and CBR was 66.67% (95% CI: 29.93-92.51). No response was observed in all 5 patients with liver metastases. There were 40.9% of patients with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 10. ORR in patients with PD-L1+ was 80%. However, 11.1% of patients with PD-L1 negative tumors also had an objective response and 44.4% of patients had clinical benefit ≥ 24 weeks. PD-L1 expression in archival tissue was associated with ORR (p 0.032) but not CBR (p 0.198), progression-free survival (PFS, p 0.373), and overall survival (p 0.348). TILs in archival tissue were also not associated with CBR (p 0.155) and PFS (p 0.157). One patient with TILs 0 had a stable disease ≥ 24 weeks and 2 patients TILs 1+ also had an objective response. We further evaluated blood-based biomarkers with CTC and CAML. Baseline PD-L1 in CAML (p 0.04) and decline in CAML size (p 0.02) after 1 cycle was significantly associated with CBR. However, baseline CTC count, CAML count (p 0.64), CAML size (p 0.46), p-ERK in CAML (p 0.23), and changes in CTC count, CAML count (p 0.83), p-ERK (p 0.07), and PD-L1 (p 0.08) in CAML were not significantly associated with responses. Using Cox regression analysis, a reduction in CAML count (p 0.02), CAML size (p 0.01), and PD-L1 in CAML (p 0.03) were associated with significant improvement in overall survival but not the reduction in p-ERK (p 0.6). However, PD-L1 expression in CAML is not associated with PD-L1 expression in archival tissue (Spearman correlation 0.13). Conclusions: Pembrolizumab and binimetinib at 30 mg are safe with manageable toxicities. Consistent with the preclinical data that MEKi can restore T cell function, promising activity was observed even in patients with low TILs and PD-L1 negative, particularly in patients without liver metastases. PD-L1 expression in peripheral blood CAML rather than archival tumor tissue may serve as a better biomarker to predict the clinical benefit of this combination. Early reductions in CAML count and size, were also significantly associated with responses. Future larger clinical trials are warranted to further evaluate the efficacy of this chemotherapy-free combination. Citation Format: Saranya Chumsri, Joseph Larson, Daniel Adams, Kathleen Tenner, Cha-Mei Tang, Morgan Weidner, Amanda Arnold, Dana Haley, Pooja Advani, Kostandinos Sideras, Alvaro Moreno-Aspitia, Edith Perez, Keith Knutson. Phase I/II study of pembrolizumab in combination with oral binimetinib in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-06-14.

Abstract PO3-06-05: Association of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles with circulating tumor DNA alterations in metastatic breast cancer patients: exploring differences in inflammatory breast cancer

Abstract Background: Liquid biopsy provides a real-time assessment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Recently, the complementary prognostic value of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been reported. We have previously confirmed the strong prognostic significance of CTCs and tdEVs in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). While previous studies have reported the association of CTCs with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) alterations in MBC, no evidence is available for tdEVs. This study aimed to analyze the association of tdEVs with ctDNA alterations, to investigate the molecular pathways underlying their presence. Moreover, we explored potential differences of this association in patients (pts) with IBC to provide a comprehensive liquid biopsy-based portrait of this aggressive subtype of BC. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 355 pts with MBC before starting a new line of therapy at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL) between 2016 and 2021 (NU16B06 trial). For CTCs and tdEVs analysis, 7.5 mL of blood was processed with the CellSearch® system. The ACCEPT software was applied to CellSearch® images to automatically enumerate CTCs and tdEVs. Positivity cutoff was ≥5 for CTCs, while tdEV cutoff points were &amp;lt; 20 (low), 20-79 (intermediate), and ≥80 (high). For ctDNA analysis, matched plasma samples (± 1 month) were analyzed with the Guardant360™ NGS platform for the detection of somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variations (CNVs), which were classified into oncogenic pathways based on defined profiles generated on the Cancer Genome Atlas database (p53, PI3K, ER, RTK, RAS, RAF, WNT, MYC, cell cycle, notch). Associations between ctDNA pathways alterations and tdEVs were tested in the overall population by multinomial logistic regression and corrected for significant clinical characteristics. Differences in liquid biopsy features between IBC and non-IBC subgroups were analyzed through Fisher's exact test. Results: Of the 355 MBC pts, 210 (62%) had HR+ BC, 61 (17%) had HER2+ BC, and 68 (20%) had triple-negative BC. Eighty-three (23%) had a diagnosis of IBC and had a numerically lower tdEV count. Also, lower tdEVs were detected in HER2+ BC as compared with HR+. Significantly higher tdEVs were observed among pts with lobular histology, liver, and bone metastases. CTC count was significantly associated with tdEV number. A matched plasma sample for ctDNA analysis was available for 175 pts (62 IBC and 113 non-IBC). In the overall population, SNVs in ER pathway were associated with intermediated/high levels of tdEVs (p=0.004 and 0.008). A similar association was observed for CNVs in the cell cycle pathway (p=0.008 and 0.007). Moreover, associations with ≥80 tdEVs were observed for PI3K SNVs and CNVs (p=0.039 and 0.004, respectively), RTK CNVs (p=0.023), and MYC CNVs (p=0.001). In multivariable analysis, clinical characteristics associated with higher tdEVs were lobular histology (p=0.014 for 20-79 and &amp;lt; 0.001 for ≥80) and bone metastases (p=0.019 for 20-79 and 0.002 for ≥80). When considering clinical variables of interest, only ER SNVs and MYC CNVs were significantly associated with intermediate (p=0.031) and high (p=0.022) tdEV counts, respectively. While the association with ER SNVs and cell cycle CNVs was significant both in the IBC and non-IBC subgroups, others were specific for a certain subgroup: higher tdEVs were significantly associated with PI3K SNVs only in non-IBC pts whereas the significant association with CNVs in PI3K and MYC pathways was observed only in pts with IBC. Conclusion: Detection of tdEVs was associated with particular genomic profiles. These alterations seem to be different in IBC further underlying a different biology of this BC subtype. Additional studies are needed to explore how to integrate different liquid-biopsy based biomarkers in the management of pts with MBC. Citation Format: Eleonora Nicolò, Lorenzo Gerratana, Lorenzo Foffano, Laura Munoz Arcos, Mara Serena Serafini, Maroua Manai, Letizia Pontolillo, Nadia Bayou, Elisabetta Molteni, Amanda Kaylan Strickland, Youbin Zhang, Paolo D’Amico, Andrew Davis, Jeannine Donahue, Huiping liu, William Gradishar, Ami Shah, Giuseppe Curigliano, Carolina Reduzzi, Massimo Cristofanilli. Association of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles with circulating tumor DNA alterations in metastatic breast cancer patients: exploring differences in inflammatory breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-06-05.

