Session 2: Are we ready for primary chemotherapy in rectal cancer: who, when, why?

The potential of preoperative chemotherapy in rectal cancer is the subject of investigation in a number of global randomized trials. In this overview and expert discussion, Professor Cervantes summarizes the findings of numerous Phase II trials testing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The crucial points in the next phase of trials include: patient selection, whether radiotherapy can be omitted altogether and whether chemotherapy can be used to augment the initial response to chemoradiotherapy. Finally, with the emergence of Magnetic Resonance Tumour Regression Grade a reliable method for assessing response after initial chemoradiotherapy, we ask if this can be used to drive the use of further sele…

The Vegf Pathway in Patients with Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Efficacy of Everolimus by Baseline Marker Level, and Prognostic and Predictive Effect Analyses from Radiant-3

ABSTRACT Background RADIANT-3 was a phase III study investigating the effect of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus on progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET; Yao et al, NEJM, 2011). Everolimus significantly improved PFS compared with placebo (11 vs 4.6 months, P  Methods Baseline plasma levels of VEGF-A, PlGF, sVEGFR1, and sVEGFR2 were determined by ELISA using multiplexed MSD platform. The optimal cutoffs for these markers were explored using the “survival tree analysis” method. Interaction of treatment and baseline marker status ( Results PFS was significantly improved to a similar extent in patients receiving e…

KRAS and BRAF mutations in circulating tumour DNA from locally advanced rectal cancer

There are limited data on circulating, cell-free, tumour (ct)DNA analysis in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Digital droplet (dd)PCR was used to investigate KRAS/BRAF mutations in ctDNA from baseline blood samples of 97 LARC patients who were treated with CAPOX followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery and adjuvant CAPOX ± cetuximab in a randomised phase II trial. KRAS mutation in G12D, G12V or G13D was detected in the ctDNA of 43% and 35% of patients with tumours that were mutant and wild-type for these hotspot mutations, respectively, according to standard PCR-based analyses on tissue. The detection rate in the ctDNA of 10 patients with less common mutations was 50%. In 26 cases ctDNA…

Panex: A pooled analysis of EXPERT and EXPERT-C, two trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in high-risk locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

3575 Background: After the use of preoperative radiotherapy and TME, survival of LARC has reached a plateau. More effective therapies, predictive/prognostic factors for treatment selection and vali...

Prognostic role of the LCS6 KRAS variant in locally advanced rectal cancer: results of the EXPERT-C trial

KRAS mutation has been reported as a marker of radio-resistance in rectal cancer and unfavourable outcome in both colon and rectal cancer. This study suggests that a single-nucleotide polymorphism of the KRAS gene (LCS-6 variant) may predict response to neoadjuvant treatment and mitigate the poor prognosis associated with KRAS mutation in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Analysis of KRAS , NRAS , BRAF , PIK3CA and TP53 mutations in a large prospective series of locally advanced rectal cancer patients

Little information is available on the clinical significance of cancer-related genes such as KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA and TP53 in nonmetastatic rectal cancer. We investigated mutations of these genes in a large prospective series of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who were recruited into two phase II trials. Mutational analyses were performed with diagnostically validated methods including polymerase chain reaction, capillary electrophoresis single-strand conformational analysis, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing. Associations between single or multiple gene mutations and clinicopathological characteristics and treatment outcomes were explored. Of these 269, 21…

FcγRIIa and Fc γ RIIIa Polymorphisms and Cetuximab Benefit in the Microscopic Disease

Abstract Purpose: FcγR polymorphisms have been reported to enhance the immune-mediated effects of cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer. There are no data on the relationship between these polymorphisms and cetuximab in the early-stage setting. We performed a pharmacogenomic analysis of EXPERT-C, a randomized phase II trial of neoadjuvant CAPOX followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery, and adjuvant CAPOX ± cetuximab in high-risk, locally advanced rectal cancer. Experimental Design: FcγRIIa-H131R and FcγRIIIa-V158F polymorphisms were analyzed on DNA from peripheral blood samples. Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to calculate survival estimates and compare treatment…

Sequence variation in mature microRNA-608 and benefit from neo-adjuvant treatment in locally advanced rectal cancer patients

Summary Analysis of a polymorphism in mature microRNA-608 (rs4919510) in rectal cancer patients enrolled in a randomized phase II clinical trial identified patient subpopulations who might benefit from the use of an intensified neo-adjuvant treatment strategy with Cetuximab.

