Dr. Botta on Unmet Needs in the Salvage Setting of GI Cancers

Gregory Botta, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego Health (UCSD), discusses unmet needs in the salvage setting of gastrointestinal cancers.

A phase 1b trial (NCT04404595) is evaluating CT041, a Claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2)–specific CAR T-cell therapy as another potential treatment option for patients with advanced gastric or pancreatic cancer.

Limited treatment options currently exist in the salvage setting for patients with advanced disease in these populations, Botta says. Additionally, comorbidities that increase over time make treatment decisions more difficult, Botta explains. For example, the patients may lose the ability to eat or drink, Botta adds.

By shifting treatments into earlier settings, patients may be able to benefit from these therapies before developed comorbidities become an issue, and that could prolong the time until patients need to be on chemotherapy, Botta concludes.