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Cancer

Gastric Cancer Study Reveals New Insights into Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research conducted at the Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research has shed light on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced gastric cancer. The study, published in the ESMO Gastrointestinal Oncology journal, found that certain nutritional and inflammatory indices can predict the effectiveness of these treatments and patient prognosis. A combined score, developed by summing the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) and the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), was identified as a promising indicator of treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed 277 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received nivolumab as a third- or later-line treatment between June 2017 and May 2023.
  • Multivariate analysis revealed that several indices, including the mGPS and SII, were significantly associated with time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS) after adjustment for clinicopathological factors.
  • The combined score (CS), which sums the SII and mGPS, was associated with a shorter TTF and OS in patients with CS 1 or 2 compared to those with CS 0.
  • S. Udagawa, Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan, was a lead author on the study.
  • Additional authors include A. Ooki, H. Osumi, K. Yoshino, M. Tamba, K. Shimozaki, S. Fukuoka, T. Wakatsuki, M. Ogura, E. Shinozaki, K. Chin, and K. Yamaguchi.

Statistics:

  • 277 patients with advanced gastric cancer were analyzed in the study.
  • The study found that the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) were significantly associated with time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS).
  • The combined score (CS) was associated with a shorter TTF and OS in patients with CS 1 or 2 compared to those with CS 0 (TTF: hazard ratio (HR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.87, P = 0.03 for CS 1 and HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.49-2.80, P = 0.0001 for CS 2).

Sources:

  • Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
  • ESMO Gastrointestinal Oncology (Elsevier)
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.esmogo.2025.100177
  • Immunotherapy Weekly, July 2, 2025, p 3861.

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