Gastrointestinal Cancer

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has granted a positive opinion to the use of nivolumab in combination with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with a PD-L1 expression of 1% or higher.

New agents for rare cancers make up approximately 35% of drugs in the pipeline for all rare diseases, according to a report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Sotorasib had clinically meaningful activity in heavily pretreated patients with KRAS G12C–mutated advanced pancreatic cancer, according to findings from the phase 1/2 CodeBreaK 100 trial.

An overview of the ctDNA testing platforms and the potential clinical applications of ctDNA testing across the colorectal cancer disease continuum.

The present role of minimal residual disease in solid tumor cancers, and current evaluations further exploring its potential in pancreatic and colorectal cancer.

Daniel G. Haller, MD, says he has relied on “cheerful serendipity” throughout his life and career.

Michael A. Choti, MD, MBA, FACS, discusses the progress made in gastrointestinal cancers, plus the need to coordinate care between patients, oncologists, and surgeons.

In 2021, 13 novel agents were approved across hematology/oncology. Additionally, there were many other notable approvals—whether they were new formulations, expanded indications, or biosimilar approvals—across tumor types that expanded accessibility for varying patient populations.

The 3-patient safety run-in for the pancreatic cancer cohort of the ongoing phase 1/2 GOBLET study did not reveal any safety concerns with the novel combination of pelareorep and atezolizumab.

Sam Klempner, MD, discusses the results of the ongoing phase 2a DisTinGuish trial in advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Manish A. Shah, MD, discusses the potential clinical implications of the ongoing phase 3 GLOW trial in Claudin 18.2-positive, HER2-negative gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Reviewing some of the most talked about abstracts that were presented at the 2022 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Gerald Prager, MD; Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD; and Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, review emerging strategies and the future treatment landscape for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Gerald Prager, MD, leads the discussion on sequencing strategies for patients with relapsed mCRC, including those not previously treated with anti-EGFR inhibitors.

Gerald Prager, MD, and Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD, share their approach to managing the case of a 72-year-old man with mCRC disease progression and provide insight on rechallenging patients with anti-EGFR regimens.

Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD, discusses dosing strategies and the optimal management of adverse events with regorafenib for patients with mCRC.

Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD; Gerald Prager, MD; and Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, share their approach to maintenance therapy, including with EGFR inhibitors, for the management of advanced CRC.

Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD, leads the discussion on the advantage of treating MSI-high metastatic colorectal cancer with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, presents the case of a 65-year-old woman with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the rectum, and the panel reviews frontline treatment options for a patient with newly diagnosed mCRC.

Neoadjuvant chemosensitivity was associated with an improvement in overall survival following adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resectable gastric cancer, according to findings from a cohort study that were published in JAMA Network Open.

The combination of tivozanib and durvalumab showcased early efficacy with a manageable safety profile in patients with previously untreated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival vs chemotherapy alone when used in the frontline treatment of patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma whose tumors expressed PD-L1, meeting the primary end point of the phase 3 RATIONALE 305 trial.

The safety and tolerability of TST001 is under investigation as a potential treatment option for patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer and other locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors as part of a phase 1 trial.

The addition of nivolumab to mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab failed to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival vs mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab alone in previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to findings from the phase 2/3 CheckMate 9X8 trial.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan demonstrated durable responses and a safety profile that was consistent with findings from the primary analysis of the phase 2 DESTINY-CRC01 trial in pretreated patients with HER2-expressing metastatic colorectal cancer, according to updated results of the study.