Single-arm, phase 2 study of regorafenib plus nivolumab in patients with mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR)/microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC).

Abstract

3560 Background: The role of immunotherapy in the treatment of pMMR/MSS metastatic CRC is not established. A Japanese phase 1b trial in this setting showed the combination of regorafenib (multikinase inhibitor with immunomodulatory activity) plus nivolumab (anti PD-1) had encouraging activity and manageable safety (Fukuoka, 2020). This study further assessed the safety and efficacy of this combination. Methods: Patients (pts) from the US aged ≥18 years who progressed on/were intolerant to standard chemotherapy were enrolled. Regorafenib was given orally, once daily in 28-day (D) cycles (21D on/7D off) plus IV nivolumab 480 mg on D1. Regorafenib starting dose was 80 mg; if well tolerated, it could be escalated to 120 mg in Cycle 2. Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR; RECIST 1.1); secondary aims included disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety (NCI-CTCAE v5.0 grade). Biomarker analysis was exploratory. Results: 70 pts (59% male) started treatment. At baseline, median age was 57 years (range 34–85), ECOG PS 0/1 was 51%/49%, 67% had liver metastases (mets), and the primary tumor site was right-sided colon in 36% and rectum in 17%. Median number of cycles was 3.0 (range 1–13); 41% of pts escalated regorafenib to 120 mg. Five pts (7.1%) had a partial response (PR) lasting ≥16 weeks (wks) and 22 (31.4%) had stable disease (SD); pts without liver mets had a higher ORR (21.7%). In pts with tumor samples (n = 40), higher baseline expression (IHC) of cytotoxic T cells (CD3+/CD8+/GranzymeB+), Tregs (FoxP3+), and macrophages (CD68+) trended with clinical benefit (PR/SD ≥16 wks/PFS); pts with liver mets had lower expression. Lower plasma levels of biomarkers of vascular biology (e.g. VEGF-D, Ang-2, VWF) trended with longer PFS. Grade (Gr) 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) occurred in 53% of pts and Gr 4 in 10%. Three pts had a Gr 5 TEAE: n = 1 related to the combination (sepsis); n = 1 related to nivolumab only by investigator (sepsis); n = 1 unrelated to treatment (respiratory failure). Most common Gr 3/4 TEAEs: maculopapular rash (14%), fatigue (7%), pneumonia (6%), increased bilirubin (6%). Conclusions: Combination treatment with regorafenib (up to 120 mg/day) and nivolumab (480 mg every 28D) has manageable safety. Efficacy of this combination in the North American population did not emulate results in the Japanese population. Absence of liver mets and expression of specific biomarkers indicate a better response and may warrant further analysis. Clinical trial information: NCT04126733. [Table: see text]