FOLFIRI Plus Durvalumab With or Without Tremelimumab in Second-Line Treatment of Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma: The PRODIGE 59-FFCD 1707-DURIGAST Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Efficacy of second-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric or gastrooesphageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma remains limited. Ojectives: To determine the efficacy of 1 or 2 immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with FOLFIRI (leucovorin [folinic acid], fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in the treatment of advanced gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma. Design, Setting, and Participants: The PRODIGE 59-FFCD 1707-DURIGAST trial is a randomized, multicenter, noncomparative, phase 2 trial, conducted from August 27, 2020, and June 4, 2021, at 37 centers in France that included patients with advanced gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma who had disease progression after platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. Intervention: Patients were randomized to receive FOLFIRI plus durvalumab (anti-programmed cell death 1 [PD-L1]) (FD arm) or FOLFIRI plus durvalumab and tremelimumab (anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 [CTLA-4]) (FDT arm). The efficacy analyses used a clinical cutoff date of January 9, 2023. Main outcome and Measures: The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) at 4 months according to RECIST 1.1 criteria evaluated by investigators. Results: Overall, between August 27, 2020, and June 4, 2021, 96 patients were randomized (48 in each arm). The median age was 59.7 years, 28 patients (30.4%) were women and 49 (53.3%) had GEJ tumors. Four month PFS was 44.7% (90% CI, 32.3-57.7) and 55.6% (90% CI, 42.3-68.3) in the FD and FDT arms, respectively. The primary end point was not met. Median PFS was 3.8 and 5.4 months, objective response rates were 34.7% and 37.7%, and median overall survival was 13.2 and 9.5 months in the FD and FDT arms, respectively. Disease control beyond 1 year was 14.9% in the FD arm and 24.4% in the FDT arm. Grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 22 (47.8%) patients in each arm. A combined positive score (CPS) PD-L1 of 5 or higher was observed in 18 tumors (34.0%) and a tumor proportion score (TPS) PD-L1 of 1% or higher in 13 tumors (24.5%). Median PFS according to CPS PD-L1 was similar (3.6 months for PD-L1 CPS ≥5 vs 5.4 months for PD-L1 CPS <5) by contrast for TPS PD-L1 (6.0 months for PD-L1 TPS ≥1% vs 3.8 months for PD-L1 TPS <1%). Conclusions and Relevance: Combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors with FOLFIRI in second-line treatment for advanced gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma showed an acceptable safety profile but antitumor activity only in a subgroup of patients. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03959293.

Management of non-metastatic anal cancer in the elderly: ancillary study of the French multicenter prospective cohort FFCD-ANABASE.

BACKGROUND: Standard care for non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) is chemoradiotherapy, data about elderly patients are scarce. METHODS: All consecutive patients treated for non-metastatic SCCA from the French multicenter FFCD-ANABASE cohort were included. Two groups were defined according to age: elderly (≥75 years) and non-elderly (<75). RESULTS: Of 1015 patients, 202 (19.9%) were included in the elderly group; median follow-up was 35.5 months. Among the elderly, there were more women (p = 0.015); frailer patients (p < 0.001), fewer smokers (p < 0.001) and fewer HIV-infected (p < 0.001) than in the non-elderly group. Concomitant chemotherapy and inguinal irradiation were less frequent (p < 0.001 and p = 0.04). In the elderly group; 3-year overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and colostomy-free survival (CFS) were 82.9%, 72.4% and 78.0%, respectively; complete response rate at 4-6 months was 70.3%. There were no differences between groups for all outcomes and toxicity. In multivariate analyses for the elderly, PS ≥ 2 and locally-advanced tumors were significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 3.4 and HR = 2.80), RFS (HR = 2.4 and HR = 3.1) and CFS (HR = 3.8 and HR = 3.0); and treatment interruption with poor RFS (HR = 1.9). CONCLUSION: In the FFCD-ANABASE cohort, age did not influence tumor and tolerance outcomes of non-metastatic SCCA. Optimal curative treatment should be offered to elderly patients.

