Advances in Gastric and GE Junction Cancer Treatment: Durvalumab Combined with FLOT Shows Promising Results at ASCO

Recent research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting highlights a significant breakthrough in the treatment of resectable gastric and gastroesophageal (GE) junction adenocarcinoma. A phase 3, double-blind clinical trial investigated the efficacy of adding durvalumab, an immunotherapy drug, to the standard FLOT chemotherapy regimen.

The study involved 948 patients who were randomly assigned to receive either durvalumab (1,500 mg) or a placebo every four weeks. The treatment plan included four cycles of the combined therapy followed by 10 additional cycles of durvalumab or placebo. The primary focus was to assess event-free survival, which measures the length of time patients remain free from disease progression or recurrence.

Findings demonstrated that patients receiving durvalumab experienced notably better outcomes. The two-year event-free survival rate was 67.4% in the durvalumab group compared to 58.5% in the placebo group. Overall survival also improved, with 75.7% of durvalumab-treated patients surviving at two years versus 70.4% in the control group. Additionally, a higher proportion of patients in the durvalumab group achieved a pathological complete response (19.2% vs. 7.2%), indicating an absence of detectable cancer after treatment.

Dr. Yelena Y. Janjigian of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center emphasized the importance of these findings, stating that this therapy combination could represent a major advancement for patients facing this challenging diagnosis. The results suggest that adding durvalumab to the FLOT regimen could significantly enhance patient outcomes, bringing hope for higher cure rates.

The study was sponsored by AstraZeneca, which manufactures durvalumab. Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, aligned with the industry-led nature of the research.

For more on this study, visit the published article in the New England Journal of Medicine and the ASCO annual meeting resources.