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Nivolumab is a human monoclonal IgG4 antibody that inhibits programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expressed on activated T cells. We investigated the safety and activity of nivolumab in patients with treatment-refractory oesophageal cancer. We did an open-label, single-arm, multicentre phase 2 study. Eligible patients had advanced squamous-cell carcinoma, adenosquamous-cell carcinoma, or adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus refractory or intolerant to fluoropyrimidine-based, platinum-based, and taxane-based chemotherapy. Patients were treated with 3 mg/kg nivolumab given intravenously once every 2 weeks in 6-week cycles. The primary endpoint was centrally assessed objective response (the proportion of patients whose best response was complete or partial response), according to the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors, version 1.1. Adverse events and treatment-related adverse events (defined as events for which a causal relation to nivolumab could not be ruled out) were monitored throughout the study. The safety analysis was done in patients who received at least one dose of nivolumab, and drug activity was assessed in patients who received at least one dose of nivolumab and had at least one central assessment of tumour response. This study is registered with clinicaltrials.jp, number ONO-4538-07/JapicCTI-No.142422. Follow-up of patients is ongoing. Between Feb 25 and Nov 14, 2014, 65 patients were enrolled, all with squamous-cell carcinoma. 64 patients were assessable for the primary endpoint as one patient was excluded due to having multiple primary cancers; all patients were assessable for safety. Median follow-up was 10·8 months (IQR 4·9–14·3). 11 (17%, 95% CI 10–28) of 64 patients had a centrally assessed objective response. Of the 65 patients assessed for adverse events, the most common grade 3 or 4 events were grade 4 dyspnoea and hyponatraemia (one [2%) patient each), grade 3 lung infection (five [8%] patients), grade 3 decreased appetite (two [3%] patients), grade 3 increased blood creatinine phosphokinase (two [3%] patients), and grade 3 dehydration (two [3%] patients). Serious adverse events that occurred during the study were lung infection (four [6%] patients), dehydration (two [3%]), interstitial lung disease (two [3%]), and hyponatraemia, dyspnoea, fatigue, abnormal hepatic function, diarrhoea, bile duct stenosis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, oedema, and back pain (one [2%] patient each). There were no treatment-related deaths. Nivolumab showed promising activity with a manageable safety profile. This drug could offer a potential new treatment approach for patients with treatment-refractory advanced squamous-cell carcinoma. Ono Pharmaceutical, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Background Little is known about predictive factors for survival outcomes of esophageal carcinoma (EC) patients who developed recurrence after undergoing multimodal therapies. We aimed to investigate long-term outcomes and identify prognostic factors in patients with relapsed EC, focusing especially on those with oligometastasis (OM). Methods EC patients who developed recurrence after curative treatments (radical esophagectomy or definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT)) between 2010 and 2017 were reviewed. Multivariate Cox hazards models were applied to determine independent predictors of poor post-recurrence survival (PRS). Results In total, 178 patients were included. The median PRS was 12.9 months. Of the 178 patients, 98 had OM and 80 non-OM (NOM) disease. The survival outcomes of patients with OM were significantly better than those of patients with NOM ( P  < 0.01). Surgical treatments provided significantly better survival outcomes than CRT or chemo-/radiotherapy alone (3-year overall survival (OS); 78.1% vs. 42.5% vs. 28.9%, P  < 0.01), mainly due to prolonging survival after the recurrence (3-year PRS 62.9% vs. 16.7% vs. 16.2%, P  < 0.01). Multivariable analysis focusing on patients with OM revealed cStage III-IV disease ( P  < 0.01), high GPS at the time of recurrence ( P  = 0.02) and non-curative treatments ( P  < 0.01), to be independently associated with poor PRS. In contrast, in patients with NOM, no independent predictors for poor PRS were identified. Conclusions The survival outcomes of patients with relapsed EC remain poor. Surgical treatments could provide survival benefits for patients with recurrent EC, especially for patients with OM.

