Ian Chau, ESMO 2018 – Insight into the RAINFALL Trial in Ramucirumab plus Chemotherapy

In his interview at ESMO 2018, Dr Ian Chau discusses the RAINFALL trial, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial to assess the combination of cisplatin plus capecitabine/5-fluorouracil chemotherapy with ramucirumab (a monoclonal antibody against VEGFR2) in patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. A total of 645 patients were randomised to cisplatin plus capecitabine/5-fluorouracil chemotherapy with ramucirumab, or cisplatin plus capecitabine/5-fluorouracil chemotherapy with placebo. Dr Chau explains the results of the trial and their implications, and provides an insight into the quality-of-life outcomes and how these are translated into clinical practice. He also discusses the limitations of the trial, which are largely geographical, based on the demographic of the disease and difference in standard of care between different countries. Finally, he suggests how the results of this trial, and other recent trials, may shape future of clinical trials with ramucirumab and the treatment landscape.

Questions:
1. Could you tell us a little about the rationale and design of the RAINFALL study? (0:11)
2. What were the main efficacy and safety findings of the study? (1:51)
3. What were the quality of life findings from the study? (2:44)
4. What were the limitations of this study (7:36)?
5. What are the next steps in the clinical development of ramucirumab in the second-line treatment of gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma? (8:55)

Speaker disclosures: Ian Chau has nothing to disclose in relation to this interview.

Filmed at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress, Munich, Germany, 19–23 October 2018.