Phase I study of defactinib combined with pembrolizumab and gemcitabine in advanced cancer.

TPS505Background: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is consistently hyperactivated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and FAK signaling is a key driver in forming its fibrotic and proinflammatory tumor microenvironment. Inhibition of FAK signaling leads to significant reduction of pancreatic tumor growth in animal models. Indeed, tumors treated with FAK inhibitors displayed markedly reduced tumor fibrosis and decreased immunosuppressive myeloid cells. Furthermore, our preclinical work has demonstrated that FAK- and PD-1 inhibitors elicit significant tumor regression, and the maximal response was achieved by combining FAK- and PD-1 inhibitors with gemcitabine, suggesting the need for a cytotoxic agent to bolster antigen presentation (Jiang H et al, Nature Medicine 2016). Defactinib is an orally available, potent ATP-competitive, FAK inhibitor with a recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of 400 mg twice daily. Methods: Eligible patients will be treated according to the dose escalation schema. A 3+3 design is ...