Abstract PD11-07: PD11-07 Association of TNBC-DX scores with outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab and chemotherapy: a correlative analysis from NeoPACT and NeoSTOP trials
Authors: Sharma Priyanka , Stecklein Shane R. , Yoder Rachel , Staley Joshua M. , Salgado Roberto , Paré Laia , Conte Benedetta , Brasó-Maristany Fara , O’Dea Anne , Nye Lauren , Elia Manana , Satelli Deepti , Crane Gregory , McKittrick Richard , Khan Qamar , Godwin Andrew K. , Prat Aleix 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The TNBC-DX risk score includes the 14-gene immunoglobulin (IGG) immune signature, tumor size, and nodal status and has shown prognostic value for survival in early-stage TNBC (B. Conte et al., ESMO Breast 2021). However, currently unknown are the value of the TNBC-DX risk score and IGG immune signature in 1) predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant therapy, and 2) predicting outcomes the context of neoadjuvant anti-PD1 treatment. Here, we assessed the IGG signature and the TNBC-DX risk score in patients with TNBC treated with neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NeoPACT; NCT03639948) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy without immunotherapy (NeoSTOP; NCT02413320). Methods: NeoPACT trial enrolled 120 patients with stage I-III TNBC who received carboplatin (AUC 6) + docetaxel (75 mg/m2) + pembrolizumab (200 mg) every 21 days x 6 cycles. NeoSTOP randomized 100 patients with stage I-III TNBC to two chemotherapy regimens; Arm B of NeoSTOP was included in this correlative study as the chemotherapy regimen was identical to NeoPACT. RNA isolated from pretreatment tumor tissue was subjected to next-generation sequencing. The 14-gene IGG immune signature and TNBC-DX risk score were calculated in silico as previously described. Evaluation of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) was performed as previously described. Markers were tested for prediction of pCR. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the effect of multiple variables. Event-free survival (EFS) curves were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and groups compared by the log-rank test, followed by Cox regression analysis. Results: In this analysis, 112 patients were treated with chemoimmunotherapy on NeoPACT (node-positive = 38%, pCR rate = 58%). In the NeoPACT trial, the 14-gene IGG signature (as a continuous variable) was significantly associated with improved pCR (odds ratio [OR]=1.105, 95% CI 1.019-1.197, P=0.015 for every 0.2 increment). The pCR rates in IGG-high (≥ median) and IGG-low (&lt; median) groups were 71% and 44%, respectively (OR=3.152, 95% CI 1.420-6.996, P=0.005). In terms of EFS, the 14-gene IGG signature was not prognostic (hazard ratio [HR]=0.507, 95% CI 0.148-1.735, p=0.269). In contrast, TNBC-DX risk score was strongly associated with EFS (HR=5.684, 95% CI 1.226-26.356, P=0.012), even when adjusted for sTILs and pCR status (HR=8.415, 95% CI 1.054-67.169, P=0.044). Estimated 3-year EFS rates in TNBC-DX high and low risk groups (above and below median) were 77% and 89%, respectively (P=0.012). In 43 NeoSTOP patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy only (node-positive = 33%, pCR rate = 53%), no association of IGG signature with pCR or TNBC-DX score with EFS was observed. Finally, we observed a moderate correlation between IGG signature and sTILs in both trial datasets combined (r=0.642, P&lt; 0.001). Conclusions: High expression of the 14-gene IGG immune signature in baseline pretreatment tumor samples in early-stage TNBC is significantly associated with pCR following pembrolizumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The combination of this signature with tumor burden as assessed by TNBC-DX is prognostic for long-term outcomes. Availability of biomarkers that can predict both pathological response and survival with chemoimmunotherapy can optimize this therapy, and evaluation of this biomarker in larger studies is warranted.

Citation Format: Priyanka Sharma, Shane R. Stecklein, Rachel Yoder, Joshua M. Staley, Roberto Salgado, Laia Paré, Benedetta Conte, Fara Brasó-Maristany, Anne O’Dea, Lauren Nye, Manana Elia, Deepti Satelli, Gregory Crane, Richard McKittrick, Qamar Khan, Andrew K. Godwin, Aleix Prat. PD11-07 Association of TNBC-DX scores with outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab and chemotherapy: a correlative analysis from NeoPACT and NeoSTOP trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PD11-07.