EGFR-mutated Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma Research Articles

The expression of circulating miR-504 in plasma is associated with EGFR mutation status in non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), key regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, are grossly misregulated in some human cancers, including non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The aberrant expression of specific miRNAs results in the abnormal regulation of key components of signalling pathways in tumour cells. MiRNA levels and the activity of the gene targets, including oncogenes and tumour suppressors, produce feedback that changes miRNA expression levels and indicates the cell’s genetic activity. In this study, we measured the expression of five circulating miRNAs (miR-195, miR-504, miR-122, miR-10b and miR-21) and evaluated their association with EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR (EGFR) mutation status in 66 NSCLC patients. Moreover, we examined the discriminative power of circulating miRNAs for EGFR mutant‐positive and -negative NSCLC patients using two different data normalisation approaches. We extracted total RNA from the plasma of 66 non-squamous NSCLC patients (31 of whom had tumours with EGFR mutations) and measured circulating miRNA levels using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The miRNA expression levels were normalised using two endogenous controls: miR-191 and miR-16. We found significant associations between the expression of circulating miR-504 and EGFR-activating mutations in NSCLC patients regardless of the normalisation approach used (p = 0.0072 and 0.0236 for miR-16 and miR-191 normalisation, respectively). The greatest discriminative power of circulating miR-504 was observed in patients with EGFR exon 19 deletions versus wild-type EGFR normalised to miR-191 (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Interestingly, circulating miR-504 levels were significantly reduced in the v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS)-mutated subgroup compared to EGFR-mutated patients (p < 0.0030) and those with EGFR/KRAS wild-type tumours (p < 0.0359). Our study demonstrated the feasibility and potential diagnostic value of plasma miR-504 expression analysis to distinguish between EGFR-mutated and wild-type NSCLC patients. However, quality control and normalisation strategies are very important and have a major impact on the outcomes of circulating miRNA analyses.

144PD Leptomeningeal metastases in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung carcinoma: Management after tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Background: Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are associated with poor outcome. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are active in LM+ EGFR mutated (EGFRm) patients (pts), but optimal patient's management after failure of TKIs is unknown. Methods: We included consecutive pts with EGFRm NSCLC who had LM progression during first-line EGFR TKI, defined as diagnosis of LM during TKI treatment or progression of known LM after first-line TKI, treated in our institution. Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively collected. We evaluated overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), clinical response rate (CRR), and disease control rate (DCR) defined as clinical response or stable disease >2 months. Results: We included 66 pts treated between Apr. 2003 and Sept. 2016, with a median age of 54 years [26–79]; 51 (77%) were females; 56 (85%) non-smokers. Twenty-three tumors (35%) had exon 19 deletion, 23 (35%) L858R exon 21 mutation, 10 (15%) T790M mutation. Median number of previous lines was 2 [1–7], and 19 pts (29%) had additional intrathecal treatment. 2nd line TKI was given to 36 pts (55%): 19 (53%) received erlotinib, 10 (28%) high dose (HD) erlotinib (300 mg daily), 3 osimertinib, 4 other 1st/2nd generation TKI (3 gefitinib, 1 afatinib). Median PFS and OS from LM progression were 3 months (m) [CI95% 2–3] and 7 m [CI95% 3–16], respectively. CRR and DCR for 2nd-line TKI were 43% and 77%. Nine pts (25%) were alive at 10 m (6 erlotinib, 1 HD erlotinib, 2 osimertinib). Median OS for erlotinib, HD erlotinib, osimertinib and other 1st/2nd generation TKI were 8 m (CI 95% 7–16), 3 m (CI 95% 2-not reached (NR)), NR (CI 95% NR-NR), and 2.5 m (CI 95% 0-NR), respectively. Patients treated with erlotinib, of whom 79% received prior afatinib or gefitinib, had better OS compared to patients treated with other 1st/2nd generation TKI (8 m vs. 2.5 m, P = 0.04). CRR and DCR in patients with HD erlotinib were 40% and 60%, respectively, of whom 80% received prior erlotinib. Conclusions: 2nd-line TKI can increase survival in LM+ EGFRm NSCLC previously treated with TKI. Sequential erlotinib after prior gefitinib or afatinib seems to be a suitable strategy. Increasing erlotinib dose has demonstrated clinical benefit. Legal entity responsible for the study: Gustave Roussy Funding: Has not received any funding Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Erlotinib and bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and activating EGFR mutations (BELIEF): an international, multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib improves the outcomes of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) harbouring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. The coexistence of the T790M resistance mutation with another EGFR mutation in treatment-naive patients has been associated with a shorter progression-free survival to EGFR inhibition than in the absence of the T790M mutation. To test this hypothesis clinically, we developed a proof-of-concept study, in which patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC were treated with the combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab, stratified by the presence of the pretreatment T790M mutation. BELIEF was an international, multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial done at 29 centres in eight European countries. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older and had treatment-naive, pathologically confirmed stage IIIB or stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with a confirmed, activating EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion or L858R mutation). Patients received oral erlotinib 150 mg per day and intravenous bevacizumab 15 mg/kg every 21 days and were tested centrally for the pretreatment T790M resistance mutation with a peptide nucleic acid probe-based real-time PCR. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. The primary efficacy analysis was done in the intention-to-treat population and was stratified into two parallel substudies according to the centrally confirmed pretreatment T790M mutation status of enrolled patients (T790M positive or negative). The safety analysis was done in all patients that have received at least one dose of trial treatment. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01562028. Between June 11, 2012, and Oct 28, 2014, 109 patients were enrolled and included in the efficacy analysis. 37 patients were T790M mutation positive and 72 negative. The overall median progression-free survival was 13·2 months (95% CI 10·3-15·5), with a 12 month progression-free survival of 55% (95% CI 45-64). The primary endpoint was met only in substudy one (T790M-positive patients). In the T790M-positive group, median progression-free survival was 16·0 months (12·7 to not estimable), with a 12 month progression-free survival of 68% (50-81), whereas in the T790M-negative group, median progression-free survival was 10·5 months (9·4-14·2), with a 12 month progression-free survival of 48% (36-59). Of 106 patients included in the safety analysis, five had grade 4 adverse events (one acute coronary syndrome, one biliary tract infection, one other neoplasms, and two colonic perforations) and one died due to sepsis. The BELIEF trial provides further evidence of benefit for the combined use of erlotinib and bevacizumab in patients with NSCLC harbouring activating EGFR mutations. European Thoracic Oncology Platform, Roche.