Abstract PO3-16-02: Trastuzumab and taxane chemotherapy in the first-line in MBC patients with a HER2-negative primary tumor and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells: a phase II trial

Abstract Purpose: HER2 overexpressing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are observed in up to 20% of HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients. Since targeted anti-HER2 therapy has drastically increased the outcome of patients with HER2 positive breast cancer, we hypothesized that patients with HER2 overexpressing CTCs might benefit from the addition of trastuzumab to chemotherapy. Methods: In this single-arm, phase II trial, HER2 negative patients with HER2-positive CTCs received trastuzumab as addition to first-line treatment with taxane chemotherapy (trastuzumab group). Patients with detectable CTCs but without HER2 overexpression and that received taxane chemotherapy only, were used as internal control group (taxane monotherapy group). The primary outcome measure was progression-free rate at 6 months (PFR6). The study was powered to reach a PFR6 of 80%; in this case this strategy was considered worth further investigation. In November 2022, the study was terminated early due to slow patient accrual. Results: 63 HER2 negative patients with metastatic disease were screened, of which 8 patients had HER2-positive CTCs and were treated in the first line with trastuzumab in addition a taxane. Patients receiving taxane monotherapy were used as a control group (n = 27). The median number of CTCs was 15 (range 1 – 131) in patients with HER2-positive CTCs, compared to median 5 (range 1-1047) in the control group. PFR6 was 50% in the trastuzumab group and 64% in the taxane monotherapy group, with no significant difference in median PFS (8 versus 9 months, p=0.51). Excluding the patients that had no measurable CTCs, there was a borderline significant difference between median CTC count in the patients that did and that did not have HER2 positive CTCs (p=0.05). We confirmed a significant higher CTC-count in samples that had at least one HER2-postive CTC in an independent patient set (n=233, p&amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Although this study was performed in a limited number of patients, no clinical benefit of trastuzumab was observed. Firstly, we conclude that our strategy was not feasible for clinical implementation due to high numbers needed to screen. And, second, due to the strong correlation between CTC numbers and detected CTC HER2 positivity, the prognostic value of the CTC numbers precludes judgement of any predictive value of the HER2 status of CTCs. Citation Format: Noortje Verschoor, Manouk Bos, Inge de Kruijff, Ngoc M Van, Jaco Kraan, Jan Drooger, Johanna Zuetenhorst, Saskia M Wilting, Stefan Sleijfer, Agnes Jager, John WM Martens. Trastuzumab and taxane chemotherapy in the first-line in MBC patients with a HER2-negative primary tumor and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells: a phase II trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-16-02.

Abstract PO2-15-04: Fas/FasL expression on circulating tumor and immune cells in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer (BC): correlation with clinical outcome

