Combining chemotherapy with Toripalimab for advanced gastric cancer

Perioperative S-1 Plus Oxaliplatin Combined With Toripalimab or Toripalimab Monotherapy Versus S-1 Plus Oxaliplatin for Treatment of dMMR Locally Advanced Gastric or Esophagogastric Junction Adenocarcinoma: a Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Study

This study is testing if combining a specific chemotherapy with Toripalimab can help people with advanced gastric cancer feel better and improve their treatment results.

Quick facts

• Phase: PHASE2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 80 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (other)
• Drugs / interventions: toriplimab, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, prednisone, toripalimab
• Locations: 8 sites (Hangzhou, Zhejiang and 7 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT05729646 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This phase II trial investigates the effectiveness of perioperative chemotherapy combined with Toripalimab in patients with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) locally advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the combination of SOX chemotherapy and Toripalimab or Toripalimab alone alongside the SOX regimen. The study aims to evaluate the efficacy of these treatment approaches in improving patient outcomes. It involves multiple centers and requires participants to provide baseline and surgical specimens for biomarker analysis.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 to 80 with histologically confirmed dMMR locally advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

Not a fit: Patients with non-dMMR adenocarcinoma or those with a poor performance status may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could improve survival rates and outcomes for patients with advanced gastric cancer.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown promising results with similar approaches in treating dMMR cancers, indicating potential for success.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Voluntary participation in the clinical study; fully understands and is informed of the study and has signed the Informed Consent Form (ICF).
2. Participants were ambulatory male or female. Age: ≥ 18 years and ≤ 80 years old.
3. Histopathologically confirmed gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.
4. Mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) adenocarcinoma, which was determined by immunohistochemistry (ICH) test of endoscopic biopsy specimen. dMMR was defined as loss of nuclear expression of one or more MMR proteins.
5. cT2-4bN+/-, M0 according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer and Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC-UICC) TNM classification for carcinoma of the stomach (8th edition).
6. Participants had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status scores of 0-1 within 7 days before the first dose of study treatment.
7. Life expectancy ≥ 6 months.
8. Agreement of providing baseline and surgical specimens for biomarker analysis.
9. The functions of the vital organs meet requirements as follows (within 14 days before the first dose of study treatment, meanwhile, participants had not received treatment of recombinant human thrombopoietin or granulocyte stimulating factor):

1). Hematological function#

-White blood cell count (WBC): 3.5 × 10\^9/L \~12.0 × 10\^9/L

-Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10\^9/L

-Platelet count (PLT) ≥ 100 × 10\^9/L

* Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥ 90g/L. 2). Hepatic function
* Total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (upper limit of normal); -Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN;
* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN;
* Albumin (ALB) ≥ 30g/L. 3). Renal function
* Creatinine (Cr) ≤ 1.5 × ULN, or creatinine clearance ≥ 60 ml / min for those with creatinine level \> 1.5 × ULN.

  4). Coagulation function#
  * International normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5;
  * Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN.

    10\. Female participants of childbearing age must meet requirements: urine or serum pregnancy test must be negative within 7 days before the first dose of study treatment, and she must agree to use adequate contraception methods or keep abstinence (starting with the ICF is signed through 120 days after the last dose of toriplimab, or 180 days after the last dose of chemotherapy, whichever is longer, and should not be breastfeeding. Male participants must meet requirements: agree to use adequate contraception methods or keep abstinence (starting with the ICF is signed through 120 days after the last dose of toriplimab, or 180 days after the last dose of chemotherapy, whichever is longer).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. HER2-positive status defined as either IHC score of 3+ or IHC 2+ with amplification proven by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) based on pretreatment endoscopic biopsies.
2. Prior systemic therapy for treatment of gastric cancer (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy).
3. Previous or concurrent have other active malignant tumors within the past 5 years (except for basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, superficial bladder cancer, prostate cancer or cervical cancer or breast cancer in situ that has undergone curative therapy).
4. Participants with gastric outlet obstruction, or unable to oral take, or severe gastrointestinal bleeding.
5. Myocardial infarction within 6 months before the first dose of study treatment, uncontrolled angina, arrhythmia which need medical intervention (including but not limited to cardiac pacemaker), congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV).
6. Existence of chronic diarrhea (watery diarrhea: ≥ 5 times per day).
7. Participants with active infection within 14 days before the first dose of study treatment which need medical intervention.
8. Participants with active tuberculosis.
9. Previous or concurrent diagnosed with interstitial lung disease by imaging or symptoms.
10. Any of the following test is positive: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) antibody, Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg), or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antibody.
11. Participants who need long-term systemic steroid therapy (\> 10 mg/d prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 14 days before the first dose of study treatment or during the study period.
12. Concurrent or previous have severe allergic reaction to any antibody- based drugs.
13. Existence of any concurrent autoimmune disease, excepting participants with diabetes mellitus type I, hypothyroidism requiring only hormone replacement therapy.
14. Receive live vaccines within 28 days before the first dose of study treatment or during the study period, excepting inactivated viral vaccines for seasonal influenza.
15. Known history of allogeneic organ transplantation and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
16. Existence of systemic disease that is difficult to control despite treatment with several agents, for example, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc.
17. Existence of other serious physical or mental diseases or serious laboratory abnormalities that may increase the risk of participating in the study. Participants who were judged unsuitable as subjects of this trial by investigator.

Where this trial is running

Hangzhou, Zhejiang and 7 other locations

• The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University — Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (RECRUITING)
• The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University — Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Huzhou Central Hospital — Huzhou, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Lishui Central Hospital — Lishui, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Ningbo First Hospital — Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Ningbo Medical Center LiHuiLi Hospital — Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Ningbo Second Hospital — Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Taizhou Hospital — Taizhou, Zhejiang, China (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Jiren Yu — First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University
• Study coordinator: Jiren Yu

Conditions: Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach, Adenocarcinoma of Esophagogastric Junction, Mismatch Repair Deficiency, Gastric Adenocarcinoma, Esophagogastric Junction Adenocarcinoma, Perioperative Chemotherapy, Toripalimab