Baseline CT-derived QVT score as predictor of bevacizumab benefit in advanced non-squamous NSCLC: A retrospective biomarker analysis of SWOG S0819.

Abstract

8549 Background: Despite two decades of anti-angiogenic therapy in NSCLC, no predictive biomarker identifies which patients benefit. As VEGF-targeted combinations advance in clinical development, patient selection biomarkers remain a critical unmet need. QVT (Quantitative Vessel Tortuosity) Score is an automated imaging biomarker measuring chaotic tumor vasculature from baseline CT scans and has been shown to be associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) outcomes. We hypothesized that QVT Score could identify patients with chaotic angiogenesis tumors and greater sensitivity to anti-angiogenic therapy. Methods: We analyzed a subset of 334 patients from the SWOG S0819 (NCT00946712) trial with treatment-naïve stage IV non-squamous NSCLC receiving carboplatin/paclitaxel with (56%) or without (44%) bevacizumab. QVT Scores were derived from baseline CTs based on radiologist-defined tumor annotations and radiomic features of tumor vasculature (e.g. vessel twisting, curvature, and branching). Overall survival (OS) was evaluated as the primary endpoint using Cox proportional hazards models with QVT × bevacizumab interaction terms. Bevacizumab was non-randomized in S0819 (physician/patient discretion): to address this, we employed doubly robust estimation combining inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) with multivariable covariate adjustment for age, performance status, histology, smoking history, and stage. Results: The QVT Score × bevacizumab interaction was significant (p=0.007, doubly robust estimation) and stayed consistent across sensitivity analyses (p=0.017 multivariable; p=0.047 IPTW), suggesting differential treatment benefit based on pre-treatment vascular phenotype. QVT Score was strongly OS-associated without bevacizumab (HR=3.03, p=0.003) but not with bevacizumab (HR=1.71, p=0.079), consistent with mitigation of high-risk biology. Bevacizumab benefit increased across QVT quartiles (Table 1): patients in the highest quartile had a 60% reduction in mortality (HR=0.40, p<0.001), while patients in the lowest quartile showed no OS benefit (HR=0.89, p=0.64). Conclusions: Despite unfavorable prognosis on standard-of-care therapies (chemotherapy, ICIs), we found that patients with elevated baseline QVT Score may benefit from the addition of anti-angiogenic agents. As VEGF-targeted combinations including bispecific antibodies enter development, radiomic biomarkers may play a crucial role in enriching trial populations and enabling mechanistic longitudinal monitoring. These findings warrant prospective validation in independent randomized clinical trials. Bevacizumab treatment effect by QVT score quartile. QVT Score Quartile N Bevacizumab effect (Hazard Ratio) P Q1 84 0.89 (0.56 -1.42) 0.64 Q2 83 0.70 (0.44-1.12) 0.14 Q3 83 0.54 (0.34-0.85) 0.01 Q4 84 0.40 (0.24-0.65) 0.0003