Abstract Background: The activation of Fas (CD95/APO-1) death receptor by Fas ligand (FasL/CD95L) can trigger a signal transduction pathway leading to apoptosis, which is a common pathway used by immune cells for tumor elimination. Cancer cells also exploit FasL expression to induce immune cell apoptosis, known as "Fas counterattack", and thus to increase their invasion and migration capacity. We herein assessed the expression of Fas and FasL on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and immune cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with metastatic BC. Methods: PB was obtained from 98 patients with metastatic BC at baseline before first-line treatment. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and immunofluorescently stained with antibodies against cytokeratins (CK; clones: AE1/AE3 &amp; C11) and CD45 for CTC detection, along with antibodies for Fas, FasL and dapi. Fas/FasL expression was individually assessed on CTCs and PBMCs using the Ariol microscopy system (2x10^6 PBMCs were analyzed per patient). Results: CTCs were detected in 26/98 (26.5%) patients (total CTC count: n=70). Fas+ CTCs and FasL+ CTCs were identified in 88.5% and 92.3% of CTC-positive patients, respectively, representing the 57.1% and 82.9% of total CTCs. Regarding co-expression at single cell level, Fas+/FasL+ CTCs were detected in 84.6% of patients, whereas Fas+/FasL- CTCs, Fas-/FasL+ CTCs and Fas-/FasL- CTCs were identified in 7.7%, 19.2% and 11.5% of patients, respectively. Regarding PBMCs, the Fas+/FasL+ phenotype was identified in 70.3%, of patients, whereas Fas-/FasL+ PBMCs and Fas-/FasL- PBMCs were detected in 24.2% and 5.5% of patients, respectively; interestingly the Fas+/FasL- expression pattern was not observed in any patient. A reduced progression-free survival (PFS) was demonstrated among CTC-positive as compared to CTC-negative patients (median PFS: 9.5 versus 13.4 months; p=0.004), and specifically those harboring Fas+/FasL+ CTCs (median PFS: 9.5 vs 13.4 months; p=0.009). Increased overall survival (OS) was demonstrated among patients harboring Fas+/FasL+ PBMCs, as compared to those with Fas-/FasL+ PBMCs and Fas-/FasL- PBMCs (median OS: 35.7 vs 25.9 vs 14.4 months; p=0.008). Conclusion: Herein we provide for the first time evidence on Fas/FasL expression on CTCs and PBMCs with significant prognostic relevance for patients with metastatic BC. The findings highlight the Fas/FasL signaling pathway as a putative mechanism of immune evasion and metastatic progression of BC. Their role as prognostic biomarkers in BC patients merits further investigation. Citation Format: Maria Papadaki, Maria Vassilakopoulou, Eleni Papadaki, Despoina Aggouraki, Chrysostomos Zioudas, Anastasia Mala, Sofia Agelaki, Dimitrios Mavroudis. Fas/FasL expression on circulating tumor and immune cells in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer (BC): correlation with clinical outcome [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-15-04.

Combination of Abiraterone Acetate, Prostate Bed Radiotherapy, and Luteinizing Hormone-releasing Hormone Agonists in Biochemically Relapsing Patients After Prostatectomy (CARLHA): A Phase 2 Clinical Trial

BackgroundThe relevance of next-generation hormone therapies and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are not elucidated in biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy. ObjectiveTo evaluate the combination of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AAP), prostate bed radiotherapy (PBRT), and goserelin in biochemically relapsing men after prostatectomy, and to investigate the utility of CTCs. Design, setting, and participantsIn this single-arm multicenter phase 2 trial, 46 biochemically relapsing men were enrolled between December 2012 and January 2019. The median follow-up was 47 mo. InterventionAll patients received AAP 1000 mg daily (but 750 mg during PBRT), salvage PBRT, and goserelin. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisThe primary outcome was 3-yr biochemical recurrence-free survival (bRFS) when prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were ≥0.2 ng/ml. The secondary outcomes included alternative bRFS (alt-bRFS) when PSA levels were ≥0.5 ng/ml and safety assessment. CTC count was assessed. Results and limitationsThe 3-yr bRFS and alt-bRFS were 81.5% (95% confidence interval or CI [66.4–90.3%]) and 95.6% (95% CI [83.5-98.9%]), respectively. The most common acute radiotherapy-related adverse effect (AE; all grades was pollakiuria (41.3%). The most common late AE (all grades) was urinary incontinence (15.2%). Grade 3-4 acute or late radiotherapy-related AEs were scarce. Most frequent AEs nonrelated to radiotherapy were hot flashes (76%), hypertension (63%), and hepatic cytolysis (50%, of which 20% were of grades 3-4). Of the patients, 11% had a CTC count of ≥5, which was correlated with poorer bRFS (p = 0.042) and alt-bRFS (p = 0.008). The association between CTC count and higher rates of relapse was independent of the baseline PSA level and PSA doubling time (p = 0.42 and p = 0.09, respectively). This study was nonrandomized with a limited number of patients, and few clinical events were reported. ConclusionsAdding AAP to salvage radiation therapy and goserelin resulted in high bRFS and alt-bRFS. AEs remained manageable, although a close liver surveillance is advised. CTC count appears as a promising biomarker for prognosis and predicting response to treatment. Patient summaryOur study was a phase 2 clinical trial that exhibited the efficacy and tolerance of a novel androgen-receptor targeting agent (abiraterone acetate plus prednisone) in patients with prostate cancer who experienced rising prostate-specific antigen after radical prostatectomy, in combination with prostate bed radiotherapy. The results also indicated the feasibility and potential value of circulating tumor cell detection, which constitutes a possible advance in managing prostate cancers.

