Safety and efficacy of afatinib as add-on to standard therapy of gemcitabine/cisplatin in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced biliary tract cancer: an open-label, phase I trial with an extensive biomarker program

Oncogenic Roles of Laminin Subunit Gamma-2 in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma via Promoting EGFR Translation

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a highly lethal biliary epithelial cancer in the liver. Here, Laminin subunit gamma-2 (LAMC2) with important oncogenic roles in iCCA is discovered. In a total of 231 cholangiocarcinoma patients (82% of iCCA patients) across four independent cohorts, LAMC2 is significantly more abundant in iCCA tumor tissue compared to normal bile duct and non-tumor liver. Among 26.3% of iCCA patients, LAMC2 gene is amplified, contributing to its over-expression. Functionally, silencing LAMC2 significantly blocks tumor formation in orthotopic iCCA mouse models. Mechanistically, it promotes EGFR protein translation via interacting with nascent unglycosylated EGFR in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in activated EGFR signaling. LAMC2-mediated EGFR translation also depends on its interaction with the ER chaperone BiP via their C-terminus. Together LAMC2 and BiP generate a binding "pocket" of nascent EGFR and facilitate EGFR translation. Consistently, LAMC2-high iCCA patients have poor prognosis in two iCCA cohorts. LAMC2-high iCCA cells are highly sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment both in vitro and in vivo. Together, these data demonstrate LAMC2 as an oncogenic player in iCCA by promoting EGFR translation and an indicator to identify iCCA patients who may benefit from available EGFR-targeted TKIs therapies.

Molecular pathology for cholangiocarcinoma: a review of actionable genetic targets and their relevance to adjuvant & neoadjuvant therapy, staging, follow-up, and determination of minimal residual disease

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) represents a group of epithelial cell tumors classified based on their anatomic location along the biliary tree. This rare malignancy is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and deemed unresectable. Even for those patients who are surgical candidates, recurrence rates are high and survival rates low. The mainstay of therapy for advanced CCA remains cisplatin plus gemcitabine, with a median overall survival (mOS) under 12 months, although the TOPAZ-1 trial showed a survival benefit with the addition of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade. In recent years, molecular profiling has revealed a wealth of potentially targetable genetic alterations, including fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) fusions, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutations, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) amplification and overexpression, and microsatellite instability (MSI). These discoveries have prompted numerous clinical trials employing drugs against these specific genetic changes. The foundation laid by early clinical studies and the landscape of ongoing trials are both summarized here. While the role of adjuvant therapy has yet to be defined in this disease, we emphasize the importance of employing targeted therapies in trials in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant spaces and discuss ways to overcome challenges due to low incidence of targetable mutations. Personalized medicine for this disease promises significant clinical benefit to patients, but further investigation is needed.

Combination Therapies for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of malignant neoplasms that have recently increased in incidence and have a poor prognosis. Surgery is the only curative therapy. However, most patients are only indicated for palliative therapy because of advanced-stage disease at diagnosis and rapid progression. The current first-line treatment for advanced BTC is gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy. Nonetheless, many patients develop resistance to this regimen. Over the years, few chemotherapy regimens have managed to improve the overall survival of patients. Accordingly, novel therapies such as targeted therapy have been introduced to treat this patient population. Extensive research on tumorigenesis and the genetic profiling of BTC have revealed the heterogenicity and potential target pathways, such as EGFR, VEGF, MEK/ERK, PI3K and mTOR. Moreover, mutational analysis has documented the presence of IDH1, FGFR2, HER2, PRKACA, PRKACB, BRAF, and KRAS gene aberrations. The emergence of immunotherapy in recent years has expanded the treatment landscape for this group of malignancies. Cancer vaccines, adoptive cell transfer, and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been extensively investigated in trials of BTC. Therefore, patient stratification and a combination of various therapies have become a reasonable and important clinical strategy to improve patient outcomes. This review elaborates the literature on combined treatment strategies for advanced BTC from the past few years and ongoing clinical trials to provide new inspiration for the treatment of advanced BTC.

