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Gastroesophageal Cancer
Issues in Oncology

Study Finds Racial Disparities in Esophageal Cancer Surgical Rates

A new study published by Savitch et al in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery found that black patients are less likely to receive surgery for resectable esophageal cancer, which may contribute to higher rates of death. “National guidelines suggest that early-stage esophageal cancer should be...

Colorectal Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Lymphoma
Hematologic Malignancies
Kidney Cancer
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

FDA Pipeline: Fast Track Designations in Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancers, Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma/Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia

Over the past month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to agents designed to treat colorectal and pancreatic cancers, in addition to lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia; accepted a new drug application for a treatment for relapsed or...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Immunotherapy

FDA Approves Nivolumab for Pretreated Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

On June 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy. ATTRACTION-3 Efficacy was investigated in...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Outcomes With Minimally Invasive vs Open Esophagectomy in Routine Practice

In a Dutch study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Markar et al found that routine use of minimally invasive vs open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer was associated with increased risk of pulmonary complications and other adverse outcomes, contrary to the findings of the clinical...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab, Trastuzumab, and Chemotherapy in HER2-Positive Metastatic Esophagogastric Cancer

In a single-center phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Janjigian et al found that the addition of pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy showed activity in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic esophagogastric cancer. Study Details The investigator-initiated trial...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Issues in Oncology

Do Marital Status and Race Affect the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer?

A study using data from the Michigan state cancer registry, reported in JCO Oncology Practice by Paniagua Cruz et al, found that a higher proportion of white vs black patients with esophageal cancer were married; that single patients were less likely to receive esophagectomy and chemotherapy; and...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Trastuzumab Beyond Disease Progression in HER2‑Positive Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

In the Japanese phase II T-ACT study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Makiyama et al found no benefit of continued trastuzumab combined with paclitaxel after disease progression on first-line trastuzumab plus fluoropyrimidine/platinum chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Bemarituzumab for FGFR2b-Overexpressing Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma

In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the first-in-class anti–fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) antibody bemarituzumab showed activity in patients with high FGFR2b-overexpressing, advanced-stage...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Phase III JAVELIN Gastric 100 Trial Finds No Survival Benefit for Maintenance Avelumab

In the phase III JAVELIN Gastric 100 trial, a strategy called “switch maintenance” with the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab after 12 weeks of first-line induction chemotherapy did not statistically improve overall survival for treatment-naive patients with HER2-negative advanced gastric or...

Immunotherapy
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Expert Point of View: Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD

The analysis by Chao et al “highlights how well patients with MSI-H tumors do, compared to microsatellite-stable patients, and how much better they do in a randomized setting, being exposed to immunotherapy as compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy…The data also show that this is a...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab in MSI-H and CPS ≥ 10 Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer: Subanalysis of KEYNOTE-059, -061, and -062

The survival benefit of pembrolizumab in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) tumors or a combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 10 was established in post hoc subanalysis of three KEYNOTE trials. Findings were presented at the 2020...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Hepatobiliary Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer

Conference Highlights From the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium

This past January, the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium was held in San Francisco. More than 3,600 individuals attended and more than 900 abstracts and posters were presented. Among the highlights presented at the meeting and reported in the pages of The ASCO Post, several studies in...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Proton Beam Therapy vs Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

In a single-institution phase IIb trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that proton beam therapy was associated with less toxicity and similar progression-free survival vs intensity-modulated radiation therapy in patients with locally...

Immunotherapy
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Expert Point of View: Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD

Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD, of the University of Chicago Medical Center and Biological Sciences, emphasized the value of the patient having microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) status as a biomarker for immunotherapy. The analysis by Chao et al “highlights how well patients with MSI-H tumors do,...

Immunotherapy
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Survival Benefits Achieved With Pembrolizumab in MSI-H and CPS ≥ 10 Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Post hoc subanalyses of three KEYNOTE trials established the survival benefit of pembrolizumab in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) tumors or a programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 10 (ie, the number of...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD

Daniel V.T. Catenacci, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at the University of Chicago, was the JAVELIN Gastric 100 study’s invited discussant. After offering an extensive background on the use of immunotherapy in gastric or gastroesophageal...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

No Survival Benefit for Maintenance Avelumab in Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

In the phase III JAVELIN Gastric 100 trial, a strategy called “switch maintenance” with the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab after 12 weeks of first-line induction chemotherapy did not statistically improve overall survival for treatment-naive patients with HER2-negative advanced gastric or...

