Third-generation Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Research Articles

Abstract 5477: Compound A, a fourth-generation allosteric inhibitor, a potent and highly selective EGFR with L858R activating and C797S resistance mutations for the treatment of NSCLC

Abstract The L858R activating mutation in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) accounts for approximately 40% of EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These patients receive targeted therapy targeting EGFR mutation. To date all approved EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are ATP competitive inhibitors, inevitably lead to drug resistance and to disease progress. Osimertinib is a third-generation EGFR TKI that selectively inhibits both EGFR TKI-sensitizing (L858R) mutation and T790M mutation that confers acquired resistance to first- and second-generation EGFR-TKIs. The patients develop secondary resistance L858R/C797S and L858R/T790M/C797S to this treatment in some cases. There have been strong unmet needs for specific therapies targeting C797S resistance mutations. Additionally, toxicities caused by inhibition of wild-type (WT) EGFR are frequently reported with the first-generation inhibitors (e.g. Gefitinib and Erlotinib). Our Compound A is a highly mutant-selective fourth-generation allosteric inhibitor that targets L858 activating mutations and without affecting EGFR WT that compares favorably with all ATP competitive inhibitors, indicating that it might avoid potential toxicities from targeting EGFR WT. Compound A has a single-digit nanomolar potency against L858R activating mutation and those harboring T790M and C797S resistance mutations. Oral administration of Compound A to tumor-bearing mice showed significant antitumor activity as a single-agent at well-tolerated doses via inhibiting EGFR pathway in the engineered osimertinib-resistance EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S and EGFRL858R/C797S CDX models. Furthermore, Compound A demonstrated excellent efficacy in EGFRL858R/T790M CDX model as a single-agent. Collectively, Compound A has a robust potency against L858R activating mutations including T790M, C797S, and T790M/C797S that cause acquired resistance to ATP competitive EGFR TKIs in vitro and in vivo. Based on the preclinical data, Compound A is a potent, orally available, and mutant-selective fourth-generation allosteric inhibitor of EGFR with L858R activating mutations for the treatment of NSCLC, suggesting that it might have the potential to demonstrate activity in the first line and resistance settings as a single agent. The pre-clinical data described here supports the clinical development of Compound A in NSCLC patients with L858R activating mutations of EGFR. Citation Format: Yeji Byeon, Seung Hee Jung, Daseul Yoon, Seock Yong Kang, Jiyeon Park, Hyeim Jo, Seong-Il Choi, Somyi Park, Seung-chul Lee, Yang Hun Tae, Tae Min Kim, Sung-Yup Cho, Soyeon Kim, Donghyun Ko, Dong-Kyu Kim, Dong-Wan Kim. Compound A, a fourth-generation allosteric inhibitor, a potent and highly selective EGFR with L858R activating and C797S resistance mutations for the treatment of NSCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5477.

Abstract CT184: Emerging evidence of activity of BLU-945 in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the phase 1/2 SYMPHONY study

Abstract Background: Despite recent advances in the treatment of EGFR-mutant (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most patients treated with third-generation (3G) EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as osimertinib, experience disease progression. The most common on-target EGFR resistance mutation is at the EGFR C797 residue (i.e., C797S), which prevents covalent binding to 3G EGFR TKIs. While 3G TKIs are effective in patients with EGFR activating and T790M mutations (commonly seen post-progression after first-/second-generation TKIs), there are no targeted therapies approved after their failure. BLU-945 is an investigational, reversible, and selective next-generation EGFR TKI intended for use as a single agent or in combination with other agents to suppress activating and on-target resistance EGFR mutants, including T790M and C797S, while sparing wildtype (wt) EGFR. BLU-945 has shown in vivo antitumor activity in 3G EGFR TKI-naïve as well as resistant NSCLC patient-derived xenograft models with EGFR T790M and C797S mutations. Based on this, we started SYMPHONY (NCT04862780), a phase 1/2 study in patients with metastatic EGFRm NSCLC, to determine the maximum tolerated dose and/or the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D); and to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and antitumor activity of BLU-945. Methods: In the ongoing phase 1 dose-escalation part of the study, patients aged ≥18 years with metastatic EGFRm NSCLC previously treated with ≥1 EGFR TKI (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2) received BLU-945 once daily (QD) on a 28-day cycle following a Bayesian Optimal Interval escalation design. Adverse events (AEs), dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), PK, ctDNA (in real-time using FoundationOne Liquid panel), and radiographic antitumor activity (by RECIST 1.1 criteria) were assessed in the first 4 treatment cohorts. Results: As of the January 7, 2022, data cut, 18 patients have been treated with BLU-945 at 25-200 mg QD. Of these, 14 (77.8%) patients had received ≥2 lines of prior systemic anticancer therapy in the metastatic setting. There were no DLTs, and most AEs were low grade. Treatment-related AEs (all Grade 1) occurred in 8 (44.4%) patients with the most common being nausea (n=3). EGFR mutation allele fraction assessment by ctDNA at C1D1 and C1D15 showed that tumors were heterogeneous at baseline. At doses of 50 mg QD and higher, reductions in EGFR resistance mutation allele fraction were seen in all patients (n=3) with EGFR C797S (n=2) and/or T790M (n=3) resistance mutations, with a median 48% reduction of these mutations. 50% of patients remain on treatment and dose escalation continues to determine the RP2D. Conclusion: As of the data cut, BLU-945 was generally well tolerated in heavily pre-treated patients with EGFRm NSCLC. There was also early evidence of a reduction in EGFR mutation allele fractions by ctDNA. Citation Format: Elaine Shum, Yasir Elamin, Karen L. Reckamp, Zofia Piotrowska, Julia Rotow, Daniel S. Tan, Koichi Goto, Jagan Parepally, Faris Albayya, Melinda Louie-Gao, Renata Sawtell, Alena Zalutskaya, David Spigel. Emerging evidence of activity of BLU-945 in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the phase 1/2 SYMPHONY study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr CT184.

