Use of Chemoimmunotherapy for Locally Advanced Deficient Mismatch Repair (dMMR) Gastric Adenocarcinoma With Curative Intent: A Case Report.

The standard of care for patients with operable gastric adenocarcinoma is perioperative chemotherapy and surgical resection. The deficient mismatch repair (dMMR)/microsatellite instability (MSI-H) phenotype is a major predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) efficacy in advanced disease. Several phase II and III trials suggest a promising future role of immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant setting, especially in MSI-H localized gastric adenocarcinomas. We present a 38-year-old man diagnosed in March 2022 with poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma clinical stage III (cT4 N0 M0) with deficiency of MLH1 and PMS2, combined positive score (CPS) of 100 and negative HER2 immunohistochemistry, had poor tumor response to preoperative 5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT). It was considered unresectable because of the involvement of the colon, mesocolon, duodenum, pancreas, and retroperitoneum. Then, first-line systemic treatment with 5-FU, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX)-nivolumab was initiated in August 2022, with a significant radiologic tumor reduction after six cycles, allowing a curative surgery in March 2023 with complete pathologic tumor response, followed by capecitabine and nivolumab for one year, maintaining radiological remission in the last follow-up in April 2024. With this case report, we conclude that it is likely that chemoimmunotherapy or immunotherapy alone may be alternative neoadjuvant treatment choices for MSI-H locally advanced gastric cancer patients.

Regorafenib in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in Spain: from clinical trials to real-world evidence.

Aim: To describe the evolution of regorafenib use, since its approval, in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in routine clinical practice in Spain. Methods: We extracted patient characteristics, dosing, safety and efficacy data for the Spanish cohorts of the CORRECT and CONSIGN trials, and the real-world CORRELATE study. Results: The Spanish cohorts represented 10.7-13.8% of the global cohorts. Efficacy and safety in the Spanish cohorts reflected findings from the global cohorts, with evidence of a flexible dosing approach being adopted in routine clinical practice. Conclusion: Regorafenib use in patients with mCRC has evolved in the real-world setting, emphasizing the need for further research evaluating dosing patterns that can optimize clinical outcomes in these patients.Clinical trial registration: The CORRECT trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01103323; the CONSIGN trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01538680; the CORRELATE study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02042144.

Bowel cancer (also called colorectal cancer) affects the large bowel, including the colon and rectum. Approximately one in ten patients with advanced bowel cancer that has spread to other areas of the body (metastatic bowel cancer) survive 5 years after diagnosis or the start of treatment.Regorafenib is a treatment for patients with advanced bowel cancer that has continued to spread after receiving other treatments. It can slow down cancer growth, as shown in three international studies (CORRECT, CONSIGN and CORRELATE). In Spain, bowel cancer is the most common type of cancer and the cancer that causes the second most deaths. This study describes how the use of regorafenib in Spain has changed since it was approved in 2012, by looking at the patients from Spain who made up 11­14% of the participants in the three international studies.The CORRECT trial that compared regorafenib with a non-therapeutic placebo and the CONSIGN trial of regorafenib alone showed that treatment with regorafenib prolonged life and was well tolerated in patients with metastatic bowel cancer who had previously received or were not suitable to receive other treatments. The CORRELATE study showed that in the real world (i.e., outside of a controlled clinical trial), patients are sometimes prescribed regorafenib at lower starting doses than the recommended dose, without an apparent overall effect on how well regorafenib works or side effects. In the future, it will be important to continue researching how doctors prescribe regorafenib in daily clinical practice in Spain.

SEOM-GEMCAD-TTD clinical guidelines for the management of hepatocarcinoma patients (2023).

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy in the liver and is the third cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Surveillance with abdominal ultrasound should be offered to individuals at high risk for developing HCC. Accurate diagnosis, staging, and liver function are crucial when determining the optimal therapeutic approach. The BCLC staging system is widely endorsed in Western countries. Managing this pathology requires a multidisciplinary, personalized approach, generally with a multimodal strategy. Surgery remains the only curative option, albeit local and systemic therapy may also increase survival when surgery is not suitable. In advanced disease, systemic treatment should be offered to patients with ECOG/PS 0-1 and Child-Pugh class A.

