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Riccò B, Martinelli G, Bardasi C, Dominici M, Spallanzani A, Salati M. Optimizing the Continuum of Care in Gastric Cancer. Onco Targets Ther 2023; 16:995-1012. [PMID: 38021446 PMCID: PMC10680466 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s365505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) still ranks as the fifth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite the recent progress in the therapeutic algorithm of the advanced disease with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and next-generation HER2-directed therapies, survival rates remain poor, with a median survival hardly exceeding 12 months. Furthermore, only 40% of patients remain eligible for second- and later-line treatments due to the aggressiveness of the disease and the rapid deterioration of performance status (PS). Thus, current research is focusing either on the identification of novel treatment options or the development of personalized strategies to optimize the continuum of care and ultimately improve patients' outcome. In this article, we provide an overview of the current treatment landscape for advanced GC with a particular emphasis on later-line treatments and outline novel perspectives on the horizon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Riccò
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Giulio Martinelli
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Camilla Bardasi
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Massimo Dominici
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Andrea Spallanzani
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Salati
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy
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Högner A, Moehler M. Immunotherapy in Gastric Cancer. Curr Oncol 2022; 29:1559-1574. [PMID: 35323331 PMCID: PMC8946975 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol29030131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibition is a new standard of targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC) and is represented in various combinations with and without chemotherapy in every therapy line within clinical trials. In advanced adenocarcinoma of GC, gastroesophageal junction cancer (GEJC) and esophageal cancer (EC), the combination of nivolumab and chemotherapy in first-line therapy improves overall survival (OS) in PD-L1 (programmed cell death protein 1)-positive patients with approval in Europe (PD-L1 CPS (combined positivity score) ≥ 5), USA and Taiwan (CHECKMATE-649) and pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for GEJC and EC in Europe (CPS ≥ 10) and the USA (KEYNOTE-590). Furthermore, pembrolizumab plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy show clear benefits in OS and are approved as first-line treatment of Her2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2)-positive tumors in the USA (KEYNOTE-811). Nivolumab demonstrates superior OS regardless of PD-L1 expression in third-line therapy with approval in Japan (ATTRACTION-02) and pembrolizumab prolonged the duration of response in PD-L1 positive patients with approval in the USA in PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 patients (KEYNOTE-059). This review reflects the rationale and current results of phase II and III clinical trials investigating various immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-L1/1 and CTLA (anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen)-4 in combination with and without chemotherapy and Her2-targeted therapy in GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anica Högner
- Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Markus Moehler
- Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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Högner A, Al-Batran SE, Siveke JT, Lorenz M, Bartels P, Breithaupt K, Malfertheiner P, Homann N, Stein A, Gläser D, Tamm I, Hinke A, Vogel A, Thuss-Patience P. Pazopanib with 5-FU and oxaliplatin as first line therapy in advanced gastric cancer: A randomized phase-II study-The PaFLO trial. A study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie AIO-STO-0510. Int J Cancer 2021; 150:1007-1017. [PMID: 34741530 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
VEGF inhibition in gastric cancer has a proven benefit in the second line setting. Pazopanib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, selectively inhibits VEGFR-1, -2 and -3, c-kit and PDGF-R resulting in inhibition of angiogenesis. This open-label randomized phase II trial (2:1) investigated the efficacy of combining pazopanib with FLO (5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin) vs FLO alone (internal control arm) as first-line treatment in patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). Eighty-seven patients were randomized and 78 patients were eligible and evaluable (PaFLO arm 51 patients, FLO arm 27 patients). The PFS rate at 6 months (primary endpoint) was 34% in the PaFLO arm vs 30% in the FLO arm. Comparing PaFLO with FLO median PFS was 4.66 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.87-6.46) vs 4.47 months (95% CI 1.79-7.14) (95% CI, hazard ratio [HR] 0.96 (0.60-1.55), P = .882 [exploratory]); median OS was 10.19 months (95% CI 5.46-14.92) vs 7.33 months (95% CI 4.93-9.73), (95% CI HR 1.01 [0.62-1.65], P = .953, exploratory), disease control rate was 72% vs 59%. PaFLO was well tolerable, toxicities were slightly higher in the PaFLO arm. Major adverse events were loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Adding pazopanib to chemotherapy shows signs of efficacy but no major improvement in this randomized phase 2 trial. The PFS at 6 months in both arms was lower than expected from the literature. Biomarkers identifying subgroups who benefit and novel combinations are needed. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01503372.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anica Högner
- Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Salah-Eddin Al-Batran
- Institut für Klinische Krebsforschung IKF GmbH am Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jens T Siveke
- II. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Brückeninstitut für Experimentelle Tumortherapie, Westdeutsches Tumorzentrum, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany.,Abteilung für Translationale Onkologie Solider Tumore, Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), Parnterstandort Essen, Germany.,Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mario Lorenz
- Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Prisca Bartels
- Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kirstin Breithaupt
- Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Palliativnetz Travebogen gGmbH, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Peter Malfertheiner
- Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie und Infektiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nils Homann
- Medizinische Klinik II, Klinikum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Stein
- Medizinische Klinik II, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dietrich Gläser
- Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Ingo Tamm
- Onkologische Schwerpunktpraxis Kurfürstendamm, Berlin, Germany
| | - Axel Hinke
- CCRC Cancer Clinical Research Consulting, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Arndt Vogel
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie und Endokrinologie, Hannover, Germany
| | - Peter Thuss-Patience
- Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Högner A, Thuss-Patience P. Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Oesophago-Gastric Carcinoma. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:151. [PMID: 33673374 PMCID: PMC7918118 DOI: 10.3390/ph14020151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors enrich the therapeutic landscape in oesophago-gastric carcinoma. With regard to oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the selective PD-1 (programmed cell death receptor 1)-inhibitor nivolumab improves disease-free survival in the adjuvant therapy setting (CHECKMATE-577). In first-line treatment, ESCC patients (pts) benefit in overall survival (OS) from the PD-1-inhibitor pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy (KEYNOTE-590). In the second-line setting, nivolumab (ATTRACTION-03) and pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-181) demonstrate a benefit in OS compared with chemotherapy. These data resulted in the approval of nivolumab for the second-line treatment of advanced ESCC pts regardless of PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand 1) status in Europe, Asia, and the USA, and pembrolizumab for pts with PD-L1 CPS (combined positivity score) ≥ 10 in Asia and the USA. Further approvals can be expected. In gastro-oesophageal junction and gastric cancer, the addition of nivolumab to chemotherapy in first-line treatment improves OS in pts with advanced disease with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 5 (CHECKMATE-649). Additionally, pembrolizumab was non-inferior to chemotherapy for OS in PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 pts (KEYNOTE-062). In third-line treatment, nivolumab shows benefits in OS regardless of PD-L1 expression (ATTRACTION-02) with approval in Asia, and pembrolizumab prolonged the duration of response in PD-L1 positive pts (KEYNOTE-059) with approval in the USA. We discuss the recent results of the completed phase II and III clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Thuss-Patience
- Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Medizinische Klinik m.S. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
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