HHLA2, a New Immune Checkpoint Member of the B7 Family, Is Widely Expressed in Human Lung Cancer and Associated with EGFR Mutational Status

Immunotherapy with antibodies against B7/CD28 family members, including PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 has shifted the treatment paradigm for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with improved clinical outcome. HHLA2 is a newly discovered member of the family. By regulating T-cell function, HHLA2 could contribute to tumor immune suppression and thus be a novel target for cancer immunotherapy. There is limited information and critical need to characterize its expression profile and clinical significance in NSCLC. We performed IHC with an HHLA2-specific antibody (clone 566.1) using tissue microarrays constructed from 679 NSCLC tumor tissues, including 392 cases in the discovery set and 287 cases in the validation cohort. We also studied clinicopathologic characteristics of these patients. Overall, HHLA2 was not detected in most of normal lung tissue but expressed in 66% of NSCLC across different subtypes. In particular, EGFR-mutated NSCLC was significantly associated with higher tumor HHLA2 expression in both discovery (EGFR vs. WT: 76% vs. 53%, P = 0.01) and validation cohorts (89% vs. 69%, P = 0.01). In one of the two cohorts, HHLA2 expression was higher in lung adenocarcinoma as compared with squamous and large cell histology, non-Hispanic White versus Hispanics, and tumors with high tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density. In the multivariate analysis, EGFR mutation status and high TIL intensity were independently associated with HHLA2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma. HHLA2 is widely expressed in NSCLC and is associated with EGFR mutation and high TILs in lung adenocarcinoma. It is potentially a novel target for lung cancer immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(3); 825-32. ©2016 AACR.

A fluorescent light-up aggregation-induced emission probe for screening gefitinib-sensitive non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Fluorescent light-up probes with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics have been focused on recently. In this report, a new fluorescent probe, namely, DEVD-TPE, which consisted of the substrate peptide Asp-Glu-Val-Asp (DEVD) and the AIE reporter group tetraphenylethene (TPE), was developed for detecting caspase-3 in living cells. In a slightly alkaline solution, the DEVD-TPE probe displayed almost no fluorescence owing to the dynamic rotation of the phenyl rings in solution. However, DEVD-TPE exhibited significant fluorescence when it was cleaved by caspase-3, as well as when the reporter group TPE underwent aggregation. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor gefitinib was used for determining the screening efficacy of the probe for different non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines, namely, HCC827, A549 and H1650 cells. Cell proliferation and apoptosis assays indicated that the three cell lines had different sensitivities to gefitinib. The results of analysis by living-cell fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry were consistent with those of the cell proliferation and apoptosis assays. This demonstrated that our probe could detect caspase-3 in living cells, which confirmed the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, our probe indicated that gefitinib was more efficient against HCC827 cells than against the other two NSCLC cell lines. This report proves that the fluorescent probe DEVD-TPE is highly sensitive to caspase-3 and has potential prospects in the rapid screening of NSCLC.

