The current role of blood-based biomarkers in surgical decision-making in patients with localised pancreatic cancer: A systematic review

Serum CEA as a Prognostic Marker for Overall Survival in Patients with Localized Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and Non-Elevated CA19-9 Levels Treated with FOLFIRINOX as Initial Treatment: A TAPS Consortium Study

INTRODUCTION

About 25% of patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma have non-elevated serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels at baseline, hampering evaluation of response to preoperative treatment. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a potential alternative.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study from five referral centers included consecutive patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma (2012-2019), treated with one or more cycles of (m)FOLFIRINOX, and non-elevated CA19-9 levels (i.e., < 37 U/mL) at baseline. Cox regression analyses were performed to assess prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), including CEA level at baseline, restaging, and dynamics.

RESULTS

Overall, 277 patients were included in this study. CEA at baseline was elevated (≥5 ng/mL) in 53 patients (33%) and normalized following preoperative therapy in 14 patients (26%). In patients with elevated CEA at baseline, median OS in patients with CEA normalization following preoperative therapy was 33 months versus 19 months in patients without CEA normalization (p = 0.088). At time of baseline, only elevated CEA was independently associated with (worse) OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.98). At time of restaging, elevated CEA at baseline was still the only independent predictor for (worse) OS (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.04-1.98), whereas elevated CEA at restaging (HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.77-1.77) was not.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum CEA was elevated in one-third of patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma having non-elevated CA19-9 at baseline. At both time of baseline and time of restaging, elevated serum CEA measured at baseline was the only predictor for (worse) OS. Therefore, serum CEA may be a useful tool for decision making at both initial staging and time of restaging in patients with non-elevated CA19-9.

Preoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical decision-making in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer

Surgical resection combined with systemic chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with localized pancreatic cancer. Upfront surgery is considered suboptimal in cases with extensive vascular involvement, which can be classified as either borderline resectable pancreatic cancer or locally advanced pancreatic cancer. In these patients, FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy is currently used as preoperative chemotherapy and is eventually combined with radiotherapy. Thus, more patients might reach 5-year overall survival. Patient selection for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and subsequent surgery is based on anatomical, biological and conditional parameters. Current guidelines and clinical practices vary considerably regarding preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, response evaluation, and indications for surgery. In this Review, we provide an overview of the clinical evidence regarding disease staging, preoperative therapy, response evaluation and surgery in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer or locally advanced pancreatic cancer. In addition, a clinical work-up is proposed based on the available evidence and guidelines. We identify knowledge gaps and outline a proposed research agenda.

Update value and clinical application of MUC16 (cancer antigen 125)

INTRODUCTION

The largest transmembrane mucin, mucin 16 (MUC16), contains abundant glycosylation sites on the molecular surface, allowing it to participate in various molecular pathways. When cells lose polarity and become cancerous, MUC16 is overexpressed, and more of the extracellular region (cancer antigen [CA]125) is released into serum and possibly, promote the development of diseases. Thus, MUC16 plays an indispensable role in clinical research and application.

AREAS COVERED

This review summarizes the update proposed role of MUC16 in carcinogenesis and metastasis. Most importantly, we prospect its potential value in targeted therapy after screening 1226 articles published within the last 10 years from PubMed. Two reviewers screened each record and each report retrieved independently. We have summarized the progress of MUC16/CA125 in basic research and clinical application, and predicted its possible future development directions.

EXPERT OPINION

As an important noninvasive co-factor in the diagnosis of gynecological diseases, MUC16 has been used for a long time, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. The overexpression of MUC16 plays a very obvious role in regulating inflammatory response, supporting immune suppression, and promoting the proliferation, division, and metastasis of cancer cells. In the next 20 years, there will be a luxuriant clinical application of MUC16 as a target for immune monitoring and immunotherapy.