Local Ablative Therapy (LAT) for the Reduction of Minimal Residual Disease in Patients with Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
This phase II trial tests whether local ablative therapy (LAT) works to reduce minimal residual disease (MRD) levels and control stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to systemic (whole body) therapy. Systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of both) are drugs that spread throughout the body to find and damage or destroy tumor cells. LAT is treatment that focuses on and destroys tumors in a certain area of the body (rather than throughout the entire body, like systemic therapy). LAT can include radiation therapy, surgery, and or radiofrequency ablation (using a needle-like probe and high-energy radio waves to destroy tumor cells). MRD is when a very small number of tumor cells can be detected in a patient's blood. Researchers think the presence and rising of MRD levels can predict a relapse (cancer coming back) or progression (cancer getting worse) earlier than cancer imaging (for example, computed tomography [CT] scans). Doctors often use LAT in addition to systemic therapy to treat stage IV NSCLC. However, doctors usually rely on cancer imaging to decide when to start using LAT. Measuring MRD levels rather than relying on imaging may lead to better disease control by beginning treatment with LAT earlier.
Inclusion Criteria
- MONITORING PHASE: Stage IV NSCLC. Note that patients are eligible for the study if they have received definitive treatment for early stage disease, presuming that they remain candidates for local ablative therapy (LAT)
- MONITORING PHASE: American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th Edition Stage IV disease
- MONITORING PHASE: Has had up to four cycles of standard first-line systemic therapy +/- 3 weeks, defined as: a) platinum-doublet chemotherapy, b) immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), or c) platinum-doublet chemotherapy + ICI at the baseline ctDNA draw being used for the study
- MONITORING PHASE: Patient initiated their ctDNA blood draws during their first 4 cycles of first line systemic therapy +/- 3 weeks (during their first 4 cycles, or up to 3 weeks before/after they have begun/ended their first 4 cycles of systemic therapy
- MONITORING PHASE: Ten or less metastatic lesions (Note that this criterion includes lesions, not sites: 3 brain metastases = 3 lesions) * Imaging defining extent of disease should be performed within 4 weeks of circulating tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA) blood draw * PET/CT scan or CT scan of the chest/abdomen/pelvis within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis * MRI or CT scan of the brain at baseline, AND within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis (optional, per discretion of treating physician)
- MONITORING PHASE: All lesions amenable to LAT * Note that patients who receive local therapy (radiation, surgery, or RFA) prior to enrollment for palliative purposes or to CNS lesions are eligible for enrollment if: a) all other eligibility criteria are met and b) at least one other lesion is amenable to LAT and is RECIST evaluable. All lesions treated for palliative purposes will also be counted towards the total number of lesions
- MONITORING PHASE: At least one site of measurable disease
- MONITORING PHASE: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance status 0 – 2
- MONITORING PHASE: Age >= 18 years
- MONITORING PHASE: The participant, or their legally authorized representative (LAR) are able to provide informed consent
- MONITORING PHASE: Adequate baseline organ function to allow stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to all relevant targets, as determined by the treating radiation oncologist based on lesion location, lesion size, and proximity to relevant organs at risk
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: Has received at least 2 cycles of treatment, remains on first-line therapy
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: No evidence of radiographic Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 progression (as defined above), as measured through the following imaging modalities: * Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scan or CT scan of the chest/abdomen/pelvis within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis * Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scan of the brain at baseline, AND within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis (optional, per discretion of treating physician)
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: NR-VAF results within 4 weeks of enrollment
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: All active lesions amenable to LAT * Note that patients who receive local therapy (radiation, surgery, or RFA) prior to enrollment for palliative purposes or to CNS lesions are eligible for enrollment if: ** All other eligibility criteria are met and ** At least one other lesion is amenable to LAT and is RECIST evaluable. All lesions treated for palliative purposes will also be counted towards the total number of lesions
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: Female subjects must either be of non-reproductive potential (i.e. post-menopausal by history: >= 60 years old and no menses for 1 > year without an alternative medical cause; OR history of hysterectomy, OR history of bilateral tubal ligation, OR history of bilateral oophorectomy) or must have a negative pregnancy test (serum) within 2 weeks or a urine pregnancy test the day of treatment
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED FROM MONITORING PHASE: Note that patients can either be: a) enrolled on the monitoring phase, followed by the therapeutic phase, or b) enrolled directly on to the therapeutic phase if they present for enrollment at the time that the therapeutic phase would be delivered and retrospectively would have met all of the criteria of the monitoring phase * Example: If a patient has received 2 cycles of systemic therapy and has NR-VAF, then presents to the clinic for enrollment, they can be enrolled on to the therapeutic phase if they meet all of the criteria in the therapeutic phase and upon evaluating their prior ctDNA/imaging results would have also met the criteria for the monitoring phase * This allowance will substantially increase accrual, as many patients will present after undergoing baseline ctDNA analysis, and does not affect the scientific question that the study addresses
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Stage IV NSCLC. Note that patients are eligible for the study if, prior to the development of stage IV disease, they have received definitive treatment for early stage disease, presuming that they remain candidates for local ablative therapy (LAT).
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: AJCC 8th Edition Stage IV disease.
