Gastrointestinal Cancer

The oral modified dysfunctional tyrosine SM-88 demonstrated a median overall survival of 6.4 months in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

The FDA has accepted 6 supplemental biologics license applications for review to update the dosing schedule for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to include an every-6-weeks option at 400 mg over 30-minute infusions.

Encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival compared with cetuximab and an irinotecan-containing regimen in patients with BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer.

Radiopharmaceuticals have been integrated into the treatment paradigm for patients with neuroendocrine tumors, yet there are nuances in the clinical scenarios in which they are most effective.

Davendra Sohal, MD, MPH, discusses the SWOG S1505 trial, which looks at initial findings on eligibility and neoadjuvant chemotherapy experience with mFOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel for resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

A weekly regorafenib (Stivarga) dose-escalation strategy beginning at 80 mg and ending at 160 mg is an appropriate and potentially optimal approach for previously treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

The CanStem111P trial, which was evaluating the combination of napabucasin, weekly nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane), and gemcitabine compared with nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine alone in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, will be discontinued due to futility.

Christopher Lieu, MD, director, GI Medical Oncology Program and deputy associate director for clinical research, at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, discusses investigational immunotherapy strategies in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Emerging findings from the most expansive studies of tumor genomes ever conducted are building a case for integrating all aspects of germline and somatic mutations into the analytical paradigm as a logical next step for precision oncology.

Howard Hochster, MD, FACP, discusses results from the SWOG S1513 study, which examined the use of second-line modified FOLFIRI with PARP inhibitor ABT-888 (Veliparib) versus solely FOLFIRI in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The FDA has granted an approval to a prefilled syringe for lanreotide (Somatuline Depot), which has been designed to enable healthcare providers to administer the injection easier, for the treatment of adults with unresectable, well or moderately differentiated, locally advanced or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

S. Lindsey Davis, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, discusses caveats of the phase III KEYNOTE-062 trial findings in gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Howard S. Hochster, MD, provides insight into TAS-102 (trifluridine/tipiracil; Lonsurf) and highlights other important research being conducted in the colorectal cancer space.

Ana Acuna-Villaorduna, MD, provides further insight into the study that compares age and race as factors for the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) did not achieve statistical significance for improved overall survival compared with sorafenib (Nexavar) as a frontline therapy for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma as per a prespecified analysis, missing the primary endpoint of the phase III CheckMate-459 trial.

Allen L. Cohn, MD, medical oncologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, discusses the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.