Dr. Cohen on the Preliminary Results of the GALAXY Study in CRC

Stacey A. Cohen, MD, physician, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, associate professor, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, physician, UW Medicine, associate professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses the preliminary results of the ongoing GALAXY trial (UMIN000039205), part of the CIRCULATE-Japan project, in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Initial data from molecular subgroup analyses of the GALAXY trial, which were presented during the 2021 ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer, reported that the patients enrolled on the trial were stratified by stage, and then further stratified by frequency of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection, Cohen says. As anticipated, it was seen that a higher frequency of ctDNA was detected in patients with later-stage disease, which echoed the results of previous studies, Cohen adds.

The results of a multivariate analysis noted that ctDNA positivity was associated with a higher likelihood of recurrence, Cohen continues. Additionally, ctDNA positivity was correlated with higher T- and N-stage CRC, Cohen says. Finally, ctDNA positivity was less associated with common molecular biomarkers, such as KRAS and BRAF mutations, and microsatellite instability–high status, Cohen concludes.