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Ten or less metastatic lesions (Note that this criterion includes lesions, not sites: 3 brain metastases = 3 lesions) * Imaging defining extent of disease should be performed within 4 weeks of ctDNA blood draw
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: All lesions amenable to LAT
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: At least one site of measurable disease
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Detectable ctDNA
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: ECOG Performance status 0 – 2
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Age >= 18 years
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: The participant, or their legally authorized representative (LAR) are able to provide informed consent
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Female subjects must either be of non-reproductive potential (i.e. post-menopausal by history: >= 60 years old and no menses for 1 > year without an alternative medical cause; OR history of hysterectomy, OR history of bilateral tubal ligation, OR history of bilateral oophorectomy) or must have a negative pregnancy test (serum) within 2 weeks or a urine pregnancy test the day of treatment
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Adequate baseline organ function to allow SBRT to all relevant targets, as determined by the treating radiation oncologist based on lesion location, lesion size, and proximity to relevant organs at risk
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Patient initiated their ctDNA blood draws during their first 4 cycles of first line systemic therapy +/- 3 weeks (during their first 4 cycles, or up to 3 weeks before/after they have begun/ended their first 4 cycles of systemic therapy
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: Has received at least 2 cycles of treatment, remains on first-line therapy
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: No evidence of radiographic RECIST 1.1 progression, as measured through the following imaging modalities: * PET/CT scan or CT scan of the chest/abdomen/pelvis within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis * MRI or CT scan of the brain at baseline, AND within 4 weeks of blood draw for ctDNA analysis (optional, per discretion of treating physician)
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: NR-VAF results within 4 weeks of enrollment * For patients that do not have detectable ctDNA at enrollment in the monitoring phase, NR-VAF is defined as the emergence of detectable VAF on follow up blood draws
- THERAPEUTIC PHASE BEING ENROLLED DIRECTLY INTO THERAPEUTIC PHASE: All active lesions amenable to LAT * Note that patients who receive local therapy (radiation, surgery, or RFA) prior to enrollment for palliative purposes or to CNS lesions are eligible for enrollment if: a) all other eligibility criteria are met and b) at least one other lesion is amenable to LAT and is RECIST evaluable. All lesions treated for palliative purposes will also be counted towards the total number of lesions
Exclusion Criteria
- At the time of therapeutic phase enrollment complete response radiographically (no lesions to target)
- Patients with CNS-only disease (due to limited capacity of peripheral blood ctDNA to detect CNS lesions)
- Planned treatment by targeted agents (e.g. tyrosine kinase inhibitors) or patient not a candidate for systemic therapy
- Serious medical co-morbidities precluding radiotherapy or ablation, determined at the discretion of the treating investigator
- At the time of therapeutic phase enrollment, pregnant or lactating women
- Physical limitation to undergo stereotactic radiotherapy
- Other active malignancy within the last year except for basal cell carcinoma of the skin and in situ malignancy even if without evidence of disease
Study sponsor and potential other locations can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT05429320.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To determine whether LAT (ablation to all sites of disease) causes a reduction in mean variant allele frequency (VAF) by 6 months after LAT in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have non-responding (NR)-VAF (< 50% reduction in mean VAF) but no radiographic progression of disease. (Part I)
II. To determine whether LAT improves progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease compared to patients who continue systemic therapy. (Part II)
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To estimate the percentage of patients who experience NR-VAF while on systemic therapy in the absence of radiographic progression (e.g. accrual feasibility for Part II of the trial). (Part I)
II. To assess the rate of circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) clearance (lack of a detectable mutation) in patients receiving complete LAT after experiencing NR-VAF. (Part I)
III. To assess PFS in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease who receive LAT. (Part I)
IV. To assess overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease who receive LAT. (Part I)
V. To assess rates of high-grade toxicity in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease who receive LAT. (Part I)
VI. To assess the effect of LAT on other measures of VAF, specifically maximum VAF and the weighted VAF sum by coverage. (Part I)
VII. To assess whether LAT improves ctDNA clearance in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease compared to patients who continue systemic therapy. (Part II)
VIII. To assess whether LAT improves OS in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease compared to patients who continue systemic therapy. (Part II)
IX. To assess whether LAT improves new lesion progression free survival (NL-time to progression [TTP]), defined as time to progression from new lesions radiographically, in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease compared to patients who continue systemic therapy. (Part II)
X. To compare high grade toxicity in patients with metastatic NSCLC who have NR-VAF but no radiographic progression of disease compared to patients who continue systemic therapy. (Part II)
OUTLINE:
MONITORING PHASE (PARTS 1 & 2): Patients receive standard systemic therapy for 2-4 treatment cycles and undergo collection of blood every 3 months for up to 1 year. Patients with a rise in MRD levels and without radiographic progression of disease continue to Treatment Phase.
TREATMENT PHASE, PART 1: Patients undergo LAT (radiation therapy, surgery, and/or radiofrequency ablation [RFA]) and standard systemic therapy. Treatment continues for 6 months after LAT treatment, or until MRD levels rise, or whichever comes first.
TREATMENT PHASE, PART 2: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.
GROUP I: Patients continue receiving standard systemic therapy as in Monitoring Phase in the absence of radiographic progression of disease or until MRD levels rise, or whichever comes first.
GROUP II: Patents undergo LAT alone in the absence of radiographic progression of disease or until MRD levels rise, or whichever comes first.
All patients also undergo positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) or CT, as well as blood sample collection throughout the trial. Patients may undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) throughout the trial at the discretion of treating physician.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for up to 3 years.
Trial PhasePhase II
Trial Typetreatment
Lead OrganizationMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorDaniel Gomez
- Primary ID21-465
- Secondary IDsNCI-2022-05459
- ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT05429320