Commenting on the RECOURSE data,1 ESMO spokesperson Jean-Yves Douillard, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Oncology, Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO) René Gauducheau, Saint-Herblain, France, said, “The phase III trial of TAS-102 is a global study and confirms the results of the phase II study in Japanese patients, whose response to fluoropyrimidine is slightly different to patients in Europe and the United States.2 It is good to know that the magnitude of benefit shown in the smaller phase II trial is confirmed in the larger phase III trial and that the results apply to Asians and Caucasians alike.”
Dr. Douillard concluded, “In RECOURSE, TAS-102 was tested in patients who had received all types of chemotherapy available for colorectal cancer. I would probably move this drug into an earlier line of treatment and I would also combine it with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin.” ■
Disclosure: Dr. Douillard reported no potential conflicts of interest.
References
1. Yoshino T, Mayer R, Falcone A, et al: Results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase III study of TAS-102 vs placebo, with best supportive care in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard therapies. Ann Oncol 25(suppl 2):114, 2014.
2. Yoshino T, Mizunuma N, Yamazaki K, et al: TAS-102 monotherapy for pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II trial. Lancet Oncol 13(10):993-1001, 2012.
