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. --- 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. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction01:23 - The MATTERHORN Study03:24 - PD-L1 Status and Clinical Implications07:09 - FORTITUDE-101 and 102 Studies: Discrepancies and Insights on FGFR2b Inhibition11:15 - LEAP-014 and 015 Studies: The Role of Lenvatinib14:57 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts --- RESOURCES Phase III MATTERHORN Studyhttps://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/matterhorn-durvalumab-chemotherapy-demonstrates-superior-efs-over-standard-care ESOPEC Phase III Trialhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4952147/ FORTITUDE-101 Trialhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05052801 FORTITUDE-102 Trialhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05111626 LEAP-014 Phase III Studyhttps://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.4_suppl.TPS367 LEAP-015 Studyhttps://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-25-00748