Prospective evaluation of clinical outcomes using a multiplex liquid biopsy targeting diverse resistance mechanisms in metastatic prostate cancer Journal Article


Authors: Sperger, J. M.; Emamekhoo, H.; McKay, R. R.; Stahlfeld, C. N.; Singh, A.; Chen, X. E.; Kwak, L.; Gilsdorf, C. S.; Wolfe, S. K.; Wei, X. X.; Silver, R.; Zhang, Z.; Morris, M. J.; Bubley, G.; Feng, F. Y.; Scher, H. I.; Rathkopf, D.; Dehm, S. M.; Choueiri, T. K.; Halabi, S.; Armstrong, A. J.; Wyatt, A. W.; Taplin, M. E.; Zhao, S. G.; Lang, J. M.
Article Title: Prospective evaluation of clinical outcomes using a multiplex liquid biopsy targeting diverse resistance mechanisms in metastatic prostate cancer
Abstract: PURPOSE Nearly all men with prostate cancer treated with androgen receptor (AR) signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) develop resistance via diverse mechanisms including constitutive activation of the AR pathway, driven by AR genomic structural alterations, expression of AR splice variants (AR-Vs), or loss of AR dependence and lineage plasticity termed neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Understanding these de novo acquired ARSI resistance mechanisms is critical for optimizing therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A novel liquid biopsy technology was used to collect mRNA from circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to measure expression of AR-Vs, AR targets, and neuroendocrine prostate cancer markers. An institutional review board-approved prospective cohort (N = 99) was used to identify patterns of gene expression. Two prospective multicenter phase II clinical trials of ARSIs for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01942837 [enzalutamide, N = 21] and NCT02025010 [abiraterone, N 5 27]) were used to further validate these findings. RESULTS Hierarchical clustering of CTC transcripts identified two distinct clusters. Cluster 2 (C2) exhibited increased expression of AR-regulated genes and was associated with worse overall survival (median 8.6 v 22.4 months; P < .01; hazard ratio [HR] 5 3.45 [1.9 to 6.14]). In multivariable analysis, C2 was prognostic independent of other clinicopathologic variables. AR-V status was not significant when accounting for C2. Upon further validation in pooled multicenter phase II trials, C2 was associated with worse overall survival (15.2 months v not reached; P < .01; HR 5 8.43 [2.74 to 25.92]), prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival (3.6 v 12 months; P < .01; HR54.64 [1.53 to 14.11]), and radiographic progression-free survival (2.7 v 40.6 months; P < .01; HR 5 4.64 [1.82 to 17.41]). CONCLUSION We demonstrate that a transcriptional profile detectable in CTCs obtained from liquid biopsies can serve as an independent prognostic marker beyond AR-V7 in patients with metastatic prostate cancer and can be used to identify the emergence of multiple ARSI resistance mechanisms. This is currently being investigated in additional prospective trials. (C) 2021 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Keywords: survival; dna; biomarker; splice variants; inhibitors; abiraterone; circulating tumor-cells; androgen-receptor; enzalutamide; ar-v7
Journal Title: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Volume: 39
Issue: 26
ISSN: 0732-183X
Publisher: American Society of Clinical Oncology  
Date Published: 2021-09-10
Start Page: 2926
End Page: 2937
Language: English
ACCESSION: WOS:000708109700009
DOI: 10.1200/jco.21.00169
PROVIDER: wos
PMCID: PMC8425833
PUBMED: 34197212
Notes: Article -- Source: Wos
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  1. Michael Morris
    577 Morris
  2. Dana Elizabeth Rathkopf
    271 Rathkopf
  3. Howard Scher
    1129 Scher