The detection of circulating tumor cells indicates poor therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy and prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are controversial based on the existing research. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the significance of CTCs in NSCLC therapy monitoring and prognosis prediction, supporting their potential as clinical biomarkers. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, WanFang Data, CNKI, and VIP through September 20, 2023. Inclusion criteria were cohort studies involving NSCLC patients, focusing on peripheral blood CTCs, and assessing outcomes such as pre- and posttreatment CTC rates or levels, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We utilized Review Manager 5.4.1 for meta-analysis, calculating pooled odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes, mean differences for continuous variables and hazard ratios (HRs) for survival data, applying fixed- or random-effects models based on heterogeneity assessed by the I2 statistic. This study was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD42023450035). Twenty-two eligible studies with a total of 1674 NSCLC patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that the CTCs-positive rate (OR=0.59, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.77, p=0.0001) and CTCs count (mean difference=-3.10, 95% CI -5.52 to -0.69, p=0.01) were significantly decreased after antitumor treatment. Compared with the CTCs nonreduced group, the CTC-reduced group showed better PFS (HR=1.71, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.17, p<0.00001) and OS (HR=1.50, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.86, p=0.0003) after treatment. PFS and OS in CTC-positive groups were lower than those in the CTCs-negative group pretreatment (HR=2.49, 95% CI 1.78 to 3.47, p<0.00001; HR=1.80, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.52, p=0.0006) and posttreatment (HR=3.36, 95% CI 2.12 to 5.33, p<0.00001; HR=3.31, 95% CI 1.75 to 6.27, p=0.0002). CTCs can be used as a biomarker to monitor NSCLC efficacy, predict prognosis and guide follow-up treatment.

Abstract CT223: Dormancy reprograming therapy of 5-azacitidine (AZA) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer

Abstract Microenvironmental signals and epigenetic changes can instruct proliferative disseminated tumor cells to enter dormancy. The combination of Azacitidine (AZA) and All-trans retinoid acid (ATRA) can reprogram active prostate cancer (PCa) cells into a dormant state. Herein, we evaluated the safety and clinical activity of AZA + ATRA in patients (pts) with biochemically recurrent PCa. Eligible pts were those with diagnosis of PCa post-local therapy with rising PSA (PSADT &amp;lt; 10 mo). Pts were excluded if they had radiographic evidence of disease or if they were a candidate for salvage radiation therapy (RT). Eligible pts were randomized 1:1 to arm A vs. B. All pts received Lupron 7.5 mg IM at the start of study. Four weeks later, pts entered a 24-week treatment (tx) phase. Pts in arm A received AZA 40 mg/m2 SQ x 5 days and ATRA 45 mg/m2 PO x 5 days Q4W for 12 weeks (w), followed by 12w of observation. Pts in arm B underwent 12w of observation, followed by 12w of AZA and ATRA at same dosing as arm A. All pts underwent follow up until initiation of next tx. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability as assessed by CTCAE v5.0. Key secondary endpoints included % of pts with prolongation of PSADT pre- and post-tx and time to next treatment (TTNT). Levels of dormancy biomarkers, BMP4 and BMP7, were quantified using ELISA. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were analyzed for positive expression of NR2F1 using immunofluorescence. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for comparing the PSADT. All statistical analysis was performed in R. Fourteen pts were enrolled (A: N=6, B: N=8) with a median age of 66 (range 54-77). At baseline, mean PSA was 4.75 ng/ml (A: 7.11, B: 2.99) and mean PSADT was 2.89 months (A: 3.51, B: 2.43). Eight (57.1%) pts had a Gleason score &amp;gt; 8 at initial diagnosis (A: 83.3%, B: 37.5%). There were no reported Grade &amp;gt; 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and no treatment discontinuations. The most common TRAEs included hot flashes, white blood cell decreased and lymphocyte count decreased (all 8.3% each), and anemia (5.6%). There was prolongation of PSADT pre- and post-tx in 6 (46%) pts, however, overall difference in PSADT was non-significant [p&amp;gt;0.1]. 13 out of 14 (93%) pts had TTNT of &amp;gt; 6 months. One pt developed radiographic progression prior to completion of tx phase and a total of 6 pts (42.8%) within 3 months of tx phase. Out of 8 pts, 37.5% and 75% of pts showed increased levels of BMP4 and BMP7 respectively. Upon tx, CTC count decreased in 3 out of 5 pts analyzed, while CTCs were undetectable in two pts. Upon tx, NR2F1 expression could not be detected due to non-detection of CTCs, except for one pt who showed 100% NR2F1 positive CTCs in follow up. AZA + ATRA appears safe and well tolerated, and there was clinical activity in a small subset of pts potentially correlated with dormancy. Additional prospective clinical studies are needed to elucidate dormancy mechanisms further and optimize dosing strategy. Citation Format: Vaibhav G. Patel, Deepak Singh, Himanshu Joshi, Bobby Liaw, Che-Kai Tsao, Matthew Galsky, Lindsay Diamond, Julio Agguire-Ghiso, William Oh. Dormancy reprograming therapy of 5-azacitidine (AZA) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr CT223.