Abstract 548: EGFR CAR-NK cells demonstrate potent activity against EGFR TKI resistant NSCLC

Abstract The leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and about 10-15% of NSCLC cases harbor EGFR activating mutations. While these patients are initially responsive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), they eventually experience progression and develop acquired TKI resistance. Currently, there are no approved therapies for NSCLC patients with acquired resistance to the third-generation EGFR TKI osimertinib (OSI). Moreover, EGFR-TKI resistant NSCLCs are refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, novel treatment strategies are urgently needed. Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have been used to enhance the anti-tumor activity of immune effector cells. Here, we developed CAR-based therapies targeting EGFR as a novel strategy to overcome immune suppression and target EGFR TKI-resistant NSCLC. We designed multi-generational EGFR CAR constructs and transduced them into T and natural killer (NK) cells to generate CAR-T and CAR-NK cells, respectively. We then evaluated their activity against NSCLC cell lines in vitro using firefly luciferase assays. EGFR CAR-T and CAR-NK cells showed potent cytotoxicity against NSCLC cells expressing EGFR including EGFR wild-type and mutant NSCLCs, as well as NSCLC cells with acquired resistance to OSI. However, EGFR CAR-T cells showed decreased killing activity against OSI-resistant NSCLC cells compared to their parental cells. In contrast, EGFR CAR-NK cells showed stronger cytotoxicity against NSCLC with acquired OSI resistance as compared to parental cells. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that NSCLC cells with acquired resistance to TKI had undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition and had downregulated expression of genes related to antigen presentation and upregulated expression of B7-H6 (NCR3LG1), which have been reported to be associated with increased responsiveness to NK cells. Moreover, treatment of TKI resistant cells with OSI resulted in upregulation of cell surface EGFR and potentiated CAR-NK cells-mediated killing. TGF-β is a critical immune-suppressive cytokine. We found that EGFR-TKI resistant NSCLC cells elaborated expression of TGF-β as compared to parental cells. Blockade of the TGF-β pathway using galunisertib significantly enhanced the activity of EGFR CAR-NK cells against OSI-resistant NSCLC cells. Next, we engineered the dominant-negative TGF-β receptor II (DNTGFBRII) into our EGFR CAR constructs. The expression of DNTGFBRII inhibited the phosphorylation of SMAD2 and the downregulation of granzyme B and perforin induced by TGF-β. DNTGFBRII-CAR-NK cells showed higher killing activity against OSI-resistant NSCLC cells and were resistant to TGF-β-mediated immunosuppression. In conclusion, EGFR CAR-NK cells show significant anti-tumor activity to EGFR TKI-resistant NSCLC cells, and the cytotoxicity is enhanced in combination with OSI treatment and blockade of the TGF-β pathway. Citation Format: Yan Yang, Monique Nilsson, Sonia Patel, Jacqulyne Robichaux, Alissa Poteete, Xiaoxing Yu, Fahao Zhang, Simon Heeke, Yu Qian, Junqin He, John Heymach. EGFR CAR-NK cells demonstrate potent activity against EGFR TKI resistant NSCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 548.

Efficacy and Safety of Limertinib (ASK120067) in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic EGFR Thr790Met-Mutated NSCLC: A Multicenter, Single-Arm, Phase 2b Study

