Home Gastroenterology Fruquintinib + Paclitaxel Aids Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Fruquintinib + Paclitaxel Aids Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Improvement seen in progression-free survival among patients who had disease progression on first-line chemotherapy

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma who experienced disease progression on first-line chemotherapy, fruquintinib (F) plus paclitaxel (PTX) improves progression free survival (PFS), according to a study presented during the February 2024 session of the American Society for Clinical Oncology Plenary Series.

Rui-Hua Xu, M.D., Ph.D., from the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of F+PTX (350 patients) versus PTX alone (349 patients) in patients with advanced G/GEJ adenocarcinoma who experienced disease progression on first-line chemotherapy containing fluoropyrimidine or platinum (the FRUTIGA trial).

The researchers observed a significant improvement in PFS with F+PTX versus placebo+PTX (median, 5.55 versus 2.73 months). In the F+PTX group, the overall response rate was significantly higher (42.5 versus 22.4 percent). Median overall survival was 9.63 and 8.41 months with F+PTX and placebo+PTX, respectively. In post-hoc analyses adjusting for subsequent antitumor therapies and baseline factors, there was a nominal statistically significant improvement observed in overall survival with F+PTX. Median PFS was even more prolonged among patients with lymph node metastases and nondiffuse G/GEJ adenocarcinoma (6.08 versus 2.69 months); overall survival also showed a nominal statistically significant improvement (9.56 versus 7.85 months).

“Fruquintinib plus paclitaxel could be a promising second-line treatment option for patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma that progressed on first-line chemotherapy,” Xu said in a statement.

The FRUTIGA trial was funded by HUTCHMED.

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