He noted, however, that the cutoff point for CRP is lower for the phase III study, which could allow for greater enrollment but with the potential trade-off in lower overall efficacy.
In addition, he questioned the wisdom of a capecitabine-only reference arm, "which may be a deterrent to study enrollment and may even be obsolete at some point."
Results of the RECAP trials also suggest that the "survival benefit of ruxolitinib may relate to alleviating cachexia and inanition, as much as reducing tumor burden," he added.
The study was sponsored by Incyte. Dr Hurwitz disclosed serving as a consultant/adviser to, and receiving research funding from, Genentech, maker of capecitabine, and Novartis, which markets ruxolitinib in Europe. Dr. Ko reported no disclosures relevant to the study.