Ep. 44 ESMO Update: Advances in Upper GI Malignancies with Dr. Jun Gong

The FLOT regimen is the standard-of-care for upper gastroesophageal malignancies, but what if there were other drug combinations or perioperative strategies that could further improve outcomes? In Part II of our ESMO 2025 recap, medical oncologists Dr. Jun Gong and Dr. Jonathan Mizrahi cover emerging studies and treatments in gastroesophageal cancers.

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SYNPOSIS

The discussion provides an overview of pivotal trials, including MATTERHORN, which demonstrated improved overall survival with durvalumab plus FLOT, and FORTITUDE-10, which highlights ongoing challenges in treatment efficacy with FGFR2b inhibitors. This episode also explores the role of lenvatinib-based combinations for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and practical considerations for integrating checkpoint inhibitors into real-world clinical practice.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction
01:23 - The MATTERHORN Study
03:24 - PD-L1 Status and Clinical Implications
07:09 - FORTITUDE-101 and 102 Studies: Discrepancies and Insights on FGFR2b Inhibition
11:15 - LEAP-014 and 015 Studies: The Role of Lenvatinib
14:57 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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RESOURCES

Phase III MATTERHORN Study
https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/matterhorn-durvalumab-chemotherapy-demonstrates-superior-efs-over-standard-care

ESOPEC Phase III Trial
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4952147/

FORTITUDE-101 Trial
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05052801

FORTITUDE-102 Trial
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05111626

LEAP-014 Phase III Study
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.4_suppl.TPS367

LEAP-015 Study
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-25-00748