[68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT in Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junctional Cancer

Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title:

[68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT: The Dagnostic Accuracy for Primary Staging and Re-staging After Chemotherapy in Patients With Gastric and Gastro-esophageal Junctional Cancer

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05898854
• Other study ID #: EU CTIS no.: 2023-505916-40-01
• Secondary ID: 2023-505916-40-0
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: February 15, 2024
• Est. completion date: September 2035

Study information

• Verified date: February 2024
• Source: Aalborg University Hospital
• Contact: Morten Bentestuen, MD
• Phone: +45 97665500
• Email: m.bentestuen[@]rn.dk
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Twenty (n=20) patients with gastric cancer or gastro-esophageal junctional cancer will undergo FAPI PET/CTs in addition to routing diagnostic workup (including FDG PET/CT) at primary staging and restaging.

The FAPI PET/CT results will be compared to conventional imaging (including FDG PET/CT) using histopathology as reference standard, and the diagnostic accuracy will be determined. FAP-immunohistochemistry will be conducted in surgical specimens. FAPI PET/CT's impact on patient management and the prognostic value of FAPI PET/CT will be evaluated.

Description:

A new and promising PET-tracer in oncology has been developed; Gallium-68 labelled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI). In general, FAPI PET/CT delivers increased sensitivity compared to 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in cancer types of mesenchymal origin (i.e., sarcomas), and in cancers characterized by a large proportion of stromal cells such as gastric and pancreatic cancers. It is currently debated whether FAPI PET/CT will take over FDG PET/CTs well-established role in oncological PET/CT, but more studies are needed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy. The clinical interest in FAPI extends beyond the use as a diagnostic tool, as the 68Ga-isotope can be replaced by a β-emitting isotope, e.g., 177-Lu or 90-Y, enabling radionuclide therapy of FAPI-avid cancers.

In recent comparative studies of FDG- and FAPI PET/CT, all primary tumors of the stomach were detected on FAPI PET, whereas the reported detection rate on FDG PET ranged from 40% to 86%. Regarding metastases, FAPI PET/CT showed comparable or better detection rate for regional lymph nodes, but outperformed FDG PET/CT in the detection of peritoneal and other distant metastases. Re-staging with FAPI PET after chemotherapy has been attempted in only a handful of patients and seems feasible.

Even though the results of FAPI PET/CT compared to conventional imaging seem convincing, there are several limitations and therefore FAPI PET/CT is not yet implemented in cancer diagnostics.

The investigators are conducting a prospective explorative study complying with the Standard for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) criteria where 20 patients with gastric cancer or gastro-eophageal junctional cancer are recruited.

Study subject will undergo FAPI PET/CT at primary staging (before treatment, i.e., neoadjuvant chemotherapy or surgery) and at restaging (after neoadjuvant chemotherapy - before surgery) in addition to routing diagnostic workup (including FDG PET/CT). The FAPI PET/CT will be blinded and the choice of treatment will not be influence by the FAPI PET/CT results'. The additional scans will not interfere with or delay routine diagnostic workup or treatment.

The FAPI PET/CTs (at primary staging and restaging) will be compared to the corresponding FDG PET/CTs, and histopathology of biopsied material and surgical specimens will serve as reference standard. FAPI PET/CTs before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy will be assessed and compared to the FDG PET/CTs. FAP-immunohistochemistry will be conducted in surgical specimens. A tentative retrospective Multi-Disciplinary Team conference (MDT) will be arranged where treating clinicans are presented the FAPI PET/CT, and potential changes in patient management will be evaluated. This tentative MDT will not influence patient management. Follow up will be conducted for 10 years to evaluate the prognostic value of FAPI PET/CT.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: September 2035
• Est. primary completion date: January 1, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Newly diagnosed with biopsy verified gastric or GEJ cancer and referred to primary staging FDG PET/CT

• Deemed resectable and operable at the MDT, with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy

• Considered physically and mentally able to participate in the research project

• Can read and understand Danish

• 18-years or older and able to consent to project participation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with non-resectable, inoperable, or recurrent gastric or GEJ cancer

• Patients with an imminent need for surgery or in an emergency

• Known concurrent other malignancy within the previous 5 years other than non-melanoma skin cancer

• Patients not suited for surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery

• Subject weighing more than 180 kg (weight limit scanner) or unable to fit within the imaging gantry

• History of allergic reactions / hypersensitivity attributed to 18F-FDG or 68Ga-FAPI-46.

