Purpose: Necrosis quantification in the neoadjuvant setting using pathology slide review is the most important validated prognostic marker in conventional osteosarcoma. Herein, we explored three deep learning strategies on histology samples to predict outcome for OSA in the neoadjuvant setting. Experimental Design: Our study relies on a training cohort from New York University (New York, NY) and an

Background: Dual PD-1/CTLA-4 inhibition shows promise in various malignancies. The SWOG S1609 DART trial presents initial results of ipilimumab/nivolumab in vulvar cancers. Methods: DART is a prospective/open-label/multicenter (1,016 US sites)/multi-cohort phase II clinical trial of ipilimumab (1mg/kg intravenously every 6 weeks) plus nivolumab (240mg intravenously every 2 weeks). The primary endpoint

Purpose: Inhibition of the cyclin D-cyclin dependent kinase (CDK)4/6-INK4-retinoblastoma pathway can overcome acquired or de novo treatment resistance to endocrine monotherapy. Responses to endocrine monotherapy in advanced endometrial cancer (EC) are suboptimal, perhaps due to genomic alterations that promote estrogen receptor (ER)-independent cyclin D1-CDK4/6 activation. We hypothesized that addition

Purpose: Mutational data from multiple solid and liquid biospecimens of a single patient is often integrated to track cancer evolution. However, there is no accepted framework to resolve if individual samples from the same individual share variants due to common identity versus coincidence. Experimental Design: Utilizing 8,000 patient tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) across 33 cancer types

Purpose: The MammaPrint prognostic assay categorizes breast cancers into high- and low-risk subgroups, and the high-risk group can be further subdivided into high 1 (MP-H1), and very high-risk high-2 (MP/H-2). The aim of this analysis was to assess clinical and molecular differences between the hormone receptor positive/HER2-negative (HR+) MP-H1, -H2, and triple negative (TN) MP-H1 and -H2 cancers

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a common acute toxicity in T-cell therapies, including T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BiSp). Effective CRS management and prevention is crucial in T-BiSp development. Required hospitalization for 7 of the 9 approved T-BiSp and the need for clinical intervention in severe cases highlight the importance of mitigation strategies to reduce healthcare burden

Purpose: Co-mutations of the KRAS and STK11 genes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are associated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) resistance. While neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy is now a standard of care treatment for resectable NSCLC, the clinical and immunologic impact of KRAS andSTK11 co-mutations in this setting are unknown. Experimental design: We evaluated and compared recurrence-free

Purpose: This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by immunochemotherapy (iCT) and surgery in unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Patients and Methods: Patients with unresectable locally advanced ESCC received radiotherapy (50 Gy/25f, 5 days/week) and nab-paclitaxel (100 mg on day 1/week) plus cisplatin (25 mg/m2

PURPOSE Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), an ultra-rare sarcoma, poses therapeutic challenges because of limited efficacy of conventional chemotherapy in advanced cases, necessitating exploration of new treatment avenues and identification of novel aggressive biomarkers. This study aimed at (i) utilizing a patient-derived xenograft model of EHE and its associated cell line to assess the efficacy

PURPOSE Tumor progression has been linked to stiffening of the extracellular matrix caused by fibrosis. Cancer cells can be mechanically conditioned by stiff extracellular matrix, exhibiting a 1,004-gene signature [mechanical conditioning (MeCo) score]. Nintedanib has demonstrated antifibrotic activity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This study explores nintedanib's antifibrotic effect on breast

PURPOSE The IMMUNOSARC trial combined an antiangiogenic agent (sunitinib) with a PD1 inhibitor (nivolumab) in advanced sarcomas. Here, we present the first correlative studies of the soft-tissue sarcoma cohort enrolled in this trial. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded and peripheral blood samples were collected at baseline and week 13. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were

PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), DICER1-related tumor predisposition (DICER1) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are rare conditions which each increase risk for distinct spectra of benign and malignant neoplasms throughout childhood and adulthood. Surveillance considerations for each of these conditions focus on patient and family education, early detection and multidisciplinary care. In this

Purpose: Cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) is expressed on B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cases. However, the effect of CD40 activation on B-ALL cells has never been tested in vivo. Experimental Design: The aim of our preclinical study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of a CD40 agonist in the treatment of B-ALL using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models. Results:

Purpose: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has limited treatment options. We compared the efficacy of comprehensive precision medicine against the conventional treatment in PDAC. Methods: Phase III trial of advanced PDAC where patients were randomized (1:2) to a conventional treatment treated at physician’s discretion (arm A), or to precision medicine (arm B). Subjects randomized to arm B underwent

Purpose: Lung metastasis is responsible for most deaths caused by osteosarcoma. How malignant bone cells coerce the lung microenvironment to support metastatic growth remains unclear. We sought to identify metastasis-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities by delineating the cellular and molecular mechanisms essential to metastatic niche formation in the lung. Experimental design: We used single-cell

