A Phase II, single arm Study of avelumab in combination with Axitinib in Patients with unresectable/metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor after failure of standard therapy - AXAGIST

This study is called AXAGIST, and it's looking into a new treatment approach for a type of cancer known as Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST). GIST is a relatively rare form of cancer that typically starts in the digestive tract. This specific trial is for patients whose GIST has either spread to other parts of the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed through surgery (unresectable), and importantly, for whom standard treatments have not worked or have stopped working.

The main goal of this study is to see if combining two existing medicines, avelumab (which you might know as Bavencio) and axitinib (also known as Inlyta), can help control the cancer. The researchers want to find out how many patients receiving this combination treatment will have their cancer stop growing for at least three months. This is an important step to understand if this new combination could be a useful way to fight GIST after other treatments have been tried.

Beyond just looking at how the cancer responds in the short term, the study will also track other important things. This includes how long patients live after starting the treatment, if their tumors shrink, how long any positive effects last, and whether the cancer is generally kept under control. Safety is also a top priority, so researchers will carefully monitor any side effects. They hope to learn more about how these drugs work together and if certain factors in a patient's blood or tissue can predict who might benefit most from this treatment.