Correlation of micronuclei formation in circulating stromal cells with their PD-L1 expression and predicts for poorer clinical outcomes in metastatic breast cancer.

Authors

null

Dimpal M. Kasabwala

Creatv MicroTech, Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ

Dimpal M. Kasabwala , Massimo Cristofanilli , R. Katherine Alpaugh , Saranya Chumsri , Cha-Mei Tang , Rena G. Lapidus , Giuseppe Del Priore , Mingjin Chang , Toshiaki Iwase , Naoto T. Ueno , Daniel L Adams

Organizations

Creatv MicroTech, Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, Creatv MicroTech, Inc, Rockville, MD, Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, BriaCell Therapeutics Corp., Philadelphia, PA, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, University of Hawai’i Cancer Center (UHCC), Honolulu, HI, Creatv MicroTech, Inc, Monmouth Junction, NJ

Research Funding

U.S. National Institutes of Health
U.S. National Institutes of Health, Creatv MicroTech

Background: Micronuclei (MN) are small, excised DNA fragments resulting from biological DNA repair mechanisms in response to internal chromosomal instability, such as those caused by genotoxic events (i.e. chemotherapy and radiation), and whose formation in tumor stromal cells in blood circulation is prognostic for worse clinical outcomes (Fenech 2020). Further, mutagenic events occurring during the formation of MN are associated with the development of cancer neoantigens, which are a major element in the programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1) pathway that influences response to immunotherapies. We hypothesized that MN can be detected in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients (pts) within circulating stromal cells (CStCs) that prognosticates for clinical outcomes and may associate with PD-L1 cell expression. Methods: We initiated a prospective pilot study using a compiled set of n=124 mBC samples, from multiple institutions, enrolled prior to starting new lines of treatment for progressive mBC. We enumerated MN formation found in CStCs from whole peripheral blood (7.5mL), filtered for CStCs, then stained for PD-L1 and DAPI. DAPI was used to identify MN, defined by small (<3 µm) DAPI+ circular formations within the cytoplasm, separate from primary nuclei. In conjunction, all cells were stained with PD-L1 with expression normalized to background and evaluated against MN by T-test analysis. MN presence was compared to all available clinical variables, including induction of PD-L1 immunotherapy. Pts’ progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) hazard ratios (HRs) were analyzed by censored univariate and multivariate analyses based on RECIST v1.1 over 24 months. Results: MN were identified in 56% (n=70/124) of CStCs and their presence was significantly prognostic for worse PFS (HR=2.4, CI= 1.53-3.76, p<0.001) & OS (HR= 1.89 CI=1.07-3.34, p=0.039) over 24 months. Overall, mPFS of pts with MN was 2.8 months and without MN was 12.1 months. The mOS of pts with MN was 12.7 months and without MN was 20.8 months. Additionally, MN positive CStCs had a significantly higher PD-L1 expression than MN negative CStCs (p<0.001), with 67% of MN positive pts (n=46/66) having high PD-L1 expression while 30% of MN positive pts (n=20/66) having low PD-L1. Further, evaluation of PD-L1 in CStCs showed a linear relationship (R=0.9806) between MN number and PD-L1 in cells, with 0 MN average=0.016, 1 MN=0.200, 2 MN=0.318, and ≥3 MN=0.400. Conclusions: These initial findings suggest that MN are detected in pts with advanced mBC and may identify pts with faster progression and worse survival outcomes. Further, the number of MN in CStCs appears to correlate with higher PD-L1 expression within cells. Follow up clinical information and subtyping studies are ongoing to also evaluate of the effect of MN positive CStCs on PD-L1 immunotherapies in these pts.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Publication Only

Session Title

Publication Only: Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy

Track

Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy

Sub Track

Circulating Biomarkers

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr e14548)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.e14548

Abstract #

e14548

Abstract Disclosures

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