Key clinical point: Neoadjuvant treatment with apatinib in combination with oxaliplatin and capecitabine shows good response and a manageable safety profile in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction.
Major finding: The objective response rate was 78.1%. Pathological complete response and pathological response was achieved in 6.3% and 34.4% of the patients, respectively. The most common grade 3-4 treatment-emergent adverse events were hypertension (28.1%) and thrombocytopenia (21.9%).
Study details: This article reports a single-center, single-arm, phase 2 study of 32 patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction undergoing gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy who received neoadjuvant oxaliplatin, capecitabine, and apatinib.
Disclosures: This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors declared no competing interests.
Source: Tang Z et al. Neoadjuvant apatinib combined with oxaliplatin and capecitabine in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of stomach or gastroesophageal junction: a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial. BMC Med. 2022;20:107 (Apr 6). Doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02309-0