Bintrafusp Alfa, a Bifunctional Fusion Protein Targeting TGF-β and PD-L1, in Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Results from a Phase 1 Cohort

Background Esophageal adenocarcinoma patients have limited treatment options. TGF-beta can be upregulated in esophageal adenocarcinoma, and blocking this pathway may enhance clinical response to PD-(L)1 inhibitors. Bintrafusp alfa is a first-in-class bifunctional fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of the TGF-beta RII receptor (a TGF-beta trap) fused to a human IgG1 mAb blocking PD-L1. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of bintrafusp alfa in patients with advanced, post-platinum esophageal adenocarcinoma, unselected for PD-L1 expression. Patients and Methods In this phase 1 study, patients with post-platinum, PD-L1-unselected esophageal adenocarcinoma received bintrafusp alfa 1200 mg every 2 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was confirmed best overall response per RECIST 1.1 by independent review committee (IRC). Results By the database cutoff of 24 August 2018, 30 patients (80.0% had two or more prior anticancer regimens) received bintrafusp alfa for a median of 6.1 weeks. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) per IRC was 20.0% (95% CI 7.7-38.6); responses lasted 1.3-8.3 months. Most responses (83.3%) occurred in tumors with an immune-excluded phenotype. Investigator-assessed confirmed ORR was 13.3% (95% CI 3.8-30.7). Nineteen patients (63.3%) had treatment-related adverse events: seven patients (23.3%) had grade 3 events; no grade 4 events or treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions Bintrafusp alfa showed signs of clinical efficacy with a manageable safety profile in patients with heavily pretreated, advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Automated summary

Esophageal adenocarcinoma patients with limited treatment options may benefit from blocking the TGF-beta pathway with Bintrafusp alfa, which showed signs of clinical efficacy and manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated, advanced patients unselected for PD-L1 expression.