M. Palisoul

Gemcitabine and Docetaxel Compared with Observation, Radiation, or Other Chemotherapy Regimens as Adjuvant Treatment for Stage I-to-IV Uterine Leiomyosarcoma

Objectives We aimed to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among patients with stage I-to-IV uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) who received adjuvant gemcitabine-docetaxel, were observed, received radiation only, or were treated with a chemotherapy regimen other than gemcitabine-docetaxel. Methods/Materials This is a retrospective cohort study of 128 women with uLMS. Data included age, body mass index, race, stage, mitotic count, residual disease, adjuvant treatment, PFS, and OS. Variables were compared by Fisher exact or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Time to progression or death was plotted using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios for progression or death by patient and tumor characteristics. Results Fifty-six (44%) women received adjuvant chemotherapy, 41 (32%) received adjuvant radiation, and 31 (24%) were observed. Of those receiving chemotherapy, 30 received gemcitabine-docetaxel, and 26 received other chemotherapy. Disease stage for the chemotherapy groups was evenly distributed. In the radiation group, 80% of patients had early-stage disease. Age, body mass index, and residual disease were similar between the groups. Mitotic count was uniformly 10 or greater only in the gemcitabine-docetaxel group. Age, stage, and residual disease were associated with worst PFS and OS. After adjusting for these variables, there was no difference in PFS or OS between gemcitabine-docetaxel and the other treatment groups. Conclusions There was no difference in PFS or OS in women with uLMS treated with adjuvant gemcitabine-docetaxel versus those who were observed or received radiation only or a chemotherapy regimen other than gemcitabine-docetaxel. There is a need to identify novel therapies to treat this aggressive disease.

Inhibition of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase AXL Restores Paclitaxel Chemosensitivity in Uterine Serous Cancer

Uterine serous cancer (USC) is aggressive, and the majority of recurrent cases are chemoresistant. Because the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL promotes invasion and metastasis of USC and is implicated in chemoresistance in other cancers, we assessed the role of AXL in paclitaxel resistance in USC, determined the mechanism of action, and sought to restore chemosensitivity by inhibiting AXL in vitro and in vivo. We used short hairpin RNAs and BGB324 to knock down and inhibit AXL. We assessed sensitivity of USC cell lines to paclitaxel and measured paclitaxel intracellular accumulation in vitro in the presence or absence of AXL. We also examined the role of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in AXL-mediated paclitaxel resistance. Finally, we treated USC xenografts with paclitaxel, BGB324, or paclitaxel plus BGB324 and monitored tumor burden. AXL expression was higher in chemoresistant USC patient tumors and cell lines than in chemosensitive tumors and cell lines. Knockdown or inhibition of AXL increased sensitivity of USC cell lines to paclitaxel in vitro and increased cellular accumulation of paclitaxel. AXL promoted chemoresistance even in cells that underwent the EMT in vitro. Finally, in vivo studies of combination treatment with BGB324 and paclitaxel showed a greater than 51% decrease in tumor volume after 2 weeks of treatment when compared with no treatment or single-agent treatments (P < 0.001). Our results show that AXL expression mediates chemoresistance independent of EMT and prevents accumulation of paclitaxel. This study supports the continued investigation of AXL as a clinical target, particularly in chemoresistant USC. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(12); 2881–91. ©2017 AACR.

The clinical management of inoperable endometrial carcinoma.

ABSTRACT Unresectable endometrial cancer, while rare, has a very poor prognosis, with a survival rate of 2 to 8 months. Although endometrial cancer is generally regarded as a survivable disease, the less common advanced and aggressive forms account for a large portion of endometrial cancer related deaths. Given the paucity of inoperable disease, randomized clinical data is lacking in this specific patient population. Management decisions regarding radiation therapy or systemic therapy are largely guided by the existing data in the setting of recurrence or second-line treatment, adjuvant therapy following optimal debulking, or in patients who are considered inoperable due to medical comorbidities rather than the extent of their disease.

A rare case of endometrial cancer metastatic to the uveal choroid

Highlights • Choroid metastases are extremely rare in endometrial cancer.• Choroid metastases can present as many different eye complaints.• Comprehensive eye exams are important in patients with visual complaints.

Identification of molecular targets in vulvar cancers

OBJECTIVES To identify molecular alterations that contribute to vulvar cancer pathogenesis with the intent of identifying molecular targets for treatment. METHODS After retrospective analysis of a database of molecularly-profiled gynecologic cancer patients, 149 vulvar cancer patients were included and tested centrally at a CLIA laboratory (Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ). Tests included one or more of the following: gene sequencing (Sanger or next generation sequencing [NGS]), protein expression (immunohistochemistry [IHC]), and gene amplification (C/FISH). A Fishers exact test was used when indicated with a p-value≤0.05 indicating significance. RESULTS Median age was 65. 85% had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 15% adenocarcinoma (ADC) histologies. 46% had metastatic (Stage IV) disease. Targeted hot-spot sequencing identified variants in the following genes: TP53 (33%), PIK3CA/BRCA2 (8%, 10%, respectively), HRAS/FBXW7 (5%, 4%, respectively) and ERBB4/GNAS (3%, 3% respectively). Mutations in AKT1, ATM, FGFR2, KRAS, NRAS (n=1, respectively) and BRAF (n=2) also occurred. Specific protein changes for targetable genes included clinically pathogenic mutations commonly found in other cancers (e.g. PIK3CA: exon 9 [E545K], RAS: G13D, Q61L, BRCA2: S1667X, BRAF: R443T, FBXW7: E471fs, etc.). Drug targets identified by IHC and ISH methodologies include cMET (32% IHC, 2% ISH), PDL1 (18%), PTEN loss (56%), HER2 (4% IHC, 2% ISH) and hormone receptors (AR, 4%; ER, 11%; PR, 4%). Comparisons between SCC and ADC identified differential rates for AR, ER, HER2 and GNAS with an increased presence in ADC (p-values all <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Molecularly-guided precision medicine could provide vulvar cancer patients alternative, targeted treatment options.

Abstract LB-060: A novel target for genetic silencing of AXL mediates taxane resistance, invasion, and migration in uterine cancer

Objectives: We investigated the role of AXL expression in chemotherapy response in uterine papillary serous cancer, and sought to reverse chemoresistance through inactivation of AXL. Methods: In vitro cell viability (XTT) assays were performed to confirm response to chemotherapy in AN3CA (taxane sensitive) and ARK1 (taxane resistant) uterine cell lines. AXL knockdown by siRNA was performed with either a traditional transfection reagent (DharmaFECT) or with a novel serum-stable, cell-penetrating, endosomolytic amphipathic peptide delivery system (p5RHH). Following knockdown of AXL using siRNA and p5RHH, chemotherapy response was assessed by XTT assay and invasion and migration assays were performed. Cell viability assays were analyzed using multiple t-tests. P Citation Format: Marguerite Palisoul, Mai Nguyen, Hua Pan, Anne Lohrey, Samuel Wickline, Matthew Powell, David Mutch, Katherine Fuh. A novel target for genetic silencing of AXL mediates taxane resistance, invasion, and migration in uterine cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-060.