• Severe claustrophobia unresponsive to oral anxiolytics

• Subjects with any medical condition or other circumstances that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would significantly decrease the reliability of data, achievement of study objectives or completing the study.

• Pregnant, lactating, or breastfeeding women.

• Potential pregnant women of childbearing potential[1] not using effective contraceptives[2]. Potential pregnancy will be ascertained by a pregnancy test (urine humane choriogonadotropin (HCG) or serum HCG) < 48 hours before injection with 68Ga-FAPI-46.

• Inability to remain still for the duration of the examination

1. Women of childbearing potential are defined as all women physiologically capable of becoming pregnant, i.e., not sterilized (bilateral tubectomy/occlusion, hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy) and not post-menopausal. In cases of uncertain menopausal status, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and menstruation history can be assessed.

2. Effective contraceptives include sexual abstinence, vasectomized partner, combined hormonal contraception (oral, intravaginal, transdermal), progesterone-only contraceptive (oral, injectable, implantable), or working intrauterine device (hormonal, non-hormonal).

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cancer
• Gastric Cancer
• Stomach Neoplasms

Intervention

Drug:
• 68Ga-FAPi-46
Gastric or gatro-esophageal junction cancer patients undergo 68Ga-FAPi-46 PET/CT at primary staging and at restaging

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Denmark	Aalborg University Hospital	Aalborg	Region Nordjylland

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Aalborg University Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Denmark, 

References & Publications (15)

Alan-Selcuk N, Ergen S, Demirci E, Ocak M, Kabasakal L. [68Ga]DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging in a case of a signet ring cell carcinoma of stomach. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021 Dec;48(13):4523-4524. doi: 10.1007/s00259-021-05213-6. Epub 2021 Jun 19. No abstract available. — View Citation

Bentestuen M, Al-Obaydi N, Zacho HD. FAPI-avid nonmalignant PET/CT findings: An expedited systematic review. Semin Nucl Med. 2023 Sep;53(5):694-705. doi: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2023.02.001. Epub 2023 Feb 20. — View Citation

Bossuyt PM, Reitsma JB, Bruns DE, Gatsonis CA, Glasziou PP, Irwig L, Lijmer JG, Moher D, Rennie D, de Vet HC, Kressel HY, Rifai N, Golub RM, Altman DG, Hooft L, Korevaar DA, Cohen JF; STARD Group. STARD 2015: an updated list of essential items for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies. BMJ. 2015 Oct 28;351:h5527. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h5527. — View Citation

Dendl K, Schlittenhardt J, Staudinger F, Kratochwil C, Altmann A, Haberkorn U, Giesel FL. The Role of Fibroblast Activation Protein Ligands in Oncologic PET Imaging. PET Clin. 2021 Jul;16(3):341-351. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2021.03.012. — View Citation

Fan C, Guo W, Su G, Chen B, Chen H. Widespread Metastatic Gastric Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma Shown by 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med. 2021 Feb 1;46(2):e78-e79. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000003245. — View Citation

Gundogan C, Komek H, Can C, Yildirim OA, Kaplan I, Erdur E, Poyraz K, Guzel Y, Oruc Z, Cakabay B. Comparison of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT in the staging and restaging of gastric adenocarcinoma. Nucl Med Commun. 2022 Jan 1;43(1):64-72. doi: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000001489. — View Citation

Jiang D, Chen X, You Z, Wang H, Zhang X, Li X, Ren S, Huang Q, Hua F, Guan Y, Zhao J, Xie F. Comparison of [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 and [18F]-FDG for the detection of primary and metastatic lesions in patients with gastric cancer: a bicentric retrospective study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Jan;49(2):732-742. doi: 10.1007/s00259-021-05441-w. Epub 2021 Jul 23. — View Citation

Kessler L, Ferdinandus J, Hirmas N, Bauer S, Dirksen U, Zarrad F, Nader M, Chodyla M, Milosevic A, Umutlu L, Schuler M, Podleska LE, Schildhaus HU, Fendler WP, Hamacher R. 68Ga-FAPI as a Diagnostic Tool in Sarcoma: Data from the 68Ga-FAPI PET Prospective Observational Trial. J Nucl Med. 2022 Jan;63(1):89-95. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262096. Epub 2021 Apr 30. — View Citation

Kratochwil C, Flechsig P, Lindner T, Abderrahim L, Altmann A, Mier W, Adeberg S, Rathke H, Rohrich M, Winter H, Plinkert PK, Marme F, Lang M, Kauczor HU, Jager D, Debus J, Haberkorn U, Giesel FL. 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT: Tracer Uptake in 28 Different Kinds of Cancer. J Nucl Med. 2019 Jun;60(6):801-805. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.119.227967. Epub 2019 Apr 6. — View Citation

