Original Article
Translational Oncology
High Prevalence of Concomitant Oncogene Mutations in Prospectively Identified Patients with ROS1-Positive Metastatic Lung Cancer

Presented in part at the 32nd German Cancer Congress in Berlin, Germany, February 25, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtho.2016.08.137Get rights and content
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Abstract

Objectives

Chromosomal rearrangements involving ROS1 define a rare entity of lung adenocarcinomas with exquisite sensitivity to molecularly targeted therapy. We report clinical outcomes and genomic findings of patients with ROS1-positive lung cancer who were prospectively identified within a multiplex biomarker profiling program at the West German Cancer Center.

Methods

Standardized immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and hotspot mutation analyses were performed in 1345 patients with advanced cancer, including 805 patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. Clinical and epidemiological data were retrieved from the institutional database.

Results

ROS1 positivity by IHC analysis was detected in 25 patients with lung cancer (4.8% of lung adenocarcinomas), including 13 patients (2.5%) with ROS1 FISH positivity with a cutoff of at least 15% of events. Of the ROS1 IHC analysis–positive cases, 36% presented with concomitant oncogenic driver mutations involving EGFR (six cases, five of which were clinically validated by response to EGFR-targeting agents), KRAS (two cases), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha gene (PIK3CA), and BRAF. Three cases initially classified as ROS1 FISH–negative passed the threshold of 15% positive events when repeat biopsies were analyzed at progression. The median overall survival of the ROS1-positive patients (104 months) was significantly superior to that of the 261 patients with EGFR/anaplastic lymphoma kinase/ROS1–negative lung adenocarcinoma (24.4 months, p = 0.044). Interestingly, the overall survival of the 13 ROS1-positive patients with lung cancer from initiation of pemetrexed-based chemotherapy was significantly prolonged when compared with that of 169 pemetrexed-treated patients with EGFR/anaplastic lymphoma kinase/ROS1–negative adenocarcinoma (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

ROS1-positive metastatic lung adenocarcinomas frequently harbor concomitant oncogenic driver mutations. Levels of ROS1 FISH–positive events are variable over time. This heterogeneity provides additional therapeutic options if discovered by multiplex biomarker testing and repeat biopsies.

Keywords

Lung adenocarcinoma
ROS1
Concomitant mutations
EGFR
Pemetrexed

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Disclosure: Dr. Eberhardt has received honoraria from Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Aestellas, Bayer, Teva, Merck Serono, Daichi Sankyo, and Hexal; he has also acted in a consulting or advisory role for Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Aestellas, Bayer, Teva, and Daichi Sankyo and received research funding (institutional) from Eli Lilly. Dr. Christoph has received honoraria from Pfizer and acted in a consulting or advisory role for Pfizer. Dr. Meiler has acted in a consulting or advisory role for Novartis. Dr. Kasper has acted in a consulting or advisory role for Lilly. Dr. Schuler has acted in a consulting or advisory role for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Lilly, and Novartis and has received honoraria from Alexion, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Lilly, and Novartis; he has patents owned by Universität Duisburg-Essen, and research funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers-Squibb, and Novartis has been provided to his institution. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.