Neoadjuvant therapy with immune checkpoint blockade, antiangiogenesis, and chemotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer

Abstract

Despite neoadjuvant/conversion chemotherapy, the prognosis of cT4a/bN+ gastric cancer is poor. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and antiangiogenic agents have shown activity in late-stage gastric cancer, but their efficacy in the neoadjuvant/conversion setting is unclear. In this single-armed, phase II, exploratory trial (NCT03878472), we evaluate the efficacy of a combination of ICI (camrelizumab), antiangiogenesis (apatinib), and chemotherapy (S-1 ± oxaliplatin) for neoadjuvant/conversion treatment of cT4a/bN+ gastric cancer. The primary endpoints are pathological responses and their potential biomarkers. Secondary endpoints include safety, objective response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Complete and major pathological response rates are 15.8% and 26.3%. Pathological responses correlate significantly with microsatellite instability status, PD-L1 expression, and tumor mutational burden. In addition, multi-omics examination reveals several putative biomarkers for pathological responses, including RREB1 and SSPO mutation, immune-related signatures, and a peripheral T cell expansion score. Multi-omics also demonstrates dynamic changes in dominant tumor subclones, immune microenvironments, and T cell receptor repertoires during neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The toxicity and post-surgery complications are limited. These data support further validation of ICI- and antiangiogenesis-based neoadjuvant/conversion therapy in large randomized trials and provide candidate biomarkers.