This is a hypothesis driven, open label, single-arm, multiple centers, Phase II trial. The trial has been designed to prove or disprove whether a rechallenge with panitumumab can achieve an objective response rate (ORR= CR+PR) of 30% or more in a population of RAS wild type mCRC patients selected on the basis of RAS extended clonal evolution in their plasma.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the European Union. In the last decade, substantial advances in the treatment of the metastatic disease (mCRC) have more than doubled overall survival (OS) from 12 months to 30 months due to the refinement of fluoropirimidine-based chemotherapy and the introduction of antiangiogenics and targeted therapies. Pharmacologic blockade of the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) with specific monoclonal antibodies, namely, cetuximab and panitumumab, represents the mainstay of tumour targeted therapy for mCRC in patients with tumors not harboring extended RAS pathway mutations (KRAS, NRAS, or BRAF). Such alterations, which constitutively activate typical EGFR downstream transducers, have been shown to trigger substitute survival pathways that bypass therapeutic blockade of EGFR signalling, thus abating the efficacy of anti-EGFR antibodies ("primary resistance"). Even when response to anti-EGFR therapy occurs in the context of appropriate molecular selection, acquired ("secondary") resistance inevitably arises in all cases. Our group has extensively studied this phenomenon and has shown that extended-RAS alterations are the principal culprit of anti EGFR acquired resistance, and that altered RAS clones decay upon anti-EGFR treatment withdrawal, while tumor cells regain sensitivity to anti EGFR treatment. We have also documented that ctDNA profiles of individuals who benefit from multiple challenges with anti-EGFR antibodies, exhibit pulsatile levels of mutant KRAS. Collectively, these results indicate that the CRC genome adapts dynamically to intermittent anti-EGFR drug schedules, and provide a molecular explanation for the efficacy of re-challenge therapies based on EGFR blockade. Our results also give experimental support to the empirical-based clinical benefit observed, following cetuximab or panitumumab rechallenge in two small series of originally KRAS exon 2 wild type mCRC patients. We propose to assess the efficacy and safety of re-challenging with panitumumab RAS-extend wild type mCRC patients with ctDNA-confirmed secondary resistance to anti EGFR treatment, after progression on second or further lines chemotherapy. As proof-of-concept, patients will be blood monitored throughout their therapeutic itinerary for the presence of extended-RAS alterations and EGFR-ectodomain mutations by ctDNA determination (liquid biopsy). We also include in our ddPCR panel 7 different EGFR extracellular domain (ECD) mutations as they occur in 15-20% of patients who acquired resistance to anti-EGFR drugs.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
32
Panitumumab 6 mg/kg in 100 cc 0.9% NaCl solution on Day 1 every two weeks by IV administration over 1 hour.
Patients without plasmatic evidence of potentially resistant clones harbouring RAS or EGFR-ectodomain mutations in the RML liquid biopsy, will be molecular eligible for the trial phase
Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS
Milan, Via Giacomo Venezian, 1, Italy
Fondazione del Piemonte per l'Oncologia - IRCCS
Candiolo, Italy
Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda
Milan, Italy
Istituto Oncologico Veneto - IRCCS
Padua, Italy
Overall response rate (ORR) to panitumumab according to RECIST v1.1.
Main objective of the study is the evaluation of objective response rate according to RECIST 1.1 criteria
Time frame: Tumor assessments every 8 weeks from date of enrollment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 48 months
Progression Free Survival
PFS is defined as the time from first treatment to the time of disease progression
Time frame: every 2 weeks from date of enrollment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 48 months
Overall Survival
OS is defined as the length of time from the start of treatment to death from any cause
Time frame: every 2 weeks from date of enrollment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 48 months
Toxicity according to CTCAE version 4.03.
Toxicity will be assessed using the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03 (CTCAE).
Time frame: every 2 weeks from date of enrollment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 48 months
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