Resistance to osimertinib in advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC: a prospective study of molecular genotyping on tissue and liquid biopsies.

Background: Resistance to osimertinib in advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes a significant challenge for clinicians either in terms of molecular diagnosis and subsequent therapeutic implications.

Methods: This is a prospective single-centre study with the primary objective of characterising resistance mechanisms to osimertinib in advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients treated both in first- and in second-line. Next-Generation Sequencing analysis was conducted on paired tissue biopsies and plasma samples. A concordance analysis between tissue and plasma was performed.

Results: Sixty-five advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib in first- (n = 56) or in second-line (n = 9) were included. We managed to perform tissue and liquid biopsies in 65.5% and 89.7% of patients who experienced osimertinib progression, respectively. Acquired resistance mechanisms were identified in 80% of 25 patients with post-progression samples, with MET amplification (n = 8), EGFR C797S (n = 3), and SCLC transformation (n = 2) the most frequently identified. The mean concordance rates between tissue and plasma for the EGFR activating mutation and for the molecular resistance mechanisms were 87.5% and 22.7%, respectively.

Conclusions: Resistance to osimertinib demonstrated to be highly heterogeneous, with MET amplification the main mechanism. Plasma genotyping is a relevant complementary tool which might integrate tissue analysis for the study of resistance mechanisms.