BETWEEN: Biweekly Bevacizumab + Trifluridine/Tipiracil to Reduce Grade 3-4 Neutropenia in mCRC Patients

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
• Interventions: Drug: Trifluridine/tipiracil; Drug: Bevacizumab

• Registration Number: NCT07071844
• Lead Sponsor: GERCOR - Multidisciplinary Oncology Cooperative Group

Brief Summary

This study was design to:

* To assess the impact of a biweekly (experimental arm) compared to a conventional administration (control arm) on the rate of grade 3-4 neutropenia in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab, and

* To identify predictive clinical and biological factors for grade 3-4 neutropenia in this patient population.

Detailed Description

Trifluridine/tipiracil is effective in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), as shown in phase III trials, including SUNLIGHT, which demonstrated improved PFS and OS when combined with bevacizumab, setting a new third-line standard. However, this combination raises grade 3-4 neutropenia rates to 43-66%, often leading to dose reductions or delays. A biweekly regimen tested in a small phase II trial showed reduced neutropenia (15.9%) but limited generalizability. Neutropenia remains a major concern, with 9.5% mortality. G-CSF may help manage risk, especially in high-risk patients (LONGBOARD).

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-06-19
• Status Verified: 2025-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-07-15
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-07-15
• Study First Posted: 2025-07-17
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-17
• Study Start: 2025-09-01
• Primary Completion: 2028-12
• Study Completion: 2029-12-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 162

Inclusion Criteria

1. Signed and dated informed consent,
2. Patients willing and able to comply with protocol requirements,
3. Age ≥ 18 years,
4. ECOG PS 0-1,
5. Histologically proven colorectal adenocarcinoma,
6. Stage IV disease,
7. Previous chemotherapy regimens with each of the following agents: fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, anti-VEGF therapy (bevacizumab, aflibercept, and anti-EGFR therapy (cetuximab or panitumumab for tumors with RAS and/or BRAF wild-type),
8. Tumor assessment (CT-scan or MRI) no later than 21 days prior to treatment - at least one measurable or evaluable lesion as assessed by computed tomography (CT)-scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) according to RECIST,
9. Known BRAF and RAS mutational status, and microsatellite instability/mismatch repair deficiency (MSI/dMMR) status,
10. Have life expectancy of at least 3 months,
11. Adequate hematologic function: neutrophils >1.5 x 10^9/L; platelets >100 x 10^9/L; hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL,
12. Adequate renal function: Calculated (regardless of the calculation method) creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≥30 mL/min), proteinuria < 2+ (dipstick urinalysis) or ≤1g / 24h,
13. Adequate liver function: aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 x upper limit normal (ULN; ≤5 x ULN in case of liver metastasis), total bilirubin ≤1.5 x ULN (<2 x ULN if hyperbilirubinemia is due to Gilbert's syndrome), albumin ≥25 g/L,
14. Clinical and blood baseline evaluations no later than 14 days prior to treatment,
15. Ability to swallow oral tablets,
16. Women must be surgically sterile or postmenopausal, or not be pregnant, breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive during the study. Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to starting trifluridine/tipiracil treatment. WOCBP must agree to use an adequate method of contraception or birth control for the duration of study treatment and least 6 months (trifluridine/tipiracil, bevacizumab) after the last dose of the study treatment,
17. Males who are fertile and sexually active with WOCBP must agree to follow instructions for method(s) of contraception for the duration of study treatment and at least 6 months (trifluridine/tipiracil, bevacizumab) after the last dose of the study treatment.
18. Is willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment schedule, laboratory tests, tumor biopsies, and other requirements of the study,
19. Registration with the French National Health Care System or PUMA (Protection Universelle Maladie).

Exclusion Criteria

1. ECOG PS 2,

2. Medical history or evidence of CNS metastasis upon physical examination, unless adequately treated (e.g., non-irradiated CNS metastasis, seizure not controlled with standard medical therapy, patients are stable without evidence of progression for at least 28 days prior to inclusion),

3. Local or locally advanced disease (stage I to III),

4. Concomitant unplanned antitumor therapy (e.g., chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy),

5. Unresolved grade ≥3 non-hematologic toxicity related to previous chemotherapy regimen (excluding alopecia and skin pigmentation),

6. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency (uracilemia dosage >16 ng/ml); Uracilemia dosing results must be available before inclusion,

7. Treatment with warfarin,

8. Treatment with any other investigational medicinal product (IMP) within 28 days prior to inclusion,

9. Symptomatic carcinomatosis with occlusive symptoms or ascites requiring paracentesis,

10. Other serious and uncontrolled non-malignant disease (e.g., active infection requiring systemic therapy, coronary stenting or myocardial infarction, or stroke in the past 6 months prior inclusion),

11. Severe or uncontrolled active acute or chronic infection,

12. Major surgery within 28 days (4 weeks) prior to inclusion,

13. Gastrointestinal disease that could potentially interfere with study drug absorption,

14. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or cardiac arrhythmia,

15. Active (or history of) interstitial lung disease or pulmonary hypertension,

16. Major adverse cardiovascular event within 6 months prior to inclusion,

17. Severe/unstable angina, or NYHA class III or IV heart failure,

18. Systemic immunosuppressive therapy, except steroids given prophylactically or at chronic low dosage (≤20 mg/day prednisone equivalent),

19. Radiotherapy within 28 days (4 weeks) before randomization, except for palliation,

20. Serious nonhealing wound, ulcer or bone fracture,

21. Deep vein thromboembolic event within 28 days (4 weeks) prior to inclusion,

22. Known clinically relevant coagulopathy, bleeding diathesis or bleeding event within 28 days (4 weeks) prior to inclusion,

23. Malignant disease other than mCRC,

24. Other concomitant or previous malignancy, except i/ adequately treated in-situ carcinoma of the uterine cervix, ii/ basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, iii/ cancer in complete remission for >5 years,

25. Rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.

    Note: In patients who have previously received or are receiving intravenous bisphosphonates, invasive dental procedures should be avoided, if possible.

    Note: Caution is required when using medicinal products that are human thymidine kinase substrates, e.g., zidovudine. Such medicinal products, if used concomitantly with trifluridine/tipiracil, may compete with the effector, trifluridine, for activation via thymidine kinases. Therefore, when using antiviral medicinal products that are human thymidine kinase substrates, monitor for possible decreased efficacy of the antiviral medicinal product, and consider switching to an alternative antiviral medicinal product that is not a human thymidine kinase substrate, such as lamivudine, didanosine, and abacavir.

    Note: It is unknown whether trifluridine/tipiracil may reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives. Therefore, women using hormonal contraceptive must also use a barrier contraceptive method.

26. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients or otherwise known to be HIV-positive,

27. Untreated hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV),

28. Concomitant administration of prophylactic phenytoin and live attenuated virus vaccine such as yellow fever vaccine 28 days (4 weeks) prior to treatment,

29. Impossibility of submitting to the medical follow-up of the study for geographical, social, or psychiatric illness,

30. Under legal protection regime (guardianship, curatorship, judicial safeguard) or administrative decision or incapability of giving consent.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Arm A (experimental) - Trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab biweekly administration	Trifluridine/tipiracil	Trifluridine/tipiracil: 35 mg/m², twice daily (BId) orally, on days 1-5 and days 15-19; 1 cycle every 28 days. + Bevacizumab: 5 mg/kg intravenously (IV) on day 1 and day 15; 1 cycle every 28 days.
Arm B (control) - Trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab conventional administration	Trifluridine/tipiracil	Trifluridine/tipiracil: 35 mg/m² Bid orally on days 1-5 and days 8-12; 1 cycle every 28 days. + Bevacizumab: 5 mg/kg IV on day 1 and day 15; 1 cycle every 28 days.
Arm A (experimental) - Trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab biweekly administration	Bevacizumab	Trifluridine/tipiracil: 35 mg/m², twice daily (BId) orally, on days 1-5 and days 15-19; 1 cycle every 28 days. + Bevacizumab: 5 mg/kg intravenously (IV) on day 1 and day 15; 1 cycle every 28 days.
Arm B (control) - Trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab conventional administration	Bevacizumab	Trifluridine/tipiracil: 35 mg/m² Bid orally on days 1-5 and days 8-12; 1 cycle every 28 days. + Bevacizumab: 5 mg/kg IV on day 1 and day 15; 1 cycle every 28 days.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The occurrence of at least one grade 3-4 neutropenia	From randomization up to 14 days after the end of treatment	The occurrence of 3-4 neutropenia in mCRC patients undergoing treatment with the combination of bevacizumab and bi-weekly administration of trifluridine/tipiracil (experimental arm) compared to a conventional administration (control arm).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Overall survival (OS)	From the date of randomization to the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 3 years	OS in both arms; calculated from the date of randomization to the date of death from any cause.
Progression-free survival (PFS)	From randomization to the date of the first documented disease progression or death due to any cause, up to 3 years	PFS in both arms; defined as the time from randomization to the date of the first documented PD determined by the Investigator assessment by RECIST 1.1 or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first
Best overall response (BOR)	From randomization to the date of progression, death or subsequent anti-cancer therapy, up to 3 years	BOR according to Response Evaluation Criteria Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 in both arms; defined as the best response designation (CR, PR, SD or PD), evaluated on all radiological evaluations available and related to study treatment period.
Disease control rate (DCR)	Up to achievement of best overall response (BOR) of CR or PR or SD, up to 3 years	DCR in both arms according to RECIST v1.1; defined as at least a CR, PR or SD radiological evaluation designation on all radiological evaluations available and related to study treatment period.
Incidence and grade of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) [Safety and tolerability]	Assessed 28 days after the last administration of treatment or after the end of the treatment visit	Incidence and grade of AEs and SAEs, according to NCI-CTCAE v 5.0 in both arms
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) deterioration	Time from baseline up to 3 years	ECOG PS deterioration is defined as the first increase of at least one point from baseline. The ECOG PS scale ranges from 0 (fully active, asymptomatic) to 4 (completely bedridden), with higher scores indicating worse functional status and poorer prognosis.

Trial Locations

Locations (10)

CHU Amiens; 🇫🇷 Amiens, France

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire -Besançon; 🇫🇷 Besançon, France

Centre François Baclesse; 🇫🇷 Caen, France

Centre Hospitalier Departemental Vendee - Site Des Oudairies; 🇫🇷 La Roche-sur-Yon, France

Centre Hospitaler Universitaire de Lille; 🇫🇷 Lille, France

Hôpital privé Jean MERMOZ; 🇫🇷 Lyon, France

CHU Saint-Antoine; 🇫🇷 Paris, France

Institut Saint Catherine; 🇫🇷 Paris, France

CHU de BORDEAUX Hôpital HAUT-LEVEQUE; 🇫🇷 Pessac, France

Institut de cancérologie Strasbourg Europe; 🇫🇷 Strasbourg, France