GIST: Assessment of Tumor Mutations and TKI Plasma Exposure

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Assessment of Mutations in Tumors and in Circulating Tumor DNA and Measurement of TKI Plasma Exposure to Optimize Treatment

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) belong to the sarcoma group and are characterized by oncogenic mutations in the c-KIT, PDGFRA, BRAF and NF-1 genes that drive tumor growth. Since tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have become available, the median survival of GIST patients increased from 9 months to over 5 years. Consequently, this rare disease has become a role model for other targeted therapies. However, response to TKIs is extremely heterogeneous: ~15% of the patients experience no benefit from imatinib, whereas ~17% of the patients enjoy stable disease for over 9 years. Treatment failure due to primary and secondary resistance is caused in part by mutations in oncogenic genes that cause change in drug sensitivity. A new technique, using circulating tumor DNA, has enabled us to assess mutations in a simple blood sample obtained from patients on treatment, and thus detect new mutations early in the course of the disease. Also, differences in pharmacokinetic drug behavior add to the observed heterogeneity, and may cause resistance due to drug underexposure and thereby proliferation of the least sensitive tumor cells. This offers the opportunity to optimize and personalize targeted treatment for individual GIST patients by timely treatment adaptation based on early detection of secondary TKIs resistance mutations. Achieving this urgently requires data on daily clinical practice, including prospective serial mutation analysis and serial drug plasma concentration measurement. At a fundamental level this will also help to unravel the driving factors behind primary and secondary TKIs resistance in this model disease.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Gastro-intestinal Stromal Tumor
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Vena puncture for blood collection; Procedure: Tumor biopsy

Detailed Description

The treatment of Dutch GIST patients is centralized: almost all patients are referred to one of the five collaborating centers forming the Dutch GIST consortium, UMCG, NKI-AvL, Radboud UMC, Erasmus MC and LUMC. To further optimize treatment for all patients, these centers have implemented a standard-of-care diagnostic and treatment plan that assures collection of homogenous phenotypic and treatment data for the bio-databank. The consortium is supported by and works in close collaboration with the Dutch sarcoma and GIST patient organizations.

A prospective, longitudinal bio-databank will be set up. Data regarding multi-morbidity, drug pharmacokinetics and serial tumor genotypic data will be collected prospectively from all (new) GIST patients during TKI treatment. Our standard-of-care plan includes primary tumor mutation analysis, performed by pathology laboratories on site. At each follow up visit during treatment, blood will be collected to assess TKI plasma exposure and to perform mutation analysis on circulating tumor DNA. All patients will be followed for tumor RECIST 1.1 progression assessed by CT scans and asked to undergo a tumor biopsy at progression to detect secondary resistance mutations.

The development of a model predicting secondary imatinib resistance based on patient phenotype and tumor genotype, will be achieved by analyzing GIST patients with progressive disease on imatinib (index patients; n=30) in our bio-databank. These patients will be matched 1:1 with non-progressive patients treated for the same duration as the index patients. Regarding the index patients, next-generation gene-targeted mutation analysis will be performed on archival tumor material and on a tumor biopsy at progression to identify patient's unique secondary mutations. The mutations that will be studied are: KIT exon 9, exon 11, exon 13, exon 14, exon 17 and exon 18; PDGFRA exon 12, exon 14 and exon 18 and BRAF exon 10 en exon 15.

In-depth analysis regarding mutation analysis in circulating tumor DNA and imatinib drug concentration assessment will be performed for these 60 patients.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 740

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital
  • Groningen, Netherlands, 9713 GZ
    • University Medical Center Groningen
  • Leiden, Netherlands
    • Leiden University Medical Center
  • Nijmegen, Netherlands
    • University Medical Center St. Radboud
  • Rotterdam, Netherlands
    • Erasmus MC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with a GIST with an indication to be treated with a TKI of whom a histological biopsy before start treatment is available.
• Informed consent is given

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients of whom no tumor is available before start of first line TKI
• Patients that refuse a tumor biopsy in case of tumor progression
• Patients in whom it will not be possible to perform a biopsy in case of tumor progression (for example anti-coagulants that cannot be interrupted).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumors; A bio-databank consisting of TKI drug level and serum for analysis of mutations in circulating tumor DNA will be set up. This bio-databank will be used to study whether changes in the amount of the primary KIT mutation is an early predictor of treatment response and/of failure. Moreover, secondary TKI resistant mutations in circulating tumor DNA will be assessed. To be able to assess those mutations, a tumor biopsy will be performed at the time of radiologic progressive disease. Vena puncture for blood collection will be performed at routine out patient visits.

Procedure: Vena puncture for blood collection; GIST patients will be asked to provide 40ml blood that will be collected in four Na-EDTA 10ml blood collection tubes at every routine outpatient visit.; Procedure: Tumor biopsy; Tumor biopsy after disease progression

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Secondary GIST mutations in circulating tumor DNA of patients with progressive disease on TKI treatment	To assess whether secondary GIST mutations can be found in circulating tumor DNA of patients with progressive disease on TKI treatment (according to RECIST 1.1 on computer tomography), whereas they are NOT present in the patients that have no progressive disease after the same time of TKI treatment	2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Secondary mutations in circulating tumor DNA before progressive disease according RECIST	To establish whether these secondary mutations can be detected some time (> 3 months) before progressive disease is assessed according to RECIST 1.1 on computer tomography	2 years
Secondary mutations in circulating tumor DNA related to pharmacokinetics of TKI	To assess whether the occurence of secondary mutations in circulating tumor DNA is related to TKI trough levels	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Medical Center Groningen
• Collaborators: Dutch Cancer Society
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: A. K. Reyners, MD, PhD, University Medical Center Groningen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 8, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 29, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2015
• First Posted (Estimated): January 6, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: GIST; Bio-databank
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Neoplasms, Connective and Soft Tissue; Neoplasms, Connective Tissue; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19082014