scholarly journals New drug developments in metastatic gastric cancer

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 175628481880807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Tan ◽  
David L. Chan ◽  
Wasek Faisal ◽  
Nick Pavlakis
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Targeted Therapies ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Metastatic Gastric Cancer ◽  
New Era

Metastatic gastric cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and novel treatment options are desperately needed. The development of targeted therapies heralded a new era for the management of metastatic gastric cancer, however results from clinical trials of numerous targeted agents have been mixed. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors has yielded similar promise and results from early trials are encouraging. This review provides an overview of the systemic treatment options evaluated in metastatic gastric cancer, with a focus on recent evidence from clinical trials for targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The failure to identify appropriate predictive biomarkers has hampered the success of many targeted therapies in gastric cancer, and a deeper understanding of specific molecular subtypes and genomic alterations may allow for more precision in the application of novel therapies. Identifying appropriate biomarkers for patient selection is essential for future clinical trials, for the most effective use of novel agents and in combination approaches to account for growing complexity of treatment options.

scholarly journals Current status and future potential of predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastric cancer

ESMO Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e000791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byung Woog Kang ◽  
Ian Chau
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Gene Expression Signature ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Predictive Biomarker ◽  
Metastatic Gastric Cancer ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Current Status

Immunotherapy is revolutionising cancer treatment and has already emerged as standard treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer (GC). Recent research has been focused on identifying robust predictive biomarkers for GC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The expression of programmed cell death protein-ligand-1 (PD-L1) is considered a manifestation of immune response evasion, and several studies have already reported the potential of PD-L1 expression as a predictive parameter for various human malignancies. Meanwhile, based on comprehensive molecular characterisation of GC, testing for Epstein-Barr virus and microsatellite instability is a potential predictive biomarker. Culminating evidence suggests that novel biomarkers, such as the tumour mutational burden and gene expression signature, could indicate the success of treatment with ICIs. However, the exact roles of these biomarkers in GC treated with ICIs remain unclear. Therefore, this study reviews recent scientific data on current and emerging biomarkers for ICIs in GC, which have potential to improve treatment outcomes.

scholarly journals How to Best Exploit Immunotherapeutics in Advanced Gastric Cancer: Between Biomarkers and Novel Cell-Based Approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1412
Author(s):  
Michele Ghidini ◽  
Angelica Petrillo ◽  
Andrea Botticelli ◽  
Dario Trapani ◽  
Alessandro Parisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Advanced Gastric Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
T Cell Therapy ◽  
Dismal Prognosis

Despite extensive research efforts, advanced gastric cancer still has a dismal prognosis with conventional treatment options. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment landscape for many solid tumors. Amongst gastric cancer subtypes, tumors with microsatellite instability and Epstein Barr Virus positive tumors provide the strongest rationale for responding to immunotherapy. Various predictive biomarkers such as mismatch repair status, programmed death ligand 1 expression, tumor mutational burden, assessment of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and circulating biomarkers have been evaluated. However, results have been inconsistent due to different methodologies and thresholds used. Clinical implementation therefore remains a challenge. The role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastric cancer is emerging with data from monotherapy in the heavily pre-treated population already available and studies in earlier disease settings with different combinatorial approaches in progress. Immune checkpoint inhibitor combinations with chemotherapy (CT), anti-angiogenics, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anti-Her2 directed therapy, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors or dual checkpoint inhibitor strategies are being explored. Moreover, novel strategies including vaccines and CAR T cell therapy are also being trialed. Here we provide an update on predictive biomarkers for response to immunotherapy with an overview of their strengths and limitations. We discuss clinical trials that have been reported and trials in progress whilst providing an account of future steps needed to improve outcome in this lethal disease.