Abstract CT222: Efficacy and safety of ceralasertib in the PLANETTE study in patients (pts) with ATM-altered advanced solid tumors (ASTs) or metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)

Abstract Background: Ceralasertib, a potent, selective ATR inhibitor, is synthetically lethal in ATM-deficient preclinical models. This Phase 2a study (NCT04564027) assessed ceralasertib monotherapy in previously treated pts with ATM-altered tumors. Methods: Adult pts had ASTs excluding NSCLC (Cohort [Co] A; data cutoff [DCO] Dec 21 2022) or mCRPC (Co B; DCO Apr 28 2023) and germline/somatic ATM pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (PVs) by local assessment. ATM alterations were centrally confirmed by FMI F1CDx in tumor and/or FMI F1 liquid CDx in circulating tumor DNA, and/or by ATM protein deficiency by immunohistochemistry (cutoff ≤5%). Primary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) in Co A and composite response rate (CRR) in Co B. Safety was a secondary endpoint. Results: The initial starting dose of 240 mg BID PO ceralasertib on Days 1-14 of a 28-day cycle was reduced to 160 mg BID due to hematologic toxicity. Results are reported for 30 pts in Co A and 15 pts in Co B with a starting dose of 160 mg BID. In Co A, the 28 pts with centrally confirmed ATM alterations (93.3% [28/30] with ATM PV and 36.7% [11/30] ATM-deficient) had an ORR of 7.1% (80% CI: 1.9, 17.9): 1 complete response in breast cancer (ongoing at 12 mos) and 1 partial response in endometrial cancer (ongoing at 9 mos), both ATM-deficient. In Co B, the 13 pts with centrally confirmed ATM alterations (73.3% [11/15] with ATM PV and 46.7% [7/15] ATM-deficient) had a CRR of 7.7% (80% CI: 0.8, 26.8): 1 pt with conversion of circulating tumor cell count from unfavorable to favorable (ongoing at 3 mos) with unknown ATM expression. The safety profile was manageable (Table). Steady-state ceralasertib plasma concentrations exceeded the IC90 for ~23 hrs/day. Conclusion: Responses to ceralasertib monotherapy were limited in ATM-altered tumors, despite reaching target plasma levels. Alternative pt selection and combination treatment strategies are being explored. TABLE 1: NAND Efficacy, safety of ceralasertib 160 mg BID on D1-14 of D28 cycle in pts with ATM-altered ASTs/mCRPC Cohort A: ASTs Cohort B: mCRPC Efficacy Response rate in pts with centrally confirmed ATM alterations, % (80% CI)* N=28 7.1 (1.9, 17.9)† N=13 7.7 (0.8, 26.8)‡ Response rate in pts with centrally confirmed ATM PVs, % (80% CI) N=28 7.1 (1.9, 17.9) N=11 9.1 (1.0, 31.0) Response rate in pts with centrally confirmed ATM-deficiency, % (80% CI) N=11 18.2 (4.9, 41.5) N=7 0.0 (0.0, 28.0) Safety, n (%) N=30 N=15 TEAEs 30 (100) 15 (100) Grade ≥3 TEAEs 15 (50.0) 8 (53.3) TRAEs 21 (70.0) 13 (86.7) Grade ≥3 TRAEs 6 (20.0) 5 (33.3) Serious TEAEs 4 (13.3) 4 (26.7) Serious TRAEs 2 (6.7) 1 (6.7) TEAEs leading to discontinuation 1 (3.3)§ 0 TEAEs leading to death 0 0 TEAEs (any grade) occurring in ≥20% of pts in either cohort, n (%) N=30 N=15 Nausea 13 (43.3) 8 (53.3) Abdominal pain 9 (30.0) 1 (6.7) Anemia 8 (26.7) 7 (46.7) Fatigue 8 (26.7) 5 (33.3) Asthenia 8 (26.7) 2 (13.3) Decreased appetite 7 (23.3) 3 (20.0) *Centrally confirmed ATM-altered patients were patients with either ATM PV confirmed by FMI F1CDx in tumor and/or by FMI F1 liquid CDx in circulating tumor DNA and/or ATM protein-deficient by immunohistochemistry assay at Ventana with cut-off ≤5%. Thus, ATM PV patients could also have ATM protein-deficiency. †Objective response by RECIST v1.1, in centrally confirmed ATM-altered patients. ‡Composite response: by RECIST v1.1 for soft tissue and visceral lesions and PCWG3 criteria for bone lesions; confirmed conversion of circulating tumor cell count from ≥5/7.5 mL blood to &amp;lt;5/7.5 mL; or confirmed prostate-specific antigen decline of &amp;gt;50%, in centrally confirmed ATM-altered patients. §Discontinuation due to decreased appetite classified as a serious adverse event. ASTs, advanced solid tumors; CI, confidence interval; mCRPC, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; PV, pathogenic variant; pts, patients; TEAE, treatment-emergent adverse event; TRAE, treatment-related adverse event Citation Format: Rahul Aggarwal, Antoine Italiano, Susan Domchek, Oscar Goodman, Sophie Postel-Vinay, Jesus Garcia-Donas, Tanya Dorff, Zachery Reichert, Philippe Cassier, Neal Shore, Catherine Marshall, Graeme Parr, Itziar Irurzun-Arana, Neel Shah, Natalia Lukashchuk, Olga Murina, Daniel Slade, Bienvenu Loembé, Emma Dean, Elhan Sanai, Wassim Abida. Efficacy and safety of ceralasertib in the PLANETTE study in patients (pts) with ATM-altered advanced solid tumors (ASTs) or metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr CT222.

Circulating tumor cells help differentiate benign ovarian lesions from cancer before surgery: A literature review and proof of concept study using flow cytometry with fluorescence imaging.