Genomic profiling of idiopathic peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma reveals new targets and mutational pathways

Peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is chemorefractory and limited genomic analyses have been undertaken in Western idiopathic disease. We undertook comprehensive genomic analyses of a U.K. idiopathic pCCA cohort to characterize its mutational profile and identify new targets. Whole exome and targeted DNA sequencing was performed on forty-two resected pCCA tumors and normal bile ducts, with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) using one-tailed testing to generate false discovery rates (FDR). 60% of patients harbored one cancer-associated mutation, with two mutations in 20%. High frequency somatic mutations in genes not typically associated with cholangiocarcinoma included mTOR, ABL1 and NOTCH1. We identified non-synonymous mutation (p.Glu38del) in MAP3K9 in ten tumors, associated with increased peri-vascular invasion (Fisher's exact, p < 0.018). Mutation-enriched pathways were primarily immunological, including innate Dectin-2 (FDR 0.001) and adaptive T-cell receptor pathways including PD-1 (FDR 0.007), CD4 phosphorylation (FDR 0.009) and ZAP70 translocation (FDR 0.009), with overlapping HLA genes. We observed cancer-associated mutations in over half of our patients. Many of these mutations are not typically associated with cholangiocarcinoma yet may increase eligibility for contemporary targeted trials. We also identified a targetable MAP3K9 mutation, in addition to oncogenic and immunological pathways hitherto not described in any cholangiocarcinoma subtype.

Uses of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C as a Lung Adenocarcinoma Prognostic Biomarker

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common type of lung cancer and a leading cause of death worldwide. Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) has been identified as a prognosis prediction marker for LUAD. However, VEGF-C protein expression does not appear to significantly relate to LUAD patient survival in several studies.

Methods

We carried out a bioinformatic analysis to review the effect of VEGF-C mRNA expression on LUAD patient outcomes. GEPIA, UALCAN, TCGAportal, OncoLnc, LCE, GeneMANIA, Metascape, ImmuCellAI, and GSCA online databases were utilized. The expression levels of VEGF-C mRNA between normal tissue and LUAD tissue, overall survival (OS) analysis, function analysis, tumor microenvironment and drug sensitivity were conducted in the current study.

Results

We found that the expression level of VEGF-C mRNA was significantly lower in LUAD than normal tissue. Low expression of VEGF-C mRNA was also associated with better OS. VEGF-C expression was correlated with both NF1 and TP53 mutation status. No relationship was observed between VEGF-C and Tr1 or CD4 T-cell infiltrate scores. Additionally, VEGF-C was associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance. The sensitivity of 5-fluorouracil was positively correlated with VEGF-C, and the sensitivity of TGX221 was negatively correlated with VEGF-C. The activity of BI-2536 and BRD-A94377914 was positively correlated with VEGF-C.

Conclusion

Novel LUAD prognostic biomarkers such as VEGF-C mRNA may aid diagnosis and treatment, and may help identify optimal LUAD populations for therapeutic treatments.

The Molecular Pathogenesis and Targeted Therapies for Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a group of malignancies of the bile ducts with high mortality rates and limited treatment options. In the past decades, remarkable efforts have been dedicated toward elucidating the specific molecular signaling pathways and oncogenic loops driving cholangiocarcinogenesis to ultimately develop more effective therapies. Despite some recent advances, an extensive intra- and inter-tumor heterogeneity together with a poorly understood immunosuppressive microenvironment significantly compromises the efficacy of available treatments. Here, we provide a concise review of the latest advances and current knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of CCA focusing on clinically relevant aberrations as well as future research avenues.

Outcomes in patients receiving palliative chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer

Background & Aims

Advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC) is associated with a poor prognosis. Real-world data on the outcome of patients with ABTC undergoing sequential chemotherapies remain scarce, and little is known about treatment options beyond the established first- and second-line treatments with gemcitabine + cisplatin and FOLFOX. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients with regard to different oncological therapies and to identify prognostic factors.

