Stomach cancer (gastric cancer), a malignancy originating from the stomach lining, remains a significant health concern in the US. In 2023, it’s estimated that 26,500 new cases will be diagnosed, accounting for 1.4% of all new cancer cases.
Stages of Stomach Cancer, Courtesy of Cancer Research UK
Although there are few targeted treatments available for stomach cancer patients, a new discovery could represent a real breakthrough.
An international clinical trial published in Nature has shown that a new targeted treatment called zolbetuximab, given in combination with chemotherapy, can slow the progression of the cancer thereby allowing patients to live longer.
A low 5-year survival rate
According to the WHO in 2020 Stomach cancer was the sixth most common cancer in the world in terms of new cases. Patients with cancer of the stomach or the junction between the esophagus and stomach, known as the gastroesophageal junction, generally show few symptoms in the early stages of the disease, so most are diagnosed after the cancer has progressed or become metastatic. According to the US National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate for patients with this stage of metastatic cancer is around 7 percent.
The treatment activates the immune system
Zolbetuximab is part of a group of monoclonal antibodies selected for their effectiveness in targeting a specific attacker and reproduced in the laboratory in large quantities so that it can be given to those who need it.
Zolbetuximab is administered intravenously and binds to claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2), a tight junction protein in the epithelium of the gastric mucosa, directly killing cancer cells and triggering the immune system to respond.
Related: The Prevalence of Stomach Cancer in People under 40 Has Increased Significantly
Zolbetuximab reduces the risk of death by 31%
The study was conducted between November 2018 and February 2022 at 166 centers in 18 countries. A total of 507 patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were followed up.
Zolbetuximab in combination with chemotherapy significantly increased patient survival and reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 31 percent compared to placebo and chemotherapy.
Furthermore, Zolbetuximab combined with chemotherapy significantly increased patient survival, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 31% compared with the combination of placebo and chemotherapy
These encouraging results, in addition to the results of another study, prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to give priority review to the manufacturer’s biologic license application and set a decision date of January 12, 2024.
If approved, zolbetuximab would be the first targeted therapy in the US for patients with gastric cancer.
Related: Taking Statins May Protect Us from Developing Cancer Study Shows
References
Shah, M.A., Shitara, K., Ajani, J.A. et al. Zolbetuximab plus CAPOX in CLDN18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: the randomized, phase 3 GLOW trial. Nat Med 29, 2133–2141 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02465-7
SEER. (n.d.). Cancer of the Stomach – Cancer Stat Facts. SEER. Retrieved August 28, 2023, from https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/stomach.html
FEEDBACK: