Faculty Bibliography

The present article reviews the current evidence for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in gynecologic cancer. ADCs consist of a highly selective monoclonal antibody for a tumor-associated antigen and a potent cytotoxic payload conjugated through a linker. Overall, the toxicity profiles of ADCs are manageable. Ocular toxicity is a known class effect of some ADCs and is managed with prophylactic corticosteroid and vasoconstrictor eye drops as well as dose interruptions/holds and dose modifications. In ovarian cancer, mirvetuximab soravtansine, an ADC targeting alpha-folate receptor (FRα), received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accelerated approval in November 2022 after data from the single-arm phase III SORAYA trial. A second ADC targeting FRα, STRO-002, received FDA fast track designation in August 2021. Multiple studies with upifitamab rilsodotin, an ADC comprising a NaPi2B-binding antibody, are underway. In cervical cancer, tisotumab vedotin, an ADC-targeting tissue factor, received FDA accelerated approval in September 2021 after the phase II innovaTV 204 trial. Tisotumab vedotin in combination with chemotherapy and other targeted agents is currently being evaluated. Although there are no currently approved ADCs for endometrial cancer, there are many under active evaluation, including mirvetuximab soravtansine. Trastuzumab-deruxtecan (T-DXd), an ADC targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), is currently approved for HER2-positive and HER2-low breast cancer and shows promise in endometrial cancer. Like all anticancer treatments, the decision for a patient to undergo therapy with an ADC is a personal choice that balances the potential benefits with the side effects and requires thorough and compassionate support of their physician and care team and shared decision making.

This article reviews treatments and targets of interest in endometrial cancer by molecular subtype. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) classifies four molecular subtypes-mismatch repair deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H); copy number high (CNH)/p53abn; copy number low (CNL)/no specific molecular profile (NSMP); and POLEmut-which are validated and highly prognostic. Treatment consideration by subtype is now recommended. In March and April 2022, respectively, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved and the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion recommending the anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody pembrolizumab for advanced/recurrent dMMR/MSI-H endometrial cancer which has progressed on or following a platinum-containing therapy. A second anti-PD-1, dostarlimab, received accelerated approval by the FDA and conditional marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency in this group. The combination of pembrolizumab/lenvatinib for mismatch repair proficient/microsatellite stable endometrial cancer, including p53abn/CNH and NSMP/CNL, received accelerated FDA approval in conjunction with Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration and Health Canada in September 2019. The FDA and European Medicines Agency made full recommendations in July 2021 and October 2021. Trastuzumab is National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) compendium listed for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive serous endometrial cancer, which is primarily within the p53abn/CNH subtype. In addition to hormonal therapy, maintenance therapy with selinexor (exportin-1 inhibitor) showed potential benefit in p53-wildtype cases in a subset analysis and is being investigated prospectively. Other treatment regimens being evaluated in NSMP/CNL are hormonal combinations with cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors and letrozole. Ongoing trials are evaluating immunotherapy in combination with frontline chemotherapy and other targeted agents. Treatment de-escalation is being evaluated in POLEmut cases given its favorable prognosis with or without adjuvant therapy. Molecular subtyping has important prognostic and therapeutic implications, and should guide patient management and clinical trial design in endometrial cancer, which is a molecularly driven disease.

OBJECTIVE:The real-world management of patients with non-BRCA, homologous recombination repair pathway variants with increased or uncertain risks of ovarian cancer is unknown. The objective was to determine the adoption of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) for carriers of variants with increased or uncertain risks of ovarian cancer beyond BRCA. METHODS:This was a retrospective cohort study of patients at three hospitals with non-BRCA, homologous recombination repair pathway variants with increased risk (BRIP1, RAD51C, RAD51D) and uncertain risk (ATM, BARD1, NBN, PALB2) of ovarian cancer. Outcomes of interest were adoption of RRSO and factors associated with adoption of RRSO. Wilcoxon rank-sum, chi-square, and logistic regression were performed with p < 0.05. RESULTS:Of 318 patients, 76 (24%) had pathogenic variants with increased risks of ovarian cancer (BRIP1, 45; RAD51C, 20; RAD51D, 11), and 242 (76%) had variants with uncertain risks of ovarian cancer (ATM, 145; PALB2, 69; NBN, 23; BARD1, 5). Of 64 patients eligible for RRSO by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria or family history, 31 (48%) underwent RRSO. Among eligible patients who did not undergo RRSO, 24 (73%) were not referred for gynecologic oncology consultation. Older age at testing (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.13) and referral to gynecologic oncology (aOR 33.48, CI 8.10-138.39) were associated with increased adoption of RRSO when adjusting for personal and family history of breast and ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Half of RRSO-eligible patients by NCCN criteria beyond BRCA did not undergo RRSO. Opportunities exist for improving education to increase referrals to facilitate RRSO for these patients.

OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of patients meeting the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)'s BRCA genetic testing criteria prior to a diagnosis of a BRCA-related cancer. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study of patients with BRCA pathogenic variants and a diagnosis of a BRCA-related cancer. Patients were included if they had known dates of genetic testing and cancer diagnosis. NCCN criteria (version 2.2021) were applied to determine if patients met criteria for testing before a BRCA-related cancer diagnosis. The outcome of interest was the proportion of patients undergoing genetic testing following a diagnosis of a BRCA-related cancer who qualified for genetic testing based on NCCN criteria. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U test, and logistic regression were performed with significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS:Of 270 patients with a BRCA-related cancer, 229 (85%) underwent genetic testing after a cancer diagnosis. Most patients (97%) met at least one NCCN criteria for BRCA testing; 166 (73%) of patients who were tested following a BRCA-related cancer diagnosis also met the criteria for testing by family history. Publicly insured or uninsured patients were three times more likely to undergo BRCA testing after a diagnosis of cancer (odds ratio [OR] 3.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-8.40). Patients with a family history of pathogenic variants were more likely to undergo testing before a cancer diagnosis (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.05-0.23). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Most patients with BRCA-associated cancers undergo genetic testing after their cancer diagnosis. Increased education on genetic testing criteria and novel methods to improve testing are desperately needed.

Objectives GEN-1, an IL-12 DNA plasmid formulated with a synthetic carrier is being evaluated with neoadjuvant platinumtaxane chemotherapy (NACT) in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. OVATION 2 is a multi-center, randomized, open-label phase I/II study evaluating the safety, antitumor activity, and immunological response to GEN-1 at a dose of 100 mg/m2 intraperitoneal (IP) actively enrolling at 20 centers in USA and Canada. Methods Up to 130 patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either NACT plus GEN-1 or NACT alone. The phase I portion will evaluate safety in at least 6 patients administered in 8 weekly infusions starting at cycle 1 week 2 in combination with three 21-day cycles of carboplatin AUC 6 with paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (PC). Following interval cytoreductive surgery an additional 9 weekly GEN-1 IP infusions starting at cycle 4 week 1 with three 21-day cycles of PC. If no dose limiting toxicities are found, then the study will continue into the phase II portion. To evaluate biological activity a subgroup of patients will have tumor tissue at initial biopsy/laparoscopy collected and at interval cytoreductive surgery. Tissue will be analyzed for the density of CD8, FoxP3, IDO-1, PD-1, and PDL-1 cells. Blood, peritoneal fluid/wash will be collected before and after treatment in a subgroup of patients to quantify for levels of IFN-g. The primary endpoint is PFS. Results Trial in progress: there are no available results at the time of submission. Conclusions Trial in progress: there are no available conclusions at the time of submission

Objectives Perioperative management varies for patients with bleeding disorders. We sought to determine the association between bleeding disorders and perioperative transfusions for hysterectomy patients. Methods We included patients undergoing non-emergent hysterectomy between 2014-2019 from the NSQIP, a validated, risk-adjusted database from 700 hospitals. We compared 30- day perioperative transfusions between patients with and without bleeding disorders (chronic, persistent, active hematologic disorders). Transfusions <=1day were immediate, and after >=2days were delayed. Covariates were age, race/ethnicity, preoperative anemia (hematocrit <=30%) and thrombocytopenia (platelet <100,000/mL), fibroids, endometriosis, cancer, and surgical route. Results Of 290,642 patients, 10,705 (3.7%) received perioperative transfusions (8,679 ,2.9%, immediate; 2,026, 0.7%, delayed). Of 2,687 patients with bleeding disorders, 283 (10.5%) received transfusions, compared to 10,422/287,995 (3.6%) of those without (p<0.001). For gynecologic cancer patients, 17.1% (121/707) with bleeding disorders received transfusions compared to 8.4% (3,261/38,379) of those without (p<0.001). 999 (0.3%) underwent reoperation for bleeding, and this was more likely with bleeding disorders (27/2,687, 1.0% vs. 972/287,955, 0.3%, p<0.001). Anemia (OR 11.7, CI 11.1-12.4) and bleeding disorders (OR 2.0, CI 1.7-2.3) were associated with transfusions when adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, fibroids, endometriosis, cancer, and surgical approach. The effect of bleeding disorders on transfusions persisted in the laparoscopic group (OR 2.5, CI 1.9-3.3). Bleeding disorders were associated with immediate transfusions (OR 1.7, CI 1.5-2.0) and delayed transfusions (OR 2.1, CI 1.6- 2.7). Conclusions Patients with bleeding disorders are twice as likely to receive immediate and delayed transfusions for hysterectomies, even with a laparoscopic approach. Data are needed to optimize bleeding disorders to decrease transfusion risk

