Medicine

Immunotherapy combo boosts survival in patients with resectable gastric cancer

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ImmunotherapyChemotherapyCancer treatment

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The MATTERHORN phase 3 trial evaluated adding durvalumab (an immunotherapy drug) to standard FLOT chemotherapy (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) for patients with resectable gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The study found that perioperative durvalumab plus FLOT significantly improved overall survival compared to placebo plus FLOT in this patient population. Based on these results, the combination represents a new standard treatment option for patients with this type of cancer who can undergo surgical resection.


This trial establishes a new treatment standard that could extend survival for patients with gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction cancers, which are often diagnosed at advanced stages and have limited treatment options. The addition of immunotherapy to existing chemotherapy regimens in the perioperative setting may change clinical practice guidelines globally for this patient population.


Perioperative durvalumab plus FLOT improved overall survival versus placebo plus FLOT and is a new standard treatment option for patients with resectable gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Source: [Articles] Perioperative durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel for resectable gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (MATTERHORN): final results of overall survival and event-free survival by pathological response in a global, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 3 trial