2246P - Tumor-infiltrating lymphocites and gene expression across multiple cancer-types: A translational analysis from the SOLTI-1904-ACROPOLI study

Background

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are a mixed population of immune cells that infiltrate the tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a crucial role in recognizing and attacking cancer cells. The presence, localization and composition of TILs can be used as a biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes and response to immunotherapy in different types of cancer. Our aim was to investigate the correlation between the presence of TILs and gene expression across multiple cancer types.

Methods

Patients (pts) with advanced solid cancer who participated in the molecular prescreening of the SOLTI-1904-ACROPOLI study (NCT04802876) were included. A pathological analysis was performed to determine the proportion of TILs (%TILs) on a hematoxylin-eosin section. On the same FFPE tumor block, gene expression (GE) was evaluated using a panel of 72 genes, including 10 immune genes (i.e., CD19, CD274, CD3, CD4, CD68, CD8, CD84, CD86, CXCL8 and PDCD1). An exploratory analysis of the association between TILs and GE was performed.

Results

1,003 pts were included across 39 different cancer-types. TILs were successfuly evaluated in 922 pts (91.9%). Median (m) %TILs was 5% (IQR: 2-15, range: 0-80). Cancer-types with higher %TILs were duodenal (m=25%, IQR: 20-27.5), head and neck (m=22.5%, IQR: 9-30) and cervical carcinoma (m=20, IQR: 3-35). %TILs was higher in samples from primary tumors when compared to metastatic samples (m=6 vs m=3%, p<0.001). Significant differences of %TILs were also seen according to the site of metastasis (M1): m=8% in lymph nodes vs m=7.5% en lung M1 vs m=3% in liver M1 (p<0.001). A quantitative SAM analysis identified 31 genes significantly upregulated in tumors with higher %TILs (FDR<1%). Among the top 10 most upregulated genes, nine were immune (i.e., CD8, PDCD1 and CD19) and the remaining one MYC. However, correlation between TILs and immune genes was moderate (I,e., coefficient=0.49 between CD8 and TILs).

Conclusions

Immune genes or signatures may provide additional information not captured by TILs alone. Combining both measures could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the immune response in the TME and help predict response to immunotherapy in cancer patients.

Clinical trial identification

NCT04802876.

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

SOLTI.

Funding

Novartis Pharma AG.

