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Yoon-Koo Kang

Led the ATTRACTION-2 nivolumab trial and the SPOTLIGHT zolbetuximab trial, two of the defining gastric cancer studies of the decade.

Yoon-Koo Kang is a senior gastrointestinal oncologist at Asan Medical Center whose trials established nivolumab in late-line gastric cancer in Asia and zolbetuximab as the first Claudin 18.2-directed therapy; he also led imatinib and other GIST studies.

Role
Professor of Medical Oncology; gastric cancer and GIST
Specialisms
Gastric cancerGastrointestinal stromal tumourImmunotherapyClaudin 18.2

Papers

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TitleJournalYear
Nivolumab in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer refractory to two or more previous chemotherapy regimens (ATTRACTION-2)Lancet2017
Zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 in CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma (SPOTLIGHT)Lancet2023

Key papers

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rctThe Lancet 2023changed practice
SPOTLIGHT: zolbetuximab, the first Claudin 18.2 antibody, added to chemotherapy in gastric cancer

Patients with newly diagnosed advanced stomach cancer should now have Claudin 18.2 tested alongside HER2, PD-L1 and mismatch repair, because roughly a third will be eligible for zolbetuximab, which adds about three months of median survival. The main practical problem is nausea and vomiting during infusions, which needs aggressive prophylaxis. How to sequence or combine it with immunotherapy in PD-L1-positive tumours is unresolved.

Connected

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cancers

2
Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancerSarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST)

targets

3
Claudin 18.2KITPD-1

drugs

3
ApprovedSmall-molecule kinase inhibitor (BCR-ABL, KIT, PDGFRA)
Imatinib · Gleevec
ApprovedMonoclonal antibody (anti-PD-1)
Nivolumab · Opdivo / Opdivo Qvantig (SC)
ApprovedMonoclonal antibody (anti-Claudin 18.2)
Zolbetuximab · Vyloy

institutions

1
Asan Medical Center

trials

1
SPOTLIGHT & GLOW

key papers

1
SPOTLIGHT: zolbetuximab, the first Claudin 18.2 antibody, added to chemotherapy in gastric cancer