TH-302 + Gemcitabine (G + T) vs Gemcitabine (G) in Patients with Previously Untreated advanced Pancreatic Cancer (PAC)

ABSTRACT Background TH-302 is a hypoxia targeted prodrug with a hypoxia-triggered 2-nitroimidazole component designed to release the DNA alkylator, bromo-isophosphoramide mustard (Br-IPM), when reduced in severe hypoxia. A randomized Phase 2B study (NCT01144455) was conducted to assess the benefit of G + T to standard dose G as first-line therapy of PAC. Materials and methods An open-label multi-center study of two dose levels of TH-302 (240 mg/m2 or 340 mg/m2) in combination with G versus G alone (randomized 1:1:1). G (1000 mg/m2) and T were administered IV over 30-60 minutes on Days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Patients on the G could crossover after progression and be randomized to a G…

Comparison between MRI and pathology in the assessment of tumour regression grade in rectal cancer

Background: Limited data exist regarding the correlation between MRI tumour regression grade (mrTRG) and pathological TRG (pTRG) in rectal cancer. Methods: mrTRG and pTRG were compared in rectal cancer patients from two phase II trials (EXPERT and EXPERT-C). The agreement between radiologist and pathologist was assessed with the weighted κ test while the Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate survival outcomes. Results: One hundred ninety-one patients were included. Median time from completion of neoadjuvant treatment to pre-operative MRI and surgery was 4.1 weeks (interquartile range (IQR): 3.7–4.7) and 6.6 weeks (IQR: 5.9–7.6), respectively. Fair agreement was found between mrTRG and pT…

Multicenter Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial Comparing Neoadjuvant Oxaliplatin, Capecitabine, and Preoperative Radiotherapy With or Without Cetuximab Followed by Total Mesorectal Excision in Patients With High-Risk Rectal Cancer (EXPERT-C)

Purpose To evaluate the addition of cetuximab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy before chemoradiotherapy in high-risk rectal cancer. Patients and Methods Patients with operable magnetic resonance imaging–defined high-risk rectal cancer received four cycles of capecitabine/oxaliplatin (CAPOX) followed by capecitabine chemoradiotherapy, surgery, and adjuvant CAPOX (four cycles) or the same regimen plus weekly cetuximab (CAPOX+C). The primary end point was complete response (CR; pathologic CR or, in patients not undergoing surgery, radiologic CR) in patients with KRAS/BRAF wild-type tumors. Secondary end points were radiologic response (RR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), an…

FCγRIIa and FCγRIIIa polymorphisms (SNPs) and cetuximab (C) benefit in the EXPERT-C trial.

3573 Background: FCγRIIa-H131R and FCγRIIIa-V158F SNPs have been reported to enhance the immune-mediated effects of monoclonal antibodies including cetuximab (C) in metastatic colorectal cancer (CR...

