Nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 versus oxaliplatin plus S-1 as first-line treatment in advanced gastric cancer: results of a multicenter, randomized, phase III trial (GAPSO study)

Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment in HER2-negative advanced gastric cancer: result of a multicenter retrospective study

Background

Platinum-based chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is now becoming the standard first-line therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced gastric cancer (AGC). In China, paclitaxel has shown good efficacy and tolerability in AGC as an alternative for first-line therapy. Combining ICIs with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy may lead to improved tumor immune microenvironment, but evidence in paclitaxel combing with ICIs as first-line regimen is lacking. This multicenter, retrospective research aims to compare effectiveness and tolerability of paclitaxel-based chemotherapy combined with ICIs versus chemotherapy alone as a first-line treatment of HER2-negative AGC in a real-world setting.

Methods

Eighty-six patients with HER2-negative AGC were included from 2017 to 2022. Among them, 57 patients received paclitaxel-based chemotherapy plus ICIs, and 29 patients received paclitaxel-based chemotherapy alone. We compared the efficacy and incidence of adverse events between the two therapy options.

Results

Significant improvements in median progression-free survival (PFS) (8.77 versus 7.47 months; P=0.04) and median overall survival (OS) (15.70 versus 14.33 months; P=0.04) were observed in the ICIs combined with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy group. The use of ICIs also significantly prolonged the duration of response (DOR) (7.47 versus 4.59 months; P=0.02). Meanwhile, the ICIs plus chemotherapy group demonstrated significantly improved objective response rate (ORR) (50.9% vs. 27.6%; P=0.03) and disease control rate (DCR) (98.3% vs. 82.8%; P=0.01), and the side effects were tolerable.

Conclusions

In summary, for HER2-negative AGC, ICIs plus paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is effective with mild toxicities, which should be considered as an alternative first-line therapy regimen.

Efficacy of nab‑paclitaxel vs. Gemcitabine in combination with S‑1 for advanced pancreatic cancer: A multicenter phase II randomized trial

Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (PC) need a cost-effective treatment regimen. The present study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 (AS) and gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS) regimens in patients with chemotherapy-naïve advanced PC. In this open-label, multicenter, randomized study named AvGmPC, eligible patients with chemotherapy-naïve advanced PC were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive AS (125 mg/m2 nab-paclitaxel, days 1 and 8; 80-120 mg S-1, days 1-14) or GS (1,000 mg/m2 gemcitabine, days 1 and 8; 80-120 mg S-1, days 1-14). The treatment was administered every 3 weeks until intolerable toxicity or disease progression occurred. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Between December 2018 and March 2022, 101 of 106 randomized patients were treated and evaluated for analysis (AS, n=49; GS, n=52). As of the data cutoff, the median follow-up time was 11.37 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 9.31-13.24]. The median PFS was 7.16 months (95% CI, 5.19-12.32) for patients treated with AS and 6.41 months (95% CI, 3.72-8.84) for patients treated with GS (HR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.51-1.21; P=0.264). The AS regimen showed a slightly improved overall survival (OS; 13.27 vs. 10.64 months) and a significantly improved ORR (44.90 vs. 15.38%; P=0.001) compared with the GS regimen. In the subgroup analyses, PFS and OS benefits were observed in patients treated with the AS regimen who had KRAS gene mutations and high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (≥5 mg/l). The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia, anemia and alopecia in the two groups. Thrombocytopenia occurred more frequently in the GS group than in the AS group. While the study did not meet the primary endpoint, the response benefit observed for AS may be suggestive of meaningful clinical activity in this population. In particular, promising survival benefits were observed in the subsets of patients with KRAS gene mutations and high CRP levels, which is encouraging and warrants further investigation. This trial was retrospectively registered as ChiCTR1900024588 on July 18, 2019.

Hemorrhagic cystitis in gastric cancer after nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel: A case report

BACKGROUND

The advanced first-line regimen for advanced gastric cancer is based on a combination of fluoropyrimidine and platinum and/or paclitaxel (PTX), forming a two- or three-drug regimen. Compared to conventional PTX, nanoparticle albumin-bound PTX (Nab-PTX) has better therapeutic effects and fewer adverse effects reported in studies. Nab-PTX is a great option for patients presenting with advanced gastric cancer. Herein, we highlight an adverse event (hemorrhagic cystitis) of Nab-PTX in advanced gastric cancer.

CASE SUMMARY

A 55-year-old male was diagnosed with lymph node metastasis after a laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer that was treated by Nab-PTX and S-1 (AS). On the 15th day after treatment with AS, he was diagnosed with hemorrhagic cystitis.

CONCLUSION

Physicians should be aware that hemorrhagic cystitis is a potential adverse event associated with Nab-PTX treatment.