Current tools are insufficient for distinguishing patients with ovarian cancer from those with benign ovarian lesions before extensive surgery. The present study utilized a readily accessible platform employing a negative selection strategy, followed by flow cytometry, to enumerate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with ovarian cancer. These counts were compared with those from patients with benign ovarian lesions. CTC counts at baseline, before and after anticancer therapy, and across various clinical scenarios involving ovarian lesions were assessed. A negative-selection protocol we proposed was applied to patients with suspected ovarian cancer and prospectively utilized in those subsequently confirmed to have malignancy. The protocol was implemented before anticancer therapy and at months 3, 6, 9 and 12 post-treatment. A cut-off value for CTC number at 4.75 cells/ml was established to distinguish ovarian malignancy from benign lesions, with an area under the curve of 0.900 (P<0.001). In patients with ovarian cancer, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that baseline CTC counts and the decline in CTCs within the first three months post-therapy were significant predictors of prolonged progression-free survival. Additionally, baseline CTC counts independently prognosticated overall survival. CTC counts obtained with the proposed platform, used in the present study, suggest that pre-operative CTC testing may be able to differentiate between malignant and benign tumors. Moreover, CTC counts may indicate oncologic outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer who have undergone cancer therapies.

Abstract 3699: Identifying novel resistance biomarkers in circulating tumor cell-expressed transcriptomes of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors

Abstract Introduction: For individuals with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), therapeutic options include androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) like abiraterone or enzalutamide, as well as taxane-based chemotherapy. Despite this, establishing the best treatment approach is still debated, with varied responses to treatments observed. Notably, around 30%-40% of mCRPC patients either do not benefit from ARSI therapy or quickly become resistant. PSMA PET/CT demonstrates prognostic significance in forecasting responses to ARSI treatments, underscoring its utility in managing mCRPC. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of blood test-measured PSMA expression levels in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer remains uncertain. Consequently, there is a crucial demand for predictive biomarkers, particularly those indicating therapeutic resistance, to customize treatments according to the unique tumor biology of individual patients. Materials and Methods: We recruited 21 healthy donors and 60 ARSI-treated metastatic castration-resistive prostate cancer patients. We isolate the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using lateral magnetophoretic microfluidic technology. The EpCAM-labeled CTCs were specifically isolated by microfluidic technology and analyzed for cell enumeration and transcriptomic analysis. Prostate cancer and epithelial-related six genes (PSMA, PSA, AR, AR-V7, EpCAM, and KRT19) were detected by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) method. Results: In ARSI-treated groups, the connection between transcript expression and CTC count is differentiated by the presence or absence of a PSA response. Specifically, 41.7% (25/60) of the ARSI group exhibited a PSA non-response, defined as less than a 50% reduction from the baseline level. These patients demonstrated elevated PSA, PSMA, and AR-V7 mRNA expression levels. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with high PSMA, PSA, and AR-V7 expressions and a higher CTC count experienced poorer PSA-PFS, radiological-PFS, and overall survival (OS) than those with lower expression levels. This trend was echoed in the findings of the proportional hazards model. Notably, patients with higher PSMA mRNA expression faced significantly lower PSA-PFS (HR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.20-4.33, p = 0.012), radiological-PFS (HR: 4.75, 95% CI: 2.27-9.93, p &amp;lt; 0.001), and OS (HR: 6.99, 95% CI: 2.93-16.73, p &amp;lt; 0.001) than those with lower expression. The Cox model presented analogous results for CTC count and PSA mRNA levels. However, other transcripts, such as AR, KRT19, and EpCAM, did not correlate significantly with the response to ARSI treatment. Conclusions: The study's conclusion revealed that PSMA, PSA, and AR-V7 are biomarkers resistant to ARSI treatment among the CTC-derived transcriptomic genes. Citation Format: Hyungseok Cho, Jiwon Cha, Ki-Ho Han, Jae-Seung Chung. Identifying novel resistance biomarkers in circulating tumor cell-expressed transcriptomes of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3699.

Abstract 7485: Microfluidic detection of dual positive cells in whole blood of metastatic breast cancer patients

Abstract Background. Dual positive cells (DPCs) that express both epithelial markers and leukocytic markers have been observed in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients. DPCs acquire functional behaviors from both cell types which may drive tumor progression. However, the lack of reliable methods to isolate and identify DPCs has hindered the investigation of their origin and clinical implications in breast cancer patients. While microfluidic devices have been widely used for the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) by liquid biopsy, DPC detection is underexplored in these devices. Herein, we demonstrate rapid onchip isolation and detection of DPCs in whole blood samples from metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients using an integrated microfluidic device. Methods. Our microfluidic device consists of a unique preconditioning component that concentrates targets in whole blood and a downstream cell immobilization component that captures target cells. We included 7 female patients with MBC, of which 29% are white (2), 57% are African American (4), and 14% are Latina (1). The median age is 50y (34y -75y). All patients were undergoing systemic breast cancer therapy at the time of blood collection. A total of 9 samples (4 mL each) were collected from either an antecubital vein (peripheral vein) or the subcutaneous port catheter (central vein) of these patients. All samples were processed within 5 hours of blood drawn in our novel microfluidic biochip. CTCs (EpCAM+/CK+, CD45-, DAPI+) and DPCs (EpCAM+/CK+, CD45+/CD66b+, DAPI+) were identified by immunofluorescence after cells were fixed. Results. Processing of each sample was completed within 40 minutes using our microfluidic device. Both DPCs and CTCs were detected in all the samples (9/9). The average DPC count was 3 DPCs per 4 mL whole blood with a standard deviation of 1.9 cells. The average CTC count was 9 with a standard deviation of 5 per 4 mL whole blood. 89% of the samples (8/9) had &amp;gt; 5 CTCs after the sample volume is scaled to the standard 7.5 mL. No correlation was found between DPC count and CTC count (Pearson correlation coefficient r=0.08). While the blood collection location (central vs peripheral veins) had a significant impact on the CTC count (12.6 vs 4 on average with p&amp;lt;0.01), there was no statistical difference in DPC counts in the samples collected from central and peripheral veins. Conclusions. Both DPCs and CTCs can be rapidly isolated and detected from MBC patient whole blood in our microfluidic device. Our preliminary results indicate no correlation between DPCs and CTCs, suggesting that DPCs might not originate in blood circulation of MBC patients. More work with a larger patient cohort will be needed to further investigate the clinical implications of DPCs on MBC patients. Citation Format: Jian Zhou, Qiyue Luan, Celine Macaraniag, Arielle B. Guzman, Maria Mantice, Oana Danciu, Kent F. Hoskins, Ian Papautsky. Microfluidic detection of dual positive cells in whole blood of metastatic breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7485.

