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M.D. Hellmann



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    ORAL 02 - PD1 Axis Immunotherapy 2 (ID 87)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Oral Session
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      ORAL02.05 - Safety and Efficacy of First-Line Nivolumab (NIVO; Anti-Programmed Death-1 [PD-1]) and Ipilimumab in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (ID 786)

      11:28 - 11:39  |  Author(s): M.D. Hellmann

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Combined blockade of the PD‐1 and cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated antigen‐4 (CTLA‐4) immune checkpoint pathways has shown improved responses, encouraging survival rates, and a manageable safety profile in advanced melanoma. NIVO, a fully human IgG4 PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, has activity across NSCLC histologies and is approved in the US for treatment of metastatic squamous (SQ) NSCLC with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. This phase 1 study evaluated the safety and efficacy of first‐line therapy with NIVO plus ipilimumab (IPI), an IgG1 CTLA‐4 checkpoint receptor blocking antibody, in chemotherapy‐naïve patients with advanced NSCLC.

      Methods:
      Patients (N=49) received NIVO plus IPI at the 1+3 mg/kg or 3+1 mg/kg combination dose, respectively (one SQ and one non‐SQ cohort per dose level), every 3 weeks for 4 cycles, followed by NIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Objective response rate (ORR; RECIST v1.1) was evaluated overall and by baseline tumor PD‐1 ligand 1 (PD‐L1) expression (PD‐L1[+]: ≥5% tumor cells expressing PD‐L1). Response was assessed at weeks 10, 17, and 23, and every 3 months thereafter until progression.

      Results:
      Median follow‐up for all patients was 50 weeks. Across histologies, confirmed ORR was 13% (3/24) for NIVO1+IPI3 and 20% (5/25) for NIVO3+IPI1. Two of 3 and 4/5 responders in the NIVO1+IPI3 and NIVO3+IPI1 arms, respectively, achieved a response by first scan. Median duration of response was not reached (NR) in either group, and responses were ongoing in 67% (2/3) and 60% (3/5) of patients treated with NIVO1+IPI3 and NIVO3+IPI1, respectively. Two patients in the NIVO3+IPI1 group exhibited an unconventional “immune-related” response with 56% and 64% maximum reductions in target lesions and simultaneous appearance of new lesions. The 24-week progression-free survival (PFS) rates and median PFS were 44% and 16.1 weeks, respectively, for NIVO1+IPI3 and 33% and 14.4 weeks, respectively, for NIVO3+IPI1. One-year overall survival (OS) rates and median OS were 65% and NR, respectively, for NIVO1+IPI3 and 44% and 47.9 weeks, respectively, for NIVO3+IPI1. Thirty-eight of 49 treated patients were evaluable for PD-L1 expression; objective responses were observed in PD‐L1[+] (19%, 3/16) and PD‐L1[-] (14%; 3/22) patients. Across arms, grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were reported in 25 patients (51%); grade 3 pneumonitis was reported in 3 (6%) patients. Treatment‐related AEs led to discontinuation in 18 patients (37%); 15 (31%) patients discontinued treatment during induction. Treatment‐related deaths (n=3) were due to respiratory failure, bronchopulmonary hemorrhage, and toxic epidermal necrosis.

      Conclusion:
      Treatment with NIVO plus IPI was associated with durable responses and encouraging survival regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression. The safety profile was managed using established safety guidelines. Updated OS and results from additional doses and schedules will be presented.

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    ORAL 13 - Immunotherapy Biomarkers (ID 104)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Oral Session
    • Track: Biology, Pathology, and Molecular Testing
    • Presentations: 1
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      ORAL13.03 - Spatiotemporal Effects on Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Expression and Immunophenotype of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (ID 1609)

      17:07 - 17:18  |  Author(s): M.D. Hellmann

      • Abstract
      • Slides

      Background:
      PD-L1 is one of the immune-checkpoint molecules that regulates Th1 immune responses and mediates cancer immune evasion. PD-L1 can be expressed on tumor cells (TC) or tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC) and expression in both cell types can negatively regulate T-cell function in the tumor microenvironment. The goal of this study was to evaluate the intra-patient heterogeneity and temporal changes in PD-L1 expression and overall immune phenotype in NSCLC using paired synchronous and metachronous tumor specimens.