Avelumab vs Standard Second-Line Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Microsatellite Instability: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Only 1 randomized clinical trial has shown the superiority of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with deficient mismatch repair and/or microsatellite instability (dMMR/MSI) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in the first-line setting. Objectives: To determine whether avelumab (an anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 antibody) improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared with standard second-line chemotherapy in patients with dMMR/MSI mCRC. Design, Setting, and Participants: The SAMCO-PRODIGE 54 trial is a national open-label phase 2 randomized clinical trial that was conducted from April 24, 2018, to April 29, 2021, at 49 French sites. Patients with dMMR/MSI mCRC who experienced progression while receiving standard first-line therapy were included in the analysis. Interventions: Patients were randomized to receive standard second-line therapy or avelumab every 2 weeks until progression, unacceptable toxic effects, or patient refusal. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary end point was PFS according to RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours), version 1.1, evaluated by investigators in patients with mCRC and confirmed dMMR and MSI status who received at least 1 dose of treatment (modified intention-to-treat [mITT] population). Results: A total of 122 patients were enrolled in the mITT population. Median age was 66 (IQR, 56-76) years, 65 patients (53.3%) were women, 100 (82.0%) had a right-sided tumor, and 52 (42.6%) had BRAF V600E-mutated tumors. There was no difference in patients and tumor characteristics between treatment groups. No new safety concerns in either group were detected, with fewer treatment-related adverse events of at least grade 3 in the avelumab group than in the chemotherapy group (20 [31.7%] vs 34 [53.1%]; P = .02). After a median follow-up of 33.3 (95% CI, 28.3-34.8) months, avelumab was superior to chemotherapy with or without targeted agents with respect to PFS (15 [24.6%] vs 5 [8.2%] among patients without progression; P = .03). Rates of PFS rates at 12 months were 31.2% (95% CI, 20.1%-42.9%) and 19.4% (95% CI, 10.6%-30.2%) in the avelumab and control groups, respectively, and 27.4% (95% CI, 16.8%-39.0%) and 9.1% (95% CI, 3.2%-18.8%) at 18 months. Objective response rates were similar in both groups (18 [29.5%] vs 16 [26.2%]; P = .45). Among patients with disease control, 18 (75.7%) in the avelumab group compared with 9 (19.1%) in the control group had ongoing disease control at 18 months. Conclusions: The SAMCO-PRODIGE 54 phase 2 randomized clinical trial showed, in patients with dMMR/MSI mCRC, better PFS and disease control duration with avelumab over standard second-line treatment, with a favorable safety profile. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03186326.

DCF versus doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced squamous anal cell carcinoma: a multicenter propensity score-matching study.

Triplet DCF (docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-flurouracil) and doublet CP/CF (carboplatin and paclitaxel/cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil) regimens were prospectively evaluated in advanced squamous anal cell carcinoma (SCCA), and validated as standard treatments. Even though the high efficacy and good tolerance of DCF regimen were confirmed in 3 independent prospective trials, doublet CP regimen is still recommended in several guidelines based in its better safety profile with similar efficacy compared to CF regimen. We performed a propensity score-adjusted method with inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) and matched case control (MCC) comparison among patients with metastatic or non-resectable locally advanced recurrent SCCA, treated with chemotherapy as first line regimen. The primary endpoint was the overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoint was the progression-free survival (PFS). 247 patients were included for analysis. 154 patients received DCF and 93 patients received a doublet regimen. The median OS was 32.3 months with DCF and 18.3 months with doublet regimens (HR 0.53, 95%CI 0.38-0.74; p = 0.0001), and the median PFS was 11.2 months with DCF versus 7.6 months with doublet regimens (HR 0.53, 95%CI 0.39-0.73; p < 0.0001). The hazard ratios by IPTW and MCC analyses were 0.411 (95% CI, 0.324-0.521; p < 0.0001) and 0.406 (95% CI, 0.261-0.632; p < 0.0001) for OS, and 0.466 (95% CI, 0.376-0.576; p < 0.0001) and 0.438 (95% CI, 0.298-0.644; P < 0.0001) for PFS. The triplet DCF regimen provides a high and significant benefit in OS and PFS over doublet regimens, and should be considered as upfront treatment for eligible patients with advanced SCCA.

