scholarly journals Hyperprogressive Disease in the Irradiation Field after a Single Dose of Nivolumab for Gastric Cancer: A Case Report

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takatsugu Ogata ◽  
Hironaga Satake ◽  
Misato Ogata ◽  
Yukimasa Hatachi ◽  
Hisateru Yasui

Following the ATTRACTION-2 study, nivolumab was approved for advanced gastric cancer in Japan. However, pseudoprogression and hyperprogressive disease have been reported in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report a patient with gastric cancer who received nivolumab after radiotherapy only to experience rapid progression within the irradiation field after the first immunotherapy session. A 66-year-old man with dysphagia visited our hospital and was diagnosed with stage IV gastroesophageal cancer (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 score = 0). He commenced a G-SOX regimen (S-1 80 mg/m2 on days 1–14 and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1, repeated every 3 weeks) in June 2017. The dysphagia worsened despite 3 cycles of G-SOX, and computed tomography (CT) revealed constriction of the gastroesophageal junction. To ameliorate the dysphagia, palliative chemoradiotherapy (S-1 and 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions) was performed starting in August 2017. The patient’s dysphagia had not resolved after completing radiotherapy, and pain on swallowing worsened. Nivolumab (3 mg/m2 every 2 weeks) was administered 7 days after the completion of radiotherapy. The patient experienced malaise and worsening dysphagia before the second cycle. CT 15 days after the first nivolumab administration revealed rapid progression in the irradiation field. His general condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died 24 days after the first administration. This episode suggests that administration of nivolumab after radiotherapy may be a risk factor for hyperprogressive disease.

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-121
Author(s):  
V. A Gorbounova ◽  
N. S Besova ◽  
M. B Bychkov ◽  
S. V Orlov ◽  
L. M Kogoniya ◽  
...  

Objective. Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of the cancer mortality worldwide. It is most often diagnosed at a locally advanced or metastatic stage. Angiogenesis has become an important target in the treatment of solid tumors, and antiangiogenic agents are a promising approach to cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the treatment of gastric and gastroesophageal cancer with ramucirumab, an antiangiogenic agent specifically targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). Material and methods. We conducted a systematic search in May 2016 of PubMed and relevant congress proceedings including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology, and the European Cancer Congress. Included studies were aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer. Results. Our search yielded 91 publications including 5 manuscripts and 6 congress abstracts meeting the predefined inclusion criteria. Included studies reported outcomes were related to ramucirumab in gastric cancer, published within the past 5 years. Conclusion. Second-line treatment with ramucirumab, either as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel, significantly improves the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer. Ramucirumab is well tolerated and has an acceptable safety profile. Furthermore, the patient quality of life is maintained with delayed both symptom worsening and deterioration of the functional status. Studies are required to identify potential predictive biomarkers of ramucirumab efficacy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12-12
Author(s):  
Ivonne Haffner ◽  
Birgit Luber ◽  
Dieter Maier ◽  
Albrecht Kretzschmar ◽  
Ludwig Fischer von Weikersthal ◽  
...  

12 Background: 10-20% of GC overexpress HER2, a membrane-bound receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) which belongs to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. Drugs directed against HER2 have shown mixed success in the treatment of advanced GC. While trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody addressing HER2 has been approved for 1st-line treatment of stage IV HER2+ GC, trastuzumab-emtansine failed to improve outcomes in 2nd-line and lapatinib, a small molecular RTK inhibitor of HER2 and EGFR was not effective in 1st- and 2nd-line. Until now, primary and secondary resistance against HER2-directed treatment of GC is not well understood. The VARIANZ study aims to assess mechanisms influencing efficacy of trastuzumab in HER2+ GC. Methods: In this multicenter study, patients who receive medical treatment for advanced GC are recruited in 31 sites. The HER2 status is verified centrally by two dedicated GI pathologists using immunohistochemistry (IHC, DCS, HI608C0I) and chromogenic-in-situ hybridization (CISH, Zytomed Systems, C-3022-40). Results: From May 2014 to August 2016, we have enrolled 316 patients in this ongoing project (72% male, median age 64 years). At present, 281 samples were fully characterized for the HER2 status. According to criteria from the Trastuzumab for Gastric Cancer (ToGA) study, 53 of 281 samples were characterized HER2+ by central testing. In 38 samples that were diagnosed as HER2+ by local pathologists the HER2 status could not be verified centrally. 7 HER2- probes in local testing were characterized as HER2+ by central testing. The overall deviation rate between local and central testing is 27%. HER2 gene amplification in HER2+ tumors with deviating local report (mean HER2/CEP17: 2.8 ± 0.9, range between 1.9 and 4.5) is lower compared to HER2+ tumors and confirmed local report (mean HER2/CEP17: 5.5 ± 2.6; range between 2.2 and 11.0; p = 0.014). Conclusions: HER2-expression in GC is heterogeneous and still not easy to assess. Variability between local and central HER2 assessment is significant. Robust biomarkers predicting response or resistance to HER2 and other target therapies are needed. Clinical trial information: NCT02305043.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunihiko Izuishi ◽  
Hirohito Mori