Objectives Endometrial cancer (EC) is a molecularly driven disease, and prognostic and treatment paradigms are transitioning to focus on molecular subtyping. Surgical staging and the role of lymphadenectomy has similarly evolved over time, however current lymph node (LND) algorithms do not account for molecular subtyping. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of microsatellite instability (MSI) and lymph node metastases (LNM). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing surgery for EC between 2010-2021. All EC patients at our institution undergo immunohistochemistry testing for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins and next generation sequencing per clinician discretion. Sarcomas were excluded. Mutations were classified as microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or MMR proficient (MMRp). Results 367 patients were included. Of these, 273 were MMRp and 94 were MSI-H. An average of 6.1 LND were removed and there was no difference in the average LND removed between groups (p= 0.91). LNM were identified in 8% (n=31) of the entire cohort. There was a statistically significant difference in the average LNM between MMRp and MSI-H patients (p<0.0001), with 1% (n=2) of the MMRp cohort and 30% (n=28) of the MSI-H cohort having LNM. Within the MSI-H cohort, all LNM occurred within the MMR deficient, MLH1 hypermethylated subgroup - representing a LNM rate of 41%. Conclusions There is a significant association between MSI status and LNM. Molecular classification, which is obtainable from preoperative biopsy, may be used to guide intraoperative decision making and should be evaluated in the context of sentinel LND protocols

Objectives Minority U.S. populations are underrepresented in oncologic clinical trials. In an urban NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we evaluated enrollment in gynecologic cancer trials by race/ethnicity pre and post the June 2020 NCI call-to-action for increased diversity in clinical trials. Methods Enrollment data in 22 therapeutic clinical trials from January 2018-May 2022 was analyzed. Chi-square/Fisher's exact analysis compared proportions of accrued patients by race/ethnicity pre and post the NCI call-to-action. Results Over the study period 205 patients were enrolled in gynecologic cancer trials: 129 (62.9%) ovarian, 52 (25.4%) endometrial, 24 (11.7%) cervical. Overall racial/ethnic distribution of patients in clinical trials was: 112 (54.6%) non-Hispanic White, 33 (16.1%) Hispanic, 32 (15.6%) Black, 28 (13.7%) Asian. Although not statistically significant, accrual of underrepresented populations increased from pre call-to-action (45/108, 41.7%) to post (48/97, 49.5%). Significantly more Black patients were accrued post NCI call-to-action (8/108, 7.4% vs 24/97, 24.7%, p=0.001). However, significantly fewer Asian patients were accrued post NCI call-to-action (21/ 108, 19.4% vs 7/97, 7.2%, p=0.01). Conclusions Overall accrual of Black patients in gynecologic cancer clinical trials increased following the NCI call-to-action, but accrual of Asian patients decreased. Further efforts are needed to ensure all racial/ethnic groups are represented in clinical trials

Objectives Patterns of recurrence on PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy are unclear and may affect treatment choices for subsequent therapy, including secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS). This analysis of PRIMA/ENGOT-OV26/GOG-3012 evaluated patterns of recurrence on niraparib maintenance therapy. Methods This post hoc subgroup analysis included 314 patients treated with niraparib maintenance monotherapy following first-line chemotherapy and who had no lesions identified by CT/MRI (or by investigator assessment) at baseline. Number and site(s) of initial recurrent lesions at the time of investigator-assessed RECIST-defined progressive disease (PD) were evaluated. Results As of the primary data cut, May 17, 2019, with a median follow-up of 13.8 months (range <1-28), 141/ 314 (45%) patients developed investigator-assessed PD, with an average 1.9 (standard deviation 0.9) lesions at PD. At the time of recurrence, 62 patients (44%) had 1 lesion, 46 (33%) had 2 lesions, 24 (17%) had 3 lesions, and 9 (6%) had 4-5 lesions. The five most common sites with >=1 lesion at PD were the peritoneum (n=45), lymph nodes (n=36), liver (n=34), other (n=26), and pelvis (n=20). Conclusions For patients who received niraparib maintenance monotherapy after first-line chemotherapy and had no lesions at baseline, <50% had recurrent disease after a median 13.8 months of follow-up and >75% of patients with recurrence progressed in 1-2 sites. Prospective evaluation is required to determine whether patients with oligoprogressive disease have improved outcomes with local therapies, like SCS, in addition to systemic therapy