Panitumumab in combination with chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of locally-advanced anal canal carcinoma: Results of the FFCD 0904 phase II trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Standard treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA)is 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and mitomycin C (MMC) based chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This phase II study (EudraCT: 2011-005436-26) assessed the tolerance and complete response (CR) rate at 8 weeks of panitumumab (Pmab) combined with MMC-5FU-based CRT. METHODS: Patients with locally advanced tumors without metastases (T2 > 3 cm, T3-T4, or N + whatever T stage) were treated with IMRT up to 65 Gy and concomitant CT according to the doses defined by a previous phase I study (MMC: 10 mg/m2; 5FU: 400 mg/m2; Pmab: 3 mg/kg). The expected CR rate was 80%. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (male: 9, female: 36; median age: 60.1 [41.5-81]) were enrolled in 15 French centers. The most common related grade 3-4 toxicities observed were digestive (51.1%), hematologic (lymphopenia: 73.4%; neutropenia: 11.1%), radiation dermatitis (13.3%), and asthenia (11.1%) with RT interruption in 14 patients. One patient died because of mesenteric ischemia during the CRT, possibly related to treatment. In ITT analysis, the CR rate at 8 weeks after CRT was 66.7% [90%CI: 53.4-78.2]. Median follow-up was 43.6 months [IC 95%: 38.61-47.01]. Overall survival, recurrence-free and colostomy-free survival at 3 years were 80% [95%CI: 65.1-89], 62.2% [IC95%: 46.5-74.6] and 68.8 % [IC95%: 53.1-80.2] respectively. CONCLUSION: Panitumumab in combination with CRT for locally advanced SCCA failed to meet the expected CR rate and exhibited a poor tolerance. Furthermore, late RFS, CFS, and OS did not suggest any outcome improvement to justify further clinical trials. CLINICALTRIALS: gov identifier: NCT01581840.

Ipilimumab with atezolizumab-bevacizumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: The PRODIGE 81-FFCD 2101-TRIPLET-HCC trial.

A substantial proportion of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have to face up, sooner or later, to systemic therapy. The current standards as first line systemic therapies are either atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) plus bevacizumab (anti-VEGF), or durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) plus tremelimumab (anti-CTLA-4). However, the median overall survival remains below 20 months, and a minority of patients become long-term survivors. Of interest in immune-oncology strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma, the objective response seems to be the most reliable surrogate marker of better overall survival. TRIPLET-HCC (NCT05665348) is a multicentre, randomised, open-label phase II-III trial designed to evaluate efficacy and safety of the triple combination by the addition of ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) to atezolizumab/bevacizumab, versus the double atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination. The main inclusion criteria are histologically proven BCLC-B/C HCC without previous systemic therapy. The primary objective of the phase II is the objective response rate in the triple arm, and OS in the triple versus double arms in the phase III. Secondary endpoints common to the phases II and III are the comparisons of progression-free survival, objective response rates, tolerance and quality of life. In addition, genetic and epigenetic studies from tissue and circulating DNA/RNA will be conducted to assess their prognostic or predictive value.

Carcinoembryonic antigen kinetics predict response to first-line treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer: Analysis from PRODIGE 9 trial.

BACKGROUND: To examine the relationship between carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) kinetics and prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients receiving first-line chemotherapy in the PRODIGE9 trial. METHODS: Associations between monthly CEA measurements within 6 months since baseline and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated using a joint-latent class-mixed model. A validation set was used to test our prognosis model. Correlations between CEA trajectories (classes) and baseline characteristics were also investigated. RESULTS: Three classes were identified. Class 1 had low baseline CEA with small variations. Class 2 had high baseline CEA with a rapid decrease reaching the same CEA level at 6 months as in class 1. Class 3 had high baseline CEA with a transient decrease followed by an increase to reach, at 6 months, the same CEA level as at baseline. Six-month PFS was significantly lower in class 3 than in classes 1 and 2 (57% vs. 91% and 93% respectively; p<0.01). Class 3 was significantly associated with ECOG 2 status, a high LDH level and non-resected primary tumor. DISCUSSION: Variations in CEA kinetics correlate with prognosis in patients receiving first-line chemotherapy for mCRC. We propose here a user-friendly application to classify CEA trajectory.