IntroductionLimertinib (ASK120067) is a newly developed third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting both sensitizing EGFR and EGFR Thr790Met (T790M) mutations. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of limertinib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M-mutated NSCLC. MethodsThis is a single-arm, open-label, phase 2b study conducted at 62 hospitals across the People’s Republic of China. Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with centrally confirmed EGFR T790M mutations in tumor tissue or blood plasma who progressed after first- or second-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors or with primary EGFR T790M mutations were enrolled. Patients received limertinib 160 mg orally twice daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) assessed by independent review committee per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Secondary end points included disease control rate, progression-free survival (PFS), duration of response (DoR), overall survival, and safety. Safety was assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03. ResultsFrom July 16, 2019, to March 10, 2021, a total of 301 patients were enrolled and started the treatment of limertinib. All patients entered the full analysis set and safety set. By the data cutoff date on September 9, 2021, 76 (25.2%) remained on treatment. The median follow-up time was 10.4 months (range: 0.3–26.3). On the basis of full analysis set, the independent review committee-assessed ORR was 68.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 63.2%–74.0%) and disease control rate was 92.4% (95% CI: 88.8%–95.1%). The median PFS was 11.0 months (95% CI: 9.7–12.4), median DoR was 11.1 months (95% CI: 9.6–13.8), and median OS was not reached (95% CI 19.7 months–not evaluable). Objective responses were achieved across all prespecified subgroups. For 99 patients (32.9%) with central nervous system (CNS) metastases, the ORR was 64.6% (95% CI: 54.4%–74.0%), median PFS was 9.7 months (95% CI: 5.9–11.6), and median DoR was 9.6 months (95% CI: 8.1–15.2). For 41 patients who had assessable CNS lesion, the confirmed CNS-ORR was 56.1% (95% CI: 39.7%–71.5%) and median CNS-PFS was 10.6 months (95% CI: 5.6–not evaluable). In safety set, 289 patients (96.0%) experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event (TRAE), with the most common being diarrhea (81.7%), anemia (32.6%), rash (29.9%), and anorexia (28.2%). Grade ≥3 TRAEs occurred in 104 patients (34.6%), with the most common including diarrhea (13.0%), hypokalemia (4.3%), anemia (4.0%), and rash (3.3%). TRAEs leading to dose interruption and dose discontinuation occurred in 24.6% and 2% of patients, respectively. No TRAE leading to death occurred. ConclusionsLimertinib (ASK120067) was found to have promising efficacy and an acceptable safety profile for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M-mutated NSCLC. Clinical Trial information: NCT03502850.

Furmonertinib (AST2818) versus gefitinib as first-line therapy for Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (FURLONG): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised phase 3 study

Furmonertinib (AST2818) is an irreversible, selective, third-generation EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of furmonertinib versus the first-generation EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor gefitinib as first-line treatment in patients with EGFR mutation-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The FURLONG study is a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, phase 3 study done in 55 hospitals across mainland China. We enrolled patients who were aged 18 years or older and had histologically confirmed, locally advanced or metastatic, stage IIIB, IIIC, or IV unresectable NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 Leu858Arg mutation on tissue biopsy confirmed by a central laboratory. Eligible patients were stratified according to EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 Leu858Arg) and CNS metastases (with or without) and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either oral furmonertinib (80 mg/day) or oral gefitinib (250 mg/day) in 21-day cycles until disease progression, the occurrence of intolerable toxicities, withdrawal of consent, or other discontinuation reasons judged by the investigators. Investigators, clinicians, participants, independent review centre (IRC) members, the sponsor, and those analysing the data were all masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was IRC-assessed progression-free survival and, along with safety, was analysed in the full analysis set, which comprised all randomly assigned patients who had received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03787992, and is ongoing for survival follow-up. Between May 30, 2019, and Dec 5, 2019, 750 patients were screened, of whom 358 were randomly assigned to receive either furmonertinib and gefitinib-matching placebo (n=178) or gefitinib and furmonertinib-matching placebo (n=180). 178 patients randomly assigned to furmonertinib and 179 patients randomly assigned to gefitinib were treated and were included in the full analysis set. Median follow-up was 21·0 months (IQR 18·0-23·5) in the furmonertinib group and 21·0 months (18·0-23·5) in the gefitinib group. Median IRC-assessed progression-free survival was 20·8 months (95% CI 17·8-23·5) in the furmonertinib group and 11·1 months (9·7-12·5) in the gefitinib group (hazard ratio 0·44, 95% CI 0·34-0·58; p<0·0001). Treatment-related adverse events of a grade 3 or more occurred in 20 (11%) of 178 patients in the furmonertinib group and in 32 (18%) of 179 patients in the gefitinib group. Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in ten (6%) patients in the furmonertinib group and in 11 (6%) patients in the gefitinib group. Ten (6%) patients in the furmonertinib group and three (2%) patients in the gefitinib group died due to adverse events, which were all judged to be possibly unrelated to study treatment by the investigators. Furmonertinib showed superior efficacy compared with gefitinib as first-line therapy in Chinese patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC, along with an acceptable safety profile without new signals. Furmonertinib is a new potential treatment option for this population. Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals and the China National Major Project for New Drug Innovation. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

A phase II study of osimertinib in combination with platinum plus pemetrexed in patients with EGFR-mutated, advanced non–small cell lung cancer: The OPAL study (NEJ032C/LOGIK1801).