Enrollment of Racial Minorities in Clinical Trials: Old Problem Assumes New Urgency in the Age of Immunotherapy

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassel Nazha ◽  
Manoj Mishra ◽  
Rebecca Pentz ◽  
Taofeek K. Owonikoko
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Trial Participation ◽  
Minority Ethnic Groups ◽  
Black Patients ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
The Impact

Minority U.S. populations are underrepresented in cancer clinical trials. This review appraises the impact of the disparity in clinical trial participation by minority patients in the current era of cancer immunotherapy. Enrollment on pivotal trials leading to U.S. regulatory approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors showed poor representation of minority ethnic groups. Specifically, we found that black patients constitute less than 4% of all patients enrolled across multiple trials that supported the approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer. Similar underrepresentation was observed for trials conducted in renal cell carcinoma and other tumor types. Since efficacy of immunotherapy is only observed in a subset of patients, the use of predictive biomarkers to identify responders along with new strategies to expand the benefit to a larger subset of patients are current areas of active investigation. The inadequate representation of minority patients on immunotherapy clinical trials could perpetuate outcome disparity because the unique biology of the host and the tumors from this subpopulation is not accounted for as new treatment algorithms to guide optimal use of immunotherapy are developed for use in the real world.

scholarly journals Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Pre-Treated Gastric Cancer Patients: Results from a Literature-Based Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giandomenico Roviello ◽  
Silvia Paola Corona ◽  
Alberto D’Angelo ◽  
Pietro Rosellini ◽  
Stefania Nobili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽  
Metastatic Gastric Cancer ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tumour Location

Immunotherapy has recently changed the treatment of several cancers. We performed a literature-based meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials to assess the efficacy of the novel immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in metastatic gastric cancer. The main outcome was overall survival. Based on age (cut-off agreed at 65 years), tumour location (gastric vs. gastro-oesophageal junction), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) status, sex and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status (1 vs. 0), we scheduled a subgroup analysis for the overall survival. Three studies were included in the analysis for a total of 1456 cases (811 cases were in the experimental group and 645 cases in the control group). The pooled analysis showed improved overall survival in the experimental arm in the absence of statistical significance (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.64–1.18; p = 0.37). The subgroup of patients with PD-L1-positive tumours (HR = 0.82 vs. 1.04) and gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (HR = 0.82 vs. 1.04) showed a statistically significant advantage of overall survival. This study supports the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the subgroup of patients with metastatic gastric cancer with PD-L1-positive and gastro-oesophageal junction tumour location. Future studies are needed with the aim of identifying reliable predictive biomarkers of ICI efficacy.

scholarly journals Dramatic Response in a Patient with Metastatic Gastric Cancer Using Trifluridine/Tipiracil after Rapid Disease Progression while on Nivolumab

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1381-1386
Author(s):  
Kazuki Nozawa ◽  
Yukiya Narita ◽  
Waki Hosoda ◽  
Kei Muro
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Metastatic Gastric Cancer ◽  
Cytotoxic Agents ◽  
Hyperprogressive Disease

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors has redefined the treatment strategy and changed the way tumor assessments are made because of its response pattern. Studies have suggested that initiating chemotherapy after checkpoint inhibitors may have high anti-tumor activity in some cancer types. This response pattern has not been reported in patients with gastric cancer, and particularly for the combination of trifluridine/tipiracil. A 69-year-old man presented at follow-up for metastatic gastric cancer being treated with nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody. Computed tomography of the liver showed a rapid 4-fold growth of the metastasis compared with baseline measurements taken while receiving paclitaxel and ramucirumab. It met the definition of a phenomenon called hyperprogressive disease. Nivolumab was discontinued, and he was switched to trifluridine/tipiracil. The liver metastasis was shrunk markedly after 2 months with improvement in his performance status and laboratory data. Sequential therapy starting with immune checkpoint inhibitors followed by cytotoxic agents such as trifluridine/tipiracil may have an apparent efficacy in gastric cancer even though prior immunotherapy demonstrates hyperprogressive disease.

scholarly journals Immune-checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma and kidney cancer: from sequencing to rational selection

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 175883591877742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Flynn ◽  
Lisa Pickering ◽  
James Larkin ◽  
Samra Turajlic
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Targeted Therapies ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Adjuvant Setting ◽  
Metastatic Setting

