Exploratory biomarker analysis of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-604 study of pembrolizumab plus etoposide for extensive-stage SCLC.

Authors

Charles Rudin

Charles M. Rudin

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Charles M. Rudin , Hye Ryun Kim , Alejandro Navarro , Maya Gottfried , Solange Peters , Tibor Csoszi , Parneet Kaur Cheema , Delvys Rodriguez-Abreu , Mira Wollner , James Chih-Hsin Yang , Julien Mazieres , Terufumi Kato , Gregory Peter Kalemkerian , Elisha Dettman , Mackenzie Edmondson , Amir Vajdi , Andrey Loboda , Hazem Edmond El-Osta , Bin Zhao , Mark M. Awad

Organizations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, South Korea, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, Hetenyi G Korhaz Onkologiai Kozpont, Szolnok, Hungary, William Osler Health System, University of Toronto, Brampton, ON, Canada, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno-Infantil de Gran Canaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

Research Funding

Pharmaceutical/Biotech Company
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA

Background: In the phase 3 KEYNOTE-604 study of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC; NCT03066778), first-line pembrolizumab (pembro) plus etoposide and platinum (EP) significantly improved PFS vs placebo (pbo) plus EP (HR, 0.75; P = 0.0023), with favorable OS (significance threshold not met; HR, 0.80; P = 0.0164). PFS/OS were similar regardless of PD-L1 CPS. In this exploratory analysis, tumor mutational burden (TMB), 18-gene T cell–inflamed gene expression profile (TcellinfGEP) and SCLC transcriptional subtypes were assessed as correlates of survival. Methods: Patients (pts) eligible for this analysis of KEYNOTE-604 had previously untreated ES-SCLC with evaluable pretreatment tumor samples. TMB was assessed by whole-exome sequencing (WES) of tumor and matched normal DNA. RNA-seq was used to determine TcellinfGEP and SCLC transcriptional subtypes (ASCL1, POU2F3, NEUROD1, YAP1, or inflamed). Associations of TMB, TcellinfGEP, and SCLC subtype with OS were analyzed using an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. 1-sided (pembro + EP) and 2-sided (pbo + EP) P values were calculated for TMB and TcellinfGEP (prespecified α = 0.05); 2-sided P values were calculated for SCLC subtype (multiplicity-adjusted, α = 0.10). Clinical utility was assessed using prespecified cutoffs of ≥175 mut/exome for TMB and the first tertile for TcellinfGEP. Clinical data cutoff date was Dec 2, 2019. Results: Of 453 pts randomized in KEYNOTE-604 (ITT), 318 had WES data (pembro + EP, n = 167; pbo + EP, n = 151), and 316 had RNA-seq data (pembro + EP, n = 159; pbo + EP, n = 157). High TMB was positively associated with OS in the pbo + EP group (P = 0.005) but not the pembro + EP group (P = 0.450). There was a positive association between higher TcellinfGEP and OS in the pembro + EP (P = 0.003) and pbo + EP (P < 0.005) groups. SCLC subtypes were not associated with OS in either group (pembro + EP, P = 0.960; pbo + EP, P = 0.999). Clinical benefit of pembro + EP over pbo + EP was demonstrated for TMB <175 mut/exome, but not for TMB ≥175 mut/exome. Pembro + EP benefit over pbo + EP was consistent across TcellinfGEP subgroups. Conclusions: In this exploratory analysis of biomarker subgroups of KEYNOTE-604, TMB and SCLC subtypes were not associated with OS in the pembro + EP group in pts with ES-SCLC. While TcellinfGEP was positively associated with OS in both treatment groups, no additional OS benefit was observed with pembro + EP. Further research is warranted to better identify predictive biomarkers to immunotherapy. Clinical trial information: NCT03066778.

nMedian OS
(95% CI), mo
HR
(95% CI)
TMB <175 mut/exomePembro + EP8710.2
(8.5–14.4)
0.60
(0.43–0.85)
Pbo + EP737.7
(6.6–9.3)
TMB ≥175 mut/exomePembro + EP8012.3
(8.3–15.5)
1.02
(0.72–1.45)
Pbo + EP7812.0
(9.8–13.9)
TcellinfGEP <1st tertilePembro + EP498.5
(8.1–12.5)
0.74
(0.49–1.11)
Pbo + EP567.9
(6.5–9.8)
TcellinfGEP ≥1st tertilePembro + EP11013.1
(9.7–17.5)
0.77
(0.56–1.06)
Pbo + EP10110.6
(8.2–12.9)

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Oral Abstract Session

Session Title

Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Local-Regional/Small Cell/Other Thoracic Cancers

Track

Lung Cancer

Sub Track

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Clinical Trial Registration Number

NCT03066778

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr 8503)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.8503

Abstract #

8503

Abstract Disclosures