9097 Background: Osimertinib (OSI), a third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), is now a standard treatment for previously untreated EGFR-mutated (EGFRm) advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the two randomized phase 3 studies, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were statistically significant and clinically longer with gefitinib and platinum-based chemotherapy compared with gefitinib monotherapy. Based on these data, we have planned this phase 2 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OSI combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: This multicenter phase 2 study enrolled patients (pts) with clinical stage IIIB, IIIC, IVA, IVB or postoperative recurrent, previously untreated EGFRm NSCLC. Pts received oral OSI 80mg once daily (QD), with either cisplatin 75mg/m2 (arm A) or carboplatin [area under the curve (AUC) = 5, arm B], plus pemetrexed (PEM) 500 mg/ m2 every 3 weeks (Q3W) for four cycles. In both arms, maintenance was OSI 80mg QD with PEM 500 mg/ m2 Q3W until disease progression or discontinuation. The co-primary endpoints were the safety and the objective response rate (ORR), and the secondary endpoints included the complete response rate (CRR), disease control rate (DCR), and PFS. Results: From July 2019 to February 2020, 67 pts (34 pts in Arm A; 33 pts in arm B) were enrolled: median (range) age 67 (26-75) years; 43 (64.2%) female; 46 (68.7%) ECOG PS 0; 66 (98.5%) adenocarcinoma; 31 (46.3%) EGFR exon19 deletion, 35 (52.2) L858R, and 1 (1.5%) both. One pt did not comply with the eligibility criteria and was excluded from the efficacy analysis. At data cut off (August 31, 2021), 27 (40.3%) pts [15 (44.1%) in arm A and 12 (36.4%) in arm B] had discontinued the protocol treatment, including 9 (13.4%) pts [5 (14.7%) in arm A and 4 (12.1%) in arm B] due to the adverse event (AE). The rate of grade (G) ≥ 3 AEs were 91.0% (88.2% in arm A and 93.9% in arm B). For the safety, neutropenia, anemia and thromobocytopenia were numerically higher in arm B and the rates of G ≥ 3 were 29.4%/60.6%, 14.7%/27.3% and 0.0%/42.4% in arm A/B, respectively. G ≥ 3 QTc interval prolonged and G ≥ 2 anorexia were observed in 14.7%/21.2% and 26.5%/24.2%, respectively. For the efficacy, the ORR was 90.9% [95% confidence interval (CI); 84.0-97.8%]. The CRR/DCR were 3.0%/97.0% (95% CI; 0.0-7.2%/92.8%-100.0%), respectively. At a median follow-up time of 21.4 months (range, 18.2-25.7), median PFS was not reached in both A and B, with an estimated 12-/24-months PFS rate of 90.4%/70.0%. Conclusions: OSI combined with platinum-based chemotherapy for previously untreated EGFRm advanced NSCLC showed the excellent efficacy with tolerable toxicity. This combination treatment is highly promising and should be validated in the phase 3 study. Clinical trial information: jRCTs031180226.

Osimertinib for lung cancer cells harboring low-frequency EGFR T790M mutation

Osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, shows significant benefit among patients with EGFR T790M mutation at disease progression. We analyzed the whole exome sequence of 48 samples obtained from 16 lung cancer patients with a longitudinal follow-up: treatment-naïve-baseline primary tumors positive for EGFR activating-mutations, paired re-biopsies upon disease progression but negative for EGFR T790M mutation based on qPCR, and their matched normal blood samples. Our Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis identified an additional set of 25% re-biopsy samples to harbor EGFR T790M mutation occurring at a low-allele frequency of 5% or less, undetectable by conventional qPCR-based assays. Notably, the clinical utility of osimertinib among patients harboring low-allele frequency of EGFR T790M in tissue biopsy upon disease progression remains less explored. We established erlotinib-resistant PC-9R cells and twenty single-cell sub-clones from erlotinib-sensitive lung cancer PC-9 cells using in vitro drug-escalation protocol. NGS and allele-specific PCR confirmed the low-allele frequency of EGFR T790M present at 5% with a 100-fold higher resistance to erlotinib in the PC-9R cells and its sub-clones. Additionally, luciferase tagged PC-9, and PC-9R cells were orthotopically injected through the intercostal muscle into NOD-SCID mice. The orthotopic lung tumors formed were observed by non-invasive bioluminescence imaging. Consistent with in vitro data, osimertinib, but not erlotinib, caused tumor regression in mice injected with PC-9R cells, while both osimertinib and erlotinib inhibited tumors in mice injected with PC-9 cells. Taken together, our findings could extend the benefit of osimertinib treatment to patients with low EGFR T790M mutation allele frequency on disease progression.

Sequence-dependent synergistic effect of aumolertinib-pemetrexed combined therapy on EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung carcinoma with pre-clinical and clinical evidence