      Methods:
      Thirty-nine patients (pts) with NSCLC treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were evaluated as part of an IRB approved project. Most were former/current smokers (n=30, 77%) and had adenocarcinoma histology (n=36, 92%). 17 pts were KRAS mutant (45%), and 5 were EGFR mutant (13%). Paired synchronous samples were collected from 17 pts with stage IIIA-N2 resected primary lung and metastatic lymph node (met LN) tissue. Paired metachronous samples were collected from 23 pts (including one patient also with synchronous tissue) with at least two metachronous primary/metastatic (n=14) or metastatic/metastatic tissues (n=9). In pts with metachronous samples, 14 (61%) had systemic intercurrent anti-cancer therapy and 9 (39%) had none. PD-L1 expression was assessed by IHC (clone SP142) on TC and IC. CD8 expression was evaluated by IHC using the C8/144 clone. In addition, expression of ~600 immune genes was analyzed by iChip.

      Results:
      Twenty-five out of 39 tissue pairs were evaluable by PD-L1 IHC (14/17 synchronous, 11/23 metachronous). Among pts with synchronous samples, in the primary tumor, PD-L1 was expressed in <1% of TC or IC in 6 pts, in 1-4% of cells in 5 pts, and in ≥5% of cells in 3 pts. Among those with metachronous samples, in the first collected sample, the PD-L1 expression in <1% of TC or IC was detected in 6 pts, in 1-4% of cells in 2 pts, and in ≥5% of cells in 3 pts. PD-L1 expression was similar across all paired tissues. PD-L1 status at the TC or IC 5% cut-off remained unchanged in all evaluable paired specimens and at the TC or IC 1% cut-off remained unchanged in 80% (11/14 synchronous and 9/11 metachronous) pairs. In both synchronous and metachronous samples, CD8 expression was also similar across paired specimens. The median inter-sample difference in CD8+ T-cell infiltration was 0.5% (95% CI: -0.6% - 3.4%) in synchronous pairs; three pts had a difference >5%. In metachronous pairs, the median difference was -0.4% (95% CI: -1.4% - 0.1%); one pt had a >5% change in CD8+ T-cell infiltration.

      Conclusion:
      In this study, there was a high agreement in PD-L1 expression and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in both paired synchronous and metachronous NSCLC specimens. The low intra-patient heterogeneity of PD-L1 and CD8 expression in this study suggests any available tissue (e.g. primary or met) may be reliable to assess these markers in NSCLC. Overall immune characterization by gene expression analysis in paired tumor specimens will be presented.

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    ORAL 31 - PD1 Axis Inhibition (ID 143)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Oral Session
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      ORAL31.02 - Pembrolizumab for NSCLC: Immune-Mediated Adverse Events and Corticosteroid Use (ID 3032)

      16:56 - 17:07  |  Author(s): M.D. Hellmann

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody against PD-1 that has demonstrated robust antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with advanced malignancies, including NSCLC. Similar to other immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune-mediated toxicities have been observed with pembrolizumab. We characterized the incidence of potentially immune-mediated adverse events (AEs) and the use of systemic corticosteroids for their management in patients with NSCLC treated with pembrolizumab in the phase 1 KEYNOTE-001 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01295827).

      Methods:
      550 patients with advanced NSCLC received pembrolizumab 2 or 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks (Q3W) or 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks (Q2W). Potentially immune-mediated AEs were derived from a prespecified list and considered regardless of attribution to study treatment by the investigator. High-dose corticosteroid use was defined as an initial dose of ≥40 mg/day prednisone or equivalent. Low-dose corticosteroid use was defined as an initial dose of <40 mg/day prednisone or equivalent.

      Results:
      71 (12.9%) patients experienced ≥1 immune-mediated AE, including 17 (3.1%) who experienced grade 3-4 events, 1 (0.2) who died because of an immune-mediated AE (pneumonitis), and 14 (2.5%) who discontinued pembrolizumab because of immune-mediated AEs. The median time to onset of the first immune-mediated AE was 104 days (range, 2-393 days). Immune-related AE incidence was similar in patients treated with pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg Q2W and Q3W. The most common immune-mediated AEs were hypothyroidism, pneumonitis, and infusion-related reactions (Table). Pneumonitis was the most common grade 3-4 toxicity. Excluding hypothyroidism, 74.2% of immune-mediated AEs had resolved at the time of data cutoff. Of the 71 patients who experienced immune-mediated AEs, 30 (42.2%) received corticosteroids: 20 received high dose, 10 low dose. The highest incidence of corticosteroid use was for pneumonitis (84.2%) and colitis (80.0%) (Table). The duration of initial steroid use ranged from 1 to 129 days. Analyses related to the impact of steroid use on pembrolizumab efficacy are ongoing and will be available for presentation. Figure 1



      Conclusion:
      Potentially immune-mediated AEs, particularly those of grade 3-5 severity, are relatively infrequent in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with pembrolizumab. As evidenced by the low rate of pembrolizumab discontinuation, most immune-mediated events were managed by temporary pembrolizumab interruption and corticosteroid use.

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