Revealing the Specificity of Human H1 Influenza A Viruses to Complex N-Glycans.

Influenza virus infection remains a threat to human health since viral hemagglutinins are constantly drifting, escaping infection and vaccine-induced antibody responses. Viral hemagglutinins from different viruses display variability in glycan recognition. In this context, recent H3N2 viruses have specificity for α2,6 sialylated branched N-glycans with at least three N-acetyllactosamine units (tri-LacNAc). In this work, we combined glycan arrays and tissue binding analyses with nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to characterize the glycan specificity of a family of H1 variants, including the one responsible for the 2009 pandemic outbreak. We also analyzed one engineered H6N1 mutant to understand if the preference for tri-LacNAc motifs could be a general trend in human-type receptor-adapted viruses. In addition, we developed a new NMR approach to perform competition experiments between glycans with similar compositions and different lengths. Our results point out that pandemic H1 viruses differ from previous seasonal H1 viruses by a strict preference for a minimum of di-LacNAc structural motifs.

Liquid Biopsy Detects Early Molecular Response and Predicts Benefit to First-Line Chemotherapy plus Cetuximab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: PLATFORM-B Study.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy plus anti-EGFR is standard first-line therapy in RAS wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but biomarkers of early response are clinically needed. We aimed to define the utility of ctDNA to assess early response in patients with mCRC receiving first-line anti-EGFR therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Prospective multicentric study of tissue patients with RAS wt mCRC treated with first-line chemotherapy plus cetuximab undergoing sequential liquid biopsies. Baseline and early (C3) ctDNA were analyzed by NGS. Trunk mutations were assessed as surrogate marker of total tumor burden. RAS/BRAF/MEK/EGFR-ECD were considered mutations of resistance. ctDNA results were correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: One hundred patients were included. ctDNA was detected in 72% of patients at baseline and 34% at C3. Decrease in ctDNA trunk mutations correlated with progression-free survival (PFS; HR, 0.23; P = 0.001). RAS/BRAF were the only resistant mutations detected at C3. An increase in the relative fraction of RAS/BRAF at C3 was followed by an expansion of the RAS clone until PD, and was associated with shorter PFS (HR, 10.5; P < 0.001). The best predictor of response was the combined analysis of trunk and resistant mutations at C3. Accordingly, patients with "early molecular response" (decrease in trunk and decrease in resistant mutations) had better response (77.5% vs. 25%, P = 0.008) and longer PFS (HR, 0.18; P < 0.001) compared with patients with "early molecular progression" (increase in trunk and/or increase in resistant mutations). CONCLUSIONS: ctDNA detects early molecular response and predicts benefit to chemotherapy plus cetuximab. A comprehensive NGS-based approach is recommended to integrate information on total disease burden and resistant mutations. See related commentary by Eluri et al., p. 302.

Molecular Classification of Colorectal Cancer by microRNA Profiling: Correlation with the Consensus Molecular Subtypes (CMS) and Validation of miR-30b Targets.

Colorectal cancer consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) are widely accepted and constitutes the basis for patient stratification to improve clinical practice. We aimed to find whether miRNAs could reproduce molecular subtypes, and to identify miRNA targets associated to the High-stroma/CMS4 subtype. The expression of 939 miRNAs was analyzed in tumors classified in CMS. TALASSO was used to find gene-miRNA interactions. A miR-mRNA regulatory network was constructed using Cytoscape. Candidate gene-miR interactions were validated in 293T cells. Hierarchical-Clustering identified three miRNA tumor subtypes (miR-LS; miR-MI; and miR-HS) which were significantly associated (p < 0.001) to the reported mRNA subtypes. miR-LS correlated with the low-stroma/CMS2; miR-MI with the mucinous-MSI/CMS1 and miR-HS with high-stroma/CMS4. MicroRNA tumor subtypes and association to CMSs were validated with TCGA datasets. TALASSO identified 1462 interactions (p < 0.05) out of 21,615 found between 176 miRs and 788 genes. Based on the regulatory network, 88 miR-mRNA interactions were selected as candidates. This network was functionally validated for the pair miR-30b/SLC6A6. We found that miR-30b overexpression silenced 3'-UTR-SLC6A6-driven luciferase expression in 293T-cells; mutation of the target sequence in the 3'-UTR-SLC6A6 prevented the miR-30b inhibitory effect. In conclusion CRC subtype classification using a miR-signature might facilitate a real-time analysis of the disease course and treatment response.