Bevacizumab plus FOLFIRI after failure of platinum-etoposide first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced neuroendocrine carcinoma (PRODIGE 41-BEVANEC): a randomised, multicentre, non-comparative, open-label, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: There is no standard second-line treatment after platinum-etoposide chemotherapy for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab, and FOLFIRI alone, in this setting. METHODS: We did a randomised, non-comparative, open-label, phase 2 trial (PRODIGE 41-BEVANEC) at 26 hospitals in France. We included patients aged 18 years or older with locally advanced or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma or neuroendocrine carcinoma of unknown primary origin, documented progressive disease during or after first-line platinum-etoposide chemotherapy, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1; block size of three), without stratification, to receive FOLFIRI (irinotecan 180 mg/m2, calcium folinate 400 mg/m2 or levofolinate 200 mg/m2, and fluorouracil 400 mg/m2 bolus then 2400 mg/m2 over 46 h) plus bevacizumab 5 mg/kg or FOLFIRI alone, intravenously, every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Neither patients nor investigators were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was overall survival at 6 months after randomisation, evaluated in the modified intention-to-treat population (all enrolled and randomly assigned patients who received at least one cycle of FOLFIRI). This study is now complete and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02820857. FINDINGS: Between Sept 5, 2017, and Feb 8, 2022, 150 patients were assessed for eligibility and 133 were enrolled and randomly assigned: 65 to the FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab group and 68 to the FOLFIRI group. 126 patients (59 in the FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab group and 67 in the FOLFIRI group) received at least one cycle of FOLFIRI and were included in the modified intention-to-treat population, 83 (66%) of whom were male and 43 (34%) were female, and the median age of the patients was 67 years (IQR 58-73). The primary tumour location was colorectal in 38 (30%) of 126 patients, pancreatic in 34 (27%), gastro-oesophageal in 22 (17%), and unknown in 23 (18%). After a median follow-up of 25·7 months (95% CI 22·0-38·2), 6-month overall survival was 53% (80% CI 43-61) in the FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab group and 60% (51-68) in the FOLFIRI group. Grade 3-4 adverse events that occurred in at least 5% of patients were neutropenia (eight [14%] patients), diarrhoea (six [10%]), and asthenia (five [8%]) in the FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab group, and neutropenia (seven [10%]) in the FOLFIRI group. One treatment-related death (ischaemic stroke) occurred in the FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab group. INTERPRETATION: The addition of bevacizumab did not seem to increase the benefit of FOLFIRI with regard to overall survival. FOLFIRI could be considered as a standard second-line treatment in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. FUNDING: French Ministry of Health and Roche SAS.

Treatment, outcome, and prognostic factors in non-metastatic anal cancer: The French nationwide cohort study FFCD-ANABASE.

INTRODUCTION: International guidelines regarding the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) recommend intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with mitomycin-based chemotherapy (CT). The French FFCD-ANABASE cohort aimed at evaluating clinical practices, treatment, and outcomes of SCCA patients. METHODS: This prospective multicentric observational cohort included all non-metastatic SCCA patients treated in 60 French centers from January 2015 to April 2020. Patients and treatment characteristics, colostomy-free survival (CFS), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 1015 patients (male: 24.4 %; female: 75.6 %; median age: 65 years), 43.3 %presented with early-stage(T1-2, N0) and 56.7 % with locally advanced stage (T3-4 or N + ) tumors. IMRT was used for 815 patients (80.3 %) and a concurrent CT was administered in 781 patients, consisting of mitomycin-based CT for 80 %. The median follow-up was 35.5 months. DFS, CFS, and OS at 3 years were 84.3 %, 85.6 %, and 91.7 % respectively in the early-stage group compared to 64.4 %, 66.9 %, and 78.2 % in the locally-advanced group (p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, male gender, locally-advanced stage, and ECOG PS ≥ 1 were associated with poorer DFS, CFS, and OS. IMRT was significantly associated with a better CFS in the whole cohort and almost reached significance in the locally-advanced group. CONCLUSION: Treatment of SCCA patients showed good respect for current guidelines. Significant differences in outcomes advocate for personalized strategies by either de-escalation for early-stage tumors or treatment intensification for locally-advanced tumors.

