Pembrolizumab in Patients With Tumors With High Tumor Mutational Burden: Results From the Targeted Agent and

Herbert L Duvivier1, Michael Rothe2, Pam K Mangat2

  • 1Cancer Treatment Centers of America-Atlanta, Part of City of Hope, Newnan, GA.

Abstract

Insights

Pembrolizumab showed antitumor effects in advanced cancer patients with high tumor mutational burden (HTMB). This study in the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) trial found disease control in both colorectal and other advanced cancer cohorts.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genomics
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study is a pragmatic basket trial.
  • It evaluates the antitumor activity of approved targeted agents in patients with advanced cancers and actionable genomic alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report data from cohorts of patients with high tumor mutational burden (HTMB) and advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) or other advanced cancers treated with pembrolizumab.
  • To assess the antitumor activity of pembrolizumab in these patient populations.

Main Methods:

  • Patients with advanced cancers, measurable tumors, and no standard treatment options were enrolled.
  • The primary endpoint was disease control (DC) of at least 16 weeks. Simon's two-stage design was used for the CRC cohort.
  • Low-accruing histology-specific cohorts were combined into a histology-pooled (HP) cohort for analysis.

Main Results:

  • Seventy-seven patients with HTMB (28 CRC, 49 other advanced cancers) received pembrolizumab.
  • The DC rate was 31% in the CRC cohort and 45% in the HP cohort, rejecting the null hypothesis of 15% DC.
  • Objective response rates were 11% for CRC and 26% for HP. Grade 3 or serious adverse events occurred in 12 patients.

Conclusions:

  • Pembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity in pretreated patients with advanced cancers and high tumor mutational burden.
  • The findings support the use of pembrolizumab in specific advanced cancer patient populations with HTMB.

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