Efficacy of Ipilimumab vs FOLFOX in Combination With Nivolumab and Trastuzumab in Patients With Previously Untreated ERBB2-Positive Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma: The AIO INTEGA Randomized Clinical Trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Efficacy of Ipilimumab vs FOLFOX in Combination With Nivolumab and Trastuzumab in Patients With Previously Untreated ERBB2-Positive Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma: The AIO INTEGA Randomized Clinical Trial

AU - Stein, Alexander

AU - Paschold, Lisa

AU - Tintelnot, Joseph

AU - Goekkurt, Eray

AU - Henkes, Svenja-Sibylla

AU - Simnica, Donjete

AU - Schultheiss, Christoph

AU - Willscher, Edith

AU - Bauer, Marcus

AU - Wickenhauser, Claudia

AU - Thuss-Patience, Peter

AU - Lorenzen, Sylvie

AU - Ettrich, Thomas

AU - Riera-Knorrenschild, Jorge

AU - Jacobasch, Lutz

AU - Kretzschmar, Albrecht

AU - Kubicka, Stefan

AU - Al-Batran, Salah-Eddin

AU - Reinacher-Schick, Anke

AU - Pink, Daniel

AU - Sinn, Marianne

AU - Lindig, Udo

AU - Hiegl, Wolfgang

AU - Hinke, Axel

AU - Hegewisch-Becker, Susanna

AU - Binder, Mascha

PY - 2022/8/1

Y1 - 2022/8/1

N2 - Importance: In metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EGA), the addition of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors to chemotherapy has improved outcomes in selected patient populations.Objective: To investigate the efficacy of trastuzumab and PD-1 inhibitors with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors or FOLFOX in first-line treatment of advanced ERBB2-positive EGA.Design, Setting, and Participants: This phase 2 multicenter, outpatient, randomized clinical trial with 2 experimental arms compared with historical control individually was conducted between March 2018 and May 2020 across 21 German sites. The reported results are based on a median follow-up of 14.3 months. Patients with previously untreated, metastatic ERBB2-positive (local immunohistochemistry score of 3+ or 2+/in situ hybridization amplification positive) EGA, adequate organ function, and eligibility for immunotherapy were included. Data analysis was performed from June to September 2021.Interventions: Patients were randomized to trastuzumab and nivolumab (1 mg/kg × 4/240 mg for up to 12 months) in combination with mFOLFOX6 (FOLFOX arm) or ipilimumab (3 mg/kg × 4 for up to 12 weeks) (ipilimumab arm).Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was survival improvement with a targeted increase of the 12-month overall survival rate from 55% (trastuzumab/chemotherapy-ToGA regimen) to 70% in each arm.Results: A total of 97 patients were enrolled, and 88 were randomized (18 women, 70 men; median [range] age, 61 [41-80] years). Baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0 in 54 patients (61%) and 1 in 34 patients (39%); 66 patients (75%) had EGA localized in the esophagogastric junction and 22 in the stomach (25%). Central post hoc biomarker analysis (84 patients) showed PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score of 1 or greater in 59 patients (72%) and 5 or greater in 46 patients (56%) and confirmed ERBB2 positivity in 76 patients. The observed overall survival rate at 12 months was 70% (95% CI, 54%-81%) with FOLFOX and 57% (95% CI, 41%-71%) with ipilimumab. Treatment-related grade 3 or greater adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs occurred in 29 and 15 patients in the FOLFOX arm and in 20 and 17 patients in the ipilimumab arm, respectively, with a higher incidence of autoimmune-related AEs in the ipilimumab arm and neuropathy in the FOLFOX arm. Liquid biopsy analyses showed strong correlation of early cell-free DNA increase with shorter progression-free and overall survival and emergence of truncating and epitope-loss ERBB2 resistance sequence variations with trastuzumab treatment.Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, trastuzumab, nivolumab, and FOLFOX showed favorable efficacy compared with historical data and trastuzumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab in ERBB2-positive EGA. The ipilimumab arm yielded similar OS compared with the ToGA regimen.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03409848.

AB - Importance: In metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EGA), the addition of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors to chemotherapy has improved outcomes in selected patient populations.Objective: To investigate the efficacy of trastuzumab and PD-1 inhibitors with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors or FOLFOX in first-line treatment of advanced ERBB2-positive EGA.Design, Setting, and Participants: This phase 2 multicenter, outpatient, randomized clinical trial with 2 experimental arms compared with historical control individually was conducted between March 2018 and May 2020 across 21 German sites. The reported results are based on a median follow-up of 14.3 months. Patients with previously untreated, metastatic ERBB2-positive (local immunohistochemistry score of 3+ or 2+/in situ hybridization amplification positive) EGA, adequate organ function, and eligibility for immunotherapy were included. Data analysis was performed from June to September 2021.Interventions: Patients were randomized to trastuzumab and nivolumab (1 mg/kg × 4/240 mg for up to 12 months) in combination with mFOLFOX6 (FOLFOX arm) or ipilimumab (3 mg/kg × 4 for up to 12 weeks) (ipilimumab arm).Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was survival improvement with a targeted increase of the 12-month overall survival rate from 55% (trastuzumab/chemotherapy-ToGA regimen) to 70% in each arm.Results: A total of 97 patients were enrolled, and 88 were randomized (18 women, 70 men; median [range] age, 61 [41-80] years). Baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0 in 54 patients (61%) and 1 in 34 patients (39%); 66 patients (75%) had EGA localized in the esophagogastric junction and 22 in the stomach (25%). Central post hoc biomarker analysis (84 patients) showed PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score of 1 or greater in 59 patients (72%) and 5 or greater in 46 patients (56%) and confirmed ERBB2 positivity in 76 patients. The observed overall survival rate at 12 months was 70% (95% CI, 54%-81%) with FOLFOX and 57% (95% CI, 41%-71%) with ipilimumab. Treatment-related grade 3 or greater adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs occurred in 29 and 15 patients in the FOLFOX arm and in 20 and 17 patients in the ipilimumab arm, respectively, with a higher incidence of autoimmune-related AEs in the ipilimumab arm and neuropathy in the FOLFOX arm. Liquid biopsy analyses showed strong correlation of early cell-free DNA increase with shorter progression-free and overall survival and emergence of truncating and epitope-loss ERBB2 resistance sequence variations with trastuzumab treatment.Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, trastuzumab, nivolumab, and FOLFOX showed favorable efficacy compared with historical data and trastuzumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab in ERBB2-positive EGA. The ipilimumab arm yielded similar OS compared with the ToGA regimen.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03409848.

U2 - 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.2228

DO - 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.2228

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 35737383

VL - 8

SP - 1150

EP - 1158

JO - JAMA ONCOL

JF - JAMA ONCOL

SN - 2374-2437

IS - 8

ER -