th-302 and Head-and-Neck-Neoplasms

Evofosfamide (TH-302) is a clinical-stage hypoxia-activated prodrug of a DNA-crosslinking nitrogen mustard that has potential utility for human papillomavirus (HPV) negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), in which tumor hypoxia limits treatment outcome. We report the preclinical efficacy, target engagement, preliminary predictive biomarkers and initial clinical activity of evofosfamide for HPV-negative HNSCC. Evofosfamide was assessed in 22 genomically characterized cell lines and 7 cell line-derived xenograft (CDX), patient-derived xenograft (PDX), orthotopic, and syngeneic tumor models. Biomarker analysis used RNA sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and whole-genome CRISPR knockout screens. Five advanced/metastatic HNSCC patients received evofosfamide monotherapy (480 mg/m2 qw × 3 each month) in a phase 2 study. Evofosfamide was potent and highly selective for hypoxic HNSCC cells. Proliferative rate was a predominant evofosfamide sensitivity determinant and a proliferation metagene correlated with activity in CDX models. Evofosfamide showed efficacy as monotherapy and with radiotherapy in PDX models, augmented CTLA-4 blockade in syngeneic tumors, and reduced hypoxia in nodes disseminated from an orthotopic model. Of 5 advanced HNSCC patients treated with evofosfamide, 2 showed partial responses while 3 had stable disease. In conclusion, evofosfamide shows promising efficacy in aggressive HPV-negative HNSCC, with predictive biomarkers in development to support further clinical evaluation in this indication.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Biomarkers, Tumor; Cell Line, Tumor; Chemoradiotherapy; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Exome Sequencing; Female; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Middle Aged; Nitroimidazoles; Papillomaviridae; Phosphoramide Mustards; Prodrugs; Progression-Free Survival; Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Young Adult

Topics: Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Human Papillomavirus Viruses; Humans; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

Tumour hypoxia is a marker of poor prognosis and failure of chemoradiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), providing a strategy for therapeutic intervention in this setting. To evaluate the utility of the hypoxia-activated prodrug evofosfamide (TH-302) in HNSCC, we established ten early passage patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of HNSCC that were characterised by their histopathology, hypoxia status, gene expression, and sensitivity to evofosfamide. All PDX models closely resembled the histology of the patient tumours they were derived from. Pimonidazole-positive tumour hypoxic fractions ranged from 1.7-7.9% in line with reported HNSCC clinical values, while mRNA expression of the Toustrup hypoxia gene signature showed close correlations between PDX and matched patient tumours, together suggesting the PDX models may accurately model clinical tumour hypoxia. Evofosfamide as a single agent (50 mg/kg IP, qd × 5 for three weeks) demonstrated antitumour efficacy that was variable across the PDX models, ranging from complete regressions in one p16-positive PDX model to lack of significant activity in the three most resistant models. Despite all PDX models showing evidence of tumour hypoxia, and hypoxia being essential for activation of evofosfamide, the antitumour activity of evofosfamide only weakly correlated with tumour hypoxia status determined by pimonidazole immunohistochemistry. Other candidate evofosfamide sensitivity genes-

Topics: Animals; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Ki-67 Antigen; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Nitroimidazoles; Nuclear Proteins; Phosphoramide Mustards; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Tumor Hypoxia; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

The promising treatment combination of ionizing radiation (IR) with a hypoxia-activated prodrug (HAP) is based on biological cooperation. Here we investigated the hypoxia-activated prodrug evofosfamide in combination with different treatment regimens of IR against lung A549- and head&neck UT-SCC-14-derived tumor xenografts. DNA damage-related endpoints and clonogenic cell survival of A549 and UT-SCC-14 carcinoma cells were probed under normoxia and hypoxia.Evofosfamide (TH-302) induced DNA-damage and a dose-dependent antiproliferative response in A549 cells on cellular pretreatment under hypoxia, and supra-additively reduced clonogenic survival in combination with IR. Concomitant treatment of A549-derived tumor xenografts with evofosfamide and fractionated irradiation induced the strongest treatment response in comparison to the corresponding neoadjuvant and adjuvant regimens. Adjuvant evofosfamide was more potent than concomitant and neoadjuvant evofosfamide when combined with a single high dose of IR. Hypoxic UT-SCC-14 cells and tumor xenografts thereof were resistant to evofosfamide alone and in combination with IR, most probably due to reduced P450 oxidoreductase expression, which might act as major predictive determinant of sensitivity to HAPs.In conclusion, evofosfamide with IR is a potent combined treatment modality against hypoxic tumors. However, the efficacy and the therapeutic outcome of this combined treatment modality is, as indicated here in preclinical tumor models, dependent on scheduling parameters and tumor type, which is most probably related to the status of respective HAP-activating oxidoreductases. Further biomarker development is necessary for the launch of successful clinical trials.

Topics: Animals; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Chemoradiotherapy; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Mice; Nitroimidazoles; Phosphoramide Mustards; Prodrugs; Radiotherapy

Hypoxia is a prevalent feature of many tumors contributing to disease progression and treatment resistance, and therefore constitutes an attractive therapeutic target. Several hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAP) have been developed, including the phase III candidate TH-302 (evofosfamide) and the preclinical agent SN30000, which is an optimized analogue of the well-studied HAP tirapazamine. Experience with this therapeutic class highlights an urgent need to identify biomarkers of HAP sensitivity, including enzymes responsible for prodrug activation during hypoxia. Using genome-scale shRNA screens and a high-representation library enriched for oxidoreductases, we identified the flavoprotein P450 (cytochrome) oxidoreductase (POR) as the predominant determinant of sensitivity to SN30000 in three different genetic backgrounds. No other genes consistently modified SN30000 sensitivity, even within a POR-negative background. Knockdown or genetic knockout of POR reduced SN30000 reductive metabolism and clonogenic cell death and similarly reduced sensitivity to TH-302 under hypoxia. A retrospective evaluation of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas showed heterogeneous POR expression and suggested a possible relationship between human papillomavirus status and HAP sensitivity. Taken together, our study identifies POR as a potential predictive biomarker of HAP sensitivity that should be explored during the clinical development of SN30000, TH-302, and other hypoxia-directed agents.

Topics: Activation, Metabolic; Antineoplastic Agents; Biomarkers; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Chemoradiotherapy; Cyclic N-Oxides; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Head and Neck Neoplasms; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Humans; Neoplasm Proteins; Nitroimidazoles; Papillomaviridae; Papillomavirus Infections; Phosphoramide Mustards; Prodrugs; Retrospective Studies; RNA Interference; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering; Tirapazamine; Triazines; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumor Stem Cell Assay