Phase I/II Study Demonstrates Good Efficacy for Gastric Cancer

Shuichi Hironaka, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at the Chiba Cancer Center in Japan, discusses the efficacy of a phase I/II study (UMIN000025947) of nivolumab (Opdivo), paclitaxel (Taxol), and ramucirumab (Cyramza) as second-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer during the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

The overall response rate for patients in this study was about 37%, and the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS), which was a primary endpoint of the study, was about 46%, according to Hironaka. The median PFS and overall survival were about 5 months and about 13 months, respectively. There were 43 patients enrolled, and the median follow-up time was almost 7 months. The 18-month survival rate was about 32%.

Hironaka believes these efficacy results are promising compared to prior data such as RAINBOW, a phase III trial of ramucirumab and paclitaxel versus placebo and paclitaxel in patients with previously treated advanced gastric or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma. He says that this regimen showed promising data for patients in this setting.

<< View more from the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium