Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin Versus Non-Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Regimens as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Cholangiocarcinoma Patients Prior to Liver Transplantation: An Institution Experience

Liver transplantation for tumor entities

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Tumor entities represent an increasing indication for liver transplantation (LT). This review addresses the most contentious indications of LT in transplant oncology.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patient selection based on tumor biology in LT for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) demonstrated promising long-term outcomes and preserved quality of life despite high recurrence rates. In selected cases, LT for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is feasible, with acceptable survival even in high-burden cases responsive to chemotherapy. LT following a strict neoadjuvant protocol for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) resulted in long-term outcomes consistently surpassing benchmark values, and potentially outperforming liver resection.

SUMMARY

While preliminary results are promising, prospective trials are crucial to define applications in routine clinical practice. Molecular profiling and targeted therapies pave the way for personalized approaches, requiring evolving allocation systems for equitable LT access.

The Recent Trends of Systemic Treatments and Locoregional Therapies for Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a hepatic malignancy that has a rapidly increasing incidence. CCA is anatomically classified into intrahepatic (iCCA) and extrahepatic (eCCA), which is further divided into perihilar (pCCA) and distal (dCCA) subtypes, with higher incidence rates in Asia. Despite its rarity, CCA has a low 5-year survival rate and remains the leading cause of primary liver tumor-related death over the past 10-20 years. The systemic therapy section discusses gemcitabine-based regimens as primary treatments, along with oxaliplatin-based options. Second-line therapy is limited but may include short-term infusional fluorouracil (FU) plus leucovorin (LV) and oxaliplatin. The adjuvant therapy section discusses approaches to improve overall survival (OS) post-surgery. However, only a minority of CCA patients qualify for surgical resection. In comparison to adjuvant therapies, neoadjuvant therapy for unresectable cases shows promise. Gemcitabine and cisplatin indicate potential benefits for patients awaiting liver transplantation. The addition of immunotherapies to chemotherapy in combination is discussed. Nivolumab and innovative approaches like CAR-T cells, TRBAs, and oncolytic viruses are explored. We aim in this review to provide a comprehensive report on the systemic and locoregional therapies for CCA.

Cholangiocarcinoma: The Current Status of Surgical Options including Liver Transplantation

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) poses a substantial threat as it ranks as the second most prevalent primary liver tumor. The documented annual rise in intrahepatic CCA (iCCA) incidence in the United States is concerning, indicating its growing impact. Moreover, the five-year survival rate after tumor resection is only 25%, given that tumor recurrence is the leading cause of death in 53-79% of patients. Pre-operative assessments for iCCA focus on pinpointing tumor location, biliary tract involvement, vascular encasements, and metastasis detection. Numerous studies have revealed that portal vein embolization (PVE) is linked to enhanced survival rates, improved liver synthetic functions, and decreased overall mortality. The challenge in achieving clear resection margins contributes to the notable recurrence rate of iCCA, affecting approximately two-thirds of cases within one year, and results in a median survival of less than 12 months for recurrent cases. Nearly 50% of patients initially considered eligible for surgical resection in iCCA cases are ultimately deemed ineligible during surgical exploration. Therefore, staging laparoscopy has been proposed to reduce unnecessary laparotomy. Eligibility for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) requires certain criteria to be granted. OLT offers survival advantages for early-detected unresectable iCCA; it can be combined with other treatments, such as radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization, in specific cases. We aim to comprehensively describe the surgical strategies available for treating CCA, including the preoperative measures and interventions, alongside the current options regarding liver resection and OLT.

68 Ga-DOTA-Ibandronic Acid PET/CT in a Patient With Chemotherapy-Induced Salivary Gland Hypofunction

ABSTRACT

DOTA-ibandronic acid (IBA) is a novel precursor targeting bone metastasis. It can be radiolabeled with 68 Ga for the diagnosis of bone metastases. However, extraosseous lesions can also show increased DOTA-IBA uptake. We report the 68 Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT findings in a case with cholangiocarcinoma with multiple bone metastases. 68 Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT revealed increased uptake of DOTA-IBA in bone metastases. Besides, symmetrical and diffuse increased DOTA-IBA uptake in bilateral salivary glands was observed. 99m TcO 4- salivary gland scintigraphy showed impaired salivary gland function.