BackgroundInevitably developed resistance of the third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) limited its clinical benefit on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Upfront combination therapy is promising to prevent this resistance. Compelling clinical evidence indicated the failure of third-generation EGFR TKIs combined with either immunotherapy or antiangiogenic agents. In comparison, combined treatment of third-generation EGFR TKIs and chemotherapy might be a favorable choice. Herein, we systematically analyzed and compared the effects of pemetrexed and a novel third-generation EGFR TKI aumolertinib combined in different sequences, subsequently revealed the potential mechanisms and proved the optimal combination schedule with clinical retrospective study.MethodsThree combination schedules involving pemetrexed and aumolertinib in different sequences were developed. Their inhibition effects on cell proliferation and metastasis were firstly compared upon three human NSCLC cell lines in vitro, by cell counting kit-8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays respectively. Further evaluation in vivo was proceeded upon H1975 and HCC827 xenograft model. Gene and protein expression were detected by Q-PCR and western blot. Drug concentration was determined by LC–MS/MS. VEGF secretion was determined by ELISA. Tumor vessel was visualized by immunofluorescence. Lastly, a clinical retrospective study was raised with 65 patients’ data.ResultsThe combination of pemetrexed and aumolertinib exhibited a sequence-dependent and EGFR mutant-dependent synergistic effect in vitro and in vivo. Only treatment with aumolertinib following pemetrexed (P-A) exhibited synergistic effect with stronger anti-tumor growth and anti-metastasis ability than monotherapy and also other combination sequences. This synergism could exclusively be observed in H1975 and HCC827 but not A549. Pathway analysis showed that P-A significantly enhanced the suppression of EGFR pathway. In addition, our results intriguingly found an obvious reduction of VEGF secretion and the accompanying normalization of the intratumor vessel, consequently increasing intratumoral accumulation of pemetrexed in P-A group. Finally, the clinical retrospective study verified the synergistic effect of P-A combination by significantly superior tumor response than aumolertinib monotherapy.ConclusionAumolertinib-pemetrexed combined therapy is promising for EGFR mutant NSCLC but only in right administration sequence. P-A could become an advantageous combination strategy in clinical with synergistic inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis.

Clinical outcomes of lung adenocarcinoma patients harboring uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

This study aimed to explore the efficacy of different epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in lung adenocarcinoma (AC) patients harboring uncommon EGFR mutations. Between January 1st, 2013 and October 1st, 2019, 2,680 EGFR mutation-positive patients with confirmed stage IIIB/IV lung AC were enrolled from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital. Uncommon EGFR mutations were detected in 132 patients using next-generation-sequencing. Clinicopathological features between patients with uncommon EGFR mutations and common EGFR mutations were evaluated by the chi-square test. The clinical outcomes of patients with uncommon EGFR mutations were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Of 132 AC patients with uncommon EGFR mutations, 115 received EGFR-TKIs. Second-generation EGFR-TKIs were associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.116) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.005) than first or third-generation EGFR-TKIs. We also found that patients with compound mutations and double uncommon EGFR mutations had longer PFS (P=0.725) and OS (P=0.741) than those with single uncommon EGFR mutation, although the difference was not significant. In addition, third-generation EGFR-TKIs were more effective than the other two agents in patients with primary T790M mutation regarding PFS (P=0.150) and OS (P=0.033), although the difference in PFS was not significant. Patients with uncommon EGFR mutations treated with second-generation EGFR-TKIs showed better PFS and OS. EGFR-TKIs were more effective in patients with compound mutations or double uncommon mutations.

An exploration of the clinical progression models of osimertinib in the treatment of advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

BackgroundClassifying the progression pattern had been proved to be momentous for predicting efficacy and guiding treatment in the 1st/2nd generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), while lack evidence in the 3rd generation EGFR-TKIs. This study aimed to classify tumor progression of osimertinib in EGFR+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), exploring the characteristics and the clinical significance of each progression pattern.MethodsAfter screening 1,125 lung cancer patients, 168 EGFR T790M+ advanced patients using osimertinib were enrolled and divided into two groups and five clinical progression models according to the time course of the tumor progression. The prognosis and characteristics, such as gender, age, metastases, of each model were analyzed and compared by Kaplan-Meier method, t-test, and linear regression.ResultsComplete follow-up data were available for 117 of the 168 patients. Progressive disease (PD) occurred in 89 patients at an average onset of 6.59 months since using osimertinib, with 79.78% of patients experiencing enlargement of some preexisting lesions before PD. Among the five progression models, the ‘Rapid Enlargement’ (10.11%) model, the ‘Rapid New Lesion’ model (10.11%), the ‘Delayed Enlargement’ model (29.21%), the ‘Delayed New Lesion’ model (15.73%), and the ‘Non-targeted Enlargement’ model (34.83%), the ‘Non-targeted Enlargement’ model had the worst prognosis, with a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 7.1 months (P=0.046). The mPFS of other models was similar, with the largest difference in the time interval between the beginning of osimertinib treatment to the first appearance of target lesion enlargement (Tm-e). Smoking history (P=0.046) and the location of the initial (P=0.048), enlarged (P=0.003), and progressive lesions (P=0.002) affected the progression models, while gender, age, and treatment lines had no effect. The Tm-e was related to the overall disease control time with a correlation coefficient of 0.667 (P=0.000). The appearance of a malignant pleural effusion had an impact on progression.ConclusionsWe tried to create a classification system for describing the failure of the third-generation EGFR-TKI osimertinib including two groups, subdivided into five progression models based on the time course of tumor lesion changes. The system might be conducive to predict the prognosis and be potential to assist in selecting subsequent treatment strategies.

