Ramucirumab and Trifluridine/Tipiracil or Paclitaxel for the Treatment of Patients With Previously Treated Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To compare, in a non-inferiority fashion, the progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic refractory gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma receiving the combination of ramucirumab with trifluridine and tipiracil hydrochloride (TAS-102) versus (vs.) paclitaxel and ramucirumab. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess overall survival (OS) in this patient population for each regimen. II. Assess changes in patient quality of life (QOL) as measured by the linear analogue self-assessment (LASA) questionnaire for each regimen. III. To determine the safety of the combination of ramucirumab with TAS-102 in this patient population. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM A: Patients receive TAS-102 orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-5 and 8-12, and ramucirumab intravenously (IV) over 30-60 minutes on days 1 and 15. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 36 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. ARM B: Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1-96 hours on days 1, 8, and 15, and ramucirumab IV over 30-60 minutes on days 1 and 15. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 36 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30-35 days, then every 3 months for up to 3 years.