Dr. Naqash on the Results of a Tumor Profiling Study in STK11/TP53 Co-Mutated NSCLC

Abdul Rafeh Naqash, MD, advanced fellow, Early Clinical Trials Development Program, National Cancer Institute, discusses the results of a tumor profiling study in STK11 and TP53 co-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, findings from an analysis were presented that demonstrated that patients with NSCLC who harbor STK11 and TP53 co-mutations have more immunologically active tumor microenvironments with metabolic reprogramming compared with STK11-mutant, TP53 wild-type NSCLC, says Naqash.

Of 16,896 NSCLC samples, 12.6% of patients harbored an STK11 mutation. Moreover, 55.9% of STK11 mutations had the proportions of tumor mutation burden (TMB)–high (10 or more mutations per megabase) disease, 11.8% were PD-L1 positive (50% or greater by 22C3 antibody testing), and 0.72% were microsatellite instability high, Naqash explains.

No differences were observed comparing TMB between the STK11-mutant and STK11 wild-type cohorts; however, co-mutated STK11 and TP53 led to higher median TMB and neoantigen load compared with STK11-mutated, TP53 wild-type NSCLC, concludes Naqash.