Abstract 7500: Distribution and prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) in patients (pts) with lobular metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

Abstract Background: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) has distinctive clinical and molecular features compared with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). CTCs and tdEVs are independent prognostic factors in MBC, however, liquid biopsy studies focusing on ILC are to date scarce. Higher CTC levels have been observed in ILC than IDC. One study including 28 ILC pts suggested the use of higher CTC cutoff for prognosis stratification. The clinical significance of tdEVs in ILC is unexplored. This study aimed to assess differences in the distribution and prognostic value of CTCs and tdEVs between ILC and IDC. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 304 pts with MBC before starting a new line of therapy at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL) between 2016 and 2021 (NU16B06 trial). Blood was processed with the CellSearch® system. The ACCEPT software was applied to CellSearch® images to automatically enumerate CTCs and tdEVs. Association of CTCs and tdEVs with overall survival (OS) was tested in ILC and IDC pts. A count of CTCs ≥ 5 was considered high. The cutoff levels for tdEVs were &amp;lt; 20 (low), 20-79 (intermediate), and ≥ 80 (high), as previously reported. Additional exploratory cutoffs for CTCs (≥ 20, ≥ 50, ≥ 80, and ≥ 100) and tdEVs (based on quartiles of tdEV distribution in the overall population and ILC) were also evaluated. Results: Of the 304 pts, 47 had ILC while 257 had IDC. 56% of pts received first-line therapy. Median CTC count was 8 [interquartile range (IQR) 2-35] in ILC and 1 (IQR 0-8) in IDC pts (P &amp;lt;.001). A significantly higher median tdEVs count was observed in ILC (36; IQR 18-115) than in IDC (11; IQR 2-86) pts (P =.002). High levels of CTCs (≥5) were not associated with OS in ILC (P =.88), even when higher cutoffs (≥ 20, ≥ 50, and ≥ 80) were used. Only the detection of ≥ 100 CTCs was significantly associated with OS in ILC pts (median OS 36 vs 10 months; HR 3.4; P =.028). In contrast, the prognostic effect of CTCs ≥ 5 was strong in IDC and maintained for all cutoffs. Similarly, while the prognostic value for tdEVs was confirmed for IDC using both 20-80 and exploratory cutoffs (3-105 and 18-155), no association between tdEV levels and OS was observed in ILC regardless of the cutoffs used. Conclusion: ILC is associated with higher CTCs and tdEVs compared to IDC, probably due to the impaired cell-cell adhesion that characterizes ILC. Unlike IDC, the prognostic effect for the established cutoff of ≥ 5 CTC was not observed in ILC. A higher CTC cutoff could be considered for this subtype of BC. For tdEV no association with OS was observed, regardless of the cutoff used. These findings emphasize that ILC is a distinct entity also in the liquid biopsy features. Because of the low prevalence of ILC, research efforts should be directed at combining data from ILC pts to better characterize this subtype of BC and understand the reason behind the different associations with OS as compared to IDC. Citation Format: Eleonora Nicolo, Lorenzo Gerratana, Lorenzo Foffano, Laura Munoz-Arcos, Mara S. Serafini, Maroua Manai, Letizia Pontolillo, Nadia Bayou, Elisabetta Molteni, Amanda K. Strickland, Caterina Gianni, Youbin Zhang, Paolo D'Amico, Andrew A. Davis, Jeannine Donahue, Huiping Liu, William J. Gradishar, Ami N. Shah, Giuseppe Curigliano, Carolina Reduzzi, Massimo Cristofanilli. Distribution and prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) in patients (pts) with lobular metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7500.

