Trifluridine/tipiracil in the treatment of gastric cancer

Abstract

Trifluridine/tipiracil is a compound drug, approved in 2015 by the US FDA, and in 2016 by the EMA, for the treatment of chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancers, after the phase III RECOURSE trial demonstrated significant benefit. Another phase III trial (TAGS) showed significant improvement of overall survival and progression-free survival in refractory gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer, leading to further approval from the FDA on February 2019, followed by Japan in August 2019 and the EU in September 2019. As promising results have already been observed in the chemorefractory gastric and gastroesophageal-junction cancers, ongoing trials are assessing the use of trifluridine/tipiracil with other standard of care agents, aiming to further improve the survival rate of these patients.

Keywords: gastroesophageal junction cancer; gastrointestinal cancer; pharmacokinetics; trifluridine/tipiracil.