The ASCO 2016 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 12th annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium was held from Jan. 21 to 23 in San Francisco and attracted approximately 3,000 participants from around the world, including gastrointestinal oncology specialists, clinical practitioners, and other health care professionals. The conference featured presentations focusing on the latest advances in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal cancers.
In an open-label, phase II study, Johanna C. Bendel, M.D., of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of sequential and concurrent FOLFOXIRI (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan)-bevacizumab (BEV) as compared to FOLFOX-BEV for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
“While not statistically significant, there was a trend of increased overall response rate with FOLFOXIRI-BEV versus FOLFOX-BEV in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer treatment,” the authors write.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Genentech, the manufacturer of bevacizumab.
In phase III study, Jonathan Strosberg, M.D., of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of 177 Lutetium-DOTATATE (Lutathera), a somatostatin analog attached to a radioactive molecule, in patients with advanced mid-gut neuroendocrine tumors who were previously treated with somatostatin analog therapy. Patients were randomized to Lutetium-DOTATATE or high-dose octreotide LAR every four weeks.
“The results were quite striking. We found a 79 percent improvement in progression-free survival tied to Lutetium-DOTATATE as compared to high-dose octreotide LAR. Progression-free survival was eight months with high-dose octreotide LAR, and has not yet been reached with Lutetium-DOTATATE therapy; estimated progression-free survival is in excess of three years,” Strosberg said. “Preliminary overall survival analysis showed a very strong trend towards improved overall survival with Lutetium-DOTATATE, hopefully to be confirmed on final analysis in the next year or two.”
The investigators also found a response rate of 18 percent tied to Lutetium-DOTATATE, compared to 3 percent associated with high-dose octreotide LAR.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Advanced Accelerator Applications, the manufacturer of Lutetium-DOTATATE.
As part of the phase III RADIANT-4 study, Simron Singh, M.D., M.P.H., of Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of everolimus in advanced, progressive, nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumors that begin in the gastrointestinal tract or have an unknown origin. Patients with these types of tumors were randomized to everolimus or placebo.
The investigators found that everolimus improved progression-free survival for patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. The results also suggest efficacy of everolimus in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors of unknown primary. The researchers found that everolimus reduced the risk of disease progression between 40 to 44 percent compared to placebo. Specifically, in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, the median progression-free survival was 13.1 months with everolimus, compared to 5.4 months with placebo. In patients with neuroendocrine tumors of unknown primary, the median progression-free survival with everolimus was 13.6 months, compared to 7.5 months with placebo.
“Currently there are limited treatment options for patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors, so this study is a welcome advancement in the field, opening the door to a new exciting treatment,” Singh said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, the manufacturer of everolimus.
ASCO: CRP Predicts Complications After Esophagectomy
TUESDAY, Jan. 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — C-reactive protein (CRP) on postoperative day 4 (POD 4) after esophagectomy is associated with increased odds of serious infectious complications (SICs), according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from Jan. 21 to 23 in San Francisco.
ASCO: VTE Is Risk Factor for Recurrence in Esophageal Cancer
TUESDAY, Jan. 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with esophageal cancer, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a risk factor for recurrence, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from Jan. 21 to 23 in San Francisco.
ASCO: New Regimen Effective for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
TUESDAY, Jan. 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with rectal cancer, short-course radiation followed by chemotherapy appears similar in effectiveness to a five-week chemoradiation regimen, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from Jan. 21 to 23 in San Francisco.
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