Real-world treatment patterns, healthcare resource use and clinical outcomes of patients receiving second line therapy for advanced or metastatic gastric cancer

Treatment patterns and outcomes in advanced or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma in China

AIMS

Describe the characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes of Chinese patients with unresectable advanced/metastatic (UAM) gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GA/GEJA).

METHODS

This multicenter, retrospective, observational study included adults diagnosed with UAM GA/GEJA in China from 2017-2020.

RESULTS

Among 2,745 patients, 1,902, 729, and 284 received first-, second- and third-line (1 L, 2 L and 3 L) therapy-respectively. Most patients received chemotherapy alone in 1 L (84.1%) and 2 L (63.6%), and targeted-therapy-based treatment in 3 L (49.2%). Median real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was 6.5, 4.2, and 3.2 months in 1 L, 2 L, and 3 L, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese patients with UAM GA/GEJA mainly received chemotherapy alone in 1 L/2 L and targeted therapy in 3 L. Median rwPFS was short in all lines, highlighting the need for more effective treatments.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of toripalimab combination therapy for treatment of advanced gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with toripalimab in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

We conducted a thorough search for relevant studies in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Effect estimates were computed utilizing Stata software (version 14.0) and either random or fixed effects models, as applicable. A subgroup analysis was undertaken to assess the effect of various combination therapies on overall response rate (ORR). Begg and Egger's tests were employed to assess publication bias.

RESULTS

The study consisted of 8 trials, which included 277 participants with advanced gastric cancer. The overall ORR was 41.4% (95% CI, 32.4%-50.3%), with a disease control rate (DCR) of 83.6% (95% CI, 74.6%-92.7%), a median overall survival (mOS) of 11.0 months (95% CI, 9.6-12.4), and a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 4.2 months (95% CI, 2.5-6.0) for the combination therapy with toripalimab. Subgroup analysis revealed that the combination of toripalimab and chemotherapy achieved a greater ORR compared to the non-chemotherapy group, with ORR rates of 49.8% (95% CI, 42.2%-57.4%) and 31.9% (95% CI, 26.7%-37.1%), respectively. The combination therapy with toripalimab led to adverse events (AEs) of any grade at 94.0% of cases (95% CI, 89.5%-98.5%) and grade 3 AEs at 32.4% (95% CI, 17.8%-47.1%). The sensitivity analysis indicated that no single study affected the overall results.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination therapy of toripalimab can improve clinical efficacy, although with increased but manageable toxicity. Additional clinical trials are required to assess comprehensively the efficacy and safety of alternative toripalimab regimens. The review agreement has been recorded with PROSPERO (CRD42024585696).

Real-world evidence of treatment patterns and survival of metastatic gastric cancer patients in Germany

BACKGROUND

Patients with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) have poor prognosis. This real-world study aimed to describe treatment regimens and survival of mGC patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted using anonymized German claims data (AOK PLUS) covering a period from 2010 to 2021. The study population included newly diagnosed mGC cases identified from 2011 to 2020. The index date was defined as the first diagnosis of metastasis on or after gastric cancer diagnosis. Therapy regimens were identified based on inpatient and outpatient data, and subsequently stratified by line of treatment. Survival analyses were conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 5,278 mGC incident cases (mean age: 72.7 years; male: 61.9%). Nearly half of the incident cases received mGC-related treatment (49.8%). Treated patients were more often male, younger, and had fewer comorbidities compared to untreated patients. Of the 2,629 mGC patients who started the first line of treatment (1LOT), 32.8% switched to 2LOT, and 10.2% reached 3LOT. Longer survival time was observed among disease-specific treated cases compared with untreated cases (median real-world overall survival (rwOS): 12.7 months [95%CI 12.1 - 13.3 months] vs. 3.7 months [95%CI 3.4 - 4.0 months]).

CONCLUSION

Systemic therapy was not received in almost half of the mGC patients. In those patients, a very short median rwOS was observed. Treatment patterns were generally in line with the guideline recommendations, however, therapy switching rates and poor prognosis indicate high unmet needs also in the treated population.

Use of Real-World Evidence in a Virtual Bridging Analysis for a Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugate in Gastric Cancer

This study bridged pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and safety clinical trial data from Japan to a Western population using real-world evidence (RWE) to investigate the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced gastric cancer. Using population pharmacokinetic and exposure-response (efficacy/safety) models, exposure-efficacy data from 117 patients and exposure-safety data from 158 patients in Japan who received T-DXd 6.4 mg/kg as second-line or later treatment were bridged to RWE including covariate information from 25 Western patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer who received second-line or later T-DXd treatment. Pharmacokinetic simulations indicated that intact T-DXd and released drug (DXd) steady-state exposures were comparable between Western patients and patients from Japan; the Western/Japan ratio of exposure medians ranged from 0.82 (T-DXd steady-state minimum concentration) to 1.18 (DXd steady-state maximum concentration). Exposure-efficacy simulations estimated a confirmed objective response rate of 28.6% (90% confidence interval, 20.8-38.4) in real-world Western patients versus 40.1% (90% confidence interval, 33.5-47.0) in patients from Japan, possibly because of checkpoint inhibitor use in 4% versus 30% of patients, respectively. Western patients had a higher estimated rate of serious adverse events than patients from Japan (42.2% vs 34.6%); however, the rate of interstitial lung disease was lower (less than 10%) in Western patients. Overall, T-DXd was predicted to have meaningful clinical activity and a manageable safety profile in Western patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer. Using RWE, bridging analysis supported US approval of T-DXd 6.4 mg/kg in advanced gastric cancer before a clinical trial was completed in Western patients.

