Efficacy and Safety of the Anti-IL1RAP Antibody Nadunolimab (CAN04) in Combination with Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel in Patients with Advanced/Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Abstract

Purpose: IL1 pathway upregulation is implicated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression, therapy resistance, and survival. Nadunolimab is an IL1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP)-targeting antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity that blocks IL1α/IL1β signaling. We investigated efficacy and safety of nadunolimab in PDAC, in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN).

Patients and methods: Patients with previously untreated locally advanced/metastatic PDAC received nadunolimab (1.0-7.5 mg/kg) every 2 weeks with standard GN. The primary objective was safety; secondary objectives were antitumor response, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS). Correlations between serum and tumor biomarkers and clinical response were explored.

Results: Seventy-six patients were enrolled; the median age was 63 years (range, 43-89), 42% were female, 97% had metastatic disease, and 9% had received adjuvant chemotherapy. The most frequent grade ≥3 adverse event was neutropenia (66%), typically during cycle 1. Infusion-related reactions occurred in 29% (grade 3, 3%). Only 1 of the 76 patients had grade 3 or above peripheral neuropathy. No marked dose-dependent differences in safety or efficacy were observed among the four dose groups. The median OS was 13.2 months (95% confidence interval, 11.0-15.6), and the 1-year survival rate was 58%. The median immune PFS (immune Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours) was 7.1 months (95% confidence interval, 5.2-7.4). Treatment efficacy was higher in patients with high versus low tumor baseline IL1RAP expression (OS 14.2 vs. 10.6 months; P = 0.012). A reduction in serum IL8 on treatment correlated with prolonged OS.

Conclusions: Nadunolimab combined with GN shows promising efficacy and manageable safety in locally advanced/metastatic PDAC. Higher tumor baseline IL1RAP expression correlated with better outcome.