Howard S. Hochster, MD

Howard S. Hochester, MD, associate director for clinical research at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, discusses the role of TAS-102 (trifluridine/tipiracil; Lonsurf) in patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) or colorectal cancer (CRC) in comparison to fluorouracil (5-FU).

Hochester says there is rationale for bringing TAS-102 into earlier lines of treatment in both gastric/GEJ cancers and CRC. A pooled analysis, presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting, investigated the efficacy of this agent from 3 phase III trials. TAS-102 demonstrated similar rates of efficacy and toxicity in patients with CRC and gastric/GEJ cancer.

Use of 5-FU could be replaced by TAS-102 in earlier regimens to prolong survival, according to Hochester. The nucleoside analog trifluridine was synthesized in 1962 by Charles Heidelberger, PhD, who also made 5-FU. However, trifluridine had a very short half-life and was not clinically useful until it was combined with an inhibitor of metabolism of that nucleoside.

Videos

Howard S. Hochster, MD, discusses the role of TAS-102 in patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction or colorectal cancer in comparison to fluorouracil.

TAS-102 Shows Similar Efficacy to 5-FU in Gastric/GEJ and Colorectal Cancers

Howard S. Hochster, MD, professor of Medical Oncology, and Yale Cancer Center Associate Director (for Clinical Sciences), discusses steps that can be taken to tackle some of the challenges that remain in the field of pancreatic cancer.

Howard S. Hochster, MD | Authors

Articles

TAS-102 Shows Similar Efficacy to 5-FU in Gastric/GEJ and Colorectal Cancers

Tackling Some of The Challenges That Remain in Pancreatic Cancer