Open Access

Efficacy of ramucirumab and subsequent nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective study

  • Authors:
    • Masaaki Saito
    • Koichi Suzuki
    • Sawako Tamaki
    • Yasuaki Kimura
    • Iku Abe
    • Yuhei Endo
    • Fumiaki Watanabe
    • Toshiki Rikiyama
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 9, 2024     https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2024.2715
  • Article Number: 17
  • Copyright: © Saito et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Nivolumab monotherapy is a standard treatment of metastatic gastric cancer, and this type of cancer involves vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling in the tumor immunological environment. The subgroup analysis of the ATTRACTION‑2 trial revealed that prior treatment with ramucirumab (RAM), a VEGF inhibitor, affected the therapeutic effect of nivolumab. The present retrospective study aimed to review patients with metastatic gastric cancer who were treated with paclitaxel (PTX) and RAM followed by nivolumab. A total of 29 patients with metastatic gastric cancer were treated with PTX + RAM as second‑line treatment, followed by nivolumab monotherapy as third‑line treatment. The therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab was compared in 13 patients with progression‑free survival (PFS) of <5 months and 16 patients with PFS ≥5 months after PTX + RAM therapy. The present study included 22 male and seven female patients, with a median age of 68 years (range, 45‑82 years). Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity was observed in six patients. The disease control rate was 62.1%. The PFS and overall survival (OS) were 4.4 and 11.9 months, respectively. Patients with PFS ≥5 months after PTX + RAM therapy showed better outcome in both PFS (5.3 months vs. 2.8 months, P=0.039) and OS (6.9 months vs. 15.2 months, P=0.066) after nivolumab treatment than patients with PFS of <5 months after PTX + RAM therapy. However, no significant relationship was observed between the outcome of first‑line treatment and nivolumab. The therapeutic effect of nivolumab was associated with prior PTX + RAM treatment in advanced gastric cancer.
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March-2024
Volume 20 Issue 3

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Spandidos Publications style
Saito M, Suzuki K, Tamaki S, Kimura Y, Abe I, Endo Y, Watanabe F and Rikiyama T: Efficacy of ramucirumab and subsequent nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective study. Mol Clin Oncol 20: 17, 2024
APA
Saito, M., Suzuki, K., Tamaki, S., Kimura, Y., Abe, I., Endo, Y. ... Rikiyama, T. (2024). Efficacy of ramucirumab and subsequent nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective study. Molecular and Clinical Oncology, 20, 17. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2024.2715
MLA
Saito, M., Suzuki, K., Tamaki, S., Kimura, Y., Abe, I., Endo, Y., Watanabe, F., Rikiyama, T."Efficacy of ramucirumab and subsequent nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective study". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 20.3 (2024): 17.
Chicago
Saito, M., Suzuki, K., Tamaki, S., Kimura, Y., Abe, I., Endo, Y., Watanabe, F., Rikiyama, T."Efficacy of ramucirumab and subsequent nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective study". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 20, no. 3 (2024): 17. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2024.2715