GI CANCERS

General Cancer

Frontline treatment with ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine did not have a statistically significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival compared to placebo plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Achieving an objective response to TKI therapy was associated with longer overall survival in patients with previously untreated hepatocellular carcinoma, according to findings of a retrospective analysis presented during the 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Regorafenib reduced the risk of progression by 51% compared with placebo in patients with metastatic or unresectable biliary tract cancer who were previously treated with gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy, according to results from the phase II REACHIN trial that were presented at the 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. 

Combined BRAF and MEK inhibition induced a promising response rate and survival rates among patients with&nbsp;<em>BRAF&nbsp;</em>V600E&ndash;mutated biliary tract cancer (BTC), according to the results of the ROAR trial that were presented&nbsp;during the 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

SB3, a trastuzumab biosimilar, has been granted FDA approval&nbsp;for the treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Based on findings from the phase I/II NivoRam study, investigators at the 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium reported that the combination of&nbsp;nivolumab and ramucirumab is active in patients with&nbsp;previously treated advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.

In findings reported at the&nbsp;2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, 67% of patients with untreated metastatic HER2-positive esophagogastric adenocarcinoma treated with&nbsp;the combination of pembrolizumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy&nbsp;remained progression-free at 6 months.

According to findings from the&nbsp;KEYNOTE-181 trial, pembrolizumab demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival in patients with PD-L1&ndash;positive advanced or metastatic esophageal or esophageal junction carcinoma who progressed on standard therapy, marking the first time a PD-1 inhibitor has demonstrated a survival improvement in this patient population.

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, the company developing varlitinib (ASLAN001), has announced that a phase II frontline trial investigating the&nbsp;pan-HER inhibitor added to mFOLFOX6 in patients with HER1/HER2 co-expressing advanced or metastatic gastric cancer has missed its primary endpoint.

Several oncology experts discuss the FDA approvals they found most significant in 2018.

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, discusses how community oncologists can play an important role in the advancement of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers despite not having access to major trials.

Cathy Eng, MD, discusses the current paradigm of GI cancers, specifically sharing insight on colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma.<br /> &nbsp;

During a&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>case-based peer perspectives program, John Marshall, MD, reviewed his clinical considerations for the management of pancreatic cancer. Marshall discussed his treatment options and other factors that go into his decision making with the group during the meeting based on 2 case scenarios of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

There may be pros and cons for screening people who do not have symptoms of pancreatic cancer, but the evidence clearly supports screening those at a high risk for developing the disease,&nbsp;Vivek Kaul, MD, told his audience at the 2018 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting.

The FDA has granted an&nbsp;accelerated approval to larotrectinib (Vitrakvi)&nbsp;for use in adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors that have an <em>NTRK</em> gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and have no satisfactory alternative treatments or that have progressed following treatment.

Recent advancements in systemic therapies are changing the treatment landscape for patients with pancreatic cancer. New therapeutics and treatment strategies are emerging, meaning more patients than ever are candidates for curative procedures.

Amol K. Narang, MD, discusses the improvement in systemic therapy for treatment of pancreatic cancer in recent years. He says that the combination of various chemotherapies are showing potential in a number of trials.

Stephanie K. Dougan, MD, assistant professor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, discusses the idea of augmenting T cell immunity in tumors that are poorly immunogenic, such as pancreatic cancer.

Anthony F. Shields, MD, PhD, discusses pivotal data from the IDEA pooled analysis, consisting of 6 international, noninferiority, phase III colon cancer studies.

Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO,&nbsp;discusses the treatment landscape for advanced and metastatic CRC and how molecular profiling can play a vital role in selecting the optimal treatment plan for each patient. He also emphasizes the importance of participation in clinical trials to further understand these patients.

In a presentation at the 2018 International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology Annual Meeting, Yung-Jue Bang, MD, PhD, discusses the most promising biomarkers and treatment approaches for patients with GEJ cancer, highlighting recent and ongoing trials of immunotherapy.