Cisplatin-Based Combination Therapy for Enhanced Cancer Treatment

Cisplatin, a primary chemotherapeutic drug, is of great value in the realm of tumor treatment. However, its clinical efficacy is strictly hindered by issues, such as drug resistance, relapse, poor prognosis, and toxicity to normal tissue. Cisplatin-based combination therapy has garnered increasing attention in both preclinical and clinical cancer research for its ability to overcome resistance, reduce toxicity, and enhance anticancer effects. This review examines three primary co-administration strategies of cisplatin-based drug combinations and their respective advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, seven types of combination therapies involving cisplatin are discussed, focusing on their main therapeutic effects, mechanisms in preclinical research, and clinical applications. This review also discusses future prospects and challenges, aiming to offer guidance for the development of optimal cisplatin-based combination therapy regimens for improved cancer treatment.

Transplant Oncology: An Emerging Discipline of Cancer Treatment

Transplant oncology is an emerging concept of cancer treatment with a promising prospective outcome. The applications of oncology, transplant medicine, and surgery are the core of transplant oncology to improve patients' survival and quality of life. The main concept of transplant oncology is to radically cure cancer by removing the diseased organ and replacing it with a healthy one, aiming to improve the survival outcomes and quality of life of cancer patients. Subsequently, it seeks to expand the treatment options and research for hepatobiliary malignancies, which have seen significantly improved survival outcomes after the implementation of liver transplantation (LT). In the case of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the transplant setting, where the liver is the most common site of metastasis of patients who are considered to have unresectable disease, initial studies have shown improved survival for LT treatment compared to palliative therapy interventions. The indications of LT for hepatobiliary malignancies have been slowly expanded over the years beyond Milan criteria in a stepwise manner. However, the outcome improvements and overall patient survival are limited to the specifics of the setting and systematic intervention options. This review aims to illustrate the representative concepts and history of transplant oncology as an emerging discipline for the management of hepatobiliary malignancies, in addition to other emerging concepts, such as the uses of immunotherapy in a peri-transplant setting as well as the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for surveillance post-transplantation.

Bioinformatic analysis the expression and clinical significance of CDRT15 in cholangiocarcinoma using TCGA database

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a common and lethal malignant tumor originating from bile duct epithelial cells. Various tumor biomarkers have been used for its clinical screening, such as carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen. This study aimed to demonstrate the value of associated genes-CMT1A duplicated region transcript 15 (CDRT15) for prognosis of CCA by integrated bioinformatics analysis. We obtained CDRT15 expression data and clinical information on patients with CCA from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Then, we processed the data by differentially expressed gene analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, statistical analysis, etc. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis was aimed to explore the function of gene-related proteins. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was used to analyze the correlation between CDRT15 and immune cells. Finally, we constructed the nomogram to predict the prognosis of patients with CCA. The analysis of data in The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that CDRT15 was overexpressed in CCA tissues. We performed the interrelation analysis of immune infiltration, showing that CDRT15 are mainly associated with the immune/inflammatory response. ROC curve showed that CDRT15 can be a diagnostic marker of CCA. Subsequently, the prognostic analysis showed that the high expression of CDRT15 was correlated with the poor OS, and patients with high CDRT15 expression may have a poor prognosis. CDRT15 is more highly expressed in CCA, thus we identified that CDRT15 could be an efficient biomarker for patients. CDRT15 expression was negatively correlated with prognosis of CCA. CDRT15 may be involved in the immune infiltration process of CCA.

