A randomized, double-blind, multicenter phase III study evaluating paclitaxel with and without RAD001 in patients with gastric cancer who have progressed after therapy with a fluoropyrimidine/platinum-containing regimen (RADPAC).

Abstract

4 Background: There is a need for effective treatments in the second- or further line setting in advanced gastric cancer, especially for new agents. In the current trial we evaluated paclitaxel with RAD001 (everolimus) in patients with gastric carcinoma who have progressed after therapy with a fluoropyrimidine/platinum-containing regimen. Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center phase III study. Patients with gastric carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction which has progressed after treatment with a fluoropyrimidine/platinum-containing regimen were randomly assigned to receive Paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) on day 1, 8 and 15 plus placebo (arm A) or RAD001 (10mg daily, arm B) d1-d28, repeated every 28 days as 2nd, 3rd or 4thline therapy. Primary end point was overall survival (OS), secondary endpoints were best overall response, disease control rate, progression free survival (PFS) and toxicity. Results: 300 patients (median age: 62 years; median lines prior therapy: 2) were randomly assigned (Arm A, 150, Arm B, 150). Response rate (complete and partial response) was 8.0% (95%CI: 4.2%-13.6%) in the paclitaxel/RAD001 arm and 7.3% (95% CI: 3.7%-12.7%) in the paclitaxel/placebo arm (p = 0.4).There was no significant difference in median PFS (placebo, 2.07 vs. RAD001, 2.2 months, HR 0.88, p = 0.3) and median OS (placebo, 5.1 vs. RAD001, 6.1 months, HR 0.92, p = 0.48). Combination of paclitaxel and RAD001 was tolerable, but the placebo arm was associated with significantly less (any grade) mucositis (15.8% vs. 37.2%), fever (10.3% vs 20.7%), leukopenia (11.6% vs. 21.4%), neutropenia (13.0% vs. 27.6%) and thrombocytopenia (2.1% vs 14.5%). Conclusions: The addition of RAD001 to paclitaxel/RAD001 did not significantly improve outcomes in pretreated metastatic gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. Additional biomarker studies are planned to look for subgroups that may have a benefit. Clinical trial information: NCT01248403.