Efficacy and safety of SOXIRI versus mFOLFIRINOX in advanced pancreatic cancer

Neutrophil-to-apolipoprotein A1 ratio predicted the efficiency of chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Identification of a biomarker predicting chemotherapy efficacy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) is urgently needed. This study aimed to determine the association between the neutrophil-to-apolipoprotein A1 ratio (NEAPO) and chemotherapy efficacy in APC patients.

METHODS

This retrospective study involved 236 APC patients who underwent first-line chemotherapy, including FOLFIRINOX (FFX), nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (AG), or SOXIRI. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff value of NEAPO, and patients were divided into low and high NEAPO groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of NEAPO on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

The optimal cutoff of NEAPO was 4.69. High NEAPO levels were associated with shorter OS (p = 0.046) and PFS (p = 0.001). In the NEAPO low subgroup, the median PFS of SOXIRI was longer than that in AG group (7.2 months vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.029), with no significant difference of PFS between SOXIRI and FFX (p = 0.691). There is a trend but not significant difference in PFS between AG and FFX (p = 0.096). The proportion of disease control rate (DCR) was higher in SOXIRI group. In the NEAPO high subgroup, there was no significant difference in PFS among the three regimens, while the DCR was higher in AG group.

CONCLUSIONS

NEAPO levels were significantly associated with OS, PFS and treatment response in APC patients who underwent chemotherapy and might be a useful biomarker for predicting chemotherapy efficacy.

Advancing perspectives on the off-label use of anticancer drugs: an updated classification and exploration of categories

To date, the definition that the off-label usage of drugs refers to the unapproved use of approved drugs, which covers unapproved indications, patient populations, doses, and/or routes of administration, has been in existence for many years. Currently, there is a limited frequency and prevalence of research on the off-label use of antineoplastic drugs, mainly due to incomplete definition and classification issues. It is time to embrace new categories for the off-label usage of anticancer drugs. This review provided an insight into an updated overview of the concept and categories of the off-label use of anticancer drugs, along with illustrating specific examples to establish the next studies about the extent of the off-label usage of anticancer drugs in the oncology setting. The scope of the off-label use of current anticancer drugs beyond the previous definitions not only includes off-label uses in terms of indications, patient populations, doses, and/or routes of administration but also off-label use in terms of medication course, combination, sequence of medication, clinical purpose, contraindications scenarios, etc. In addition, the definition of the off-label usage of anticancer drugs should be added to the condition at a given time, and it varies from approval authorities. We presented a new and relatively comprehensive classification, providing extensive analysis and illustrative examples of the off-label usage of antineoplastic drugs for the first time. Such a classification has the potential to promote practical adoption and enhance management strategies for the off-label use of antitumor drugs.

Phase II study of SOXIRI (S-1/oxaliplatin/irinotecan) chemotherapy in patients with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

To provide data on the safety and efficacy of a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of S-1, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (SOXIRI) as a first-line therapy in unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (UPDA) patients.

METHODS

Patients with UPDA and no prior treatment chemotherapy in the UPDA setting were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and adverse events. Patients received 80 mg/m2 S-1 twice a day for 2 weeks in an alternate-day administration cycle, 85 mg/m2 oxaliplatin on Day 1, and 150 mg/m2 irinotecan on Day 1 of a 2-week cycle.

RESULTS

In these 62 enrolled patients, the ORR was 27.4 %, median OS was 12.1 months, and median PFS was 6.5 months. Major grade 3 or 4 toxicity included neutropenia (22.3 %), leucopenia (16.1 %), nausea (9.7 %), vomiting (9.7 %), thrombocytopenia (6.5 %), anorexia (8.5 %), anemia (4.8 %), and diarrhea (1.6 %). No treatment-related deaths occurred. In addition, the analysis of 32 patients suffering pain revealed that the rate of pain relief was 34.4 %.

CONCLUSION

SOXIRI might be a standard regimen with an acceptable toxicity profile and favorable efficacy for use as chemotherapy in patients with UPDA.