Postoperative circulating tumor DNA detection is associated with the risk of recurrence in patients resected for a stage II colorectal cancer.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is reported to be promising in localized colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the impact of ctDNA in patients with a resected stage II CRC from the PROGIGE 13 trial with available paired tumor and blood samples. A group of recurrent patients were matched one-to-one with nonrecurrent patients according to sex, tumor location, treatment sequence, and blood collection timing. CtDNA was analyzed by digital PCR according to NGS of tumors. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed based on ctDNA, and the risks of recurrence and death were determined. A total of 134 patients were included, with 67 patients in each group. At least one alteration was identified in 115/134 tumors. Postoperative ctDNA was detected in 10/111 (9.0%) informative samples and was detected more frequently in the recurrent group (16.7% versus 1.8%; p = 0.02). The median DFS of ctDNA+ versus ctDNA- patients was 16.8 versus 54 months (p = 0.002), respectively, and the median OS was 51.3 versus 69.5 months (p = 0.03), respectively. CtDNA was associated with recurrence (ORa = 11.13, p = 0.03) and death (HRa = 3.15, p = 0.01). In conclusion, the presence of postoperative ctDNA is associated with both recurrence and survival in stage II CRC.

Lanreotide as maintenance therapy after first-line treatment in patients with non-resectable duodeno-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours: An international double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised phase II trial - Prodige 31 REMINET: An FFCD study.

BACKGROUND: Following European guidelines, patients with aggressive metastatic or locally advanced, non-resectable, duodeno-pancreatic (DP) neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) should receive systemic combination chemotherapy until progression. Aggressive disease is defined as progressive and/or symptomatic metastases with or without significant hepatic invasion (>30-50%), and/or bone metastases. METHODS: This academic randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study aims to evaluate lanreotide autogel 120 mg (LAN) as maintenance treatment after at least 2 months of first-line treatment (L1) in aggressive G1-G2 DP-NET. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive LAN or placebo (PBO), every 28 days, until progression or toxicity. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months. RESULTS: Among the 118 planned patients, 53 were included. Of these, 81.1% had a G2 tumour, and 90.6% had metastatic disease. L1 therapy consisted of chemotherapy (96.8%). Median duration of L1 was 4.6 months (range: 2.0-7.7). At the time of randomisation, 81.1% of patients had stable disease. Median follow-up was 27.0 months (95% CI: 19.5; 31.2). PFS at 6 months was 73.1% (90% CI: 55.3; 86.6) in LAN versus 54.2% (90% CI: 35.8; 71.8) in PBO. Median PFS was 19.4 months (95% CI: 7.6; 32.6) and 7.6 months (95% CI: 3.0; 9.0), respectively. Median overall survival was 41.9 months in PBO and was not reached in LAN. The toxicity profile was mainly grade 1-2 expected toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: The encouraging results of lanreotide autogel 120 mg as a maintenance treatment after L1 in aggressive G1/2 DP-NET should be confirmed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02288377 (clinicaltrials.gov).

Combination of CDX2 H-score quantitative analysis with CD3 AI-guided analysis identifies patients with a good prognosis only in stage III colon cancer.

AIM: Stratification of colon cancer (CC) of patients with stage II and III for risk of relapse is still needed especially to drive adjuvant therapy administration. Our study evaluates the prognostic performance of two known biomarkers, CDX2 and CD3, standalone or their combined information in stage II and III CC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CDX2 and CD3 expression was evaluated in Prodige-13 study gathering 443 stage II and 398 stage III primary CC on whole slide colectomy. We developed for this study an H-score to quantify CDX2 expression and used our artificial intelligence (AI)-guided tissue analysis ColoClass to detect CD3 in tumour core and invasive margin. Association between biomarkers and relapse-free survival was investigated. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that the combined variable CD3-TC and CD3-IM was associated with prognosis in both stage II and stage III. CDX2, on the contrary, was associated with prognosis only in stage III. We subsequently associated CDX2 and combined immune parameters only in stage III. This multivariate analysis allowed us to distinguish a proportion of stage III CC harbouring a high CDX2 expression and a high immune infiltration with a particularly good prognosis compared to their counterpart. CONCLUSION: This study validated the prognostic role of CDX2 and CD3 evaluated with immunohistochemistry procedures in stage III but not in stage II. This association would be conceivable in a routine pathology laboratory and could help oncologist to consider chemotherapy de-escalation for a part of stage III patients.

