Regorafenib combined with programmed cell death-1 inhibitor against refractory colorectal cancer and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio’s prediction on effectiveness

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of regorafenib plus programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor in treating microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains controversial. AIM: To investigate the benefits of regorafenib combined with PD-1 inhibitor in treating MSS mCRC and explore indicators predicting response. METHODS: This retrospective study included a total of 30 patients with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer treated with regorafenib combined with programmed cell death-1 inhibitor at Henan Provincial People’s Hospital between December 2018 and December 2020. During a 4-wk treatment cycle, regorafenib was performed for 3 continuous weeks. PD-1 inhibitor was intravenously injected starting on the first day of the oral intake of regorafenib. We reviewed tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and evaluated association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and outcomes in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Stable disease and progressive disease were found in 18 (60.0%) and 12 (40.0%) patients, respectively. The disease control rate was 60.0%. The median follow-up time was 12.0 mo, and median PFS was 3.4 mo [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2-4.6 mo]. Of the 12 patients with progressive disease, 10 (83.3%) had liver metastasis before starting the combined treatment. Among the 18 patients with SD, 10 (55.6%) did not have liver metastases. One patient without liver metastases at baseline was found with a substantially prolonged PFS of 11.2 mo. The liver metastasis, the choice of programmed cell death-1 inhibitor other than nivolumab or pembrolizumab and previous exposure to regorafenib was’t associated with treatment outcome. The median PFS in the low-PLR group was 4.2 mo (95%CI: 3.5-4.9 mo), compared with 2.8 mo (95%CI: 1.4-4.2 mo) in the high-PLR group (P = 0.005). The major TRAEs included hand-foot syndrome (33.3%), hypertension (23.3%), malaise (20.0%), and gastrointestinal reaction (16.7%). The incidence of grade 3 TRAEs was 13.3% (4/30), which comprised abnormal capillary proliferation (n = 1), transaminase elevation (n = 1), and hand-foot syndrome (n = 2). No grade 4 or higher toxicity was observed. CONCLUSION: Regorafenib combined with PD-1 inhibitor could lead to a longer PFS in some patients with MSS mCRC. The PLR might be a prediction of the patient response to this therapy.