SEOM-GEMCAD-TTD clinical guidelines for localized rectal cancer (2021)

The management of localized rectal cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach to optimize outcomes, reduce morbidity and prevent under or overtreatments. While early stages may obtain benefit of local resections without any additional therapies, locally advanced rectal cancer becomes a challenge defining the better sequential strategy of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The latest results of international phase III studies have positioned the total neoadjuvant therapy as a potential new standard of care in high risk rectal cancers, however, the best schedule is still not well defined.

SEOM-GEMCAD-TTD clinical guidelines for localized rectal cancer (2021).

The management of localized rectal cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach to optimize outcomes, reduce morbidity and prevent under or overtreatments. While early stages may obtain benefit of local resections without any additional therapies, locally advanced rectal cancer becomes a challenge defining the better sequential strategy of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The latest results of international phase III studies have positioned the total neoadjuvant therapy as a potential new standard of care in high risk rectal cancers, however, the best schedule is still not well defined.

Upfront primary tumour resection and survival in synchronous metastatic colorectal cancer according to primary tumour location and RAS status: Pooled analysis of the Spanish Cooperative Group for the Treatment of Digestive Tumours (TTD).

INTRODUCTION: Retrospective studies and meta-analyses suggest that upfront primary tumour resection (UPTR) confers a survival benefit in patients with asymptomatic unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) undergoing chemotherapy, however a consensus of its role in routine clinical practice in the current era of targeted therapies is lacking. This retrospective study aimed to analyse the survival benefit of UPTR in terms of tumour location and mutational status, in patients with synchronous mCRC receiving chemotherapy and targeted therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Survival was analysed in a pooled cohort of synchronous mCRC patients treated with a first-line anti-VEGF or anti-EGFR inhibitor in seven trials of the Spanish TTD group, according to UPTR, tumour-sidedness and mutational profiling. RESULTS: Of 1334 eligible patients, 642 (48%) had undergone UPTR. UPTR was associated with significantly longer overall survival (OS; 25.0 vs 20.3 months; HR 1.30, 95%CI 1.15-1.48; p < 0.0001). UPTR was associated with significant OS benefit in both left-sided (HR 1.38, 95%CI 1.13-1.69; p = 0.002) and right-sided (HR 1.39, 95%CI 1.00-1.94; p = 0.049) tumours, RASwt (HR 1.29, 95%CI 1.05-1.60; p = 0.016) and BRAFwt (HR 1.49, 95%CI 1.21-1.84; p = 0.0002) tumours, and treatment with anti-EGFRs (HR 1.47, 95%CI 1.13-1.92; p = 0.004) and anti-VEGFs (HR 1.25, 95%CI 1.08-1.44; p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis identified number of metastatic sites, RAS status, primary tumour location and UPTR as independent prognostic factors for OS. CONCLUSION: Considering the selection bias inherent to this study, our results support UPTR before first-line anti-EGFR or anti-VEGF targeted therapy in right and left-sided asymptomatic unresectable synchronous mCRC patients. RAS/BRAF mutational status may also influence UPTR function.

Association of miR-21 and miR-335 to microsatellite instability and prognosis in stage III colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRs) are frequently altered in colorectal cancer (CRC) and can be used as prognostic factors. OBJECTIVE: To confirm in stage III CRC patients a reported miR signature that was associated to the presence of metastatic disease. To correlate miR expression with microsatellite instability (MSI) and mutations in RAS and BRAF. METHODS: miR-21, miR-135a, miR-206, miR-335 and miR-Let-7a expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR in 150 patients out of the 329 patients used to analyze MSI and RAS and BRAF mutations. Association with disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed. Data was confirmed by a multivariate analysis. RESULTS: MiR-21 high expression (p= 0.034) and miR-335 low expression (p= 0.0061) were significantly associated with MSI-H. A positive trend (p= 0.0624) between miR-135a high expression and RAS mutations was found. Lower miR-21 expression levels are associated with DFS (HR = 2.654, 95% CI: 1.066-6.605, p= 0.036) and a trend with OS (HR = 2.419, 95% CI: 0.749-7.815, p= 0.140). MiR-21 high expression significantly improves DFS of the poor prognosis group (T4 or N2) (p= 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Association of increased expression of miR-21 and better prognosis in the poor prognostic group may be of interest and could be explored in future prospective clinical trials.

