Ramucirumab for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and elevated α-fetoprotein following a non-sorafenib based first-line therapy: Final results from an expansion cohort of REACH-2.

Authors

null

Richard S. Finn

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Richard S. Finn , Thomas Yau , Chih-Hung Hsu , Enrico N. De Toni , Lipika Goyal , Peter R. Galle , Shukui Qin , Sujata Rao , Fangfang Sun , Chunxiao Wang , Ryan C Widau , Andrew X. Zhu

Organizations

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan, Department of Medicine II, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany, Department of Medical Oncology, People’s Liberation Army Cancer Center, Nanjing Bayi Hospital, Nanjing, China, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA & Jiahui International Cancer Center, Jiahui Health, Shanghai, China

Research Funding

Pharmaceutical/Biotech Company

Background: Patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elevated α-fetoprotein (AFP) have poor prognosis, and need effective, well-tolerated treatment options. Ramucirumab has been shown to improve survival and is currently approved as second-line therapy for pts with a baseline elevated AFP that have progressed on prior sorafenib. However, new options now exist in the front-line setting. This global open-label expansion cohort of REACH-2 (NCT02435433) was initiated to study ramucirumab in pts with advanced HCC and baseline AFP ≥400 ng/mL following a non-sorafenib based systemic therapy, representing one of the first sequencing studies in HCC. Methods: This single-arm study investigated ramucirumab in pts with advanced HCC (BCLC stage C or B disease), Child-Pugh A, ECOG PS 0/1, and baseline AFP ≥400 ng/mL who received 1-2 prior systemic regimens for advanced HCC, excluding prior sorafenib or chemotherapy. Enrolled pts received ramucirumab 8 mg/kg IV once every 14 days. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) objective response rate (RECIST 1.1) and time to progression (TTP). Final analysis occurred after all enrolled pts completed ≥ 3 treatment cycles or discontinued treatment. Results: 47 pts were treated at 21 investigative sites in the USA (n = 12), Taiwan (n = 10), mainland China (n = 8), Hong Kong (n = 8), Germany (n = 8), and Switzerland (n = 1). At baseline, these pts with 2nd to 3rd+ line advanced HCC had ECOG PS 1 (51%), with vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread (85%), viral hepatitis B (55%), BCLC stage C disease (92%), and a median AFP of 3236 ng/mL (IQR: 1332, 18210). Prior systemic regimens included lenvatinib (n = 20), checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) monotherapy (n = 11), CPI + antiangiogenic (n = 15), and CPI + CPI (n = 4). Grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were reported in 27 (57%) pts and were deemed to be treatment-related in 11 (23%) pts. Grade ≥ 3 AEs occurring in ≥ 5% pts were hypertension (n = 5; 11%), proteinuria (n = 3; 6%), hyponatremia (6%) and AST increased (6%). Two deaths occurred due to treatment-related AEs on therapy or within 30 days of treatment discontinuation (myocardial infarction and upper GI hemorrhage). Median OS was 8.7 months (95% CI 4.6-12.2), median PFS was 1.7 months (95% CI 1.5-4.1), and median TTP was 2.8 months (95% CI 1.5-4.2). The number of pts achieving an objective response was 5 (10.6%, 95% CI 1.8-19.5), with a median duration of response of 8.3 months (95% CI 2.4-NR). Conclusions: This expansion cohort of REACH-2 represents a non-sorafenib sequencing study in pts with advanced HCC. The safety/efficacy profile of ramucirumab following a non-sorafenib based systemic therapy was consistent with that observed in pts who received prior sorafenib in the Ph3 REACH-2 study. Clinical trial information: NCT02435433.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session B: Cancers of the Pancreas, Small Bowel, and Hepatobiliary Tract

Track

Pancreatic Cancer,Hepatobiliary Cancer,Neuroendocrine/Carcinoid,Small Bowel Cancer

Sub Track

Therapeutics

Clinical Trial Registration Number

NCT02435433

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2022.40.4_suppl.423

Abstract #

423

Poster Bd #

B9

Abstract Disclosures