Recently, many strategies have been reported for the effective treatment of gastric cancer. However, the strategy for treating stage IV gastric cancer remains controversial. Conducting a prospective phase III study in stage IV cancer patients is difficult because of heterogeneous performance status, age, and degree of cancer metastasis or extension. Due to poor prognosis, the variance in physical status, and severe symptoms, it is important to determine the optimal strategy for treating each individual stage IV patient. In the past decade, many reports have addressed topics related to stage IV gastric cancer: the 7th Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) TNM staging system has altered its stage IV classification; new chemotherapy regimens have been developed through the randomized ECF for advanced and locally advanced esophagogastric cancer (REAL)-II, S-1 plus cisplatin versus S-1 in RCT in the treatment for stomach cancer (SPIRITS), trastuzumab for gastric cancer (ToGA), ramucirumab monotherapy for previously-treated advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (REGARD), and ramucirumab plus paclitaxel versus placebo plus paclitaxel in patients with previously-treated advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (RAINBOW) trials; and the survival efficacy of palliative gastrectomy has been denied by the reductive gastrectomy for advanced tumor in three Asian countries (REGATTA) trial. Current strategies for treating stage IV patients can be roughly divided into the following five categories: palliative gastrectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gastric stent, or bypass. In this article, we review recent publications and guidelines along with above categories in the light of individual symptoms and prognosis. Abbreviations: APC: argon plasma coagulation; AVAGAST: anti-angiogenic antibody bevacizumab, the avastin in gastric cancer; BSC: best supportive care; CF: cisplatin and fluorouracil; CRP: C-reactive protein; DCF: docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-FU; FISH: fluorescent in-situ hybridization; GJ: gastrojejunostomy; GPS: Glasgow Prognostic Score; HER: human epidermal growth factor receptor; HR: hazard ratio; NLR: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; OS: overall survival; PS: performance status; QOL: quality of life; RAINBOW: ramucirumab plus paclitaxel versus placebo plus paclitaxel in patients with previously-treated advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma; RCTs: randomized controlled trials; REAL: randomized ECF for advanced and locally advanced esophagogastric cancer; REGARD: ramucirumab monotherapy for previously-treated advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma; REGATTA: reductive gastrectomy for advanced tumor in three Asian countries; SEER: Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results; SEMS: self-expandable metal stents; SPIRITS: S-1 plus cisplatin versus S-1 in RCT in the treatment for stomach cancer; ToGA: trastuzumab for gastric cancer; TTP: time-to-progression; VEGFR: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiichiro Mitani ◽  
Hisato Kawakami

Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), has improved survival in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer (AGC). The inevitable development of resistance to trastuzumab remains a problem, however, with several treatment strategies that have proven effective in breast cancer having failed to show clinical benefit in AGC. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms underlying resistance to HER2-targeted therapy and outline past and current challenges in the treatment of HER2-positive AGC refractory to trastuzumab. We further describe novel agents such as HER2 antibody–drug conjugates that are under development and have shown promising antitumor activity in early studies.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Ju Tsai ◽  
Jen-Yu Hung ◽  
Mei-Hsuan Lee ◽  
Chia-Yu Kuo ◽  
Yu-Chen Tsai ◽  
...  

Patients with lung adenocarcinoma harboring common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations usually have a good response rate (RR) and longer progression-free survival (PFS) to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, the treatment efficacy to uncommon EGFR mutations remains controversial. We, therefore, performed a retrospective study, screening 2958 patients. A total of 67 patients with lung adenocarcinoma harboring uncommon EGFR mutations were enrolled and 57 patients with stage IV diseases receiving a first-line EGFR TKI were included for further analyses. The patients were classified into 27 (47%) “a single sensitizing uncommon mutation”, 7 (12%) “multiple sensitizing mutations”, 5 (9%) “a sensitizing mutation and a resistant uncommon mutation”, and 18 (32%) “other resistant uncommon mutations”. No significant difference was noted in PFS or overall survival (OS) between groups. Patients receiving different first-line EGFR TKIs had similar PFS and OS. The elder patients had a significantly poorer performance status than the younger patients but a significantly longer PFS than the younger patients (median PFS: 10.5 vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.0320). In conclusion, this is the first study to identify that elderly patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma harboring uncommon EGFR mutation might have a longer PFS. Large-scale prospective studies are mandatory to prove our findings.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (26) ◽  
pp. 4309-4316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Rojo ◽  
Josep Tabernero ◽  
Joan Albanell ◽  
Eric Van Cutsem ◽  
Atsushi Ohtsu ◽  
...  

Purpose Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in some gastric cancers and is implicated in cancer cell growth and proliferation. The objective of this study was to assess the in situ biologic activity of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib in gastric tumor samples in a phase II study. Methods Patients with previously treated stage IV adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were randomly assigned to receive gefitinib (250 or 500 mg/d). Tumor biopsies, obtained at screening and on day 28 of treatment, were assessed for biomarker expression using immunohistochemistry and analysis of apoptosis. Results One hundred sixteen tumor samples from 70 patients were available, 70 were baseline and 46 were on-therapy biopsies. At baseline, levels of EGFR expression significantly correlated with levels of phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR; P < .001) and Ki67 expression (P = .011), but not with phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (pMAPK). After gefitinib treatment, levels of pEGFR in tumor cells were significantly reduced (P = .001); this was not the case for pMAPK and phosphorylated Akt (pAkt). However, in some cases gefitinib inhibited pAkt and these tumors had enhanced apoptosis. Likewise, there was a significant correlation between increased exposure to geftinib and enhanced apoptosis. Conclusion Gefitinib reached the tumors at concentrations sufficient to inhibit EGFR activation in advanced gastric carcinoma patients, although this did not translate into clinical benefit. Overall, intratumoral phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt was not significantly inhibited by gefitinib. However, the finding that decreases in pAkt correlated with enhanced apoptosis deserves further exploration.


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