Laying the foundation for Real-world evidence studies: a case study from Newfoundland and Labrador

The Janssen and Newfoundland and Labrador Health Innovation Partnership (JANL-HIP) was established to carry out Real-World Evidence (RWE) projects to generate evidence about disease pathways, healthcare delivery, the effects of clinical interventions. Doing so will support and influence clinical decision-making in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). This case study describes the foundational elements necessary for a real-world evidence generation project in NL and may provide learning for the effective execution of real-world studies in other jurisdictions. It uses an ongoing project in psoriatic disease in NL to illustrate the partnership and the benefits of RWE studies. Ultimately, the JANL-HIP RWE project aims to inform decisions that will drive improvements in health outcomes, system delivery, and policy mutually beneficial to health ecosystem stakeholders.

Anlotinib Combined with Toripalimab as Second-Line Therapy for Advanced, Relapsed Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Carcinoma

Our study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of anlotinib-toripalimab combination therapy as a second-line treatment for advanced relapsed gastric or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma (GC/GEJC). In this single arm, single-center extension clinical trial, patients with advanced relapsed GC/GEJC received toripalimab (240 mg, intravenously over 60 minutes, once every 2 weeks) plus anlotinib (12 mg/day, orally, 2 weeks on and 1 week off, every 3 weeks) as second-line therapy. There were 29 patients who achieved partial response, and the ORR was 32.3% (95% CI, 26.6%-38.5%). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were recorded in 7 participants (11.3%), all of which were manageable. The PFS and OS were 4.0 and 11.1 months, respectively. Patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) positive expression showed numerically longer OS than the negative ones although the difference was not significantly. The tumor mutational burden-high (TMB-H) group showed a significantly better OS (P = .05) than the TMB-Low (TMB-L) group. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed that fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) mutations positively correlated with target lesion reduction (odds ratio [OR] = 0.14; P = .02). The new regimen increased tumor-infiltration of CD8+ T and CD3+ T cells. Furthermore, a patient-derived organoid (PDO) study indicated that anlotinib could promote an immune-supportive tumor microenvironment. As conclusion, the anlotinib-toripalimab combination showed promising efficacy and favorable safety as a second-line treatment for advanced, relapsed GC/GEJC. The PD-L1 expression, TMB, and FGFR2 mutation are potential biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of this regimen (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT04713059).

A global perspective in second-line treatment patterns for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer is a highly prevalent cancer associated with low survival, especially among those with advanced disease. Second-line (2L) treatment patterns and related clinical outcomes of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (advESCC) treated in routine clinical care were examined globally and regionally.

METHODS

A retrospective, noninterventional study collected physician-provided chart data of patients aged ≥20 years receiving either 2L active systemic therapy or BSC following first-line active therapy for advESCC from 11 countries in Asian and Western regions (September-October 2018). Bivariate analyses examined treatment and outcomes by region.

RESULTS

AdvESCC patients (Asia = 192; West = 195) were examined, of which 58.1% (Asia n = 101; West n = 124) received active systemic therapy. While regional differences in tumor classification and staging at diagnosis were observed with less advanced tumors in Asia, no regional differences for these characteristics at 2L initiation were reported. Both taxane- and nontaxane-based therapies were used as 2L therapy among Asian and Western patients, although more western than Asian patients received immuno- or targeted therapies (17.0% vs. 3.0%; p = 0.001). Alopecia (10.7%), neutropenia (9.3%), and fatigue (9.3%) were the most-commonly reported adverse events (AEs) in both regions. Significantly higher 2L AE-related emergency room visits (Asia = 22.5% vs. West = 8.0%; p < 0.001) and hospitalizations (Asia = 25.9 ± 31.2 vs. West = 4.7 ± 7.0, p < 0.001) were observed in Asian than in Western patients. No regional differences were reported for response to 2L treatment or the percent of patients who received third-line treatment/died.

CONCLUSIONS

While regional variations were observed throughout the course of a patient's advESCC journey, disease response and treatment outcomes were similar.

Patient and caregiver socioeconomic burden of first-line systemic therapy for advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma

Aim: This study assessed the work productivity and financial impact of advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas, comprising gastric, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers, on patients of working age and their caregivers. Patients & methods: A multicenter medical chart review and surveys of patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and their caregivers was conducted in France, Germany, the UK, China, Japan and the USA. Results: Across differing regions, the study highlighted the impact of cancer on patients' ability to work, to function normally and on their wellbeing, as well as the economic burden placed on patients and their caregivers. Conclusion: Advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas have a significant impact on patients' and caregivers' well-being and are associated with reduced work productivity, and income loss.