Efficacy and survival of anti-PD-1 antibody in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy versus trastuzumab and chemotherapy as first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastasis gastric adenocarcinoma: a retrospective study

BackgroundThe KEYNOTE-811 study exhibited promising preliminary results for HER2-positive metastasis gastric adenocarcinoma; however, long-term survival benefit remains to be determined. MethodsIn this single-center, controlled, retrospective study, patients with histologically confirmed HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma received either anti-PD-1 antibody combined with trastuzumab and chemotherapy (cohort A) or trastuzumab and chemotherapy treatment (cohort B). The primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The secondary end points were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and duration of response (DoR). ResultsA total of 56 patients were eligible to join the study, with 30 patients in cohort A and 26 patients in cohort B. The median PFS (mPFS) was 16.2 months (95% CI, 15.093-17.307) in cohort A versus 14.5 months (95% CI, 9.491-19.509) in cohort B (p = 0.58). The median OS in cohort A was 28.1 months (95% CI, 17.625-38.575) versus 31.6 months (95% CI, 13.757-49.443) in cohort B (p = 0.534). ORRs were 66.7% and 50% in the two groups, respectively. DCRs were 90% and 84.6% in the two groups. Median DoR was not reached in cohort A and it was 16.3 (95% CI, 8.453-24.207) months in cohort B (p = 0.141). The most common irAEs were grade 1 hypothyroidism (33.3%) in cohort A. No treatment-related deaths occurred in this study. ConclusionsThis retrospective cohort study provided a preliminary picture on the long-term follow-up of combining anti-PD-1 antibody with trastuzumab and chemotherapy in HER2-positive GC, and a trend with longer DoR and ORR was identified. Further studies with larger sample sizes and more in-depth molecular investigation are needed.