Methods

From January 2010 until December 2019, 142 patients started palliative chemotherapy at our tertiary care liver center. Overall survival (OS) was calculated using Kaplan-Meier plots. Prognostic factors were evaluated using cox proportional-hazards.

Results

Patients received a median number of 2 lines of chemotherapy. Median OS was 6.7, 15.2 and 18.2 months for patients who received 1, 2 and 3 lines of chemotherapy, respectively. Patients treated with FOLFIRINOX had a significantly extended OS of 23.8 months (log-rank test: p = 0.018). The univariate cox regression analysis identified several clinical parameters associated with survival (e.g. albumin, bilirubin, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels).

Conclusions

Our study provides real-world data on the prognosis of ABTC including survival times for patients receiving third and later lines of chemotherapy.

Lay summary

Real-world data depicting the outcome of patients with advanced biliary tract cancer outside the framework of controlled trials remain rare despite being extremely important for clinical decision-making. This study therefore provides important real-world data on the established first- and second-line treatments with gemcitabine + cisplatin and FOLFOX, as well as on other chemotherapy regimens or later lines of chemotherapy. It further demonstrates that the use of FOLFIRINOX is associated with promising survival and that there is an association between various clinical parameters such as pre-therapeutic albumin, bilirubin or carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels and survival.

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This study provides important real-world data on the clinical outcomes of patients with ABTC.

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Patients may benefit from later lines of chemotherapy beyond second line.

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The use of FOLFIRINOX was associated with a promising overall survival of 23.8 months in our study.

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Many prognostically relevant factors, such as pre-therapeutic albumin, bilirubin or CA19-9 levels, were identified.

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Targeted therapies will become an integral part of the standard of care for patients with ABTC.

Prognostic and Predictive Molecular Markers in Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer and subsumes a heterogeneous group of malignant tumors arising from the intra- or extrahepatic biliary tract epithelium. A rising mortality from CCA has been reported worldwide during the last decade, despite significant improvement of surgical and palliative treatment. Over 50% of CCAs originate from proximal extrahepatic bile ducts and constitute the most common CCA entity in the Western world. Clinicopathological characteristics such as lymph node status and poor differentiation remain the best-studied, but imperfect prognostic factors. The identification of prognostic molecular markers as an adjunct to traditional staging systems may not only facilitate the selection of patients who would benefit the most from surgical, adjuvant or palliative treatment strategies, but may also be helpful in defining the aggressiveness of the disease and identifying patients at high-risk for tumor recurrence. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of currently known molecular prognostic and predictive markers and their role in CCA.

Varlitinib plus capecitabine in second-line advanced biliary tract cancer: a randomized, phase II study (TreeTopp)

Background

Patients with advanced biliary tract cancer who progress on first-line therapy have limited treatment options. The TreeTopp study assessed varlitinib, a reversible small molecule pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, plus capecitabine in previously treated advanced biliary tract cancer.

Patients and methods

This global, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II study enrolled patients with confirmed unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer and disease progression after one prior line of gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy. Patients received oral varlitinib 300 mg or placebo twice daily (b.i.d.) for 21 days, plus oral capecitabine 1000 mg/m² b.i.d. on days 1-14, in 21-day treatment cycles. Co-primary endpoints were objective response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) according to RECIST v1.1 by Independent Central Review.

Results

In total, 127 patients received varlitinib plus capecitabine (n = 64) or placebo plus capecitabine (n = 63). The objective response rate was 9.4% with varlitinib plus capecitabine versus 4.8% with capecitabine alone (odds ratio 2.28; P = 0.42). Median PFS was 2.83 versus 2.79 months [hazard ratio (HR), 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60-1.37; P = 0.63] and overall survival was 7.8 versus 7.5 months (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.69-1.79; P = 0.66), respectively. In a subgroup analysis, the addition of varlitinib appeared to provide a PFS benefit in female patients (median, 4.1 versus 2.8 months; HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.28-1.23) and those with gallbladder cancer (median, 2.9 versus 1.6 months; HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.26-1.19). Grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 65.6% of patients receiving varlitinib plus capecitabine versus 58.7% of those receiving capecitabine alone.

Conclusions

In patients with advanced biliary tract cancer, second-line treatment with varlitinib plus capecitabine was well tolerated but did not improve efficacy versus capecitabine alone. A PFS benefit was suggested in female patients and those with gallbladder cancer.

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In advanced biliary tract cancer, second-line varlitinib plus capecitabine did not improve efficacy versus capecitabine alone.

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Varlitinib was well tolerated in combination with capecitabine.

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Subgroup analyses suggested varlitinib plus capecitabine may benefit female patients and those with gallbladder cancer.

Targeted therapies for gallbladder cancer: an overview of agents in preclinical and clinical development

Introduction: Gallbladder cancer (GC) is a rare malignancy with a dismal prognosis. When diagnosed early enough, it can be cured by surgical removal. Unfortunately, only few GC patients can be amenable to surgery, though, with a high relapse rate. Conventional chemotherapy remains the golden standard for unresectable or metastatic GC, both in the first and second-line settings, even if leading to a fair outcome improvement.Areas covered: In recent years, according to the concept of 'precision medicine', new potential molecular targets have been examined. We provided a general outline of the current first- and second-line chemotherapies. New therapeutic possibilities are also reviewed, particularly HER2, EGFR, VEGF, TKI, MEK and BRAF inhibitors, and immunotherapy. Furthermore, published clinical trials are utilized to analyze the principal drug effectiveness in GC.Expert opinion: GC is characterized by vast cancer heterogeneity and individual's efficacy to different drugs. The ongoing trials have the potentiality of reshaping the landscape of systemic treatments for GC in the very next years. Nowadays, amongst therapeutic combinations, the addition of ICIs to chemotherapy has yielded encouraging results needing confirmation. In the next future, systematic implementation of gene profiling and further explorations of combination therapies will likely change the treatment scenario.

The Addition of Transarterial Chemoembolization to Palliative Chemotherapy Extends Survival in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Incidence and mortality of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) have been increasing continuously. Recent studies suggest that the combination of palliative chemotherapy (pCTX) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) improves overall survival (OS). This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients treated with TACE and pCTX in unresectable iCCA at our tertiary care center. A group of 14 patients was treated with both pCTX and TACE. The non-randomized control group of 59 patients received pCTX alone. Patients received a median of two pCTX lines in both groups. Those treated with TACE underwent a median number of 3.5 sessions. Median OS from the time of unresectability was 26.2 months in the pCTX + TACE group versus 13.1 months in the pCTX group (p = 0.008). Controlling for albumin, bilirubin, ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status, and UICC (Union for International Cancer Control) stage, the addition of TACE still conferred an OS benefit of 12.95 months (p = 0.014). A propensity score matching analysis yielded an OS benefit of 14 months from the time of unresectability for the pCTX + TACE group (p = 0.020). The addition of TACE to pCTX may provide an OS benefit for patients with unresectable iCCA. Thus, patients with liver-dominant iCCA undergoing standard-of-care pCTX should be considered for additional treatment with TACE.

Promising Molecular Targets for the Targeted Therapy of Biliary Tract Cancers: An Overview

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death, due to the limited benefits of current systematic therapies and the heterogeneity of the tumor itself. High heterogeneity means that the clinical and molecular features vary between different subtypes of BTC, while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Targeted therapy, where inhibitors are developed to selectively combine with targeted molecules in order to block abnormal signaling pathways in BTC, has shown promise as an emerging form of treatment for various types of cancer. In this article, a comprehensive review is conducted to examine potential molecular targets for BTC targeted therapy and their mechanisms. Furthermore, preliminary data published from clinical trials is utilized to analyze the main drugs used to combat BTC. The collective information presented in this article has provided useful insights into the current understanding of BTC.