Limits and potential of targeted sequencing analysis of liquid biopsy in patients with lung and colon carcinoma

The circulating free tumor DNA (ctDNA) represents an alternative, minimally invasive source of tumor DNA for molecular profiling. Targeted sequencing with next generation sequencing (NGS) can assess hundred mutations starting from a low DNA input. We performed NGS analysis of ctDNA from 44 patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and 35 patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma (CRC). NGS detected EGFR mutations in 17/22 plasma samples from EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients (sensitivity 77.3%). The concordance rate between tissue and plasma in NSCLC was much lower for other mutations such as KRAS that, based on the allelic frequency and the fraction of neoplastic cells, were likely to be sub-clonal. NGS also identified EGFR mutations in plasma samples from two patients with EGFR wild type tumor tissue. Both mutations were confirmed by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in both plasma and tissue samples. In CRC, the sensitivity of the NGS plasma analysis for RAS mutations was 100% (6/6) in patients that had not resection of the primary tumor before blood drawing, and 46.2% (6/13) in patients with primary tumor resected before enrollment. Our study showed that NGS is a suitable method for plasma testing. However, its clinical sensitivity is significantly affected by the presence of the primary tumor and by the heterogeneity of driver mutations.

Clinical Utility of Patient-Derived Xenografts to Determine Biomarkers of Prognosis and Map Resistance Pathways in EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -mutated adenocarcinomas initially have high response rates to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), most patients eventually develop resistance. Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are considered preferred preclinical models to study the biology of patient tumors. EGFR-mutant PDX models may be valuable tools to study the biology of these tumors and to elucidate mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-targeted therapies. Surgically resected early-stage non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) tumors were implanted into nonobese diabetic severe combined immune deficient (NOD-SCID) mice. EGFR TKI treatment was initiated at tumor volumes of 150 μL. Gene expression analysis was performed using a microarray platform. Of 33 lung adenocarcinomas with EGFR activating mutations, only 6 (18%) engrafted and could be propagated beyond passage one. Engraftment was associated with upregulation of genes involved in mitotic checkpoint and cell proliferation. A differentially expressed gene set between engrafting and nonengrafting patients could identify patients harboring EGFR-mutant tumor with significantly different prognoses in The Cancer Genome Atlas Lung Adenocarcinoma datasets. The PDXs included models with variable sensitivity to first- and second-generation EGFR TKIs and the monoclonal antibody cetuximab. All EGFR-mutant NSCLC PDXs studied closely recapitulated their corresponding patient tumor phenotype and clinical course, including response pattern to EGFR TKIs. PDX models closely recapitulate primary tumor biology and clinical outcome. They may serve as important laboratory models to investigate mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies, and for preclinical testing of novel treatment strategies.

The EGFR mutation status affects the relative biological effectiveness of carbon-ion beams in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) holds promise to treat inoperable locally-advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), a disease poorly controlled by standard chemoradiotherapy using X-rays. Since CIRT is an extremely limited medical resource, selection of NSCLC patients likely to benefit from it is important; however, biological predictors of response to CIRT are ill-defined. The present study investigated the association between the mutational status of EGFR and KRAS, driver genes frequently mutated in NSCLC, and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of carbon-ion beams over X-rays. The assessment of 15 NSCLC lines of different EGFR/KRAS mutational status and that of isogenic NSCLC lines expressing wild-type or mutant EGFR revealed that EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells, but not KRAS-mutant cells, show low RBE. This was attributable to (i) the high X-ray sensitivity of EGFR-mutant cells, since EGFR mutation is associated with a defect in non-homologous end joining, a major pathway for DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, and (ii) the strong cell-killing effect of carbon-ion beams due to poor repair of carbon-ion beam-induced DSBs regardless of EGFR mutation status. These data highlight the potential of EGFR mutation status as a predictor of response to CIRT, i.e., CIRT may show a high therapeutic index in EGFR mutation-negative NSCLC.

Reduced-dose versus full-dose erlotinib for advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC): A retrospective analysis.

8074 Background: Erlotinib is an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) which is FDA-approved at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 150mg daily with dose limiting toxicities of diarrhea and rash. Pr...

AURKA upregulation plays a role in fibroblast-reduced gefitinib sensitivity in the NSCLC cell line HCC827.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) have been used to treat non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients that have EGFR-activating mutations. EGFR-TKI monotherapy in most NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations who initially respond to EGFR-TKIs results in the development of acquired resistance. We investigated the role of fibroblasts in stromal cell-mediated resistance to gefitinib-induced apoptosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells. While gefitinib induced apoptosis in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells, apoptosis induction was diminished under stromal co-culture conditions. Protection appeared to be mediated in part by Aurora-A kinase (AURKA) upregulation. The protective effect of stromal cells was significantly reduced by pre-exposure to AURKA-shRNA. We suggest that combinations of AURKA antagonists and EGFR inhibitors may be effective in clinical trials targeting mutant EGFR NSCLCs.