Purpose: 8-28% of Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) experience recurrence, complicating risk stratification and treatment. We previously identified an inflammatory molecular subtype of PTC associated with poor prognosis. Based on this subtype, we aimed to develop and validate a noninvasive radiomic signature to predict prognosis and treatment response in PTC patients. Experimental Design: We collected

Background: Patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) generally have poor prognoses and limited treatment options. Materials & Methods: This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel CD30/CD16A bispecific innate cell engager, acimtamig (AFM13), in patients with R/R PTCL. Patients included those with CD30 expression in ≥1% of tumor cells and who were R/R following ≥1

Bispecific agents targeting tumor-cell surface antigens and activating receptors on T lymphocytes are being developed for solid tumors. Effective and safe strategies depend on target specificity and at least relative tumor-tissue confinement of T-cell activation. Novel evidence suggests that constructs targeting HER2 on tumor cells with the aim of providing costimulation (signal-2) to T lymphocytes

Purpose: Breast cancer cells disseminate to distant sites via Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis (TMEM) doorways. The TIE2 inhibitor rebastinib blocks TMEM doorway function in the PyMT mouse model of breast cancer. We aimed to assess the safety and pharmacodynamics of rebastinib plus paclitaxel or eribulin in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Patients and Methods: This phase

Purpose: Outcomes after primary surgery for advanced sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are poor. We tested whether induction chemotherapy (IC) can improve disease control or organ preservation. Patients and Methods: A phase II trial evaluated previously untreated patients with stage II-IV, M0 sinonasal SCC. Patients received IC with docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil, followed by chemoradiotherapy

Purpose: We investigated whether homoharringtonine (HHT) added to venetoclax (VEN) plus azacitidine (VA) could improve outcomes and counteract the negative effects of genetic patterns in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (RR-AML). Experimental Design: A multi-center, retrospective, cohort study of the response and genetic patterns of response to the VA plus HHT (VAH) versus the

Objective: Detecting residual disease is a critical clinical requirement in the peri-surgical management of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies focused on specific genomic regions exhibiting limited sensitivity and failed to meet the minimal residual disease (MRD) testing threshold. We introduce a next-generation sequencing (NGS) based assay, informed by baseline

Purpose: Esophageal cancer (EC) carries a poor prognosis with 5-year overall survival of less than 20%. Barrett’s esophagus (BE) increases the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of EMI-137, a mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET)-targeting optical imaging tracer, to detect dysplasia in BE. Experimental Design: c-MET expression in

Purpose: To determine the relationship between germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in cancer predisposition genes and the risk of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Methods: Germline PV frequencies in breast cancer predisposition genes (ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, CHEK2, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D) were compared between DCIS cases and unaffected controls, and between DCIS and infiltrating ductal carcinoma

Purpose: Desmoid tumors are bland fibroblastic tumors that do not metastasize but have a high rate of local recurrence. Previously published studies proposed two different transcriptomic signatures to predict relapse. Molecular heterogeneity has been well established in high-grade sarcomas but little is known about molecular variability within locally aggressive tumors such as desmoids. Experimental

Purpose: Analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may enable early identification of patients likely to relapse, presenting an opportunity for early interventions and improved outcomes. Tumor-naïve plasma-only approaches for molecular residual disease (MRD) assessment accelerate turnaround time, enabling rapid treatment decisions and ongoing surveillance. Experimental Design: Plasma samples were obtained

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare and highly heterogeneous histiocytosis. There are currently few studies examining the correlation between molecular profiling and clinical phenotype or outcome in adult patients with LCH. The objective of this study was to characterize the genomic landscape of adult LCH and correlate molecular findings with clinical features and patient outcomes

Purpose: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs), which are rare and aggressive malignancies, are rich in clinically actionable molecular alterations. A major challenge in the field is the paucity of clinically relevant BTC models which recapitulate the diverse molecular profiles of these tumors. The purpose of this study was to curate a collection of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models that reflect the spectrum

Purpose: Radiation therapy may enhance anti-tumor immune responses by several mechanisms including induction of immunogenic cell death. We performed a phase 2 study of pembrolizumab with re-irradiation in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Methods: Sixty recurrent glioblastoma patients received pembrolizumab with re-irradiation alone (cohort A, bevacizumab-naïve; n=30) or with bevacizumab continuation

PURPOSE: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is overexpressed by dendritic cells in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing on androgen receptor pathway inhibitors. We tested whether checkpoint blockade could enhance antitumor activity in mCRPC. METHODS: In a multicenter open-label non-comparative randomized phase II study, patients with mCRPC treated with £

