Avapritinib in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor: case series and review of the literature from a tertiary care center in India

The therapeutic landscape in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor has evolved. Avapritinib and ripretinib have now been approved by the US FDA for platelet-derived growth factor alpha D842V-mutant and refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients, respectively. Here we report five patients who have been on avapritinib under an expanded access program. Response assessment was available for four patients – a partial response in two patients and stable disease in one, while one patient had progressive disease. Though preliminary results of the VOYAGER trial have shown less activity of avapritinib and no significant difference in progression-free survival when compared with regorafenib, avapritinib may show some clinical benefit in a subset of patients refractory to approved therapies. We share our experience of five cases, with clinical benefit in three. We believe avapritinib should be further evaluated in clinical trials.