Weekly docetaxel and cisplatin with capecitabine and bevacizumab (AVDCX) in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer: Results of a phase Ib/II study.
e15078 Background: Many efforts are being made to improve treatment options for advanced esophagogastric cancer (AEGC). The aim of this phase Ib/II study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel regimen, AVDCX, consisting of weekly docetaxel and cisplatin together with capecitabine and bevacizumab, in AEGC. Methods: Patients with AEGC received treatment with different dose levels of AVDCX (cisplatin and docetaxel 25-35 mg/m2, days 1,8, capecitabine 1,600 mg/m2days 1-14, bevacizumab 7.5 mg/kg, day 1, Q:21 days). To assure regimen's safety a short phase Ib part, with three dose levels, was planned. The study's primary objectives were to establish the recommended phase II doses of docetaxel and cisplatin in AVDCX and to determine the tumor response rate. Results: The study was closed early, after the accrual of 22 patients, due to accumulating toxicity-related deaths. The median age was 59 years and 77% of patients had gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. Grade ≥3 adverse events were documented in 18 patients (82%) and these were usually neutropenia (36%), fatigue (54%) or diarrhea (23%). There were three fatal toxicities (14%): mesenteric thromboembolism, gastric perforation and pancytopenic sepsis. Eventually, the recommended phase II doses of cisplatin and docetaxel were determined to be 25 mg/m2 and 30 mg/m2, respectively. Twenty-one patients were evaluable for response: 12 (54%) had partial response (PR), 4 (18%) had stable disease (SD) and none had complete response (CR). The objective response rate (CR+PR) was 54% and the disease control rate (CR+PR+SD) was 72%. Eighteen patients (82%) derived a clinical benefit: improvement of pain, weight or performance status without a deterioration of any of these factors, from treatment. The median overall survival was 11.3 months (range, 1.5-39.2+ months) and median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (range, 1.3–26.6 months). The 2-year OS rate reached 22.7%. Conclusions: AVDCX was associated with bevacizumab-related fatal toxicities. It seems to reproduce the efficacy of bevacizumab regimen AVAGAST trial, without a clue for significant improvement over common docetaxel regimens in AEGC.