First-Line Biological Agents Plus Chemotherapy in Older Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Pooled Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Biologicals, in combination with chemotherapy, are recommended as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, evidence guiding the appropriate management of older patients with mCRC is limited. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare the efficacy and safety outcomes in older versus younger patients with mCRC who received first-line biological therapy. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used pooled data from five trials undertaken by the Spanish Cooperative Group for the Treatment of Digestive Tumours. All were studies of adults with advanced CRC who received first-line treatment with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab, cetuximab or panitumumab, stratified by age (≥ 65 vs. < 65 years). Endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR) and safety. RESULTS: In total, 999 patients from five studies were included in the analysis: 480 (48%) were aged ≥ 65 years, and 519 (52%) were aged < 65 years. Median PFS did not differ significantly between patients aged ≥ 65 and < 65 years (9.9 vs. 9.4 months; hazard ratio [HR] 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-1.17). Median OS was significantly shorter in older than in younger patients (21.3 vs. 25.0 months; HR 1.21; 95% CI 1.04-1.41). There was no significant difference between older and younger patients in ORR (59 vs. 62%). Patients aged ≥ 65 years experienced significantly more treatment-related grade 3 or higher adverse events (61.67%) than did patients aged < 65 years (45.86%). CONCLUSIONS: Biologicals plus chemotherapy is an effective first-line treatment option for selected patients aged ≥ 65 years with mCRC and has a manageable safety profile and efficacy comparable to that observed in younger patients.

Physician-perceived utility of the EORTC QLQ-GINET21 questionnaire in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours: a multicentre, cross-sectional survey (QUALINETS).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcome measures can provide clinicians with valuable information to improve doctor-patient communication and inform clinical decision-making. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physician-perceived utility of the QLQ-GINET21 in routine clinical practice in patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI-NETs). Secondary aims were to explore the patient, clinician, and/or centre-related variables potentially associated with perceived clinical utility. METHODS: Non-interventional, cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted at 34 hospitals in Spain and Portugal (NCT02853422). Patients diagnosed with GI-NETs completed two health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires (QLQ-C30, QLQ-GINET21) during a single routine visit. Physicians completed a 14-item ad hoc survey to rate the clinical utility of QLQ-GINET21 on three dimensions: 1)therapeutic and clinical decision-making, 2)doctor-patient communication, 3)questionnaire characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients at 34 centres were enrolled by 36 participating clinicians. The highest rated dimension on the QLQ-GINET21 was questionnaire characteristics (86.9% of responses indicating "high utility"), followed by doctor-patient communication (74.4%), and therapeutic and clinical decision-making (65.8%). One physician-related variable (GI-NET patient volume > 30 patients/year) was associated with high clinical utility and two variables (older age/less experience treating GI-NETs) with low clinical utility. CONCLUSIONS: Clinician-perceived clinical utility of QLQ-GINET21 is high. Clinicians valued the instruments' capacity to provide a better understanding of patient perspectives and to identify the factors that had the largest influence on patient HRQoL.

FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab versus FOLFOX plus bevacizumab for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and ≥3 circulating tumour cells: the randomised phase III VISNÚ-1 trial.

