Van K. Morris, MD, on Colon Cancer: ctDNA as a Predictive Biomarker
2024 ASCO GI Cancers Symposium
Van K. Morris, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase II results on using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a predictive biomarker of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II colon cancer. During the trial, no improvement in ctDNA clearance was observed after 6 months of chemotherapy following resection of disease. Dr. Morris notes that future trials should account for evolving assay performance in patients with colorectal cancer (Abstract 5).
The ASCO Post Staff
Jennifer Yon-Li Wo, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the local failure rate of non-ablative hypofractionated radiation therapy in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and nivolumab compared to ablative SBRT to treat metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal and pancreatic cancers as a secondary analysis of four prospective trials. Dr. Wo and her team found that, despite using nearly half the radiation dose in those who received immunotherapy, there was no significant difference in local failure rates (Abstract 752).
The ASCO Post Staff
Lorraine A. Chantrill, PhD, MBBS, of Australia’s Wollongong Hospital, New South Wales, discusses phase II findings on the combination of nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin as a first-line treatment for patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas. According to Dr. Chantrill, this regimen appears to be active in these tumors and warrants further evaluation in a phase III trial (Abstract 589).
The ASCO Post Staff
Milind M. Javle, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase II results on tinengotinib, a next-generation FGFR inhibitor that seems to overcome acquired resistance and shows efficacy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma with other FGFR alterations who are not eligible for FGFR2-targeted treatments. A phase III global study is currently enrolling to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of this agent vs physician’s choice in FGFR-altered, chemotherapy- and FGFR-inhibitor–refractory or relapsed disease.
The ASCO Post Staff
Manish A. Shah, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College, discusses phase III findings of the KEYNOTE-590 study, which shows that, after 5 years, the use of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy improved survival with durable efficacy, compared with placebo plus chemotherapy, in patients with untreated advanced esophageal cancer (Abstract 250).
The ASCO Post Staff
Yasunobu Ishizuka, MD, of Japan’s Aichi Cancer Center, discusses study results showing that scheduling infusions of nivolumab monotherapy before mid-afternoon for patients with metastatic gastric cancer may alter treatment efficacy. Several studies have suggested that circadian rhythm is essential in immune system function, including anticancer immunity (Abstract 268).
