Recruitment of gastrointestinal cancer patients via PLATON Network: An interactive precision oncology platform

The success of targeted therapies can be evaluated via clinical trials with a wide range of patient cohorts. On the other hand, patient enrolment is one of the main limiting factors in study designs. Hence, a new patient recruitment strategy is needed in precision oncology. The PLATON Network (NCT05489250, IKF-T008) is designed to increase the access of patients to precision oncology and personalized medicine by undertaking not only molecular profiling but also interlinking patients, physicians and researchers using high standard data collection methods with a web-based infrastructure, which would increase the likelihood of providing new therapies to patients with suitable targets.

The primary aim of the PLATON Network (PLATON) is to improve personalized medicine for all tumor entities, especially upper gastrointestinal (GI) tumors. PLATON Network provides an interactive platform to connect medical practitioners, researchers and patients for increasing knowledge and access to personalized cancer treatments. The platform provides comprehensive molecular profiling, data on active clinical trials, remote data access with networking solutions, web-based educational and discussion forums and options to implement multiple substudies. PLATON is conducted by the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research (IKF) in Frankfurt with the supervision of an independent scientific steering committee. Specific platform-study design, an interactive cloud-based WebApp, networking, a Molecular Pathology Case Discussion Board, an educational forum, and a BioDataBank are the main elements of PLATON. The network will be a global network of cancer centers and cancer specialists who can submit genomic data of their patients to PLATON. The WebApp allows members and associated scientists to view each other’s current patients' clinical and molecular data and get into contact with the treating physicians or identify patients for ongoing biomarker-driven clinical trials using advanced algorithms. PLATON offers state of the art comprehensive molecular testing via Foundation CDx and CDx Liquid for standardized NGS applications and functions as an umbrella for substudies within the platform design. PLATON enrolls patients during first-line treatment and longitudinally collects information on routine clinical data (baseline data, medical history, histopathology reports, treatment decisions, etc.). During follow-up, all anti-tumor therapy lines, tumor response and survival data are recorded. Importantly, quality of life data is captured monthly under therapy (with EORTC QLQ-30, -BIL21, -HCC18, -PAN26, -STO22 and EQ-5D-5L) and at further follow-up (with EQ-5D-5L). So far, 110 cancer centers have joined the PLATON. Over 230 patients with upper GI tumors received comprehensive molecular profiling and 186 cases were reviewed and discussed in the Molecular Pathology Case Discussion Board. Five sub-projects/-studies have been initiated under the umbrella of PLATON. The educational forum is in the planning stage. PLATON is a promising tool for translational research in GIs, which aims to grow through prospective studies and is open to participation.

NCT05489250.

Institute of Clinical Cancer Research at Krankenhaus Nordwest.

Has not received any funding.

S. Al-Batran: Advisory / Consultancy: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Immutep, Lilly; MacroGenics; MSD Sharp & Dohme; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AIO Studien gGmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lilly; MCI Deutschland GmbH; Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; German Research Foundation; Hospira; Immutep; Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb; German Cancer Aid (Krebshilfe); Ipsen; Lilly; MEDAC, Celgene; Eurozyto; Federal Ministry of Education and Research; MSD Sharp & Dohme; Sanofi; Vifor; Officer / Board of Directors: Institute of Clinical Cancer Research IKF at Northwest Hospital. D. Modest: Honoraria (self): Amgen, Merck, Roche, BMS, MSD, Pierrefabre; Servier, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Takeda, GSK, Seagen, Onkowissen, G1, Transgene, Incyte; Research grant / Funding (institution): Servier, Amgen; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Amgen, Servier. A. Vogel: Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca, Amgen, BeiGene, Böhringer Mannheim, BMS, BTG, Daichi-Sankyo, EISAI, GSK, Imaging Equipment Ltd (AAA), Incyte, Ipsen, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicines MSD, PierreFabre, Roche, Servier, Sirtex, Tahio, Terumo; Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca, Amgen, BeiGene, Böhringer Mannheim, BMS, BTG, Daichi-Sankyo, EISAI, Incyte, Ipsen, MSD, PierreFabre, Roche, Servier, Sirtex, Tahio, Terumo. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.