Disclosure

E. Segui Solis: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Novartis, Veracyte, Pfizer; Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: SOLTI; Financial Interests, Personal, Research Grant: Amgen. T. Pascual: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Pfizer/AstraZeneca/Veracyte/Novartis; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche/Genentech, Novartis. F. Brasó-Maristany: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Reveal Genomics. E. Felip: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Beigene, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Merck Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Peptomyc, Regeneron, Sanofi, Takeda, Turning Point, Pfizer; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Amgen, Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech, Janssen, Medical Trends, Medscape, Merck Serono, PeerVoice, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, Touch Oncology, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck Sharp & Dohme; Financial Interests, Personal, Member of Board of Directors, Independent member: Grifols; Financial Interests, Institutional, Local PI, Clinical Trial: AstraZeneca AB, AbbVie, Amgen, Bayer Consumer Care AG, Beigene, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol Myers Squibb International Corporation, Daiichi Sankyo Inc., Exelixis Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., GSK Research and Development Limited, Janssen Cilag International NV, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Merck KGAA, Mirati Therapeutics Inc., Novartis Pharmaceutica SA, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International; Non-Financial Interests, Leadership Role, President (2021-2023): SEOM (Sociedad Espanola de Oncologia Medica); Non-Financial Interests, Member, Member of Scientific Committee: ETOP (European Thoracic Oncology Platform); Non-Financial Interests, Member, Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee: CAC Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí. E. Garralda: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche, Ellipses Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen Global Services, Seattle Genetics, Alkermes, Thermo Fisher, MabDiscovery, Anaveon, Hengrui, F-Star Therapeutics, Sanofi, Incyte; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: MSD, Lilly, Roche, Thermo Fisher, Novartis, Seagen; Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: NEXT Oncology; Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Novartis, Roche, Thermo Fisher, AstraZeneca, Taiho; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Beigene, Janssen. L. Paz-Ares: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Speaker fees: Roche, MSD, BMS, AZ, Lilly, PharmaMar, Beigene, Daiichi Sankyo, Medscape, PER; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck Serono, Pfizer, Bayer, Amgen, Janssen, GSK, Novartis, Takeda, Sanofi, Mirati; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Board member: Genomica, Altum sequencing; Financial Interests, Institutional, Coordinating PI: Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., BMS, Janssen-Cilag international NV, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Tesaro, Alkermes, Lilly, Takeda, Pfizer, PharmaMar; Financial Interests, Personal, Coordinating PI: Amgen; Financial Interests, Other, Member: AACR, ASCO, ESMO; Financial Interests, Other, Foundation Board Member: AECC; Financial Interests, Other, President: ASEICA(Spanish Association of Cancer Research): ASEICA; Financial Interests, Other, Foundation president: ONCOSUR; Financial Interests, Other, member: Small Lung Cancer Group. R. Mesia Nin: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck, MSD, Bayer, Seattle Genetics, Nanobiotix, Boehringer Ingelheim, Seagen; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Merck, MSD, BMS; Non-Financial Interests, Principal Investigator, Clinical Trial PI: BMS; Non-Financial Interests, Principal Investigator, Observational trial PI: Merck. A.M. Arance Fernandez: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Consultant /Advisory/Speaker/Travel, Accommodation, Expenses/: Pierre Fabre, Novartis, Roche, BMS, MSD, Merck, Sanofi; Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Research Funding: Pierre Fabre, Novartis, MSD, BMS, Merck, Roche, Sanofi, Amgen. A. Cervantes: Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board: Merck-Serono, Amgen, Roche, Transgene, AnHeart Therapeutics, AbbVie, GSK; Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Amgen, Roche, Merck Serono, Foundation Medicine; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Associate Editor: Annals of Oncology, ESMO Open; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Editor in Chief: Cancer Treatment Reviews; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Principal Investigator: Actuate Therapeutic, Amgen, Astellas Pharma, Beigene, Bayer, AstraZeneca, BMS, Amcure, FibroGen, Lilly, Genentech, MedImmune, Merck Serono, Novartis, Natera, MSD, Servier, Sierra Oncology, Adaptimmune, Takeda, Affimed, Roche, Seamless, Gilead, Janssen, F. STAR Therapeutics, Ribon Therapeutics; Non-Financial Interests, Other, Scientific Director: INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute. J. Martin-Liberal: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, Highlight Therapeutics; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel grant: Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Roche, Ipsen. G. Villacampa Javierre: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Invited Speaker in a Course: MSD; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Invited speaker in an internal training: Pierre Fabre, GSK; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Internal discussion about the interpretation of some published results: Pfizer; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Collaborations with specific projects: Reveal Genomics. J. Tabernero: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, scientific consultancy role: Orion Biotechnology, Array Biopharma, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., HalioDX SAS, Ikena