Dr. Eng Discusses Results of the PRODIGE 7 Trial

Cathy Eng, MD, professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses why the negative results of the PRODIGE 7 trial are beneficial moving forward.

Data from the phase III study presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting indicate that heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdomen during surgery had no survival benefit to patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. After a median follow-up of 63.8 months, the difference in overall survival (OS) was not statistically significant. Patients were randomized to receive an addition of hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) oxaliplatin heated to 43C in an attempt to increase efficacy.

Eng says that patients with metastatic colorectal cancer typically have a poor prognosis, and PRODIGE 7 was the first study in 15 years focusing on this setting. While the results of the trial were negative, she adds, it does highlight the need to focus on percutaneous coronary intervention scores for patients.