Will advanced cholangiocarcinoma become a targetable malignancy?

Cholangiocarcinoma and biliary tract cancers are rare but aggressive tumors that are characterized by an heterogenous molecular and genetic footprint. Genetic aberrations such as FGFR2 fusion and ErBb2 amplification are common in those cancers. Recent studies aimed at exploring the efficacy and benefit of targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced cholangiocarcinoma. Many promising drugs exist and warrant additional investigations. This review will summarize available results and highlight therapeutic strategies incorporated in clinical trials.

Molecular Features and Targeted Therapies in Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Promises and Failures

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) include a heterogenous group of aggressive malignancies with limited therapeutic options. According to their anatomical location, these hepatobiliary tumors are usually classified into intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA), and gallbladder cancer (GBC). Unfortunately, BTCs are often diagnosed when already metastatic, and although the advent of genomic sequencing has led to a deeper understanding of iCCA pathogenesis, very little data are currently available about the molecular landscape of eCCA. Moreover, despite novel systemic treatments emerging in BTC, the grim prognosis of eCCA patients has not changed in the past decade, and no targeted therapies have been approved so far. The aim of the current review is to provide an overview regarding molecular features and potential targeted therapies in eCCA, together with novel therapeutic approaches and future directions of translational and clinical research on this highly aggressive disease that poses many unanswered questions.

Effect of Combining EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Cytotoxic Agents on Cholangiocarcinoma Cells

Purpose

The potential of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB) family as drug targets in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has not been extensively addressed. Although phase III clinical trials showed no survival benefits of erlotinib in patients with advanced CCA, the outcome of the standard-of-care chemotherapy treatment for CCA, gemcitabine/cisplatin, is discouraging so we determined the effect of other ErbB receptor inhibitors alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy in CCA cells.

Materials and Methods

ErbB receptor expression was determined in CCA patient tissues by immunohistochemistry and digital-droplet polymerase chain reaction, and in primary cells and cell lines by immunoblot. Effects on cell viability and cell cycle distribution of combination therapy using ErbB inhibitors with chemotherapeutic drugs was carried out in CCA cell lines. 3D culture of primary CCA cells was then adopted to evaluate the drug effect in a setting that more closely resembles in vivo cell environments.

Results

CCA tumors showed higher expression of all ErbB receptors compared with resection margins. Primary and CCA cell lines had variable expression of erbB receptors. CCA cell lines showed decreased cell viability when treated with chemotherapeutic drugs (gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil) but also with ErbB inhibitors, particularly afatinib, and with a combination. Sequential treatment of gemcitabine with afatinib was particularly effective. Co-culture of CCA primary cells with cancer-associated fibroblasts decreased sensitivity to chemotherapies, but sensitized to afatinib.

Conclusion

Afatinib is a potential epidermal growth factor receptor targeted drug for CCA treatment and sequential treatment schedule of gemcitabine and afatinib could be explored in CCA patients.

Systemic treatment options for advanced biliary tract carcinoma

Advanced biliary tract cancers (BTC) include a diverse collection of rare and heterogenous tumors with poor prognosis. The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin is the established first-line therapy for advanced BTC. There are no accepted standard treatments in the second line setting, though there are several ongoing clinical trials that implement chemotherapy as a therapeutic strategy. The understanding of the molecular landscape of BTC has offered hope of targeted therapies to the identified actionable genomic aberrations, such as FGFR2 gene fusions, mutations of IDH1/2, HER2, BRAC1/2 and BRAF. Pembigatinib has become the first approved targeted therapy for BTC with FGFR2 fusion or other rearrangements. Recent immunotherapy has opened new therapy avenues in BTC with pembrolizumab approved for either microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or DNA mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) advanced solid tumors, including BTC. The combination of immunotherapy with other modalities is currently being evaluated in different clinical trials, since single agent immunotherapy appears to provide modest benefits in advanced BTC. In this review, we summarize the current status of treatment options, including systemic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and various combinations in advanced BTC.

