FLO +/- Pazopanib as First-line Treatment in Advanced Gastric Cancer

Summary

The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of the gastro-esophageal (GE) junction is poor. Even with modern chemotherapy the median survival ranges around 8-10 months. Inhibition of neoangiogenesis seems to be a very promising approach in gastric cancer. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) acts as one of the most potent stimulating agents of angiogenesis, and several strategies targeting the VEGF signaling pathway have been developed, including anti-VEGF antibodies, soluble receptors binding directly to VEGF ligand, anti-VEGF receptor (VEGFR) antibodies and VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The breakthrough in the clinical development of anti-angiogenic therapy against colorectal cancer came in 2003 with a large prospective, randomized clinical trial of bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against VEGF. Anti-angiogenic therapy has introduced a highly effective, completely new mode of action in this area and is the new standard of care in advanced colorectal cancer. The concept of VEGF inhibition is also very promising in gastric cancer. Bevacizumab was investigated in combination with irinotecan and cisplatin in a phase-II trial, including 47 patients with gastric and GE-junction carcinoma. Bevacizumab could safely be given and could improve time to tumor progression by 75% compared to historical controls. Several phase-II trials confirm the tolerability and promising efficacy of bevacizumab in gastric cancer (Bevacizumab + Docetaxel/Oxaliplatin; FOLFOX + Bevacizumab; Docetaxel/Cisplatin/Irinotecan + Bevacizumab). These results were so promising that randomized phase-III trials in the 1st-line and perioperative setting are under way (AVAGAST-trial: Cisplatin /Capecitabine +/- bevacizumab 1st line ; MAGIC-B-trial : ECX +/- bevacizumab perioperative). Tyrosin kinase inhibitors which inhibit VEGF receptors and EGFR are also investigated in gastric cancer with promising efficacy. Pazopanib, an orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitor, selectively inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR)-1, -2 and -3, c-kit and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R), which results in inhibition of angiogenesis in tumors in which these receptors are upregulated. Pazopanib has the advantage of being an orally available anti-angiogenesis component. Pazopanib shows promising activity in phase-II trials in renal cell cancer, breast cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and non small cell lung cancer. A phase-III trial of pazopanib in renal cell cancer (NCT00334282) is completed and resulted in the approval of Pazopanib for this disease. A phase-III trial in soft tissue sarcoma (NCT00753688) is currently performed. In phase-I trials, pazopanib was investigated in combination with FOLFOX and Capecitabine/Oxaliplatin. FOLFOX could be administered in full dose with 800 mg pazopanib. In Cape/Ox, capecitabine had to be reduced to 850mg/m² bd. 5-FU- and oxaliplatin-based regimens are one of the established treatment standards for 1st-line therapy in metastatic gastric cancer. The efficacy of 5-FU, leukovorin and oxaliplatin (FLO) compared to 5-FU, cisplatin could be confirmed in a randomized phase-III trial of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie (AIO). FLO has a favorable toxicity profile. In Germany, FLO is a widely used combination for advanced gastric cancer and is a recommended regimen in the new German S3-guidelines 2011. The investigators therefore want to examine FLO + pazopanib.