Lung Cancer
Lymphoma
Bladder Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in Lung Cancers, Lymphoma

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to treatments for non–small cell and small cell lung cancers, as well as for diffuse large-B cell lymphoma (DLBCL); Breakthrough Therapy designation to an antibody-drug conjugate for bladder cancer; and a double Fast...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Expert Point of View: Marcia Cruz-Correa, MD, PhD

Marcia Cruz-Correa, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico and Adjunct Professor of Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, congratulated the investigators on the conduct of the PANGEA trial and the outcomes it achieved for patients. “When...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

PANGEA Trial Shows Personalized Antibody Selection May Improve Outcomes in Gastroesophageal Cancer

A personalized approach to selecting antibody therapy for patients with newly diagnosed stage IV gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma resulted in a 1-year overall survival rate of 66% and a median overall survival of 16.4 months in the PANGEA study (see Table 1).1 The study used a novel clinical...

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer
immunotherapy

Zev A. Wainberg, MD, on PD-L1­–Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer: MSI and Combined Positive Score and Pembrolizumab vs Chemotherapy

Zev A. Wainberg, MD, of the UCLA Medical Center, discusses the first subset analysis of how a combined positive score in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers related to the efficacy of pembrolizumab in PD-L1–positive disease (Abstract 427).

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Genomics/Genetics

Treatment of Advanced Esophagogastric Cancer According to ERCC1 Expression

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Iqbal and colleagues, the phase II SWOG S1201 trial showed a progression-free survival benefit with platinum-containing vs nonplatinum treatment among all patients with previously untreated HER2-negative advanced esophagogastric cancer and in a...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Recurrent, Metastatic Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

Early in 2019, trifluridine/tipiracil tablets were approved for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma previously treated with at least two prior lines of chemotherapy that included a fluoropyrimidine; a platinum; either a taxane or...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Nivolumab vs Taxane Therapy in Refractory Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Ken Kato, MD, and colleagues, the phase III ATTRACTION-3 trial conducted in predominantly Asian patients has shown a survival benefit with nivolumab vs paclitaxel or docetaxel in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were refractory to...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Trifluridine/Tipiracil Survival Benefit for Patients With Metastatic Gastric Cancer Who Had or Had Not Undergone Prior Gastrectomy

In a subgroup analysis of the phase III TAGS trial (TAS-102 Gastric Study) reported in JAMA Oncology, David H. Ilson, MD, PhD, and colleagues found positive trends in survival benefit with trifluridine/tipiracil treatment vs placebo for patients with pretreated metastatic gastric cancer or...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab vs Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kato et al, the phase III ATTRACTION-3 trial conducted in predominantly Asian patients has shown a survival benefit with nivolumab vs paclitaxel or docetaxel in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were refractory to or intolerant of...

gastroesophageal cancer

Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, on Esophageal Cancer: Proton Beam vs Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase II findings that showed proton beam therapy improved total toxicity burden score with no difference in progression-free survival when compared with intensity-modulated radiation treatment (Abstract LBA2).

Immunotherapy
Gastroesophageal Cancer

Pembrolizumab in Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer With PD-L1 Expression of CPS ≥ 10

On July 30, 2019, pembrolizumab was approved for the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus whose tumors express programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1; Combined Positive Score [CPS] ≥ 10), as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug...

gastroesophageal cancer

Can Lymph Node Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Predict Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer?

In a study published by Urakawa et al in Annals of Surgery, researchers found that the response of lymph nodes to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is more effective in predicting disease recurrence and patient survival in individuals with esophageal cancer than the response of primary tumors....

gastroesophageal cancer
immunotherapy

FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for Some Patients With PD-L1–Positive Esophageal Cancer

On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus whose tumors express programmed ...

lung cancer
gastroesophageal cancer
bladder cancer
gastrointestinal cancer
immunotherapy

Ramucirumab Plus Pembrolizumab in Previously Treated Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer, NSCLC, and Urothelial Carcinoma

Results from a phase IB trial expansion stage reported in The Lancet Oncology by Herbst et al showed the combination of ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab had manageable toxicity and antitumor activity in previously treated advanced gastroesophageal cancer, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and ...

Breast Cancer
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

FDA Approves New Trastuzumab Biosimilar

On June 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved trastuzumab-anns (Kanjinti) for all approved indications of the reference product trastuzumab (Herceptin): for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Recurrent, Metastatic Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

In the Clinic provides overviews of novel hematology and oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On February 22, trifluridine/tipiracil...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Ian Chau, MD

IAN CHAU, MD, a consultant medical oncologist at the Gastrointestinal and Lymphoma Units of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London and Surrey, United Kingdom, was the invited discussant of KEYNOTE-062. In an interview with The ASCO Post, he first commented that although single-agent...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

KEYNOTE-062: Pembrolizumab Is a New First-Line Option in Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

KEYNOTE-062, a study of first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, found pembrolizumab to be noninferior to chemotherapy and perhaps better than chemotherapy in a subgroup of patients. The results were reported at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting ...

breast cancer
gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer

FDA Approves New Trastuzumab Biosimilar

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved trastuzumab-anns (Kanjinti) for all approved indications of the reference product trastuzumab (Herceptin): for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal...