FIGHT-302: first-line pemigatinib vs gemcitabine plus cisplatin for advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 rearrangements

FGFR2 rearrangements resulting in dysregulated signaling are drivers of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) tumorigenesis, and occur almost exclusively in intrahepatic CCA. Pemigatinib, a selective, potent, oral inhibitor of FGFR1-3, has demonstrated efficacy and safety in a Phase II study of patients with previously treated locally advanced/metastatic CCA harboring FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements. We describe the study design of FIGHT-302, an open-label, randomized, active-controlled, multicenter, global, Phase III study comparing the efficacy and safety of first-line pemigatinib versus gemcitabine plus cisplatin in patients with advanced CCA with FGFR2 rearrangements (NCT03656536). The primary end point is progression-free survival; secondary end points are objective response rate, overall survival, duration of response, disease control rate, safety and quality of life. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03656536 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Adjuvant MUC vaccination with tecemotide after resection of colorectal liver metastases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter AIO phase II trial (LICC)

Resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is a potential curative treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with liver-limited disease (LLD). Although long-term survival improved considerably within the last decades, high recurrence rates of 50-75% after resection remain a major challenge.Tecemotide (L-BLP25) is an antigen-specific cancer vaccine inducing immunity against mucin-1 (MUC1). The LICC trial aimed to improve survival in patients with mCRC after R0/R1 resection of CRLM. LICC was a binational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 2 study including patients with R0/R1 resected CRLM without evidence of metastatic disease outside the liver. Co-primary endpoints were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and 3-year overall survival (OS) rate, secondary endpoints were RFS and OS in subgroups with different MUC1 expression and safety. In total, 121 patients were 2:1 randomized between Oct 2011 and Dec 2014to receive tecemotide (N=79) or placebo (N=42). Baseline characteristics were well balanced. Median RFS was 6.1 months (95% CI 4.5-8.9) and 11.4 months (95% CI 3.7-21.2) (P = .1754), 3-year OS rate 69.1% and 79.1%, median OS 62.8 months and not reached in the tecemotide vs. placebo arm (P = .2141), respectively. Cox regression models revealed no dependence of RFS or OS on MUC1 expression. The most common tecemotide-related grade 3/4 adverse events were diarrhea, injection site reaction, intestinal perforation, peritonitis and tinnitus (1.3% each). The LICC trial failed to meet its primary endpoints of significantly improving RFS and OS with tecemotide. However, both arms showed unexpectedly long OS. MUC1 expression was not associated with outcome.

EudraCT No: 2011–000218-20

Clinical Trial Information: NCT01462513

Financial Support: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Abbreviations: AE: adverse event; CP: cyclophosphamide; CRC: colorectal cancer; CT: computed tomography; ECOG: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; FU: follow-up; HR: hazard ratio; IHC: immunohistochemical staining; ITT: intention-to-treat; DSMB: Data Safety Monitoring Board; LLD: liver-limited disease; mCRC: metastatic colorectal cancer; MPLA: monophosphoryl lipid; AMRI: magnetic resonance imaging; MUC1: mucin 1; NA: not applicable; NCI-CTCAE: National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events; NS: normal saline; NSCLC: non-small-cell lung carcinoma; OS: overall surviva; lPP: per protocol; RAS: Rat sarcoma; RFS: recurrence-free survival; TEAE: treatment-emergent adverse event; UICC: Union for International Cancer Control; US: ultrasound; vs.: versus.