Purpose: Glutamatergic neuron–glioma synaptogenesis and peritumoral hyperexcitability promote glioma growth in a positive feedback loop. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and estimated effect sizes of the targeted AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel on peritumoral hyperexcitability. Experimental Design: An open-label trial was performed comparing perampanel with standard of

Purpose: Rearranged during transfection (RET) aberrations represent a targetable oncogene in several tumor types, with RET inhibitors displaying marked efficacy. However, some patients with RET-aberrant cancer are insensitive to RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Recently, drug-tolerant mechanisms have attracted attention as targets for initial therapies to overcome drug resistance. The underlying

Androgen receptor (AR) alterations portend a poor prognosis in patients with advanced prostate cancer. A recent study identified a stemness signature enriched in cell-free DNA from AR-altered patients, associated with worse outcomes. These findings highlight the potential of epigenomic liquid biopsy tools to discover novel clinically relevant tumor molecular subtypes.

Purpose:Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (NAIC) markedly induces pathologic regression in locally advanced gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). However, specific biomarkers are still lacking to effectively identify the beneficiary patients for NAIC. Patients and Methods: A prospective, single-arm, phase II study was conducted to treat locally advanced GAC with NAIC (NCT05515796). Correlation between clinicopathological

PURPOSE Transcriptional profiling of pancreatic cancers has defined two main transcriptional subtypes: classical and basal. Initial data suggest shorter survival for patients with basal tumors and differing treatment sensitivity to FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel by transcriptional subtype. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We examined 8,743 patients with RNA sequencing from pancreatic cancers performed

PURPOSE This study aimed to elucidate the impact of brain tumors on cerebral edema and glymphatic drainage by leveraging advanced MRI techniques to explore the relationships among tumor characteristics, glymphatic function, and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression levels. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In a prospective cohort from March 2022 to April 2023, patients with glioblastoma, brain metastases, and aggressive

On December 1st, 2022, the FDA approved the new molecular entity olutasidenib (Rezlidhia: Rigel Pharmaceuticals), a small-molecule inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1), for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) with a susceptible IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test. The efficacy of olutasidenib was established based on complete

Purpose: The three-arm, phase III KEYNOTE-361 study did not meet its dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy in advanced urothelial carcinoma. This prespecified exploratory analysis assessed the association of tumor mutational burden (TMB) and PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) with clinical

Purpose: The ZEPHIR clinical trial evaluated the role of [89Zr]trastuzumab-PET/CT (HER2-PET/CT) and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET/CT ([18F]FDG-PET/CT) in predicting outcomes in patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). Here, we combined molecular/metabolic imaging and transcriptomic data to investigate the biological processes associated with

Purpose: Temozolomide plus PARP inhibition has shown promise in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We previously reported outcomes from the first 50 patients (cohort 1) of a phase I/II trial of olaparib/temozolomide in recurrent SCLC. Here, we report a final analysis of this trial, including a second cohort with an alternate dosing strategy and an exploratory analysis of CNS-specific outcomes. Methods:

Wilms tumors are commonly associated with predisposition syndromes. Many of these syndromes are associated with specific phenotypic features and are discussed in the related paper from the AACR Pediatric Cancer Working Group. Guidelines for surveillance in this population were published in 2017 but since then several studies have identified new genes with recurrent pathogenic variants associated with

Purpose: The receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is expressed in hematopoietic and epithelial cancers but has limited expression on normal adult tissues. This phase 1 study evaluated the safety of targeting ROR1 with autologous T-lymphocytes engineered to express a ROR1 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Secondary objectives evaluated persistence, trafficking, and antitumor activity

Purpose: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are relatively indolent but can be more aggressive. The current recommendations for the use of serum CgA for GEP-NET patients are equivocal. This study was designed to validate an automated CgA immunofluorescence assay for monitoring disease progression in GEP-NET patients. Patients and Methods: A prospective, multi-center blinded observational

Background: Preclinical studies have identified molecular correlates of sensitivity to ATR inhibition. This translational study was designed to test the ATR inhibitor berzosertib in patients with advanced solid tumors carrying alterations in ATRX, ATM, genes conferring replication stress (RS), or SDH. Methods: Patients were recruited to 4 cohorts: T1: ATRX-mutant leiomyosarcoma; T2: ATM-mutant solid

Purpose: Angiogenesis inhibitors are known to modify tumor immunity. Combination of angiogenesis inhibitors with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has shown efficacy against many types of cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the feasibility of neoadjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab and ramucirumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 antagonist

Purpose: Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is an ultra-rare soft-tissue sarcoma with a high rate of metastasis and no established treatment. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of anlotinib (a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor) and TQB2450 (a PD-L1 inhibitor) in ASPS patients. Methods: This single-arm, phase 2 study evaluated the efficacy of TQB2450, an anti-programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)

