Gastrointestinal Cancers
Neuroendocrine tumor imaging updates
Guideline recommendations for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) using 177Lu- DOTA-0-Tyr3-Octreotate (DOTATATE) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) include 3-5 cycles with a dose ranging from 5.5-7.4 GBq per cycle with 6-12 weeks intervals [1]. While PET with radionuclide-labeled somatostatin analogs (SSAs) is mandatory before PRRT, interim PET imaging is not routinely recommended.
Novel early clinical approaches in solid tumors
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have proven to be effective in the clinic for patients with malignant B-cell tumors but their application for solid tumors is challenging. BNT211 is a novel therapeutic approach which comprises two components: CAR-T cells targeting the Claudin 6 (CLDN6) and a CLDN6-encoding CAR-T cell amplifying RNA vaccine (CARVac).
Promising therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer treatment
With more than 1.9 million new cases, colorectal cancer (CRC) accounted in 2020 for 10 % of all diagnosed cancers. CRC ranked third in terms of incidence and was the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with 935,000 estimated deaths in 2020. Over the last five years, clinical studies have shown that treatments specifically tailored to the molecular and pathological characteristics of the tumor improved overall survival.
Towards treating all stages of gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma
Gastric and esophagus cancers were the fifth and the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide in 2020, respectively. In the same year, these cancers ranked fourth and sixth in mortality, respectively. Most patients with gastric cancer/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GC/GEJA) present with inoperable or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis; resulting in a strong need for efficient and tolerable first-line (1L) and second-line (2L) treatments.
Update on the treatment for advanced HCC
With more than 900,000 newly diagnosed cases in 2020, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most frequent malignant disease with a high mortality rate of approximately 92 %. Current first-line treatment for advanced HCC includes atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, as well as the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) sorafenib and lenvatinib.
New clinical insights in hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) affected approximately 905,000 new diagnosed cases worldwide in 2020 and showed a high mortality rate. Current first-line treatment for advanced HCC includes atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, as well as the tyrosine kinase inhibitors sorafenib and lenvatinib. Previously reported data of the KEYNOTE-224 single-arm, non-randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase II study (NCT02702414) in advanced HCC have shown that pembrolizumab monotherapy has a durable antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in sorafenib-pretreated (cohort 1) and treatment-naive (cohort 2) patients.
New therapeutic options being currently investigated in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and it is the fourth most frequent cancer diagnosis.A current treatment option for RAS and BRAF wild-type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is the chemotherapy doublet (FOLFOX/FOLFIRI) with an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (cetuximab or panitumumab).
An update and future directions in advanced gastric or gastrointestinal junction cancer (G/GEJC)
With more than 1 million newly diagnosed cases in 2020, gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most frequent cancer; it was also the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer concerns a form of gastric cancer developing around the digestive tract where esophagus and stomach connect; in the last years, the prevalence of GEJ constantly increased.