Analytical Validation of Multiplex Biomarker Assay to Stratify Colorectal Cancer into Molecular Subtypes

International audience; Previously, we classified colorectal cancers (CRCs) into five CRCAssigner (CRCA) subtypes with different prognoses and potential treatment responses, later consolidated into four consensus molecular subtypes (CMS). Here we demonstrate the analytical development and validation of a custom NanoString nCounter platform-based biomarker assay (NanoCRCA) to stratify CRCs into subtypes. To reduce costs, we switched from the standard nCounter protocol to a custom modified protocol. The assay included a reduced 38-gene panel that was selected using an in-house machine-learning pipeline. We applied NanoCRCA to 413 samples from 355 CRC patients. From the fresh frozen samples (n…

Prognostic factors for progression-free and overall survival in advanced biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND: Biliary tract cancer is an uncommon cancer with a poor outcome. We assembled data from the National Cancer Research Institute (UK) ABC-02 study and 10 international studies to determine prognostic outcome characteristics for patients with advanced disease.METHODS: Multivariable analyses of the final dataset from the ABC-02 study were carried out. All variables were simultaneously included in a Cox proportional hazards model, and backward elimination was used to produce the final model (using a significance level of 10%), in which the selected variables were associated independently with outcome. This score was validated externally by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis using…

Gastric cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

Gastric cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up A. Okines, M. Verheij, W. Allum, D. Cunningham & A. Cervantes On behalf of the ESMO Guidelines Working Group* GI Clinical Trials Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, UK; Department of Radiation Oncology and Division of Cellular Biochemistry, The Netherlands Cancer Institute—Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Surgery, Royal Marsden Hospital, London; Department of Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, UK; Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, INCLIVA, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

The impact of TP53 mutation on high-risk rectal cancer patients treated within the EXPERT-C trial, a randomized phase II study of neoadjuvant oxaliplatin/capecitabine (CAPOX) and chemoradiation (CRT) with or without cetuximab.

e14088 Background: The EXPERT-C trial randomised 165 patients into neoadjuvant CAPOX and CRT ± cetuximab and demonstrated a significant increase in radiological response (RR) and overall survival (OS) with cetuximab in KRAS/BRAF wild type (WT) rectal cancer (Dewdney et al JCO in press). TP53 mutation has been associated with worse CRT response and survival in rectal cancer and could lead to stimulation of PI3K signalling pathway, thus potential resistance to cetuximab. This analysis evaluates the impact of TP53 mutation in the EXPERT-C trial. Methods: FFPE tissue from biopsy (n=102) and resection specimens (n=99) were analysed for TP53 mutations (exons 5-8) using a multiplex PCR method fol…

Mutant K-ras2 in serum

Mutant tumour derived DNA has been detected in the sera of colorectal cancer patients. We investigated if mutant serum KRAS2 was detectable preoperatively in a large group of patients with colorectal neoplasia. A prospective study of 94 patients who underwent putative curative resection for colorectal carcinoma (CRC) was performed to ascertain if serum mutant KRAS2 could be used postoperatively as a disease marker.Preoperative sera from 78 patients were analysed (group A). Sera from 94 patients were obtained three monthly for up to three years during the postoperative period (group B). Codon 12 and 13 KRAS2 mutations were analysed in matched tumour and serum samples.In the preoperative grou…

HER2 in high-risk rectal cancer patients treated in EXPERT-C, a randomized phase II trial of neoadjuvant capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with or without cetuximab.

HER2 is an established therapeutic target in breast and gastric cancers. The role of HER2 in rectal cancer is unclear, as conflicting data on the prevalence of HER2 expression in this disease have been reported. We evaluated the prevalence of HER2 and its impact on the outcome of high-risk rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant CAPOX and CRT +/- cetuximab in the EXPERT-C trial. Eligible patients with available tumour tissue for HER2 analysis were included. HER2 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in pre-treatment biopsies and/or surgical specimens (score 0-3+). Immunostaining was scored according to the consensus panel recommendations on HER2 scoring for gastric…

Obinutuzumab-Based Immunochemotherapy Prolongs Progression-Free Survival and Time to Next Anti-Lymphoma Treatment in Patients with Previously Untreated Follicular Lymphoma: Four-Year Results from the Phase III GALLIUM Study