New Insights in the Setting of Transplant Oncology

Background and Objectives: Liver transplantation (LT) is the best strategy for curing several primary and secondary hepatic malignancies. In recent years, growing interest has been observed in the enlargement of the transplant oncology indications. This paper aims to review the most recent developments in the setting of LT oncology, with particular attention to LT for unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) and cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCA). Materials and Methods: A review of the recently published literature was conducted. Results: Growing evidence exists on the efficacy of LT in curing CRLM and peri-hilar and intrahepatic CCA in well-selected patients when integrating this strategy with (neo)-adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or locoregional treatments. Conclusion: For unresectable CCA and CRLM management, several prospective protocols are forthcoming to elucidate LT’s impact relative to alternative therapies. Advances in diagnosis, treatment protocols, and donor-to-recipient matching are needed to better define the oncological indications for transplantation. Prospective, multicenter trials studying these advances and their impact on outcomes are still required.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Solid Tumors in the Adjuvant Setting: Current Progress, Future Directions, and Role in Transplant Oncology

The rationale for administering immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the adjuvant setting is to eradicate micro-metastases and, ultimately, prolong survival. Thus far, clinical trials have demonstrated that 1-year adjuvant courses of ICIs reduce the risk of recurrence in melanoma, urothelial cancer, renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers. Overall survival benefit has been shown in melanoma while survival data are still not mature in other malignancies. Emerging data also show the feasibility of utilizing ICIs in the peri-transplant setting for hepatobiliary malignancies. While ICIs are generally well-tolerated, the development of chronic immune-related adverse events, typically endocrinopathies or neurotoxicities, as well as delayed immune-related adverse events, warrants further scrutiny regarding the optimal duration of adjuvant therapy and requires a thorough risk-benefit determination. The advent of blood-based, dynamic biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can help detect minimal residual disease and identify the subset of patients who would likely benefit from adjuvant treatment. In addition, the characterization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and ctDNA-adjusted blood tumor mutation burden (bTMB) has also shown promise in predicting response to immunotherapy. Until additional, prospective studies delineate the magnitude of overall survival benefit and validate the use of predictive biomarkers, a tailored, patient-centered approach to adjuvant ICIs that includes extensive patient counseling on potentially irreversible adverse effects should be routinely incorporated into clinical practice.

Newest Therapies for Cholangiocarcinoma: An Updated Overview of Approved Treatments with Transplant Oncology Vision

Simple Summary

Cholangiocarcinoma is a relatively rare but deadly disease with traditionally limited treatment options. The disease can be categorized by anatomic location within the biliary tree, with different associated risk factors and molecular profiles. Recent years have seen a burgeoning of targeted therapies that have enhanced survival in subsets of patients with certain mutations. We herein discuss these more recent advances as well as providing an overview of more well-known treatment modalities, with the goal of providing an accessible source for practicing clinicians.

Abstract

A minority of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) can be cured by surgical intervention (i.e., liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT)). When modern criteria for LT are met, this intervention along with neoadjuvant treatments may achieve unprecedented survival in selected patients. Liver resection is associated with a median overall survival (OS) of 40 months, this number drastically decreases for unresectable advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which is treated with systemic therapy. The first-line chemotherapy regimen of gemcitabine and cisplatin is associated with a median overall survival of only 11.7 months. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approval of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 inhibitor ivosidenib in August 2021, there has been increasing interest in targeted therapy for CCA patients harboring mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2, neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK), B-raf kinase (BRAF), and HER2. At the same time, immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors isalso being used in relapsed CCA. This review looks into the most recently completed and ongoing studies of targeted therapy as monotherapy or in combination with chemo- and/or immunotherapy. Whether it is resection, liver transplant, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or any combination of these treatment modalities, great strides are being made to improve outcomes for this challenging disease.

Immunotherapy as a Neoadjuvant Therapy for a Patient with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Pretransplant Setting: A Case Report

Systemic combination therapy of immune checkpoint inhibitors and vascular endothelial growth factors have provided the basis for improved outcomes in select patients with unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. However, for patients with resectable disease, surgery alone or an orthotopic liver transplant remains the standard of care. Within the realms of transplant oncology, neoadjuvant systemic therapy is currently being evaluated as a potential strategy to improve outcomes in patients with HCC. Here, we report excellent response with significant downstaging in a safe manner after neoadjuvant treatment with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in a patient diagnosed with poorly differentiated HCC. As a result of the significant response observed with safe outcomes, the patient was listed for orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) evaluation and transplanted successfully.