Purpose: Deleterious germline variants in certain DNA repair genes are risk factors for developing aggressive prostate cancer. The objective was to quantify their prognostic impact after prostate cancer diagnosis. Methods: Men with prostate cancer, predominantly of European ancestry, were included from four cohorts with long-term follow-up. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variants in 26 DNA

Purpose: This study aimed to explore metabolic tumor volume (tMTV) as assessed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT), and understand its biological meaning in patients with NSCLC exposed to immune checkpoint blockers(ICBs). Experimental Design: In this study, patients with advanced NSCLC and a positive PET scan within 42 days of first line treatment

Purpose: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of BAY 2666605, a velcrin that induces complex formation between the phosphodiesterase PDE3A and the protein Schlafen 12 (SLFN12) leading to a cytotoxic response in cancer cells. Patients and methods: This was a first-in-human phase I study of BAY 2666605 (NCT04809805), an oral, potent first-in-class PDE3A-SLFN12 complex inducer, with

Purpose: Amplification of CDK4 and CDK6 is a feature of a variety of malignancies, and preclinical evidence suggests inhibition of CDK4/6 is a plausible treatment strategy in these tumors. Subprotocol Z1C of the NCI-MATCH trial was designed to evaluate the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in CDK4- or CDK6-amplified tumors. Patients and Methods: Patients had a solid malignancy with progression on at least

For decades, chemoradiosensitization with checkpoint kinase inhibitors has been proposed but largely unexplored. A recent study reports the novel ATR kinase inhibitor, RP-3500, synergizes with radiation to control Atm-/- tumors in vivo. RP-3500 did not radiosensitize wild-type or Brca-1 deficient tumors, highlighting the need for a genotype-tailored approach.

Ovarian cancer remains resistant to immunotherapy in most patients, highlighting the need to make these tumors more immunogenic. A recent study unveils how chemotherapy is able to induce cancer cell stress in metastatic ovarian carcinomas, inducing the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures that create a “hotter” tumor microenvironment.

Purpose: This phase 1b trial evaluated FAP-IL2v, a novel immune-cytokine engineered to minimize CD25-mediated toxicities, in combination with cetuximab, in patients with recurrent, unresectable, or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Patients and Methods: Patients received FAP-IL2v either on a continuous weekly (QW) schedule, or QW for 4 weeks and then every 2 weeks (Q2W). Cetuximab

Evaluating a novel treatment in a randomized controlled trial requires comparison against existing therapies. If several existing therapies of similar benefit exist, the identification of a single control regimen may be difficult. For this situation, we propose a reverse selection design which, in its simplest form, includes a single experimental treatment arm and two control arms. Rather than carrying

Purpose: Preclinical data indicate that fianlimab (anti-lymphocyte activation gene-3) plus cemiplimab (anti-programmed cell death-1) enhances antitumor activity. Here, we report prespecified final analyses of the dose-escalation part of a first-in-human, phase 1 study (NCT03005782) of fianlimab as monotherapy and in combination with cemiplimab in patients with advanced malignancies. Experimental Design:

Purpose: Immunotherapies have led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Studies have revealed the single-cell catalogues of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and the trajectories of their differentiation. Nevertheless, the spatial distribution of these immune cells with distinct phenotypes in tumor microenvironment and their clinicopathological significance in resectable

Background: The role of dual checkpoint inhibition in advanced rare/ultra-rare non-epithelial ovarian cancers (NEOCs) is yet to be explored. Methods: DART is a prospective, multicenter (1,016 US sites), multi-cohort, single-arm phase II trial conducted through the Early Therapeutics and Rare Cancer SWOG/NCI Committee, assessing ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) (1mg/kg every 6 weeks) and nivolumab (anti-PD-1)

Purpose: ctDNA is a novel technique extensively studied in solid tumors, although not currently well defined in endometrial cancer (EC). Experimental Design: A de-identified retrospective analysis of 1988 patients with advanced/recurrent EC was performed. In addition, an analysis of a real-world evidence (RWE) cohort was completed (n=1266). Patients underwent ctDNA testing using Guardant360 during

Purpose: Intratumoral (IT) TAVO-EP (tavokinogene telseplasmid delivered by electroporation) results in localized expression of interleukin-12 (IL-12) within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This study evaluated neoadjuvant TAVO-EP combined with intravenous (IV) nivolumab followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab in patients with operable locoregionally advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods: The

Oxygen-enhanced MRI was successfully applied to 24 patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. This prospective trial rigorously evaluated reproducibility and changes with respect to tumor radiation. Analyses compared hypoxic volumes and hypoxic fractions. It represents important progress in developing a practical approach to assessing tumor hypoxia in patients noninvasively.