Osimertinib and routine practice: the experience of the drug application in different clinical situations in case of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with an EGFR mutation. Case report

After the introduce of new treatment options is always important to see how the results of the registered studies will be putted into routine clinical practice. Clinical studies help to assess the efficacy and safety of therapy and to conduct the objective comparison of the current standard of treatment. However, it is impossible to take into account all the variety of situations that oncologists can face in their daily work. Nowadays, the use of targeted therapy in the presence of the specific genetic disorders, in particular, driver mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, is an integral part of the management of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The first EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have significantly changed our possibility of the treatment in this group of patients, and today we are already using the third-generation EGFR TKIs. The review analyzes the experience of using the third-generation EGFR TKIs osimertinib, through the prism of questions, asking by the practitioners: evaluation of the efficacy of treatment in routine practice, the management of difficult patients, in particular, the patients with bone and brain metastases, the patients with multiple primary tumors, the management tactics of patient taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic and related treatment interruptions. The literature and international experience review is completed by clinical cases from different regions of the Russian Federation.

Listeriosis in a Metropolitan Hospital: Is Targeted Therapy a Risk Factor for Infection?

Targeted therapies are widely used for treatment of autoimmune diseases as well as solid organ and hematological malignancies. Various opportunistic infections have been described in patients on targeted therapies. Although case reports or a few case series of listeriosis have been reported to be associated with targeted therapy, most of the cases were related to anti-tumor necrosis factor-α monoclonal antibody. In this study, we describe the epidemiological and clinical profiles of listeriosis in a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, a Southern Chinese metropolitan city in China. During the 9-year-and-6-month study period, a total of five cases of listeriosis were recorded and all of them had Listeria monocytogenes bacteremia. All five patients had predisposing factors, including corticosteroid (n = 3), targeted therapy (n = 2), pregnancy (n = 2) and anti-interferon gamma autoantibody (n = 1). The two patients who had targeted therapy during their course of cancer treatment received inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) pathway. The first one was a 52-year-old woman with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung. She was given gefitinib (EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor), osimertinib (third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and afatinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor that can bind to EGFR, HER2 and HER4). The second one was a 40-year-old woman with carcinoma of the breast with brain metastasis. She was given trastuzumab (anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody) and lapatinib (dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the EGFR/HER2 pathway). These two patients represent the second and third reports of listeria infections associated with EGFR/HER2 pathway inhibitors in the literature. Targeted therapy is an important predisposing factor for listeriosis. Listeria infection is an important differential diagnosis in patients on targeted therapy who present with sepsis and/or central nervous system infection, and the use of antibiotic regimens that cover listeria is crucial for empirical treatment. Avoidance of high-risk food items in these patients is important for the prevention of listeriosis.

Impact of pre-existing interstitial lung abnormal shadow on lung injury development and severity in patients of non-small cell lung cancer treated with osimertinib.

BackgroundFirst‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR‐TKI) sometimes causes lung injury, thereby affecting survival. Although pre‐existing interstitial lung abnormal shadow (pre‐ILS) increases the risk of lung injury by EGFR‐TKIs, its impact on osimertinib, a third‐generation EGFR‐TKI, remains unknown.Patients and MethodsThis retrospective cohort study consecutively enrolled patients of EGFR‐mutated non‐small cell lung cancer treated with osimertinib. Computed tomography images were obtained and evaluated independently by three pulmonologists in a blinded manner. Factors associated with lung injury were assessed using a logistic regression model. Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using a log‐rank test.ResultsOf the 195 patients, 40 had pre‐ILS, and 21 (8 with and 13 without pre‐ILS) developed lung injury during the observation period. Multivariate analysis revealed that pre‐ILS was independently associated with lung injury (odds ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–8.2; p = 0.025). Severe (≥Grade 3) lung injury was observed in eight (4.1%) patients, of whom, two (5%) and six (3.9%) had and did not have pre‐ILS (p = 0.67), respectively. Grade 5 lung injury was not observed, and survival curves were similar between the patients who developed lung injury and those who did not (median 11 vs. 12 months; hazard ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.56–2.7; p = 0.60).ConclusionsPre‐ILS increased the risk of lung injury in patients of non‐small cell lung cancer treated with osimertinib, while the severity of lung injury was not clearly affected by the presence of pre‐ILS.

Development and validation of a new liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous quantification of afatinib, dacomitinib, osimertinib, and the active metabolites of osimertinib in human serum

Reports on the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of second- and third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in non-small cell lung cancer patients are limited and are required to improve the safety of EGFR-TKI therapy. Some EGFR-TKIs have active metabolites with similar or higher potency compared with the parent compounds; thus, monitoring the parent compound as well as its active metabolites is essential for truly effective TDM. In this study, we developed and validated a method that simultaneously quantifies second- and third-generation EGFR-TKIs (afatinib, dacomitinib, and osimertinib) and the active metabolites of osimertinib, AZ5104 and AZ7550, in the human serum using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The clinical application of the method was also evaluated. The analytes were extracted from a 100 μL serum sample using a simple protein precipitation method and analyzed using LC-MS/MS. Excellent linearity of calibration curves was observed at ranges of 2.5–125.0 ng/mL for afatinib, 2.5–125.0 ng/mL for dacomitinib, 4.0–800.0 ng/mL for osimertinib, 1.0–125.0 ng/mL for AZ5104, and 2.5–125.0 ng/mL for AZ7550. The precision and accuracy were below 14.9% and within ± 14.9% of the nominal concentrations, respectively. The mean recovery was higher than 94.7% and the coefficient of variation (CV) was lower than 8.3%. The mean internal-standard normalized matrix factors ranged from 94.6 to 111.9%, and the CVs were lower than 9.7%. This analytical method met the acceptance criteria of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The method was also successfully applied to the analysis of 45 clinical samples; it supports the efficient and valuable analysis for TDM investigations of EGFR-TKIs.