Efficacy of donepezil for the treatment of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy: DONEPEZOX, a protocol of a proof of concept, randomised, triple-blinded and multicentre trial.

BACKGROUND: The use of oxaliplatin in digestive tract cancers could induce severe peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) decreasing the quality of life of patients and survivors. There is currently, no univocal treatment for these peripheral neuropathies. Donepezil, a reversible inhibitor of cholinesterase, used to treat Alzheimer's disease and dementia, is reported to have a good safety profile in humans, and preclinical data have provided initial evidence of its effectiveness in diminishing neuropathic symptoms and related comorbidities in OIPN animal models. METHODS: The DONEPEZOX trial will be a proof-of-concept, randomised, triple-blinded, and multicentre study. It will be the first clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of donepezil for the management of OIPN. Adult cancer survivors with OIPN that report sensory neuropathy according to QLQ-CIPN20 sensory score (equivalence of a grade ≥ 2), at least 6 months after the end of an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy will be included. Eighty patients will be randomly assigned to receive either donepezil or placebo over 16 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint will be the rate of responders (neuropathic grade decreases according to the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory score) in the donepezil arm. The severity of OIPN will be assessed by the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory scale before and after 16 weeks of treatment. The comparison versus the placebo arm will be a secondary objective. The other secondary endpoints will be tolerance to donepezil, the severity and features of OIPN in each arm before and after treatment, related-comorbidities and quality of life. Fleming's one-stage design will be used for sample size estimation. This design yields a type I error rate of 0.0417 and power of 91% for a responder rate of at least 30% in donepezil arm. A total of 80 randomized patients is planned. DISCUSSION: This study will allow, in the case of positive results, to initiate a phase 3 randomized and placebo-controlled (primary endpoint) clinical study to assess the therapeutic interest of donepezil to treat OIPN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05254639 , clincialtrials.gov, Registered 24 February 2022.

Safety of FOLFIRI + Durvalumab +/- Tremelimumab in Second Line of Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Safety Run-In from the Randomized Phase II Study DURIGAST PRODIGE 59.

Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) as monotherapy in 2nd line treatment for gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is low, with no evaluation of efficacy and safety of ICI combined with chemotherapy. The DURIGAST PRODIGE 59 study is a randomised, multicentre, phase II study designed to assess the efficacy and safety of the combination of FOLFIRI + Durvalumab +/- Tremelimumab as 2nd line treatment of patients with advanced gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma. Here, we report data from the safety run-in phase with FOLFIRI Durvalumab (arm A) or FOLFIRI Durvalumab and Tremelimumab (arm B). Among the 11 patients included, 63.6% experienced at least one grade 3-4 adverse events (AEs) related to the treatment, most frequently neutropenia (36.4%). There was only one immune-related AE (grade 2 hyperthyroidism). Ten serious AEs were described among six patients, but only two were related to the treatment, due to the chemotherapy. One seizure epilepsy related to a brain metastasis was observed, but was not related by the investigator to the treatment. However, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended brain imaging at inclusion. This safety run-in phase demonstrates an expected safety profile of FOLFIRI with Durvalumab +/- Tremelimumab combination allowing the randomised phase II.

FFCD 1709-SIRTCI phase II trial: Selective internal radiation therapy plus Xelox, Bevacizumab and Atezolizumab in liver-dominant metastatic colorectal cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have high efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with microsatellite instability (MSI) but not in microsatellite stable (MSS) tumour due to the low tumour mutational burden. Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) could enhance neoantigen production thus triggering systemic anti-tumoral immune response (abscopal effect). In addition, Oxalipatin can induce immunogenic cell death and Bevacizumab can decrease the exhaustion of tumour infiltrating lymphocyte. In combination, these treatments could act synergistically to sensitize MSS mCRCs to ICI SIRTCI is a prospective, multicentre, open-label, phase II, non-comparative single-arm study evaluating the efficacy and safety of SIRT plus Xelox, Bevacizumab and Atezolizumab (anti-programmed death-ligand 1) in patients with liver-dominant MSS mCRC. The primary objective is progression-free survival at 9 months. The main inclusion criteria are patients with MSS mCRC with liver-dominant disease, initially unresectable disease and with no prior oncologic treatment for metastatic disease. The trial started in November 2020 and has included 10 out of the 52 planned patients.