Abstract Introduction: Immunochemotherapy is standard of care treatment for previously untreated patients (pts) with advanced stage follicular lymphoma (FL). However, the majority of pts relapse, with around 20% relapsing within 2 years. Obinutuzumab (GA101; G) is a glycoengineered type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) with increased antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis and cytotoxicity, and direct B-cell killing, compared with the type I mAb rituximab (R). The randomized Phase III GALLIUM study (NCT01332968) compared the efficacy and safety of G-chemotherapy (G-chemo) vs R-chemotherapy (R-chemo) in previously untreated pts with advanced stage FL. In the primary analysis (PA)…

Gastric cancer: ESMO–ESSO–ESTRO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

KRAS and BRAF mutations in circulating tumour DNA from locally advanced rectal cancer.

Abstract There are limited data on circulating, cell-free, tumour (ct)DNA analysis in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Digital droplet (dd)PCR was used to investigate KRAS/BRAF mutations in ctDNA from baseline blood samples of 97 LARC patients who were treated with CAPOX followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery and adjuvant CAPOX ± cetuximab in a randomised phase II trial. KRAS mutation in G12D, G12V or G13D was detected in the ctDNA of 43% and 35% of patients with tumours that were mutant and wild-type for these hotspot mutations, respectively, according to standard PCR-based analyses on tissue. The detection rate in the ctDNA of 10 patients with less common mutations was 50%. In 26 ca…

PAN-EX: a pooled analysis of two trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy in MRI-defined, locally advanced rectal cancer

This analysis confirms that administering neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) before chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could be a potential option for high-risk, locally advanced rectal cancer. In this setting, MRI tumour regression grade is an independent prognostic factor and, when assessed after NACT, may predict the probability and magnitude of incremental benefit from sequential CRT.EXPERT and EXPERT-C were phase II clinical trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in high-risk, locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). We pooled individual patient data from these trials. The primary objective was overall survival (OS) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Pro…

Kirsten ras mutations in patients with colorectal cancer: the 'RASCAL II' study

Researchers worldwide with information about the Kirsten ras (Ki-ras) tumour genotype and outcome of patients with colorectal cancer were invited to provide that data in a schematized format for inclusion in a collaborative database called RASCAL (The Kirsten ras in-colorectal-cancer collaborative group). Our results from 2721 such patients have been presented previously and for the first time in any common cancer, showed conclusively that different gene mutations have different impacts on outcome, even when the mutations occur at the same site on the genome. To explore the effect of Ki-ras mutations at different stages of colorectal cancer, more patients were recruited to the database, whi…

RAS mutations and cetuximab in locally advanced rectal cancer: Results of the EXPERT-C trial

Background: RAS mutations predict resistance to anti-epidermal growthfactor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer. We analysed RAS mutations in 30 non-metastatic rectal cancer patients treated with or without cetuximab within the 31 EXPERT-C trial. Methods: Ninety of 149 patients with tumours available for analysis were KRAS/BRAF wild-type, and randomly assigned to capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CAPOX) followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery and adjuvant CAPOX or the same regimen plus cetuximab (CAPOX-C). Of these, four had a mutation of NRAS exon 3, and 84 were retrospectively analysed for additional KRAS (exon 4) and NRAS (exons 2/4) mutations by using bi-di…

Short- and Long-Term Quality of Life and Bowel Function in Patients With MRI-Defined, High-Risk, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Treated With an Intensified Neoadjuvant Strategy in the Randomized Phase 2 EXPERT-C Trial

Objective Intensified preoperative treatments have been increasingly investigated in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), but limited data are available for the impact of these regimens on quality of life (QoL) and bowel function (BF). We assessed these outcome measures in EXPERT-C, a randomized phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant capecitabine combined with oxaliplatin (CAPOX), followed by chemoradiation therapy (CRT), total mesorectal excision, and adjuvant CAPOX with or without cetuximab in magnetic resonance imaging-defined, high-risk LARC. Methods and Materials QoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 questionnaires. Bowel inc…