Oncology, IQVIA, Lilly, Menarini, Merck Serono, Merus, MSD, Mirati, Neophore, Novartis, Peptomyc, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Servier, Taiho, Tessa Therapeutics, TheraMyc, Hutchinson MediPharma International, Scandion Oncology, Ona Therapeutics, SOTIO Biotech, Inspirna Inc., Scorpion Therapeutics, Tolremo Therapeutics; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, educational collaboration: Medscape Education, Physicians Education Resource (PER), PeerView Institute for Medical Education, Imedex/HMP; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Educational Collaboration: MJH Life Sciences; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Cardiff Oncology; Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: ONIRIA Therapeutics; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, ACRCelerate: Colorectal Cancer Stratified: Fundación Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, OPTIMISTICC: Opportunity to Investigate the Microbiome’s Impact on Science and Treatment In Colorectal Cancer: Cancer Research UK; Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, Clinical Trials & Research: Amgen Inc., Array Biopharma Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Bristol Myers Squibb International Corporation, Celgene International SARL, Debiopharm International SA, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., Janssen-Cilag International NV, Merck Health KGAA, Merck, Sharp & Dohme de España, SA, Novartis Farmacéutica SA, PharmaMar SA, Sanofi-Aventis Recherche & Développement, Servier, Taiho Pharma USA, Inc., BeiGene, Boehringer Ingelheim, HalioDX SAS, Hutchinson Medipharma, MedImmune, Menarini, Merus N V, Pfizer, Mirati; Non-Financial Interests, Member of Board of Directors, Board of Directors: Cancer Core Europe, Spanish Association Against Cancer -AECC; Non-Financial Interests, Member of Board of Directors, General Assembly: Horizon Europe Cancer Mission; Non-Financial Interests, Leadership Role, External Scientific Committee: Institute for Health Research INCLIVA – Clinical Hospital of Valencia, IdiSNA –Universidad de Navarra; Non-Financial Interests, Leadership Role, Scientific Advisory Board: Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO); Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, International Scientific Evaluation Committee: Bosch Health Campus (BHC); Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, Review Board: National Decade Against Cancer (NCT) - German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK); Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, Scientific Advisory Board: Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Centre; Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, International Review Committee (IRC): Oncode Institute; Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Oslo University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Centre (OUH CCC); Non-Financial Interests, Leadership Role, Governance Advisory Committee: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer -EORTC; Non-Financial Interests, Leadership Role, Vice Chairman: World Innovative Networking (WIN) Consortium in Personalized Cancer Medicine; Non-Financial Interests, Other, Coordinating PI & Steering Committee Member. Clinical Trials & Research: Array Biopharma Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical LP, Boehringer Ingelheim, MedImmune, Menarini, Merck Healthcare KGAA, Merck, Sharp & Dohme de España SA, Pfizer, Servier; Non-Financial Interests, Principal Investigator, Clinical Trials & Research: Array Biopharma Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceutics LP, BeiGene, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb International Corporation, Celgene International SARL, Debiopharm International SA, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., HalioDX SAS, Hutchinson Medipharma, Janssen-Cilag International NV, MedImmune, Menarini, Merck Healthcare KGAA, Merck Sharp & Dohme de España SA, Merus NV, Mirati, Novartis Farmacéutica SA, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis Recherche & Développement, Servier, Taiho Pharma USA Inc.; Non-Financial Interests, Other, Steering Committee Member. Clinical Trials & Research: Debiopharm International SA, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., HalioDX SAS, Hutchinson Medipharma, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Merus NV, Taiho Pharma USA Inc.; Non-Financial Interests, Other, Coordinating PI. Clinical Trials & Research: Mirati; Non-Financial Interests, Member: AACR, ASCO, EACR, EORTC, SEOM; Other, President: Oncology Master Plan – Catalonia Department of Health; Other, Advisory Committee: Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Provision Financing under the Spanish National Health System. A. Prat: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Roche; Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Lecture fees: Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory role/consultancy: Novartis, Pfizer, Oncolytics Biotech, Guardant Health, Peptomyc; Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical trials: Daiichi Sankyo; Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Contracted research: Boehringer Ingelheim, Medica Scientia Innovation. Research; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca, 1TRIALSP, S.L.; Financial Interests, Personal, Member of Board of Directors, Leadership role: Reveal Genomics, SL.; Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: Reveal Genomics, Oncolytics Biotech; Financial Interests, Personal, Royalties: Reveal Genomics, International Oncology Bureau, S.L.; Financial Interests, Institutional, Local PI: Roche, AstraZeneca; Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Steering Committee Member: Daiichi Sankyo; Financial Interests, Institutional, Coordinating PI: Novartis; Non-Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Leadership Roles: Patronage committee: SOLTI Foundation, Actitud Frente al Cáncer Foundation; Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Asociación Española de Investigación Sobre el Cáncer: ASEICA. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.