Determinants of Survival with Combined HER2 and PD-1 Blockade in Metastatic Esophagogastric Cancer

Purpose: We report updated clinical outcomes from a phase II study of pembrolizumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy (PTC) in metastatic esophagogastric cancer in conjunction with outcomes from an independent Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) cohort.

Patients and methods: The significance of pretreatment 89Zr-trastuzumab PET, plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics, and tumor HER2 expression and whole exome sequencing was evaluated to identify prognostic biomarkers and mechanisms of resistance in patients treated on-protocol with PTC. Additional prognostic features were evaluated using a multivariable Cox regression model of trastuzumab-treated MSK patients (n = 226). Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from MSK and Samsung were evaluated for mechanisms of therapy resistance.

Results: 89Zr-trastuzumab PET, scRNA-seq, and serial ctDNA with CT imaging identified how pre-treatment intrapatient genomic heterogeneity contributes to inferior progression-free survival (PFS). We demonstrated that the presence of intensely avid lesions by 89Zr-trastuzumab PET declines in tumor-matched ctDNA by 3 weeks, and clearance of tumor-matched ctDNA by 9 weeks were minimally invasive biomarkers of durable PFS. Paired pre- and on-treatment scRNA-seq identified rapid clearance of HER2-expressing tumor clones with expansion of clones expressing a transcriptional resistance program, which was associated with MT1H, MT1E, MT2A, and MSMB expression. Among trastuzumab-treated patients at MSK, ERBB2 amplification was associated with improved PFS, while alterations in MYC and CDKN2A/B were associated with inferior PFS.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the clinical relevance of identifying baseline intrapatient heterogeneity and serial ctDNA monitoring of HER2-positive esophagogastric cancer patients to identify early evidence of treatment resistance, which could guide proactive therapy escalation or deescalation.