Abstract

Background

Ramucirumab monotherapy as a second-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) prolongs survival compared to the best supportive care. However, in clinical practice, ramucirumab monotherapy is sometimes used as third- or later-line treatment for AGC refractory to fluoropyrimidine and taxanes. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of salvage-line ramucirumab monotherapy for treating AGC.

Methods

The subjects of this retrospective study were advanced gastric or gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma patients who received ramucirumab monotherapy after failure of 2 or more prior regimens containing fluoropyrimidine and taxanes but not ramucirumab.

Results

From June 2015 to April 2017, 51 patients were enrolled. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6–2.2) and 5.1 (95% CI = 4.0–6.8) months, respectively. The objective response and disease control rates were 2 and 17%, respectively. Grade 3 adverse events (AEs; e.g., anemia, fatigue, hypertension, proteinuria, intestinal bleeding) occurred in seven (13%) patients, but no grade 4 AEs and treatment-related deaths were observed. A neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of < 2.5 and previous gastrectomy were associated with better PFS.

Conclusions

Salvage-line ramucirumab monotherapy has acceptable toxicity and comparable efficacy to second-line treatment; therefore, we consider physicians might choose this therapy as a salvage-line treatment option for AGC refractory to the standard therapies.

Details

Title
Retrospective observational study of salvage line ramucirumab monotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer
Author
Kawai, Sadayuki; Fukuda, Naoki; Yamamoto, Shun; Mitani, Seiichiro; Omae, Katsuhiro; Wakatsuki, Takeru; Kato, Ken; Kadowaki, Shigenori; Takahari, Daisuke; Boku, Narikazu; Muro, Kei; Machida, Nozomu
Pages
1-9
Section
Research article
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
14712407
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2404415269
Copyright
© 2020. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.