Background Preoperative physiological assessments are crucial for optimizing clinical outcomes, especially those of elderly esophageal cancer (EC) patients who are generally frail and at the high risk of mortality. Methods Patients who underwent surgery for EC between 2004 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized into elderly (>70 years) or non-elderly (≤70 years) groups. Various physiological parameters including the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), immunonutritional parameters and pulmonary functions were studied. Pulmonary functions included %vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0) and FEV1.0%. The thresholds were set as the lowest quartile (100% for %VC and 2L for FEV1.0) in this cohort. Multivariate Cox hazards models were applied to determine independent predictors of non-EC-related deaths. Results In total, 824 patients were included (elderly; n = 306, non-elderly; n = 518). Elderly patients had a significantly lower 5-year OS rate than non-elderly patients (53.3% vs. 57.2%, P  = 0.03), mainly due to increased risk of death from non-EC related causes. In the elderly group, multivariate Cox hazards analysis identified 3 independent predictors of non-EC-related deaths; high CCI (HR 1.98, P =0.006), low %VC (HR 2.01, P  = 0.004) and low FEV1.0 (HR 1.6, P =0.048). Elderly patients without risk factors had a significantly better 5-year OS rate (63.5%) than those with 1 (50.0%) or 2–3 (36.3%) risk factors ( P  <0.01). Deaths due to pulmonary disease rose significantly as the number of risk factors increased ( P =0.03). Conclusions The severity of comorbidities and pulmonary function impairments are useful for predicting long-term outcomes, especially non-EC-related deaths, in elderly EC patients.

Background Regorafenib or trifluridine/tipiracil as third-line treatment have limited efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods This Phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of irinotecan plus cetuximab rechallenge as third-line treatment in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients who achieved clinical benefit with first-line cetuximab-containing therapy. The primary endpoint was 3-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate. A sample size was calculated; 30 patients with a 3-month PFS rate of 45% deemed promising and 15% unacceptable. Patients with greater and less than the cut-off value of cetuximab-free intervals (CFIs) were classified into the long and short CFI groups, respectively, in subgroup analyses. Results Among 34 eligible patients who received treatment at least once, 3-month PFS rate was 44.1% (95% confidence interval, 27.4–60.8%). The median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 2.4 and 8.2 months, respectively. The response and disease control rates were 2.9 and 55.9%, respectively. PFS and OS were significantly longer in the long- than in the short CFI group. Conclusions Irinotecan plus cetuximab rechallenge as third-line treatment for KRAS wild-type mCRC was safe and had promising activity, especially in those with a long CFI, warranting further investigation in a Phase 3 randomised trial. Clinical trial registration UMIN000010638

After failure of first-line chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines and platinum compounds for advanced gastric cancer, second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab plus paclitaxel, which elicits a durable response, and third-line or later chemotherapy with nivolumab have been shown to lead to a more favorable prognosis in advanced gastric cancer patients. As new and more effective drugs are now available, sequential chemotherapy would contribute to prolonged survival. From this point of view, the patient’s disease course should be frequently monitored in order to adapt treatment regimens. This review summarizes the points to note in regard to radiological assessment, and discusses the integration of prognostic factors, tumor markers, and clinical symptoms that need to be taken into account to change treatment at an appropriate timing.

The intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) of the tumor microenvironment (TME) has yet to be addressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we studied the ITH of CD8 and PD‐L1 status in ESCC, and examined the potential of the tumor surface for representing the TME. In total, 67 surgically resected clinical Stage II ESCC specimens were analyzed. The CD8‐cell density, PD‐L1 tumor proportion score (TPS), and combined positive score (CPS) were calculated in three (superficial, middle, and deep) areas of each specimen. ITH was quantified by distance‐standardized coefficient variations of the three values. The CD8 and PD‐L1 status of each area was dichotomized and tumor‐surface capabilities for predicting the entire tumor status were estimated. Variables were compared according to the presence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The ITH, especially PD‐L1 heterogeneity, differed markedly among specimens. The concordance rates of CD8 and PD‐L1 (CPS and TPS) status among the three different areas were 71.6%, 74.6%, and 73.1%, respectively. The sensitivity and the specificity of the tumor surface for predicting the CD8 status of the whole tumor were high, especially in the NAC− group (both 1.0). The tumor surface also showed high capabilities for representing the whole PD‐L1 status, while yielding moderate positive predictive values (0.70). The ITH degrees and predictive capabilities did not differ according to NAC. Taken together, the ITH of CD8 and PD‐L1 differed among ESCC specimens, while not being markedly affected by NAC. The use of a biopsy specimen from the tumor surface might be feasible for TME evaluation. The intratumoral heterogeneity of CD8 and PD‐L1 differed among esophageal cancer patients, while not being markedly affected by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The tumor surface showed high capabilities for representing the CD8 and PD‐L1 statuses of the whole tumor. The use of a biopsy specimen from the tumor surface might be feasible for tumor microenvironment evaluation.

BackgroundThe multicohort, phase II, nonrandomized KEYNOTE-059 study evaluated pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer. Results from cohorts 2 and 3, evaluating first-line therapy, are presented.MethodsPatients ≥ 18 years old had previously untreated recurrent or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Cohort 3 (monotherapy) had programmed death receptor 1 combined positive score ≥ 1. Cohort 2 (combination therapy) received pembrolizumab 200 mg on day 1, cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 (up to 6 cycles), and 5-fluorouracil 800 mg/m2 on days 1–5 of each 3-week cycle (or capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 twice daily in Japan). Primary end points were safety (combination therapy) and objective response rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 by central review, and safety (monotherapy).ResultsIn the combination therapy and monotherapy cohorts, 25 and 31 patients were enrolled; median follow-up was 13.8 months (range 1.8–24.1) and 17.5 months (range 1.7–20.7), respectively. In the combination therapy cohort, grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 19 patients (76.0%); none were fatal. In the monotherapy cohort, grade 3–5 treatment-related adverse events occurred in seven patients (22.6%); one death was attributed to a treatment-related adverse event (pneumonitis). The objective response rate was 60.0% [95% confidence interval (CI), 38.7–78.9] (combination therapy) and 25.8% (95% CI 11.9–44.6) (monotherapy).ConclusionsPembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity and was well tolerated as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.Clinical TrialClinicalTrials.gov NCT02335411

Background: The combination of anti–programmed cell death-1 antibody with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–targeted therapy and chemotherapy is widely used in the United States and Europe for HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Molecular profiles that predict the efficacy of this dual-target therapy are unclear. Objectives: To explore the clinical utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a predictive marker of the efficacy of standard chemotherapy plus HER2 and programmed death-ligand 1 dual-targeted therapy in patients with HER2-positive AGC. Design: Collaborative study of the Ni-High phase Ib clinical trial. Methods: A total of 21 patients with tissue-confirmed HER2-positive AGC who received chemotherapy with dual-targeted therapy (capecitabine/S-1, oxaliplatin, trastuzumab, and nivolumab) in a phase Ib clinical trial (UMIN000034222) were enrolled. The association of genomic profiles in plasma ctDNA with tissue HER2 amplification status and their correlation with clinical outcomes was investigated. Results: Among the 21 patients studied, 20 (95.2%) showed somatic alterations in ctDNA. ERBB2 amplifications and single-nucleotide variants (SNVs)/indels were found in 12 (57.1%) and 3 (14.3%) patients, respectively. Significant associations between maximum mutant allele frequency (mMAF) and tumor size and between ctDNA and tissue ERBB2 copy numbers were found. Patients without ERBB2 SNV/indels showed longer median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with these alterations. Patients with focal ERBB2 amplification in ctDNA showed better outcomes than those with aneuploidy (median PFS: 20.8 vs 8.4 months, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.08; median OS: NA vs 14.8 months, HR = 0.077). Lower mMAF at cycle 2 was associated with a better response to chemotherapy with dual-targeted therapy. Conclusion: ERBB2 genetic status and mMAF changes in ctDNA may, respectively, predict and reflect the efficacy of chemotherapy with dual-targeted therapy in HER2-positive AGC. Trial registration: UMIN000034222

The combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5‐fluorouracil (DCF) as preoperative treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been investigated. We carried out a multicenter phase II feasibility study of preoperative chemotherapy with DCF for ESCC. Patients with clinical stage II/III ESCC (International Union Against Cancer TNM classification system, 6th edition) were eligible. Chemotherapy consisted of i.v. docetaxel (70–75 mg/m2) and cisplatin (70–75 mg/m2) on day 1, and continuous infusion of fluorouracil (750 mg/m2/day) on days 1–5. Antibiotic prophylaxis on days 5–15 was mandatory. This regimen was repeated every 3 weeks with a maximum of three cycles allowed. After completion of chemotherapy, esophagectomy with extended lymphadenectomy was carried out. The primary endpoint was the completion rate of protocol treatment. Forty‐two eligible patients were enrolled. During chemotherapy, the most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were neutropenia (83%), anorexia (7%), and stomatitis (5%). Forty‐one (98%) patients underwent surgery. The completion rate of protocol treatment was 90.5% (38/42). No treatment‐related death was observed and the incidence of operative morbidity was tolerable. According to RECIST, the overall response rate after the completion of DCF was 64.3%. Pathological complete response was achieved in 17%. The estimated 2‐year progression‐free survival and overall survival were 74.5% and 88.0%, respectively. Although these data are preliminary, preoperative DCF was well tolerated. Antitumor activity was highly promising and warrants further investigation. This trial was registered with University Hospital Medical Information Network (no. UMIN000002396).

S-1 plus leucovorin and oxaliplatin showed promising efficacy for treatment of advanced gastric cancer in a randomised phase 2 study. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral TAS-118 (S-1 plus leucovorin) and oxaliplatin versus S-1 plus cisplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer. We did a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial in 62 centres across Japan and South Korea. Patients aged 20 years or older, with a histologically confirmed advanced gastric cancer with negative or unknown HER2 status, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, measurable or evaluable metastatic lesions, and no previous treatment were randomly assigned (1:1) via an interactive web response system using the minimisation method, stratified by performance status, presence of a measurable lesion, and country, to receive TAS-118 (S-1 40–60 mg and leucovorin 25 mg orally twice daily for 7 days) plus oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1) every 2 weeks, or S-1 (40–60 mg orally twice daily) for 21 days plus cisplatin (60 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 or 8) every 5 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival in patients who had advanced gastric cancer with measurable or evaluable metastatic lesions and who received the study drug. Safety was assessed in all patients who received the study drug. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02322593. Between Jan 28, 2015, and Dec 5, 2016, 711 patients were randomised to TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin (n=356) or S-1 plus cisplatin (n=355). 11 untreated patients and 19 ineligible patients were excluded from the primary analysis (TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin group n=347, S-1 plus cisplatin group n=334) following recommendation from the independent data monitoring committee. After median follow-up of 26·0 months (IQR 22·0–32·8), median overall survival was 16·0 months (95% CI 13·8–18·3) in the TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin group and 15·1 months (95% CI 13·6–16·4) in the S-1 plus cisplatin group (hazard ratio 0·83, 95% CI 0·69–0·99; p=0·039). The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events in the 352 patients in the TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin group and the 348 patients in the S-1 plus cisplatin group were anaemia (56 [16%] vs 64 [18%]), neutropenia (54 [15%] vs 88 [25%]), decreased appetite (53 [15%] vs 46 [13%]), diarrhoea (33 [9%] vs 15 [4%]), and peripheral sensory neuropathy (30 [9%] vs one [<1%]). Serious adverse events were observed in 155 (44%) of 352 patients in the TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin group and 159 (46%) of 348 patients in the S-1 plus cisplatin group. Two treatment-related deaths occurred in the TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin group (pulmonary tuberculosis and viral pneumonia). TAS-118 plus oxaliplatin showed a clinically meaningful improvement in efficacy compared with S-1 plus cisplatin, and could be considered a new first-line treatment option for advanced gastric cancer in Asian patients. Taiho Pharmaceutical and Yakult Honsha.