Gastro-Intestinal Cancer

The UCT Mainz Program Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Cancer is based on a close collaboration between medical oncology, visceral surgery and radiooncology. In 2018, 178 surgeries for esophageal or gastric cancer, 146 liver resections for colorectal metastases as well as surgeries for 75 hepatobiliary, 76 pancreatic cancer and 207 colorectal cancer patients were performed. Within the UCT Mainz GI-oncology outpatient unit, more than 320 GI-cancer patients were newly diagnosed and treated.

• Clinical Research
• Translational Projects  
• Most significant publications 

Clinical Research

Clinical research activities involve the participation in >20 international research or AIO/EORTC studies, particularly in advanced esophago-gastric cancer, (     Moehler M., et al. Lancet. 2019). The clinical program is complemented by participation as national or international principal investigators in innovative immunotherapy studies (Moehler M., et al. Ann Oncol. 2018; Moehler M., et al. Oncoimmunology. 2019).

Translational Projects

Core projects in translational research include active participation in EORTC trials (EORTC 1607; 1741 and 1714) as well as the pre-clinical development of novel molecular GSK-3β inhibitors (M. Moehler; Patents EP09179986.6; EP09179984.1; EP10196865.9). In collaboration with TRON, the double- blinded randomized phase II "Muc1 vaccination after resection of colorectal liver metastases" was performed and a multicenter phase II study was initiated to investigate the effect of autologous dendritic cells vaccine and pembrolizumab in patients with colorectal cancer. Within the European consortium Horizon 2020, the multinational ONCORELIEF Project for innovative digital devices for surveillance of GI cancer and AML patients has been approved recently. Additionally, we currently evaluate a postoperative surveillance program in a Rhineland-Palatine-wide consortium with digital questionnaires for patient-related outcomes (PRO) for early diagnosis of recurrence.

Most significant publications since 2015

• Kelly, R.J., Ajani, J.A., Kuzdzal, J., Zander, T., Van Cutsem, E., Piessen, G., Mendez, G., Feliciano, J., Motoyama, S., Lièvre, A., Uronis, H., Elimova, E., Grootscholten, C., Geboes, K., Zafar, S., Snow, S., Ko, A.H., Feeney, K., Schenker, M., Kocon, P., Zhang, J., Zhu, L., Lei, M., Singh, P., Kondo, K., Cleary, J.M., Moehler, M. 2021. Adjuvant Nivolumab in Resected Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer. N Engl J Med. 384(13), 1191-1203. 

• Moehler, M., Maderer, A., Thuss-Patience, P.C., Brenner, B., Meiler, J., Ettrich, T.J., Hofheinz, R.D., Al-Batran, S.E., Vogel, A., Mueller, L., Lutz, M.P., Lordick, F., Alsina, M., Borchert, K., Greil, R., Eisterer, W., Schad, A., Slotta-Huspenina, J., Van Cutsem, E., Lorenzen, S. 2020. Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil with or without epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition panitumumab for patients with non-resectable, advanced or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell cancer: a prospective, open-label, randomised phase III AIO/EORTC trial (POWER). Ann Oncol. 31(2), 228-235.

• Al-Batran, S.E., Homann, N., Pauligk, C., Goetze, T.O., Meiler, J., Kasper, S., Kopp, H.G., Mayer, F., Haag, G.M., Luley, K., Lindig, U., Schmiegel, W., Pohl, M., Stoehlmacher, J., Folprecht, G., Probst, S., Prasnikar, N., Fischbach, W., Mahlberg, R., Trojan, J., Koenigsmann, M., Martens, U.M., Thuss-Patience, P., Egger, M., Block, A., Heinemann, V., Illerhaus, G., Moehler, M., Schenk, M., Kullmann, F., Behringer, D.M., Heike, M., Pink, D., Teschendorf, C., Lohr, C., Bernhard, H., Schuch, G., Rethwisch, V., von Weikersthal, L.F., Hartmann, J.T., Kneba, M., Daum, S., Schulmann, K., Weniger, J., Belle, S., Gaiser, T., Oduncu, F.S., Güntner, M., Hozaeel, W., Reichart, A., Jäger, E., Kraus, T., Mönig, S., Bechstein, W.O., Schuler, M., Schmalenberg, H., and Hofheinz, R.D. 2019. Perioperative chemotherapy with fluorouracil plus leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel versus fluorouracil or capecitabine plus cisplatin and epirubicin for locally advanced, resectable gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (FLOT4): a randomised, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet. 393, 1948-1957.

• Moehler, M., Heo, J., Lee, H.C., Tak, W.Y., Chao, Y., Paik, S.W., Yim, H.J., Byun, K.S., Baron, A., Ungerechts, G., Jonker, D., Ruo, L., Cho, M., Kaubisch, A., Wege, H., Merle, P., Ebert, O., Habersetzer, F., Blanc, J.F., Rosmorduc, O., Lencioni, R., Patt, R., Leen, A.M., Foerster, F., Homerin, M., Stojkowitz, N., Lusky, M., Limacher, J.M., Hennequi, M., Gaspar, N., McFadden, B., De Silva, N., Shen, D., Pelusio, A., Kirn, D.H., Breitbach, C.J., and Burke, J.M. 2019. Vaccinia-based oncolytic immunotherapy Pexastimogene Devacirepvec in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma after sorafenib failure: a randomized multicenter Phase IIb trial (TRAVERSE). Oncoimmunology. 8, 1615817.

• Bang Y.J., Ruiz E.Y., Van Cutsem E., Lee K.W., Wyrwicz L., Schenker M., Alsina M., Ryu M.H., Chung H.C., Evesque L., Al-Batran S.E., Park S.H., Lichinitser M., Boku N., Moehler M.H., Hong J., Xiong H., Hallwachs R., Conti I., Taieb J. 2018. Phase III, randomised trial of avelumab versus physician's choice of chemotherapy as third-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer: primary analysis of JAVELIN Gastric 300. Ann Oncol. 29(10), 2052-2060.

• Moehler, M., Mahlberg, R., Heinemann, V., Obermannová, R., Kubala, E., Melichar, B., Weinmann, A., Scigalla, P., Tesařová, M., Janda, P., Hédouin-Biville, F., Mansoor, W. 2017. Phase I study of orally administered S-1 in combination with epirubicin and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced solid tumors and chemotherapy-naïve advanced or metastatic esophagogastric cancer. Gastric Cancer. 20(2), 358-367. 

• André T., de Gramont A., Vernerey D., Chibaudel B., Bonnetain F., Tijeras-Raballand A., Scriva A., Hickish T., Tabernero J., Van Laethem J.L., Banzi M., Maartense E., Shmueli E., Carlsson G.U., Scheithauer W., Papamichael D., Moehler M., Landolfi S., Demetter P., Colote S., Tournigand C., Louvet C., Duval A., Fléjou J.F., de Gramont A.. 2015. Adjuvant Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin in Stage II to III Colon Cancer: Updated 10-Year Survival and Outcomes According to BRAF Mutation and Mismatch Repair Status of the MOSAIC Study. J Clin Oncol. 33(35):4176-87.