22P EMB-01: An EGFR-cMET bispecific antibody, in advanced/metastatic solid tumors phase I results

EMB-01, a novel EGFR/cMET bispecific antibody with a unique co-degradation mechanism, demonstrates anti-tumor activities in EGFR and/or cMET driven tumor models. Here phase (ph) I results are described from the ongoing multicenter, Ph I/II study of EMB-01 in patients (pts) with advanced/metastatic solid tumors (NCT03797391). Pts received EMB-01 (100-1600mg) IV weekly (QW) in 28-day cycles. Intensive PK was collected for all pts. Tumor assessments were performed by investigators per RECIST v1.1. As of August 20, 2021, 60 unselected (i.e., EGFR mutations or other gene aberrations unknown or unconfirmed) pts received EMB-01 (n=48 NSCLC, n=12 other solid tumors). Median age was 61 years, 51.7% were male, 60% were Asian. Median prior systemic therapies was 3. The most common (≥20%) all-grade (Gr) treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) were rash (66.7%), myalgia (63.3%), nausea (28.3%), paronychia (25.0%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased and blood creatine phosphokinase (CK) MB increased (both 20.0%) with no infusion related reaction reported. Gr. 3 TRAEs included rash (8.3%), vomiting, GGT increase and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increase (all 1.7%). PK was linear and drug exposures (AUC) were dose proportional at doses ≥500mg QW. Among 38 NSCLC response-evaluable pts, 2 had a partial response (PR) (1 confirmed), 14 had stable disease as the best response. The 2 PR pts included 1 with primary exon20ins disease and 1 with acquired resistance to a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Disease control rate (DCR) was 42.1%. The longest duration of treatment was 73 weeks. 1600mg QW was determined as the RP2D. The EMB-01 has a manageable safety profile consistent with EGFR and cMET inhibition. Preliminary anti-tumor evidence suggests EMB-01 can have activity in EGFR driven NSCLC, including pts with acquired EGFR TKI resistance and EGFR exon20ins mutations. The expansion phase (Ph II) is currently enrolling biomarker selected NSCLC pts with EGFR and/or cMET aberrations as identified by next-generation sequencing in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and/or tumor tissue.

7MO Oritinib (SH-1028) a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor in locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients with positive EGFR T790M: Results of a single-arm phase II trial

Oritinib (SH-1028) is a third-generation EGFR-TKI selectively targeting both sensitive EGFR and EGFR T790M mutations. Herein, we report the efficacy and safety of oritinib in EGFR T790M-positive advanced NSCLC patients from the phase II study (NCT03823807). Eligible patients were locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients aged ≥ 18 years, with centrally confirmed EGFR T790M mutation. Patients with asymptomatic, stable CNS metastases were eligible into the study. Oritinib 200 mg was given orally once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary efficacy endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary efficacy endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), duration of response (DOR) and overall survival (OS). Between December 2019 and March 2021, 228 patients were enrolled and 227 patients received at least one dose of oritinib. The median age of 227 patients was 62 years old, 57.3% of patients were female and 24.7% received systemic chemotherapies. At data cutoff (September 17, 2021), 137 of 227 patients achieved confirmed partial responses with ORR of 60.4% (95% CI: 42.4%, 68.8%) by IRaC. The DCR was 92.5% (88.3%, 95.6%), the mPFS was 12.6 months (95% CI: 9.7, 15.3), the mDOR was 12.5 months (95% CI: 11.2, NA) and the mOS was immature. The most common (≥10%) treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) included diarrhea (45.4%), increased blood creatine phosphokinase (26.0%), anaemia (20.3%), decreased white blood cell count (15.4%), decreased appetite (15.0%), increased blood creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme (13.2%), nausea (13.2%), vomiting (13.2%), increased serum creatine (12.8%), upper respiratory tract infection (12.3%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (11.9%), cough(11.9%), decreased platelet count (11.0%), constipation (10.6%). Grade≥3 TEAEs included increased blood creatine phosphokinase (4.0%), hypertension (3.1%), death (2.6%), diarrhea (2.2%). No interstitial lung disease were reported. Oritinib demonstrated potential clinical benefit and tolerable in advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR T790M mutation.