Abstract 7665: Detection of γ-OHPdG as a hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence biomarker by CTCs and LC-MS/MS

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. Recurrence risks following curative resection remain high, ~50% after three years and 75-100% over five years. A biomarker for HCC recurrence is urgently needed to help lead treatment strategies. We previously showed that hepatic γ-hydroxy-1, N2-propano-2′-deoxyguanosine (γ-OHPdG), a DNA adduct derived from lipid peroxidation, increased during hepatocarcinogenesis. Furthermore, in a retrospective study, higher γ-OHPdG levels in post-surgical liver tumor tissues were associated with poorer survival (p&amp;lt;0.0001) and shorter recurrence-free survival (p=0.007), suggesting that it may be a prognostic biomarker for HCC (Hepatology 2018). In this study, we aimed to test γ-OHPdG detected in livers after curative resection as a recurrence biomarker in a prospective study and, in addition, we developed a new non-invasive method for γ-OHPdG in circulating tumor cells (CTCs). This multicenter study seeks to validate γ-OHPdG as a biomarker for HCC recurrence. Methods: A total of 28 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy at MedStar/Georgetown University Hospital, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical Center were enrolled. γ-OHPdG was detected in DNA isolated from hepatic tumors and non-tumors by a previous liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method and in HCC CTCs isolated from blood samples. CTCs were isolated using hepatocyte-specific rabbit anti-asialoglycoprotein-1 (ASGPR-1), followed by staining with mouse anti-γ-OHPdG antibodies. Clinical outcomes were correlated with γ-OHPdG in liver tissues and CTCs. Results: In our current cohort of 28 patients (mean age: 64.7 years; 82% male), five patients experienced HCC recurrence, with an estimated progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 85% over 8 months. γ-OHPdG levels (adducts/109 nucleotides) detected by LC-MS/MS varied widely in tumor tissues (5-56, mean: 11.8) and non-tumor tissue (7-71, mean: 20.6). Preliminary analysis showed shorter PFS associated with γ-OHPdG in non-tumors (cutoff: 16, p=0.0271). γ-OHPdG (arbitrary units x107) in CTCs also varied widely in the nucleus (0.95-18.84, mean: 2.85) and in the whole cell (0.16- 52.18, mean: 9.72). Total CTC γ-OHPdG intensity in both the nucleus (p=0.006) and in the whole cell (p=0.005) was associated with its levels in non-tumor tissue. Furthermore, a shorter PFS was associated with CTC count (cutoff: 270 cells, p=0.01), and total CTC whole cell γ-OHPdG intensity (cutoff: 21.17 × 107 arbitrary units, p=0.002). Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that γ-OHPdG, measured in tissues by LC-MS/MS and in blood by CTC, predicts HCC recurrence. Once evaluated in all enrolled subjects, multiple variant analyses will be carried out to include stage, AFP, grade of differentiation, vascular invasion on surgical samples, and status of viral hepatitis infection. Citation Format: Mark Kuo, Merve Ozge Aktop, Elie Ghabi, Mahmoud A. Ouf, Margaret Carder, Vinona Muralidaran, Jhalen Ascue, Marketa Hlouskova, Pengfei Wu, Guang Cheng, Stephen S. Hecht, Hong-Bin Fang, Nader Hanna, Jin He, Alexander H. Kroemer, Monika Aggarwal, Aiwu R. He, Fung-Lung Chung. Detection of γ-OHPdG as a hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence biomarker by CTCs and LC-MS/MS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7665.

Abstract 7487: Construction of a reliable CTC detection method and validity evaluation of CTC markers in colorectal cancer

Abstract Even in modern times when medical technology has advanced, cancer remains a life-threatening disease, and recurrence and metastasis are major issues in cancer treatment. The characteristics of cancer cells change with progression and treatment. Therefore, timely evaluation on their characteristics and decision on the treatment strategy are required. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released into blood vessels in solid tumors and promote metastasis by circulating in the blood. CTCs are thus attractive targets for liquid biopsy and can provide useful information for selection of appropriate treatment. To obtain reliable results from CTC testing, it is important to prove that the detected cells are derived from cancerous tissue. In molecular tests targeting CTCs, it is still unclear whether the detected cells are derived from cancer tissue displaying genetic mutations. Aiming to establish reliable CTC testing, we have developed a simple method using molecular imaging flow cytometry to detect APC gene mutation together with Cytokeratin and Vimentin, which are epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers. Since, abnormalities in the APC gene are detected in 60-70% of colorectal cancer patients, detecting such mutations provides strong evidence that the detected cells are derived from cancerous tissue. Here, we show that upon evaluation of analytical performance of our method using cells isolated from cancerous tissue, our method showed high concordance rate against APC gene mutation. A clinical proof-of-concept using 5 mL of whole blood from colorectal cancer patients revealed that counts of cells with APC mutation in blood and cells with Cytokeratin and/or Vimentin expression in blood are highly correlated. Our results demonstrated a pathological stage-dependent increase in the count and frequency of Cytokeratin and/or Vimentin positive CTCs. We believe that our study not only establishes a practical approach for identifying CTCs in cancer patients but also provides potential implications in clinical practice, prognostic evaluation, and selection of treatment strategies. Citation Format: Yusuke Takahashi, Yuichi Ijiri, Shiki Fujino, Nakhaei Elnaz, Ayuko Kishimoto, Kentaro Shirai, Shigeki Iwanaga, Masatoshi Yanagida, Ali Asgar Bhagat, Norikatsu Miyoshi. Construction of a reliable CTC detection method and validity evaluation of CTC markers in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7487.