Gastric cancer mesenchymal stem cells promote tumor glycolysis and chemoresistance by regulating B7H3 in gastric cancer cells

Despite surgical treatment combined with multidrug therapy having made some progress, chemotherapy resistance is the main cause of recurrence and death of gastric cancer (GC). Gastric cancer mesenchymal stem cells (GCMSCs) have been reported to be correlated with the limited efficacy of chemotherapy in GC, but the mechanism of GCMSCs regulating GC resistance needs to be further studied. The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore the glycolysis-related pathways heterogeneity across different cell subpopulations. Glucose uptake and lactate production assays were used to evaluate the importance of B7H3 expression in GCMSCs-treated GC cells. The therapeutic efficacy of oxaliplatin (OXA) and paclitaxel (PTX) was determined using CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Signaling pathways altered by GCMSCs-CM were revealed by immunoblotting. The expression of TNF-α in GCMSCs and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) was detected by western blot analysis and qPCR. Our results showed that the OXA and PTX resistance of GC cells were significantly enhanced in the GCMSCs-CM treated GC cells. Acquired OXA and PTX resistance was characterized by increased cell viability for OXA and PTX, the formation of cell colonies, and decreased levels of cell apoptosis, which were accompanied by reduced levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax expression, and increased levels of Bcl-2, HK2, MDR1, and B7H3 expression. Blocking TNF-α in GCMSCs-CM, B7H3 knockdown or the use of 2-DG, a key enzyme inhibitor of glycolysis in GC cells suppressed the OXA and PTX resistance of GC cells that had been treated with GCMSCs-CM. This study shows that GCMSCs-CM derived TNF-α could upregulate the expression of B7H3 of GC cells to promote tumor chemoresistance. Our results provide a new basis for the treatment of GC.

Neoadjuvant camrelizumab and apatinib combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for locally advanced gastric cancer: a multicenter randomized phase 2 trial

Prospective evidence regarding the combination of programmed cell death (PD)-1 and angiogenesis inhibitors in treating locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) is limited. In this multicenter, randomized, phase 2 trial (NCT04195828), patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (clinical T2-4N + M0) were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive neoadjuvant camrelizumab and apatinib combined with nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 (CA-SAP) or chemotherapy SAP alone (SAP) for 3 cycles. The primary endpoint was the major pathological response (MPR), defined as <10% residual tumor cells in resection specimens. Secondary endpoints included R0 resection rate, radiologic response, safety, overall survival, and progression-free survival. The modified intention-to-treat population was analyzed (CA-SAP [n = 51] versus SAP [n = 53]). The trial has met pre-specified endpoints. CA-SAP was associated with a significantly higher MPR rate (33.3%) than SAP (17.0%, P = 0.044). The CA-SAP group had a significantly higher objective response rate (66.0% versus 43.4%, P = 0.017) and R0 resection rate (94.1% versus 81.1%, P = 0.042) than the SAP group. Nonsurgical grade 3-4 adverse events were observed in 17 patients (33.3%) in the CA-SAP group and 14 (26.4%) in the SAP group. Survival results were not reported due to immature data. Camrelizumab and apatinib combined with chemotherapy as a neoadjuvant regimen was tolerable and associated with favorable responses for LAGC.

Revalidation of the ATTRACTION-4 study in a real-world setting: a multicenter, retrospective propensity score matching study in China

Background

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy have been successfully used in clinical trials to treat advanced gastric cancer. However, the efficacy and safety of first-line immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in Chinese patients are unknown.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study included patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) negative advanced gastric cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy or chemotherapy with an ICI between January 2019 and December 2022. Propensity score matching was used to compare progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, objective response rates, and adverse reactions between cohorts.

Results

After propensity score matching, 138 patients, who had balanced baseline characteristics, were included in the chemotherapy and combination treatment groups. The median follow-up duration was 16.90 months, and the median PFS was 8.53 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.77-9.28) in the combination treatment group and 5.97 months (95% CI 4.56-7.37) in the chemotherapy group. The median survival duration was 17.05 months (95% CI 14.18-19.92) in the combination treatment group and 16.46 months (95% CI 12.99-19.93) in the chemotherapy group. The PFS subgroup analysis revealed that age ≥65 years, women, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1, non-signet ring cell carcinoma, esophagogastric junction, liver metastasis, peritoneal metastasis, no massive ascites, only one metastatic organ, and combined platinum-based chemotherapy correlated with treatment benefit. The incidences of adverse events above grade 3 were comparable between groups.

Conclusions

Our study confirmed the ATTRACTION-4 trial results. Compared with chemotherapy, first-line ICIs combined with chemotherapy prolonged PFS but did not improve overall survival in patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer.

Neoadjuvant sintilimab in combination with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a single-arm phase 2 trial

In this multicenter, single-arm phase 2 trial (ChiCTR1900024428), patients with locally advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancers receive one cycle of sintilimab (anti-PD1) and chemotherapy (S-1 and nab-paclitaxel), followed by 5 weeks of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and sintilimab, and another cycle of sintilimab and chemotherapy thereafter. Surgery is preferably scheduled within one to three weeks, and three cycles of adjuvant sintilimab and chemotherapy are administrated. The primary endpoint is the pathological complete response. Our results meet the pre-specified primary endpoint. Thirteen of 34 (38.2%) enrolled patients achieve pathological complete response (95% CI: 22.2-56.4). The secondary objectives include disease-free survival (DFS), major pathological response, R0 resection rate, overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and safety profile. The median DFS and EFS were 17.0 (95%CI: 11.1-20.9) and 21.1 (95%CI: 14.7-26.1) months, respectively, while the median OS was not reached, and the 1-year OS rate was 92.6% (95%CI: 50.1-99.5%). Seventeen patients (50.0%) have grade ≥3 adverse events during preoperative therapy. In prespecified exploratory biomarker analysis, CD3+ T cells, CD56+ NK cells, and the M1/M1 + M2-like macrophage infiltration at baseline are associated with pathological complete response. Here, we show the promising efficacy and manageable safety profile of sintilimab in combination with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for the perioperative treatment of locally advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.