Chinese Herbal Medicine (Yiqi-Yangyin-Jiedu Decoction) Combined With Osimertinib as First-Line Treatment in EGFR Mutation-Positive Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (CATLA-2): A Study Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) significantly improve the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutation-positive. Although third-generation EGFR-TKI osimertinib is demonstrated with superior efficacy compared with first-generation EGFR-TKIs, acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs remains the bottleneck. The Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) Yiqi-Yangyin-Jiedu decoction (YYJD) has been shown to delay acquired resistance to first-generation EGFR-TKIs in the CATLA study, but there is no high-level evidence for its effect when combined with osimertinib. This trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of YYJD combined with osimertinib as first-line treatment in EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC. Methods: This is a double-blind, multi-center, randomized controlled trial conducted in eight hospitals in China. A total of 314 participants will be randomly assigned to the osimertinib plus YYJD group (O+YYJD) or the osimertinib plus placebo group (O+placebo). Treatment will last until disease progression or death. Patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR Ex19del or L858R will be enrolled if they are ready to take osimertinib as first-line treatment, aged 18–74 years old, and provide signed informed consent. The primary outcome is progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary outcomes include a comparison of overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and quality of life (QoL). The analysis will be based on intention-to-treat and per-protocol subject analysis principles. Discussion: The goal of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of YYJD when added to osimertinib as first-line treatment in EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC.

Aumolertinib: A Review in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Aumolertinib (formerly almonertinib; Ameile®) is an oral, third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) that is selective for mutant EGFR over wild-type EGFR. It has been developed for the treatment of advanced EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the phase3 AENEAS trial conducted in Chinese patients, aumolertinib as first-line treatment significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and duration of response (DoR) compared with gefitinib in patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC; overall survival (OS) data from this study are immature. In the phase1/2 APOLLO trial, aumolertinib showed good clinical activity (based on objective response rate, PFS, DoR and OS) in Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC who had progressed on or after prior EGFR-TKI therapy. Aumolertinib has a generally manageable tolerability profile; adverse events associated with wild-type EGFR inhibition (e.g. rash and diarrhoea) were less frequent with aumolertinib than gefitinib in AENEAS. Thus, aumolertinib is a promising new option for both first-line and second-line treatment in patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.

An evaluation of aumolertinib for the treatment of EGFR T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) can significantly improve patient prognosis when used on patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but those patients often develop acquired resistance after 9–14 months of treatment. These resistance mechanisms are complex and diverse, with the EGFR T790M mutation being the most common. Aumolertinib is a new third-generation EGFR-TKI that is highly selective for EGFR-sensitizing mutations and EGFR T790M resistance mutation. Areas covered This review summarizes the mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of aumolertinib for EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC. The authors provide their expert opinions on the use of this drug, including its future prospects. Expert opinion Aumolertinib has shown good efficacy and safety for advanced EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC patients who have progressed after EGFR-TKI treatment. It is expected to become a new treatment option, and to aid the establishment of new treatment standards. A phase III clinical study is currently underway to evaluate the suitability of aumolertinib as a first-line treatment. At present, more drug combinations and different applicable populations are being further explored. Future challenges include exploring mechanisms of aumolertinib resistance and determining its efficacy in European and American populations.

Performance of different methods for detecting T790M mutation in the plasma of patients with advanced NSCLC after developing resistance to first-generation EGFR-TKIs in a real-world clinical setting.

Several approaches to the detection of T790M mutations in patient plasma or tissue samples have been implemented to date. The present study was designed to assess the ability of different technologies to detect the T790M mutation in plasma samples and to evaluate the relative rates of re-biopsy and subsequent patient management in a clinical setting. Data from patients with advanced NSCLC who visited the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University between December 2014 and July 2018 were retrospectively collected. Following re-biopsy, these patients were evaluated for the presence of the T790M mutation via next-generation sequencing (NGS), amplification refractory mutation system or Roche Cobas z480 (Cobas) analyses of tissue samples. T790M mutation status in tumor tissue samples was calculated as a standard reference used to establish the sensitivity, specificity and concordance of three circulating tumor DNA detection approaches, including NGS, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and super amplification refractory mutation system (SuperARMS). Subsequent patient management was also recorded. In total, 287 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were evaluated, of whom 55.4% (159/287) underwent tissue re-biopsy, 76.7% (122/159) underwent sequencing analysis of plasma and/or tissue samples, and 59.0% (72/122) were found to harbor the T790M mutation. The rates of plasma sample T790M detection via NGS, ddPCR and SuperARMS were 60.0, 59.3 and 60.0%, respectively. Only 32 patients with T790M mutations (44.4%, 32/72) were treated with third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), while 19 continued treatment with first-generation TKIs, 13 underwent chemotherapy, 1 switched to treatment with anlotinib, 4 succumbed to pericardial or brain metastases, and 3 were lost to follow-up. Additionally, 2 patients exhibited histological transformation from adenocarcinoma to small cell lung cancer, while 17/97 patients who were evaluated for brain metastases during treatment exhibited intracranial progression. Of these, 8 patients had been treated with osimertinib. In this study of a real-world clinical setting, fewer patients than expected underwent re-biopsy and gene sequencing. Of the tools available for the analysis of plasma samples, NGS exhibited the highest sensitivity and concordance with the results of tissue-based T790M detection strategies. It was additionally found that only a subset of patients harboring the T790M mutation were ultimately treated using third-generation EGFR-TKIs.