Special issue “The advance of solid tumor research in China”: FGFR4 alterations predict efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in nonsmall cell lung cancer

Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which represent the new standard of care for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NCSLC), are not effective in many patients. Biomarkers are needed to guide treatment. Sequencing data of an ICI‐treated cohort were analyzed to identify genomic signatures predicting ICI efficacy, followed by validation using multiple independent cohorts. Their predictive mechanism was explored by evaluating the tumor immune microenvironment and tumor mutational burden (TMB). In the discovery cohort, patients carrying FGFR4 alterations ( FGFR4 altered ) had a better objective response rate (ORR) (50.0% vs 19.4%; P = .057) and improved median progression‐free survival (mPFS) (13.17 vs 3.17 months; HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.14‐1; P = .04) than wild‐type patients ( FGFR4 wt ). In the publicly available validation cohorts, FGFR4 alterations correlated with higher ORR (100% vs 31%; P = .028), longer median overall survival (mOS) (not reached [NR] vs 11 months; HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09‐0.89, P = .02), and mPFS (NR vs 6.07 months; HR 0.05, 95% CI 0‐3.94, P = .039). FGFR4 alterations were confirmed as an independent predictor of superior PFS ( P = .014) and OS ( P = .005). FGFR4 altered patients also exhibited a significantly improved disease control rate (100% vs 60%, P = .045) and prolonged mPFS (9.70 vs 3.16 months; P = .095) compared to FGFR4 wt patients in our Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital cohort. FGFR4 alterations associated with a higher TMB levels, more CD8 + T cells in the tumor stroma, and a higher M1/M2 ratio for tumor‐associated macrophages in the tumor center and stroma. Thus, FGFR4 alterations may serve as a potential independent predictor of ICI efficacy in NSCLC.