Eduardo Cortes Gomez

Integrative multi-omics analysis uncovers tumor-immune-gut axis influencing immunotherapy outcomes in ovarian cancer

AbstractRecurrent ovarian cancer patients, especially those resistant to platinum, lack effective curative treatments. To address this, we conducted a phase 2 clinical trial (NCT02853318) combining pembrolizumab with bevacizumab, to increase T cell infiltration into the tumor, and oral cyclophosphamide, to reduce the number of regulatory T cells. The trial accrued 40 heavily pretreated recurrent ovarian cancer patients. The primary endpoint, progression free survival, was extended to a median of 10.2 months. The secondary endpoints demonstrated an objective response rate of 47.5%, and disease control in 30% of patients for over a year while maintaining a good quality of life. We performed comprehensive molecular, immune, microbiome, and metabolic profiling on samples of trial patients. Here, we show increased T and B cell clusters and distinct microbial patterns with amino acid and lipid metabolism are linked to exceptional clinical responses. This study suggests the immune milieu and host-microbiome can be leveraged to improve antitumor response in future immunotherapy trials.

Pembrolizumab, Bevacizumab, and Cyclophosphamide in Treating Patients With Recurrent Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer

This phase II trial studies the combination of pembrolizumab, bevacizumab, and low dose oral cyclophosphamide in treating patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab and bevacizumab, may block tumor growth in different ways such as boosting your own immune system to find, recognize and kill tumor cells as well as by blocking the growth of new blood vessels necessary for tumor growth and nutrition. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as low dose oral cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, as well as by further enhancing your own body's immune response against cancer cells. As these three drugs have all been shown to improve the immune response against cancer cells giving pembrolizumab, bevacizumab, and cyclophosphamide together may work better in treating patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.