Introduction: Rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting DLL3, an atypical Notch ligand expressed in SCLC tumors. We evaluated the efficacy of Rova-T versus placebo as maintenance therapy in patients with extensive-stage-SCLC after platinum-based chemotherapy.Methods: MERU was a phase 3 randomized, doubleblinded, placebo-controlled study. Patients without disease progression after four cycles of platinum-based, front-line chemotherapy were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 0.3 mg/kg Rova-T or placebo (every 6 wk, omitted every third cycle). Primary efficacy end points were progression-free survival (PFS) evaluated by the Central Radiographic Assessment Committee and overall survival (OS) in patients with DLL3-high tumors.Results: Median age of all randomized patients (N ¼ 748) was 64 years; 78% had TNM stage IV disease. At futility analysis of the subset with DLL3-high tumors, the hazard ratio for OS was 1.07 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-1.36) favoring the placebo arm, with median OS of 8.5 and 9.8 months in the Rova-T and placebo arms, respectively; futility criteria were met. Rova-T significantly improved PFS versus placebo by investigator assessment (4.0 versus 1.4 mo, hazard ratio ¼ 0.48, p < 0.001). Any-grade adverse events (!20%) in the Rova-T arm were pleural effusion (27%), decreased appetite (27%), peripheral edema (26%), photosensitivity reaction (25%), fatigue (25%), nausea (22%), and dyspnea (21%).Conclusions: Because of the lack of survival benefit in the Rova-T arm, the study did not meet its primary end point and was terminated early. As a result, the Central Radiographic Assessment Committee evaluation of PFS was not performed. The frequency of grade greater than or equal to 3 and drug-related toxicities were higher with Rova-T versus placebo. Rova-T was associated with unique toxicities, such as pleural and pericardial effusions, photosensitivity reaction, and peripheral edema, which should be carefully considered in the population with extensive-stage-SCLC.

ABSTRACTby IRE-1a knockdown is characterized by decreased activation of the UPR and a less mature phenotype with a lack of fully developed ER. Likewise, myeloma cells adapted to bortezomib treatment in vitro (bortezomib-adapted cells) have a reduced rate of protein biosynthesis and a low activation state of the UPR. 20 Together, these data support a "low-IRE-1-a/XBP-1-model" of bortezomib resistance, the validity of which is supported by the identification of XBP1-negative, immature myeloma cell populations accumulating in bortezomib-resistant patients.19

Background: Systemic second-and third-line therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) result in a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of <2 months and median overall survival (mOS) of 6e9 months. Lurbinectedin binds to the DNA of the regulatory region while inhibiting tumour-associated macrophage transcription. In early trials, encouraging outcomes occurred in patients (pts) with MPM treated with lurbinectedin. We aimed to generate lurbinectedin efficacy and safety data among pts with progressive MPM. Patients and methods: Pts with progressing MPM treated with first-line platinum-pemetrexed chemotherapy with or without immunotherapy received lurbinectedin monotherapy. Treatment was given intravenously at 3.2 mg/m 2 dose every 3 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Using Simon's two-stage design, the primary endpoint, progression-free survival (PFS) at 12 weeks (PFS 12wks ), was met if achieved by !21 pts (p0 35% versus p1 !55%). Results: Forty-two pts from nine centres across Switzerland and Italy were recruited. Histology was epithelioid in 33 cases, sarcomatoid in 5, and biphasic in 4. Overall 10/42 (23.8%) underwent prior immunotherapy and 14/42 (33.3%) had progressed 6 months after first-line chemotherapy. At data cut-off PFS 12wks was met by 22/42 pts (52.4%; 90% confidence interval (CI): 38.7% to 63.5%; P ¼ 0.015) with an mPFS of 4.1 months and mOS of 11.1 months. The best response was complete and partial remission observed in one patient each and stable disease in 20 pts. The duration of disease control was 6.6 months (95% CI: 5.2e7.4). No significant difference in PFS 12wks, mPFS, and mOS was recorded in epithelioid versus non-epithelioid cases and pts with prior immunotherapy versus those without. Similar mPFS but shorter mOS were observed among pts who progressed within 6 months after first-line chemotherapy. Lurbinectedin-related grade 3e4 toxicity was seen in 21 pts, mostly being neutropenia (23.8%) and fatigue (16.7%). Conclusions: The primary efficacy endpoint was reached with acceptable toxicity. Lurbinectedin showed promising activity regardless of histology, prior immunotherapy, or outcome on prior treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03213301

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Treatment with sotorasib has shown intracranial complete responses and continued intracranial stabilization in <i>KRAS G12C-</i>mutated non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients with previously treated, stable brain metastases in a post hoc analysis of the ongoing CodeBreaK 100 trial. We present the case of a patient with <i>KRAS G12C-</i>mutant adenocarcinoma of the lung with active untreated brain metastases with a nearly complete intracranial response only 6 weeks after start of sotorasib illustrating the benefit of sotorasib in patients with active, previously untreated brain metastases in <i>KRAS G12C-</i>mutated NSCLC.