Discussing the trial’s findings, Grant McArthur, Ph.D., of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in East Melbourne, Australia, said it was a very important study.
"Regorafenib is a very interesting inhibitor that is certainly worthwhile investigating in gastrointestinal stromal tumors," he said. "Clearly, this is a positive study and there’s no doubt that regorafenib is a viable third-line treatment option now for our patients."
Dr. McArthur added, however: "Best supportive care as the comparator is one standard of care. The alternative standard of care is continuation of a KIT tyrosine kinase inhibitor," which could perhaps be further investigated.
The GRID trial was sponsored by Bayer HealthCare AG. Dr. Demetri disclosed ties with Bayer, Deciphera, GlaxoSmithKline, Infinity, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche/Genentech. Dr. McArthur disclosed ties with Bristol-Myers-Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Millennium, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche/Genentech.