Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab Shows Promising Activity in Advanced Gastric Cancer
A lenvatinib–pembrolizumab combo yielded promising anti-tumor activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients with advanced stomach or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, according to data from a phase 2 study (Lancet Oncol. 2020 Jun 23. Epub ahead of print).
In the trial, Akihito Kawazoe, MD, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan, and colleagues aimed to assess the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced gastric cancer.
Eligible patients were aged ≥20 years, had advanced or recurrent stomach or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status 0 or 1, and measurable disease.
A total of 29 patients were enrolled between October 2018 and March 2019. Patients received oral lenvatinib 20 mg daily plus intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxicity occurred.
The primary end point was objective response rate. The median follow-up was 12.6 months at data cutoff in March 2020.
Findings yielded an objective response rate of 69% (n = 20).
Hypertension (n = 11), proteinuria (n = 5), and platelet count decrease (n = 2) were the most common grade 3 treatment-related adverse events. No grade 4 treatment-related adverse events, serious adverse events, or treatment-related deaths occurred.
“Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab showed promising anti-tumour activity with an acceptable safety profile in patients with advanced gastric cancer,” Dr Kawazoe et al concluded.—Kaitlyn Manasterski