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer
immunotherapy

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD, on Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma: Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy vs Chemotherapy

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD, of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, discusses phase III findings of the KEYNOTE-062 study showing that, for some patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer, pembrolizumab may improve survival and may be an effective alternative to chemotherapy, with fewer side effects (Abstract LBA4007).

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer
immunotherapy

2019 ASCO: KEYNOTE-062: Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy vs Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric or GEJ Adenocarcinoma

The randomized, phase III KEYNOTE-062 trial achieved its primary endpoint, showing that for patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive, HER2-negative, advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, initial therapy with pembrolizumab resulted in noninferior overall...

breast cancer
gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Advanced HER2-Positive Gastric and Breast Cancers

Two phase I studies reported in The Lancet Oncology indicate activity of the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan in advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer and advanced HER2-positive breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). Trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201a) is a ...

gastroesophageal cancer

2019 ASCO: Reduced Chemotherapy Dosages in Elderly Patients With Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer

A phase III randomized clinical study evaluating the optimum dose of a combination chemotherapy regimen of oxaliplatin and capecitabine in the treatment of advanced gastroesophageal cancer in frail and elderly patients has found that the patients prescribed the lowest dose tested experienced less...

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer

Perioperative Therapy With FLOT vs ECF/ECX in Locally Advanced Gastric Adenocarcinoma

In the German phase II/III FLOT4 trial reported in The Lancet, Al-Batran et al found that perioperative therapy with the docetaxel-based triplet FLOT (fluorouracil [5-FU]/leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) was associated with improved overall survival vs ECF/ECX (epirubicin and cisplatin plus...

gastroesophageal cancer

Paclitaxel or Cisplatin Plus Fluorouracil in Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

In the Chinese phase III ESO-Shanghai 1 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chen et al found that paclitaxel plus fluorouracil did not significantly prolong overall survival vs standard cisplatin plus fluorouracil in definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) for locally...

Gastroesophageal Cancer

KEYNOTE-181: Pembrolizumab vs Chemotherapy in Second-Line Treatment of Advanced Esophageal Cancer

IN THE GLOBAL phase III KEYNOTE-181 trial, pembrolizumab as second-line therapy for advanced esophageal cancer did not improve overall survival in the whole population, vs chemotherapy, but did improve survival for patients with strong expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1),...

gastroesophageal cancer

AACR 2019: Small Study of Virotherapy Plus Radiotherapy for Patients With Esophageal Cancer Unable to Receive Standard Treatments

The experimental oncolytic adenovirus telomelysin in combination with radiotherapy was safe and showed early clinical efficacy in vulnerable patients with esophageal cancer, according to results from a phase I clinical trial presented by Fujiwara et al at the American Association for ...

breast cancer
gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer

FDA Approves Trastuzumab-qyyp in HER2-Overexpressing Breast and Gastric Cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved trastuzumab-qyyp (Trazimera), a biosimilar to trastuzumab (Herceptin), for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

FDA Approves Trifluridine/Tipiracil for Recurrent, Metastatic Gastric and GEJ Adenocarcinoma

ON FEBRUARY 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved trifluridine/tipiracil tablets (Lonsurf)—a fixed combination of trifluridine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor—for adult patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction...

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer

FDA Approves Trifluridine/Tipiracil for Recurrent, Metastatic Gastric and GEJ Adenocarcinoma

On February 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved trifluridine/tipiracil tablets (Lonsurf)—a fixed combination of trifluridine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor—for adult patients with metastatic gastric or...

gastroesophageal cancer
gastrointestinal cancer
immunotherapy

Addition of First-Line Ramucirumab to Cisplatin and Fluoropyrimidine in Metastatic Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

In the phase III RAINFALL trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Fuchs et al found no apparent benefit of the addition of the VEGFR-2 inhibitor ramucirumab to first-line cisplatin and fluoropyrimidine treatment in metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Study Details The...

gastroesophageal cancer

Effectiveness of EsophaCap Tool in the Diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus is the only known precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Although endoscopy and biopsy are standard methods for diagnosing Barrett’s esophagus, their high cost and risk limit their use as a screening modality. Researchers sought to develop a screening method based...

gastroesophageal cancer
immunotherapy

Takashi Kojima, MD, on Esophageal Cancer: Results From the KEYNOTE-181 Trial on Immunotherapy vs Chemotherapy

Takashi Kojima, MD, of the National Cancer Center Hospital East, discusses phase III study findings on pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy as second-line treatment for advanced esophageal cancer (Abstract 2).

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