Angiogenesis Inhibitors for the Treatment of Metastatic Gastric Cancer

Clinical Pearls

Pamela L. Kunz, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Oncology, Stanford University Medical Center, on the use of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer.

• It has long been a question as to whether anti-angiogenesis agents could add benefit to a backbone of cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer.
• The AVAGAST study, which analyzed bevacizumab plus chemotherapy as first-line therapy in advanced gastric cancer, did not achieve its primary endpoint of improving median survival.
• A small, single-arm phase II study of capecitabine, carboplatin, and bevacizumab for metastatic or unresectable gastroesophageal junction and gastric adenocarcinoma did not meet its primary endpoint of an improvement in PFS. Median PFS was 8.5 months and median OS was 14.3 months.

Read more aboutthe phase II study