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs), including antibodies against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4 and programmed cell death protein 1, have been shown to induce durable complete responses in a proportion of patients in the first-line and refractory setting in advanced melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. In fact, there are several lines of both targeted agents and ICPI that are now feasible treatment options. However, survival in the metastatic setting continues to be poor and there remains a need for improved therapeutic approaches. In order to enhance patient selection for the most appropriate next line of therapy, better predictive biomarkers of responsiveness will need to be developed in tandem with technologies to identify mechanisms of ICPI resistance. Adaptive, biomarker-driven trials will drive this evolution. The combination of ICPI with specific chemotherapies, targeted therapies and other immuno-oncology (IO) drugs in order to circumvent ICPI resistance and enhance efficacy is discussed. Recent data support the role for both targeted therapies and ICPI in the adjuvant setting of melanoma and targeted therapies in the adjuvant setting for renal cell carcinoma, which may influence the consideration of treatment on subsequent relapse. Approaches to select the optimal treatment sequences for these patients will need to be refined.

scholarly journals Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Esophageal Cancers: Are We Finally Finding the Right Path in the Mist?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1658
Author(s):  
Caterina Vivaldi ◽  
Silvia Catanese ◽  
Valentina Massa ◽  
Irene Pecora ◽  
Francesca Salani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Esophageal Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Combination Strategies ◽  
Cancer Review ◽  
The Right

Esophageal cancer remains a challenging disease due to limited treatment options and poor prognosis. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been proven to be safe and effective in the treatment of highly lethal malignancies, such as non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. Recent clinical trials also showed promising activity in immune checkpoint inhibitors in pretreated advanced esophageal carcinoma and a potentially significant impact on the outcome of selected patients, independently of histology. Combination studies evaluating immunotherapy and chemotherapy and, in localized disease, radiotherapy are in progress and will hopefully confirm their promises in the near future. However, reliable predictive biomarkers are still lacking. Indeed, at present, the role of programmed cell death ligand 1 expression and other factors (such as microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden) as predictive biomarkers of benefit to immune checkpoint inhibitors is still controversial. Our aim was to explore the rationale of ICIs in esophageal cancer, review the results already available in multiple settings, and investigate future perspectives with single-agent and combination strategies.

scholarly journals Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Literature Review and Treatment Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Girardi ◽  
Jana Priscila M. Pacífico ◽  
Fernanda P. L. Guedes de Amorim ◽  
Gustavo dos Santos Fernandes ◽  
Marcela C. Teixeira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Targeted Therapies ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Line Treatment ◽  
Sorafenib Treatment

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is a prevalent and potentially aggressive disease. For more than a decade, treatment with sorafenib has been the only approved therapeutic approach. Moreover, no agent has been proven to prolong survival following the progression of disease after sorafenib treatment. However, in recent years, this scenario has changed substantially with several trials being conducted to examine the effects of immunotherapy and novel targeting agents. Several immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising results in early-stage clinical trials. Moreover, phase III trials with large cohorts have demonstrated remarkable improvement in survival with the use of new targeted therapies in second-line treatment. Treatment regimens involving the combination of two immune checkpoint inhibitors as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-angiogenic targeted therapies have shown potential to act synergistically in clinical trials. Recently, the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab evaluated in a phase III clinical trial has demonstrated survival superiority in the first-line treatment; it is the new considered standard of care. In this manuscript, we aimed to review the latest advances in the systemic treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma focusing on immunotherapy and targeted therapies.

Progress and prospects of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced gastric cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhu Zeng ◽  
Biao Yang ◽  
Zhengyin Liao
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Advanced Gastric Cancer ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Significant Survival ◽  
The Way

Gastric cancer, a digestive malignancy, is the sixth most frequent cancer and the second leading cause of tumor-related deaths worldwide. The emergence and advancement of immunotherapeutic agents has brought significant survival benefits for patients with gastric cancer and increasingly challenged the conventional therapy pattern involving chemotherapy and target drugs. Furthermore, these breakthroughs have paved the way for immunotherapy, especially with immune checkpoint inhibitors, which act by blocking specific signaling pathways, in particular the CTLA4 pathway and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. In this review we summarize the current trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors in GC and their predictive biomarkers, and discuss their present limitations.

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