Clinical Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Trifluridine/Tipiracil in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma: Evidence to Date.

Trifluridine/tipiracil or TAS-102 (Taiho Oncology, Lonsurf®, Princeton, NJ, USA) is a combination tablet of trifluridine, a thymidine-based nucleoside analog, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor, in a 1:0.5 molar ratio. This drug was first approved for use in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. Recently, the U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have granted approval of trifluridine/tipiracil for treatment of metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma in patients following at least two lines of chemotherapy including fluoropyrimidine and platinum chemotherapy agents, as well as taxanes or irinotecan. This approval was granted after the findings from first a Phase II trial (EPOC1201) investigating trifluridine/tipiracil, and later a global Phase III trial (TAGS trial) that compared trifluridine/tipiracil vs placebo with best supportive care. Both trials primarily utilized trifluridine/tipiracil at a dose of 35 mg/m2 twice daily. In the EPOC1201 trial, the primary end point of disease control rate was greater than 50% after eight weeks of therapy. The most common grade three or four adverse event was neutropenia; additional toxicities included leukopenia, anemia, and anorexia. In the TAGS trial, overall survival in patients treated with trifluridine/tipiracil (5.7 months) was significantly improved as compared to the placebo-controlled group (3.6 months). Treatment with trifluridine/tipiracil not only did not impair quality of life but also tended to reduce the risk of deterioration of quality of life. The results of these studies along with the subsequent FDA and EMA approval have generated an important breakthrough in regard to treatment options for patients with refractory metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

A Novel Adverse Event Associated with Olaparib Therapy in a Patient with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Olaparib was first FDA approved for use in women with advanced ovarian cancer and germline BRCA mutations. Based on the results of subsequent research, the use of this drug has been expanded to patients with metastatic breast cancer with germline BRCA mutation. With the use of a relatively new medication and a larger patient population eligible for therapy, monitoring for novel adverse events associated with therapy is important. This case represents a patient with metastatic breast cancer and germline BRCA2 mutation who developed erythema nodosum after initiation of therapy with olaparib capsules. Her characteristic rash appeared shortly after starting olaparib and recurred after restarting olaparib an additional two times. She was treated with short courses of prednisone therapy with or without holding olaparib with resolution of her rash. The patient was later restarted on olaparib capsules 200 mg twice daily, and she more recently has been maintained on olaparib tablets 300 mg twice daily. On both regimens, the patient experienced only attenuated episodes of erythema nodosum that have not required cessation of therapy or steroid therapy.