Abstract 646: Liquid biopsy transcriptomics identify pathways associated with poor outcomes and immune phenotypes in men with mCRPC
Authors: Zhang Jiaren , Zimmermann Bob , Galletti Giuseppe , Halabi Susan , Gjyrezi Ada , Yang Qian , Gupta Santosh , Verma Akanksha , Sboner Andrea , Anand Monika , George Daniel J. , Gregory Simon G. , Mahtani Prerna , Hong Seunghee , Pascual Virginia , Mavragani Clio P. , Antonarakis Emmanuel S. , Nanus David M. , Tagawa Scott T. , Elemento Olivier , Armstrong Andrew J. , Giannakakou Paraskevi 
Published: June 2022

Androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSi) and taxanes are mainstays for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, patient response is heterogeneous, and the molecular underpinnings of treatment resistance are not well elucidated.

To identify clinically meaningful mechanisms of treatment resistance, we performed transcriptome analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from mCRPC patients enrolled in two independent prospective clinical trials: PROPHECY, a clinical study of patients (n=118) treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide followed by docetaxel; and TAXYNERGY where patients were randomized to docetaxel or cabazitaxel treatment. CTCs were obtained at baseline (before treatment), on treatment and at progression and their comprehensive transcriptomic analysis was correlated with clinical outcomes. To uncover potential involvement of the circulating immune macroenvironment (CIME) in treatment resistance, we performed transcriptomic analysis of matching peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using an established, rigorous, blood-derived transcriptional modular framework.

In PROPHECY, CTC RNA-seq identified that RB loss concurrently with enhanced E2F signaling networks were associated with intrinsic ARSi resistance. Using single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) score, we identified that the RB/E2F common signature at baseline was associated with short PFS (median PFS=6.5 months) and OS (median OS=24.5 months) (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.5; 95% CI 1.5-8.2) in men with mCRPC. We further developed a BRCA-loss transcriptional signature, and validated it in the SU2C mCRPC patient cohort, expanding the identification of patients with BRCA-loss phenotypes beyond genomic loss. Applying this signature to PROPHECY baseline samples, we showed that men with high BRCA-loss scores experienced shorter OS (HR=2.42; 95% CI=1-5.9). Through the comparison of CTC transcriptomic profiles at progression with baseline, we identified an inflammatory response signature in CTCs which was significantly associated with acquired ARSi resistance. Transcriptomic PBMC analysis further identified enrichment of inflammasome gene signatures at progression, with concurrent downregulation of CD8+ T and NK cells.

Furthermore, preliminary data from both clinical trials, showed a significant upregulation of TGF-β1 and corresponding TGFβ-Receptor signaling pathway in CTCs from patients at progression following taxane treatment, suggesting a role for TGFβ pathway in clinical response to taxane chemotherapy.

Taken together, these data demonstrate that liquid biopsy transcriptomics of both tumor cells and immune cells can identify molecular pathways associated with treatment resistance paving the way for treatment optimization and the development of novel precision therapies in patients with mCRPC.

Citation Format: Jiaren Zhang, Bob Zimmermann, Giuseppe Galletti, Susan Halabi, Ada Gjyrezi, Qian Yang, Santosh Gupta, Akanksha Verma, Andrea Sboner, Monika Anand, Daniel J. George, Simon G. Gregory, Prerna Mahtani, Seunghee Hong, Virginia Pascual, Clio P. Mavragani, Emmanuel S. Antonarakis, David M. Nanus, Scott T. Tagawa, Olivier Elemento, Andrew J. Armstrong, Paraskevi Giannakakou. Liquid biopsy transcriptomics identify pathways associated with poor outcomes and immune phenotypes in men with mCRPC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 646.