Lindner T, Loktev A, Altmann A, Giesel F, Kratochwil C, Debus J, Jager D, Mier W, Haberkorn U. Development of Quinoline-Based Theranostic Ligands for the Targeting of Fibroblast Activation Protein. J Nucl Med. 2018 Sep;59(9):1415-1422. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.118.210443. Epub 2018 Apr 6. — View Citation

Meyer C, Dahlbom M, Lindner T, Vauclin S, Mona C, Slavik R, Czernin J, Haberkorn U, Calais J. Radiation Dosimetry and Biodistribution of 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET Imaging in Cancer Patients. J Nucl Med. 2020 Aug;61(8):1171-1177. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.119.236786. Epub 2019 Dec 13. — View Citation

Pang Y, Zhao L, Luo Z, Hao B, Wu H, Lin Q, Sun L, Chen H. Comparison of 68Ga-FAPI and 18F-FDG Uptake in Gastric, Duodenal, and Colorectal Cancers. Radiology. 2021 Feb;298(2):393-402. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2020203275. Epub 2020 Dec 1. — View Citation

Qin C, Shao F, Gai Y, Liu Q, Ruan W, Liu F, Hu F, Lan X. 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/MR in the Evaluation of Gastric Carcinomas: Comparison with 18F-FDG PET/CT. J Nucl Med. 2022 Jan;63(1):81-88. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.120.258467. Epub 2021 Apr 16. — View Citation

Qin C, Song Y, Gai Y, Ruan W, Liu Q, Liu F, Zheng D, Zhang P, Liu H, Zhang T, Tao K, Lan X. Gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor PET in gastrointestinal cancer: insights into diagnosis and management. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Oct;49(12):4228-4240. doi: 10.1007/s00259-022-05847-0. Epub 2022 Jun 3. — View Citation

Rohrich M, Naumann P, Giesel FL, Choyke PL, Staudinger F, Wefers A, Liew DP, Kratochwil C, Rathke H, Liermann J, Herfarth K, Jager D, Debus J, Haberkorn U, Lang M, Koerber SA. Impact of 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT Imaging on the Therapeutic Management of Primary and Recurrent Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas. J Nucl Med. 2021 Jun 1;62(6):779-786. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.120.253062. Epub 2020 Oct 23. — View Citation

* Note: There are 15 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Diagnostic accuracy	Compare the FAPI PET/CT and FDG PET/CT findings in primary tumor, regional lymph nodes and distant metastases to a histopathological reference standard where the sensitivity, specificity, positive predicative value, and negative predicative values of the PET/CTs are determined, both at primary staging and at restaging	1.5 years
Primary	Staging	Compare the cancer stage (according to AJCC 8th edition TNM-classification) as determined by FAPI PET/CT compared to conventional imaging (including FDG PET/CT) at primary staging and at restaging (after neoadjuvant chemotherapy). The proportion of patients downstaged, unchanged stage, and upstaged, due to the added FAPI PET/CT are determined.	1.5 years
Primary	Patient management	Investigate what proportion of patients will be (hypothetically) treated differently due to an added FAPI PET/CT at primary staging and at restaging (after neoadjuvant chemotherapy) by the treating clinicians	1.5 - 2 years
Secondary	Uptake values	Standardized uptake value (SUV) and tumor to background ratio (TBR) values for primary, regional lymph nodes, and distant metastases for FAPI PET/CT and compare these values to FDG PET/CT, both at primary staging and at restaging (after neoadjuvant chemotherapy)	1.5 years
Secondary	Chemotherapy effect on uptake values	Changes in SUV and TBR in primary, regional lymph nodes, and distant metastases for FAPI PET/CT - from before to after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and compare these values to the FDG PET/CT parameters.	1.5 - 2 years
Secondary	Unexpected FAPI PET/CT findings	Seek supplementary information in medical records, biochemistry, pathology, or other imaging modalities for a final diagnosis/condition in cases of unexpected FAPI PET/CT findings not related to the known cancer	1 -2 years
Secondary	Interobserver readability	Conduct an interobserver study of FAPI PET/CTs performed in the present and other future FAPI PET/CT in cancers studies.	4 years
Secondary	Prognostic value	Investigate the prognostic value of FAPI PET/CT versus FDG PET/CT by conducting a 10 years follow up on included cancer patients. Overall survival (OS) and Recurrence free survival (RFS) will be estimated	10 years