Timeline

Start

2011-11

Primary completion

2017-12-14

Completion

2017-12-14

Publications

• Background Shah MA, Ramanathan RK, Ilson DH, Levnor A, D'Adamo D, O'Reilly E, Tse A, Trocola R, Schwartz L, Capanu M, Schwartz GK, Kelsen DP. Multicenter phase II study of irinotecan, cisplatin, and bevacizumab in patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Nov 20;24(33):5201-6. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2006.08.0887.
• Background El-Rayes BF, Patel B, Zalupski M, et al. A phase II study of bevacizumab, docetaxel, and oxaliplatin in gastric and GEJ cancer. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2009;27(15S):4563.
• Background Li J, Kortmansky JS, Saif M, et al. Phase II study of mFOLFOX6 with bevacizumab (Bev) in metastatic gastric and esophageal (GE) adenocarcinoma. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2010;28(15_suppl):TPS203.
• Background Enzinger PC, Ryan DP, Regan EM, et al. Phase II trial of docetaxel, cisplatin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab in metastatic esophagogastric cancer. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2008;26(15_suppl):4552.
• Background Sun W, Powell M, O'Dwyer PJ, Catalano P, Ansari RH, Benson AB 3rd. Phase II study of sorafenib in combination with docetaxel and cisplatin in the treatment of metastatic or advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: ECOG 5203. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Jun 20;28(18):2947-51. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.27.7988. Epub 2010 May 10.
• Background Moehler MH, Hartmann JT, Lordick F, et al. An open-label, multicenter phase II trial of sunitinib for patients with chemorefractory metastatic gastric cancer. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2010;28(15_suppl):e14503.
• Background Hutson TE, Davis ID, Machiels JP, et al. Pazopanib (GW786034) is active in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Interim results of a phase II randomized discontinuation trial (RDT). ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2007;25(18_suppl):5031.
• Background Slamon D, Gomez HL, Kabbinavar FF, et al. Randomized study of pazopanib + lapatinib vs. lapatinib alone in patients with HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2008;26(15_suppl):1016.
• Background Sleijfer S, Papai Z, Le Cesne A, et al. Phase II study of pazopanib (GW786034) in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory soft tissue sarcoma (STS): EORTC 62043. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2007;25(18_suppl):10031.
• Background Altorki N, Guarino M, Lee P, et al. Preoperative treatment with pazopanib (GW786034), a multikinase angiogenesis inhibitor in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A proof-of-concept phase II study. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2008;26(15_suppl):7557.
• Background Brady J, Middleton M, Midgley RS, et al. A phase I study of pazopanib in combination with FOLFOX 6 or capeOx in subjects with colorectal cancer. ASCO Meeting Abstracts. 2009;27(15S):4133.
• Background Cunningham D, Starling N, Rao S, Iveson T, Nicolson M, Coxon F, Middleton G, Daniel F, Oates J, Norman AR; Upper Gastrointestinal Clinical Studies Group of the National Cancer Research Institute of the United Kingdom. Capecitabine and oxaliplatin for advanced esophagogastric cancer. N Engl J Med. 2008 Jan 3;358(1):36-46. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa073149.
• Background Al-Batran SE, Hartmann JT, Probst S, Schmalenberg H, Hollerbach S, Hofheinz R, Rethwisch V, Seipelt G, Homann N, Wilhelm G, Schuch G, Stoehlmacher J, Derigs HG, Hegewisch-Becker S, Grossmann J, Pauligk C, Atmaca A, Bokemeyer C, Knuth A, Jager E; Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie. Phase III trial in metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma with fluorouracil, leucovorin plus either oxaliplatin or cisplatin: a study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Mar 20;26(9):1435-42. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.13.9378.
• Background Moehler M, Al-Batran SE, Andus T, Anthuber M, Arends J, Arnold D, Aust D, Baier P, Baretton G, Bernhardt J, Boeing H, Bohle E, Bokemeyer C, Bornschein J, Budach W, Burmester E, Caca K, Diemer WA, Dietrich CF, Ebert M, Eickhoff A, Ell C, Fahlke J, Feussner H, Fietkau R, Fischbach W, Fleig W, Flentje M, Gabbert HE, Galle PR, Geissler M, Gockel I, Graeven U, Grenacher L, Gross S, Hartmann JT, Heike M, Heinemann V, Herbst B, Herrmann T, Hocht S, Hofheinz RD, Hofler H, Hohler T, Holscher AH, Horneber M, Hubner J, Izbicki JR, Jakobs R, Jenssen C, Kanzler S, Keller M, Kiesslich R, Klautke G, Korber J, Krause BJ, Kuhn C, Kullmann F, Lang H, Link H, Lordick F, Ludwig K, Lutz M, Mahlberg R, Malfertheiner P, Merkel S, Messmann H, Meyer HJ, Monig S, Piso P, Pistorius S, Porschen R, Rabenstein T, Reichardt P, Ridwelski K, Rocken C, Roetzer I, Rohr P, Schepp W, Schlag PM, Schmid RM, Schmidberger H, Schmiegel WH, Schmoll HJ, Schuch G, Schuhmacher C, Schutte K, Schwenk W, Selgrad M, Sendler A, Seraphin J, Seufferlein T, Stahl M, Stein H, Stoll C, Stuschke M, Tannapfel A, Tholen R, Thuss-Patience P, Treml K, Vanhoefer U, Vieth M, Vogelsang H, Wagner D, Wedding U, Weimann A, Wilke H, Wittekind C; AWMF; AWMF. [German S3-guideline "Diagnosis and treatment of esophagogastric cancer"]. Z Gastroenterol. 2011 Apr;49(4):461-531. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1273201. Epub 2011 Apr 7. No abstract available. German.
• Hogner A, Al-Batran SE, Siveke JT, Lorenz M, Bartels P, Breithaupt K, Malfertheiner P, Homann N, Stein A, Glaser D, Tamm I, Hinke A, Vogel A, Thuss-Patience P; PaFLO investigators. Pazopanib with 5-FU and oxaliplatin as first line therapy in advanced gastric cancer: A randomized phase-II study-The PaFLO trial. A study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie AIO-STO-0510. Int J Cancer. 2022 Mar 15;150(6):1007-1017. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33864. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

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