Rebiopsy Feasibility and Clinical Impact on Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With EGFR/ALK/ROS Oncogenic Driver...

For metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) patients with oncogenic driver progression after tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), obtaining a new mutational profile is recommended to assess the mechanism of resistance. The feasibility of that recommendation and its clinical impact remain poorly studied.

mNSCLC patients with EGFR mutation and ALK or ROS translocation progressing on optimal TKI therapy were screened for inclusion in an immunochemotherapy trial not requiring a new molecular profile determination. This analysis evaluated the rebiopsy rate and its clinical impact.

Among 148 patients, 79 (53.4%) analyzable re-biopsies showed 72/132 (54.6%) with EGFR mutations, 7/13 (53.8%) had ALK translocations and no (0/5) ROS translocations. Seventy-nine re-biopsies were tissue (37, 46.8%), liquid (26, 32.9%) or both samples (16, 20.3%). For patients harboring EGFR mutations, the rebiopsy was not contributive for 12/72 (16.7%), the initial mutation was not found for 9/72 (12.5%) and only the unchanged initial profile was detected for 22/72 (30.6%); new information was provided for 29/72 (40.3%). Among patients with ALK-translocated mNSCLCs, re-biopsies enabled identification of resistance mechanisms for 20%. Overall survival did not differ between patients with rebiopsy and those without.

In this population of patients with oncogenic driver progression under optimal targeted TKIs and in sufficiently good general condition to be included in an immunochemotherapy trial, only half were re-biopsied. Rebiopsy does not seem to improve the outcomes of these patients.