Dr. Kaubisch on the REACH Trials in HCC

Andreas Kaubisch, MD, associate attending physician, Montefiore Medical Center, and associate professor, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the phase III REACH and REACH-2 trials in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

In the REACH trial, investigators reported a small benefit with ramucirumab (Cyramza) versus placebo in patients with previously treated advanced HCC. The benefit was even more pronounced in patients who had an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) value of 400 ng/mL or higher.

The REACH-2 trial was designed to evaluate ramucirumab, specifically in patients with an AFP value of 400 ng/mL or higher. The benefit was modest, but statistically significant, says Kaubisch. These data served as the basis for the agent’s FDA approval as second-line therapy in this patient population in May 2019. As the drug was only recently approved, the field is still learning how to optimize its use in clinical practice, concludes Kaubisch.