PRKDC: A new candidate for checkpoint blockade immunotherapy?

Authors

Ming Huang Chen

Ming Huang Chen

Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Ming Huang Chen , Kien Thiam Tan , Jen Hao Cheng , Wen-Liang Fang , Yi Chen Yeh , Chun-Nan Yeh , Yu Chan Chang , Shu-Jen Chen , Michael Hsiao , Yee Chao

Organizations

Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ACT Genomics, Taipei, Taiwan, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Research Funding

Other

Background: Immunologic checkpoint blockade with antibodies that target CTLA-4 or PD-1/PD-L1 have demonstrated promise in a variety of malignancies. However, the treatment response rate of these immunologic checkpoint blockades remains low. Identifying predictive biomarkers to assist patient selection for immunotherapy have become a priority in both clinical and research settings. Methods: Mutations in patients who responded to immunotherapy were identified by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Relationship between mutation of PRKDC, mutation load and known immune biomarkers were analyzed using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Following up, the PRKDC protein expression was evaluated in 439 gastric cancer patients by immunohistochemical staining and their MSI statuses were evaluated by PCR. Results: We first identified PRKDC mutations in two responders to immune checkpoint therapy (1 HCC, 1 gastric cancer). From published literature, we further discovered that 66.7% (2/3) of lung cancer patients and 63.6% (7/11) of melanoma patients whose tumor harbored PRKDC mutation and responded to immunotherapy. Most of these mutations detected in responders were either truncating or located in functional domains. Further analysis showed that PRKDC mutation is significantly associated with high mutation load in cervical cancer, colon adenocarcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, gastric adenocarcinoma and endometrial cancer (p= 0.008, p= 0.0108, p= 0.0166, p= 0.0183, p< 0.001 and p< 0.001, respectively). Interestingly, gastric cancer patients harboring PRKDC mutations or with MSI-H demonstrated significantly higher gene expression in PDL1, TIM3, LAG3, IFNG, CXCL9, CXCL10, GZMA and PRF1, compared to MSS patients (p= 0.0016, p= 0.0142, p= 0.0017, p= 0.0034, p= 0.0118, p< 0.0001, p= 0.0001, p< 0.0102, respectively). Finally, we discovered low expression of PRKDC was a poor prognostic factor and significantly correlated with MSI-H in gastric cancers. Conclusions: PRKDC may be a potential biomarker that can identify responders to immune checkpoint inhibition.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2017 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy

Track

Developmental Therapeutics and Translational Research,Immunotherapy

Sub Track

Biomarkers and Correlative Studies from Immunotherapy Trials

Citation

J Clin Oncol 35, 2017 (suppl; abstr 3022)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2017.35.15_suppl.3022

Abstract #

3022

Poster Bd #

117

Abstract Disclosures