SOCRATE-PRODIGE 55 trial: A randomized phase II study to evaluate second-line ramucirumab alone or with paclitaxel in older patients with advanced gastric cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Patients ≥ 70 years old constitute 40% of patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC). Ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel is a therapeutic option validated in the second-line treatment of advanced GC, but as older patients are at higher risk of severe toxicity, due to comorbidities and/or frailty, we aimed to evaluate second-line Ramucirumab alone or combined with Paclitaxel in terms of overall survival (OS) and quality of life (QoL) in patients ≥ 70 years-old with advanced GC. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, open-label, non-comparative, prospective phase II clinical trial, the main inclusion criteria are: patients ≥ 70 years old, with advanced GC having progressed after first-line chemotherapy or in the six months following the last administration of adjuvant chemotherapy, with WHO performance status <2. They are randomized to receive either ramucirumab alone (arm A) or ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel (arm B). The primary endpoint is 6-month OS and QoL evaluated with the EORTC QLQ-ELD14 questionnaire. The secondary endpoints include other parameters of QoL, time to definitive deterioration (TTDD) in QoL and TTDD in autonomy, treatment toxicities, other parameters of survival and disease control, identification of geriatric and nutritional prognostic scores and predictive factors of treatment safety and efficacy. OS of 60% is expected at 6 months (H0:40%). Using a Simon-minimax design, with one-sided α risk of 2% and 80% power for OS, and considering 5% lost to follow-up, it is necessary to randomize 56 patients in each arm. PERSPECTIVES: As older patients are at higher risk of chemotherapy toxicity, ramucirumab alone could be an interesting alternative to Paclitaxel plus ramucirumab, as a second-line therapy for patients ≥ 70 years old with advanced GC, and needs to be evaluated.

Impact of G-CSF Prophylaxis on Chemotherapy Dose-Intensity, Link Between Dose-Intensity and Survival in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: In metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, few data are available on the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis and its impact on dose-intensity (DI), or the link between DI and progression-free survival (PFS). This study assessed the impact of G-CSF prophylaxis on the DI received by patients and the relationship between full DI and PFS according to chemotherapy regimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients from three first-line randomized phase II clinical trials were included in this retrospective cohort. G-CSF prophylaxis groups were identified and balanced according to baseline characteristics using a propensity score. Patients were classified into 2 treatment groups (FOLFIRINOX vs FOLFIRI/nab-paclitaxel (NAB)). DI was a binary variable (full/reduced). Adverse events were defined using NCI-CTCAE v4.0. RESULTS: Of the 498 patients, 154 (31%) were in "prophylaxis" group; 179 (36%) were treated by FOLFIRINOX and 319 (64%) by FOLFIRI/NAB. In FOLFIRINOX group, G-CSF prophylaxis was significantly associated with a higher rate of full DI (OR, 5.07; 95% CI, 1.52-16.90; P < .01) while in FOLFIRI/NAB group, it was significantly associated with a lower rate of full DI (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06-0.83; P = .03). Full DI was associated with a non-significant increase in PFS (FOLFIRINOX group: HR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.59-1.16; P = .27; FOLFIRI/NAB group: HR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.63-1.11; P = .22). CONCLUSION: Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor prophylaxis was associated with a higher rate of full DI with FOLFIRINOX. Full DI was associated with a non-significant increase in PFS. These results need to be confirmed prospectively.

