Abstract titles are up for ASCO GI, and here’s a list of the abstracts we are looking forward to seeing next week.  (Note that full abstracts won’t be available until January 22, so it is impossible to comment on the significance of these results until then.)

Abraxane positive in phase III for pancreatic cancer

The Abraxane study in pancreatic cancer (abstract 67) is likely to be the major news from this year’s meeting. At ESMO in October, KOLs were indicating that the results might be positive, and indeed, Celgene announced in November that this trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival with a statistically significant improvement over gemcitabine alone. Now we will finally see the data. There have been so many notable failed trials in this disease (axitinib and ganitumab, for example) that it’s exciting to finally see something positive!

New biomarker and safety data for Stivarga (regorafenib)

Bayer’s Stivarga was just approved for third line CRC in September 2012, and presentations at this meeting include biomarker and safety data (abstracts 318 and 467). Hopefully the new data will shed light on which patients are most suitable for Stivarga and how oncologists can deal with toxicities.

Ramucirumab data notably absent

We also note that the phase III gastric cancer trial of ramucirumab (VEGF inhibitor, Lilly), which was announced as positive a few months ago, will not be presented. The next opportunity to present the data at an important venue will be at the main ASCO meeting in June.

New GI cancer drugs on the horizon at last

KOLs have been complaining that there hasn’t been anything new in CRC for a long time, but it looks like the tide is finally turning with two new approvals in 2012, and some promising new agents on the horizon. All of these developmental agents could eventually make an impact in standards of care for CRC.

In HCC, there are a few developmental agents with early-phase data that will be presented. Of note is the Pfizer CDK inhibitor, PD-0332991, in HCC. Last month at SABCS, this agent reported very promising phase II efficacy data in ER+ breast cancer, as well as a mild toxicity profile. Efficacy combined with good tolerability could make it an attractive compound in HCC.

Key presentations of interest for drug development at ASCO GI

  1. Final results of a randomized phase III study of weekly nab-paclitaxel [Abraxane] plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (Von Hoff, et al, abstract LBA148)
  2. Mutational analysis of biomarker samples from the CORRECT study: Correlating mutation status with clinical response to regorafenib (Jeffers et al, abstract 381)
  3. Time course of regorafenib-associated adverse events in the Ph III CORRECT study (Grothey, et al, abstract 467)
  4. Ph II study of PD-0332991 in advanced HCC (Littman, et al, abstract 321)
  5. Patient-reported outcomes from a phase III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of gefitinib versus placebo in esophageal cancer progressing after chemotherapy: Cancer Oesophagus Gefitinib  (Dutton, et al, abstract 6)
  6. Ph II study of vismodegib, a hedgehog pathway inhibitor, combined with FOLFOX in patients with advanced GaCa and GEJ: A NY cancer consortium led study (Cohen, et al, abstract 67)
  7. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of trametinib in combination with gemcitabine for untreated metastatic PnCa (Infante, et al, abstract 291)
  8. Ph I/II study of golvantinib in combination with sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC: Ph I results (O’Neil, et al, abstract 294)
  9. Long-term efficacy and pharmacodynamic parameter analysis in pretreated KRAS-mutant mCRC patients treated with RG7160 (GA201), an ADCC-enhanced monoclonal anti-EGFR antibody (Delord, et al, abstract 379)
  10. Second-line therapy of KRAS-mutated mCRC with the MEK inhibitor selumetinib in combination with irinotecan: An AGICC study (Hochster, et al, abstract 380)