Dr Wungki Park speaks to ecancer about the phase II GLEAM study, which evaluated zolbetuximab plus gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with claudin 18 isoform 2 (CLDN18.2)-positive metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

The study assessed whether targeting CLDN18.2 with zolbetuximab could improve outcomes when added to standard first-line chemotherapy in this patient population.

Dr Park explains that the trial did not meet its primary endpoint of improving overall survival compared with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel alone. Progression-free survival was also not improved with the addition of zolbetuximab.

He notes, however, that the study provides important insights into the biology of CLDN18.2-positive pancreatic cancer and the challenges of translating a validated therapeutic target in gastric cancer into pancreatic cancer.

Overall, Dr Park discusses the implications of the GLEAM findings for future research, including the need to better understand patient selection, tumour biology, and potential combination strategies for CLDN18.2-targeted treatment in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.