Impact of diabetes and metformin use on recurrence and outcome in stage II-III colon cancer patients-A pooled analysis of three adjuvant trials.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and worse prognosis in metastatic CRC patients. In this large, pooled analysis of non-metastatic colon cancer (CC) patients, we investigated the impact of DM and metformin treatment on recurrence and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A patient-level pooled analysis from three randomised adjuvant trials was performed. All patients had resection with curative intent of stage II or III CC and were treated with standard adjuvant fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin (±cetuximab). We investigated the impact of DM and metformin treatment on time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of 5922 CC patients who had a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 621 patients (10.5%) had DM at CC diagnosis. Of those with DM, 327 patients (52.7%) were defined as metformin users and 294 patients (47.3%) as non-metformin users. CC patients with DM had a significantly shorter TTR (adjHR: 1.21; 95% CI, 1.03-1.42; p = 0.017) and OS (adjHR: 1.29; 95% CI, 1.09-1.52; p = 0.003) compared to non-diabetic CC patients. Diabetic CC patients not receiving metformin had a significantly worse TTR (adjHR: 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.60; p = 0.032) and OS (adjHR: 1.41; 95% CI, 1.13-1.77; p = 0.003) as compared to non-diabetic patients. These worse outcomes were not significant in metformin users (TTR: adjHR: 1.16; 95% CI, 0.94-1.43; p = 0.168; OS: adjHR: 1.19; 95% CI, 0.95-1.48, p = 0.127). CONCLUSIONS: CC patients with DM had not only a significantly worse survival but also TTR. Furthermore, our data suggest that metformin may attenuate the detrimental effect of DM on CC patient outcomes.

Predictive value of vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms for maintenance bevacizumab efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer: an ancillary study of the PRODIGE 9 phase III trial.

Background: Several studies have reported the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway genes on the efficacy of bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but results are still inconsistent. The PRODIGE 9 phase III study compared bevacizumab maintenance versus observation alone after induction chemotherapy with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab. Objective: We evaluated the impact of SNPs of VEGF-A, VEGF receptors (VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2), and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) on tumor control duration (TCD), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and duration of first chemotherapy free-intervals (CFI). Patients and methods: We included 314/491 patients from PRODIGE 9 with a DNA blood sample available. Nine SNPs were genotyped on germline DNA using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction TaqMan TM (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA , USA 02451). Results: In the bevacizumab arm, patients with the VEGFR-1 rs9582036 CC genotype (n = 14) had significantly longer TCD [22.4 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 14.75-not reached)] than patients with the AA or CA genotype [14.4 months (95% CI: 11.7-17.1)] (p = 0.036), whereas there was no significant difference in the observation arm. In the bevacizumab arm, no significant difference was found between the CC, and AA or CA genotype for OS [28.2 (95% CI: 18.1-42.8) versus 22.5 (95% CI: 18.6-24.6) months, p = 0.5], PFS [9.4 (95% CI: 7.2-11.3) versus 9.2 (95% CI: 8.71-10.1)], and duration of the first CFI [4.6 (95% CI: 1.6-13.3) versus 4.14 (95% CI: 0.5-29.0) months, p = 0.3]. Conclusion: Among mCRC patients treated with bevacizumab maintenance, those with the VEGFR-1 rs9582036 CC genotype experienced longer TCD. The presence of this genotype may thus predict a benefit of bevacizumab maintenance in mCRC.

Prognostic value of circulating tumour DNA in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients: post-hoc analyses of two clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostication of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) patients remains uncertain, mainly based on carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), with limited utility. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has been suggested as a prognostic factor, but its added value has been poorly explored. The objective was to determine whether ctDNA is an independent factor for the prognostication of mPDAC. DESIGN: Translational study based on two prospective collections of plasma samples of mPDAC patients naïve for chemotherapy. One used as a test series and the other as validation series coming from two randomised trials (Prodige 35 and Prodige 37). CtDNA was assessed by digital droplet PCR targeting two methylated markers (HOXD8 and POU4F1) according to a newly developed and validated method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed according to ctDNA status. RESULTS: Of 372 plasma samples available, 354 patients were analyzed for survival. In the validation series, 145 of 255 patients were found ctDNA positive (56.8%), Median PFS and OS were 5.3 and 8.2 months in ctDNA-positive and 6.2 and 12.6 months in ctDNA-negative patients, respectively. ctDNA positivity was more often associated with young age, high CA19-9 level and neutrophils lymphocytes ratio. In multivariate analysis including these previous markers, ctDNA was confirmed as an independent prognostic marker for PFS (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.5, CI 95% [1.03-2.18], p = 0.034) and OS (HR 1.62, CI 95% [1.05-2.5], p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: In this first ctDNA assessment in a large series of mPDAC derived from clinical trials, ctDNA was detectable in 56.8% of patients and confirmed as an independent prognostic marker.