PURPOSE: 5-Fluorouracil/leucovorin, oxaliplatin, irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) plus bevacizumab is more effective than doublets plus bevacizumab as first-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, but is not widely used because of concerns about toxicity and lack of predictive biomarkers. This study was designed to explore the role of circulating tumour cell (CTC) count as a biomarker to select patients for therapy with FOLFOXIRI-bevacizumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: VISNÚ-1 was a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase III study in patients with previously untreated, unresectable, metastatic colorectal carcinoma and ≥3 CTC/7.5 mL blood. Patients received bevacizumab 5 mg/kg plus FOLFOXIRI (irinotecan 165 mg/m2, oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, leucovorin 400 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil 3200 mg/m2) or FOLFOX (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, leucovorin 400 mg/m2, 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m2 then 2400 mg/m2) by intravenous administration every 2 weeks. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: The intention-to-treat population comprised 349 patients (FOLFOXIRI-bevacizumab, n=172; FOLFOX-bevacizumab, n=177). Median PFS was 12.4 months (95% CI 11.2 to 14.0) with FOLFOXIRI bevacizumab and 9.3 months (95% CI 8.5 to 10.7) with FOLFOX-bevacizumab (stratified HR, 0.64; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.82; p=0.0006). Grade≥3 adverse events were more common with FOLFOXIRI-bevacizumab 85.3% vs 75.1% with FOLFOX-bevacizumab (p=0.0178). Treatment-related deaths occurred in 8 (4.7%) and 6 (3.4%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: First-line FOLFOXIRI-bevacizumab significantly improved PFS compared with FOLFOX-bevacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and ≥3 CTCs at baseline, which indicate a poor prognosis. CTC count may be a useful non-invasive biomarker to assist with the selection of patients for intensive first-line therapy.

Association Between Baseline Circulating Tumor Cells, Molecular Tumor Profiling, and Clinical Characteristics in a Large Cohort of Chemo-naïve Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Prospectively Collected.

BACKGROUND: Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic and predictive factors offer valuable guidance when selecting optimal first-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The association between baseline circulating tumor cell (bCTC) count, molecular tumor profile, and clinicopathologic features was analyzed in a chemo-naïve metastatic CRC population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1202 patients from the Spanish VISNÚ-1 (FOLFIRINOX/bevacizumab vs. FOLFOX/bevacizumab) and VISNÚ-2 (FOLFIRI/bevacizumab vs. FOLFIRI/cetuximab; RAS-wildtype) studies were analyzed for mutational status and bCTC count. The association between clinicopathologic characteristics and bCTC count, mutational status, and microsatellite instability (MSI) was analyzed in 589 eligible patients. RESULTS: Interestingly, 41% of the population studied presented ≥3 bCTC count. bCTC count ≥3 was associated with worse performance status (according Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale), stage IV at diagnosis, at least 3 metastatic sites, and elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels; but not with RAS or BRAF mutations or high MSI. BRAFmut (BRAF mutated) tumors were associated with right-sided primary tumors, peritoneum, distant lymph node metastasis, and less frequent liver involvement. RASmut (RAS mutated) was associated with worse performance status; stage IV at diagnosis; right-sided primary tumors; liver, lung, and bone metastases; at least 3 metastatic sites; and elevated CEA, whereas PIK3CAmut (PIK3CA mutated) tumors were associated with right-sided primary tumors, high CEA serum levels, and older age. High MSI was associated with right-sided primary tumors, distant lymph nodes metastasis, and lower CEA levels. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, elevated bCTCs and RASmut were associated with clinicopathologic features known to be associated with poor prognosis; whereas the poor prognosis of BRAFmut tumors in chemo-naïve metastatic CRC is not explained by associations with poor clinicopathologic prognostic factors, except right-sided primary tumors. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: VISNU 1 ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01640405/ VISNU 2 ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01640444.

Nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPACT): a multicentre, open-label phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment options for patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer are scarce. Results from a subanalysis of the phase 3 MPACT trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer suggested potential activity of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine against locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The objective of this phase 2 trial was to evaluate safety and efficacy of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in previously untreated locally advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: This international, open-label, multicentre, phase 2 trial (LAPACT) took place at 35 sites in five countries (USA, France, Spain, Canada, and Italy). Patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of up to 1 underwent six cycles of induction with nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 plus gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 (days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle). After induction, patients without progressive disease or unacceptable adverse events were eligible to receive continued therapy per investigator's choice: continued nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine, chemoradiation, or surgery. The primary endpoint was time to treatment failure; secondary endpoints were disease control rate, overall response rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, safety, and quality of life. The reported efficacy outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population, and safety outcomes were analysed in the treated population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02301143, and EudraCT, 2014-001408-23 and is complete. FINDINGS: Between April 21, 2015, and April 26, 2018, 107 patients were enrolled in the study. 106 received the study treatment; one patient enrolled but did not receive treatment. 44 (41%) of 107 enrolled patients discontinued induction; the most common reason for discontinuing induction was adverse events (22 [21%] patients). 62 (58%) of 107 enrolled patients completed induction treatment and 47 (44%) patients subsequently received continued treatment per investigator's choice: 12 (11%) continued nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine, 18 (17%) received chemoradiation, and 17 (16%) underwent surgery (seven had R0 resection status, nine had R1). 15 (14%) patients completed induction treatment but did not receive continued treatment. Median time to treatment failure was 9·0 months (90% CI 7·3-10·1); median progression-free survival was 10·9 months (90% CI 9·3-11·6), and median overall survival was 18·8 months (90% CI 15·0-24·0). During induction, 83 patients achieved disease control and the disease control rate was 77·6% (90% CI 70·3-83·5). 36 patients had a best response of partial response; the overall response rate during induction was 33·6% (90% CI 26·6-41·5). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events that were grade 3 or higher in the treated population during induction were neutropenia (35 [33%] of 106 patients), anaemia (12 [11%]), and fatigue (11 [10%]). The most common treatment-emergent serious adverse events during induction were pneumonia (five [5%] patients), pyrexia (five [5%]), and febrile neutropenia (three [3%]). No deaths were caused by treatment-related adverse events during the induction phase, and global quality of life was maintained in most patients. INTERPRETATION: The data from this trial support the tolerability and activity of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine for locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and a potential to convert unresectable, locally advanced disease to surgically resectable disease. The safety profile was generally consistent with previous findings. FUNDING: Celgene.

The role of PIGF blockade in the treatment of colorectal cancer: overcoming the pitfalls.

Introduction: In colorectal cancer, anti-VEGF agents have demonstrated a survival benefit when combined with chemotherapy. However, development of resistance is very common. One of the mechanisms is due not to a failure in the VEGFR blockade, but rather to development of compensatory mechanisms of resistance, such as hypoxia-triggered upregulation of other proangiogenic factors, like placental growth factor (PlGF).Areas covered: This article summarizes the fundamental role of PlGF in the development of resistance to antiangiogenic treatment as well as the efficacy of aflibercept, ramucirumab, and regorafenib.Expert opinion: Aflibercept functions as a soluble decoy receptor precluding VEGFs and PlGF from binding to native VEGFR, and therefore preventing the emergence of resistance. Bevacizumab limits its function to preventing the interaction between VEGF-A and VEGFR. In combination with FOLFIRI (VELOUR trial), aflibercept improves survival in patients with metastatic CRC who are resistant or have progressed to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Ramucirumab, a fully humanized immunoglobulin G1 (IgG-1) monoclonal antibody and regorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, have significant improvement for overall survival as well as for progression-free survival in chemotherapy refractory settings.

Tumour location and efficacy of first-line EGFR inhibitors in KRAS/RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: retrospective analyses of two phase II randomised Spanish TTD trials.

Purpose: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a group of distinct diseases, with clinical and molecular differences between right-sided and left-sided tumours driving varying prognosis. Methods: Patients with KRAS/RAS-wild type (wt) mCRC treated in first line with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFR-Is) (cetuximab or panitumumab) plus oxaliplatin or irinotecan-based chemotherapy from two phase II randomised trials conducted by the Spanish Cooperative for the Treatment of Digestive Tumours group were included in this retrospective study. The main objective was to analyse the prognostic effect of primary tumour location on objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Patients with KRAS-wt right-sided tumours (n=52) had significantly lower efficacy as compared with patients with KRAS-wt left-sided tumours (n=209); confirmed ORR (25% vs 47%, respectively; OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.8, p=0.004); and shorter median PFS (7.2 vs 9.9 months; HR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9, p=0.0157) and OS (13.6 vs 27.7 months; HR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7, p<0.0001). Similar results were observed in the RAS-wt populations. The further classification of left-sided tumours as colon or rectum delivered similar survival outcomes, as well as a tendency to diminished ORR in patients with rectum tumours. Conclusion: We observed significantly improved efficacy outcomes in patients with KRAS/RAS-wt mCRC treated with first-line EGFR-I plus chemotherapy in left-sided primary tumours as compared with right-sided primary tumours. Trial registration numbers: NCT01161316 and NCT00885885.