Phase II study of conversion therapy using S1/paclitaxel chemotherapy plus apatinib in unresectable gastric cancer (Ahead-G325 trial).

Abstract

53 Background: Occasionally, an initially unresectable gastric cancer (GC) can be converted to a resectable one by chemotherapy. Combination with inhibitors against VEGFR-2 can lead to a clinical improvement. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of S1/paclitaxel chemotherapy plus apatinib, a novel inhibitor of VEGFR-2, in the conversion therapy of unresectable GC. Methods: This was a multicentre, single-arm, open-label, phase II design. Eligible patients (pts) were aged 20-70 years and had histologically proven unresectable, HER-2 negative, advanced GC with a single non-curable factor confined to either the liver (H1), peritoneum (P1), or para-aortic lymph nodes (16a1/b2). The ECOG performance status was 0-2. No prior radiotherapy, chemotherapy, target therapy or immunotherapy was allowed. Patients received 2 cycles of S1/paclitaxel chemotherapy (S1: 60 mg, oral, bid for 2 weeks followed by a drug-free interval of 1 week; paclitaxel: 150 mg/m2, iv, 3h, on day 1) plus apatinib (500 mg, oral, qd) and 1 cycle of S1/paclitaxel chemotherapy prior to radical surgery. Three cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (S1 and apatinib) were given 4-6 weeks after surgery. Primary endpoint was R0 resection rate. Thirty-three pts were enrolled. Results: Among the 28 pts eligible for preoperative efficacy evaluation, 21 achieved partial response (PR), 5 had stable disease (SD), and 2 had progressive disease (PD), resulting in an overall response rate of 75.0% and a disease control rate of 92.9%. Of the 21 pts with PR, 3 refused consents for surgery and 18 achieved R0 resection. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was 73.9%. The common hematologic AEs were neutropenia (60.9%), leukopenia (52.2%) and hemoglobin decrease (47.8%), and nonhematologic AEs included hyperbilirubinemia (56.5%), hand-foot syndrome (34.8%), oral mucositis (30.4%), fatigue (30.4%), proteinuria (21.7%) and hypocalcemia (21.7%). There was no severe surgery-related complication. Conclusions: Combination of apatinib with S1/paclitaxel chemotherapy shows clinical benefits in unresectable GC, with acceptable safety profile. Clinical trial information: NCT02529878.