Targeted Therapies in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: An Evolving Paradigm

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a heterogeneous group of adenocarcinomas that originate from the epithelial lining of the biliary tree. BTCs are characterized by presentation with advanced disease precluding curative surgery, rising global incidence, and a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of the current treatment, which results in a median overall survival of less than one year, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic agents and strategies. Next-generation sequencing-based molecular profiling has shed light on the underpinnings of the complex pathophysiology of BTC and has uncovered numerous actionable targets, leading to the discovery of new therapies tailored to the molecular targets. Therapies targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) fusion, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations, the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family, DNA damage repair (DDR) pathways, and BRAF mutations have produced early encouraging results in selected patients. Current clinical trials evaluating targeted therapies, as monotherapies and in combination with other agents, are paving the way for novel treatment options. Genomic profiling of cell-free circulating tumor DNA that can assist in the identification of an actionable target is another exciting area of development. In this review, we provide a contemporaneous appraisal of the evolving targeted therapies and the ongoing clinical trials that will likely transform the therapeutic paradigm of BTC.

Comprehensive molecular profiling of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in the Chinese population and therapeutic experience

Background

The genomic alterations of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in the Chinese population have not been fully revealed. Molecular profiling may provide a reference for clinical management, especially targeted therapy.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted in 122 ICC patients. All patients’ samples underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS), which analyzed 417 genes. The genetic characteristics, clinical management and therapeutic responses were analyzed.

Results

The most commonly mutated genes were TP53 (34%), KRAS (25%) and ARID1A (17%). Targeted agents were used referring to molecular profiling, in combination with chemotherapy. Twenty-two patients with wild-type KRAS/NRAS/BRAF were treated with cetuximab. The disease control and response rates were 78% and 47%, respectively, which were higher than those achieved with chemotherapy alone (72% and 11%, P = 0.16). Fifty-four patients underwent anti-VEGF treatment with bevacizumab. The disease control and response rates were 85% and 60%, respectively. Better therapeutic efficiency (P = 0.001) and longer progression-free survival (PFS) were observed in the bevacizumab-treated group compared to chemotherapy alone group (15.4 and 6.7 months, respectively; P = 0.04). The PFS of ten patients who underwent hepatectomy after combined treatment with chemotherapy and bevacizumab was longer than that of 139 patients who underwent surgical treatment (28.9 vs 18.0 months, P = 0.03). Two patients (1.6%) had signatures of microsatellite instability (MSI-H), and both benefited from immunotherapy.

Conclusions

This study provides an overview of genetic alterations in Chinese ICC patients and indicates the potential clinical implications for NGS-based personalized therapies.

The choice for the optimal therapy in advanced biliary tract cancers: Chemotherapy, targeted therapies or immunotherapy

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) represent a heterogeneous group that includes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs), perihilar-CCAs or Klatskin tumors, extrahepatic-CCAs, and gallbladder adenocarcinoma. These entities have distinct demographics, risk factors, clinical presentation, and molecular characteristics. In advanced BTCs, the recommendations are mainly supporting a doublet chemotherapy regimen using cisplatin/gemcitabine (CisGem) with a 5-year overall survival rate close to 5% and median overall survival (mOS) of less than a year. The lack of overall efficacy stresses the need for personalized therapies. Recently, whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing highlighted the diversity of BTCs' subtypes. Distinct genetic alterations were retrieved according to the localization, with a high rate of potentially actionable alterations. Targeted therapies and immunotherapy have since then been tested for BTCs, trying to propose a more personalized treatment. This review describes the different therapeutic options, validated and in development, for patients with advanced BTCs.

Targets for therapy in biliary tract cancers: the new horizon of personalized medicine

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a set of molecularly distinct and heterogeneous diseases. While cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the current standard of care for treatment-naïve and treatment-refractory unresectable disease, recently identified mutations driving oncologic development offer opportunities for targeted therapy. Currently, alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF), DNA damage repair, and HER2 pathways have demonstrated promising new therapeutic avenues, among others, and various studies have demonstrated clinical activity with targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors and/or antibodies. In this review, we will discuss the currently identified targets for therapy in BTCs and review currently available data regarding clinical development of treatment options in these molecularly distinct subsets.