EPS8 Inhibition Increases Cisplatin Sensitivity in Lung Cancer Cells

Cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic, is associated with ototoxicity, renal toxicity and neurotoxicity, thus identifying means to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin may allow for improved outcomes. A SNP (rs4343077) within EPS8, discovered through a genome wide association study of cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), provided impetus to further study this gene. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the role of EPS8 in cellular susceptibility to cisplatin in cancerous and non-cancerous cells. We used EPS8 RNA interference to determine the effect of decreased EPS8 expression on LCL and A549 lung cancer cell sensitivity to cisplatin. EPS8 knockdown in LCLs resulted in a 7.9% increase in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 1.98×10−7) and an 8.7% decrease in apoptosis (P = 0.004) compared to control. In contrast, reduced EPS8 expression in lung cancer cells resulted in a 20.6% decrease in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 5.08×10−5). We then investigated an EPS8 inhibitor, mithramycin A, as a potential agent to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin. Mithramycin A decreased EPS8 expression in LCLs resulting in decreased cellular sensitivity to cisplatin as evidenced by lower caspase 3/7 activation following cisplatin treatment (42.7%±6.8% relative to control P = 0.0002). In 5 non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines, mithramycin A also resulted in decreased EPS8 expression. Adding mithramycin to 4 NSCLC cell lines and a bladder cancer cell line, resulted in increased sensitivity to cisplatin that was significantly more pronounced in tumor cell lines than in LCL lines (p<0.0001). An EGFR mutant NSCLC cell line (H1975) showed no significant change in sensitivity to cisplatin with the addition of mithramycin treatment. Therefore, an inhibitor of EPS8, such as mithramycin A, could improve cisplatin treatment by increasing sensitivity of tumor relative to normal cells.

Silibinin meglumine, a water-soluble form of milk thistle silymarin, is an orally active anti-cancer agent that impedes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung carcinoma cells

Silibinin is the primary active constituent of a crude extract (silymarin) from milk thistle plant (Silybum marianum) seeds. We explored the ability of an oral milk thistle extract formulation that was enriched with a water-soluble form of silibinin complexed with the amino-sugar meglumine to inhibit the growth of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) mouse xenografts. As a single agent, oral silibinin meglumine notably decreased the overall volumes of NSCLC tumors as efficiently as did the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib. Concurrent treatment with silibinin meglumine impeded the regrowth of gefitinib-unresponsive tumors, resulting in drastic tumor growth prevention. Because the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is required by a multiplicity of mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs, we evaluated the ability of silibinin meglumine to impede the EMT in vitro and in vivo. Silibinin-meglumine efficiently prevented the loss of markers associated with a polarized epithelial phenotype as well as the de novo synthesis of proteins associated with the mesenchymal morphology of transitioning cells. Our current findings with this non-toxic, orally active, and water-soluble silibinin formulation might facilitate the design of clinical trials to test the administration of silibinin meglumine-containing injections, granules, or beverages in combination with EGFR TKIs in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

Bisphosphonate zoledronic acid enhances the inhibitory effects of gefitinib on EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung carcinoma cells

Patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) bearing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations are good responders to gefitinib (Iressa), an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), yet these patients may eventually develop acquired resistance to all available EGFR-TKIs. Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs) are inhibitors of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) synthase as well as chelators of divalent cations. This study was undertaken to examine if the N-BP zoledronic acid (zoledronate) possessing antitumor activity could enhance the antitumor effect of gefitinib on the HCC827 NSCLC cell line expressing mutated EGFR. Both gefitinib and zoledronate were cytotoxic to HCC827 cells when treated alone. Combined treatment with gefitinib (0.025 μM) that induced G 0/ G 1 arrest and zoledronate (50 μM) that caused S/ G 2/ M accumulation generated an additive induction in cell cytotoxicity, sub- G 1 cell population, and apoptosis. Gefitinib suppressed EGF-activated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt, while zoledronate seemed to impose its pharmacological effect independent of ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation. The volumes of xenografted tumors in nude mice co-administered with gefitinib (1 mg/kg/day, five days a week, p.o.) and zoledronate (10 μg/kg, twice weekly, i.p.) were significantly smaller than those of tumors in mice treated with gefitinib alone at the last stage of a 6-week in vivo study. Severe peri-tumoral fat loss frequently observed in gefitinib-treated mice disappeared in mice receiving the combined treatment. Hence, combined treatment of gefitinib with zoledronate may form a basis to develop a more effective and less toxic therapy for NSCLC with EGFR gene mutations.