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Cannon TL, Rothe M, Mangat PK, Garrett-Mayer E, Chiu VK, Hwang J, Vijayvergia N, Alese OB, Dib EG, Duvivier HL, Klute KA, Sahai V, Ahn ER, Bedano P, Behl D, Sinclair S, Thota R, Urba WJ, Yang ES, Grantham GN, Hinshaw DC, Gregory A, Halabi S, Schilsky RL. Pertuzumab Plus Trastuzumab in Patients With Biliary Tract Cancer With ERBB2/3 Alterations: Results From the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry Study. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:3228-3237. [PMID: 38748939 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.02078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry is a phase II basket trial evaluating the antitumor activity of commercially available targeted agents in patients with advanced cancer and genomic alterations known to be drug targets. Results of a cohort of patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) with ERBB2/3 amplification, overexpression, or mutation treated with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab are reported. METHODS Eligible patients had advanced BTC, measurable disease (RECIST v1.1), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2, adequate organ function, tumors with ERBB2/3 alterations, and a lack of standard treatment options. Simon's two-stage design was used with a primary end point of disease control (DC), defined as objective response (OR) or stable disease of at least 16+ weeks duration (SD16+) according to RECIST v1.1. Secondary end points included OR, progression-free survival, overall survival, duration of response, duration of stable disease, and safety. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients were enrolled from February 2017 to January 2022, and all had advanced BTC with an ERBB2/3 alteration. One patient was not evaluable for efficacy. One complete response, eight partial responses, and two SD16+ were observed for DC and OR rates of 40% (90% CI, 27 to 100) and 32% (95% CI, 16 to 52), respectively. The null hypothesis of 15% DC rate was rejected (P = .0015). Four patients had at least one grade 3 adverse event (AE) or serious AE at least possibly related to treatment: anemia, diarrhea, infusion-related reaction, and fatigue. CONCLUSION Pertuzumab plus trastuzumab met prespecified criteria to declare a signal of activity in patients with BTC and ERBB2/3 amplification, overexpression, or mutation.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Female
- Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism
- Biliary Tract Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Biliary Tract Neoplasms/genetics
- Biliary Tract Neoplasms/pathology
- Middle Aged
- Male
- Aged
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects
- Trastuzumab/therapeutic use
- Trastuzumab/administration & dosage
- Trastuzumab/adverse effects
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/administration & dosage
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects
- Receptor, ErbB-3/metabolism
- Receptor, ErbB-3/genetics
- Adult
- Registries
- Aged, 80 and over
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Rothe
- American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria, VA
| | - Pam K Mangat
- American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria, VA
| | | | - Vi K Chiu
- The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, A Cedars-Sinai Affiliate, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Jimmy Hwang
- Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC
| | | | | | - Elie G Dib
- Michigan Cancer Research Consortium, Ypsilanti, MI
| | | | | | - Vaibhav Sahai
- University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI
| | | | | | - Deepti Behl
- Sutter Sacramento Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
| | - Sarah Sinclair
- Northern Light Cancer Center, Lafayette Family Cancer Institute, Brewer, ME
| | | | | | - Eddy S Yang
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY
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Vogel A, Sahai V, Hollebecque A, Vaccaro GM, Melisi D, Al Rajabi RM, Paulson AS, Borad MJ, Gallinson D, Murphy AG, Oh DY, Dotan E, Catenacci DV, Van Cutsem E, Lihou CF, Zhen H, Veronese ML, Abou-Alfa GK. An open-label study of pemigatinib in cholangiocarcinoma: final results from FIGHT-202. ESMO Open 2024; 9:103488. [PMID: 38838500 PMCID: PMC11190465 DOI: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.103488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusions and rearrangements are clinically actionable genomic alterations in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Pemigatinib is a selective, potent, oral inhibitor of FGFR1-3 and demonstrated efficacy in patients with previously treated, advanced/metastatic CCA with FGFR2 alterations in FIGHT-202 (NCT02924376). We report final outcomes from the extended follow-up period. PATIENTS AND METHODS The multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase II FIGHT-202 study enrolled patients ≥18 years old with previously treated advanced/metastatic CCA with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements (cohort A), other FGF/FGFR alterations (cohort B), or no FGF/FGFR alterations (cohort C). Patients received once-daily oral pemigatinib 13.5 mg in 21-day cycles (2 weeks on, 1 week off) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) in cohort A assessed as per RECIST v1.1 by an independent review committee; secondary endpoints included duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS FIGHT-202 enrolled 147 patients (cohort A, 108; cohort B, 20; cohort C, 17; unconfirmed FGF/FGFR alterations, 2). By final analysis, 145 (98.6%) had discontinued treatment due to progressive disease (71.4%), withdrawal by patient (8.2%), or adverse events (AEs; 6.8%). Median follow-up was 45.4 months. The ORR in cohort A was 37.0% (95% confidence interval 27.9% to 46.9%); complete and partial responses were observed in 3 and 37 patients, respectively. Median DOR was 9.1 (6.0-14.5) months; median PFS and OS were 7.0 (6.1-10.5) months and 17.5 (14.4-22.9) months, respectively. The most common treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) were hyperphosphatemia (58.5%), alopecia (49.7%), and diarrhea (47.6%). Overall, 15 (10.2%) patients experienced TEAEs leading to pemigatinib discontinuation; intestinal obstruction and acute kidney injury (n = 2 each) occurred most frequently. CONCLUSIONS Pemigatinib demonstrated durable response and prolonged OS with manageable AEs in patients with previously treated, advanced/metastatic CCA with FGFR2 alterations in the extended follow-up period of FIGHT-202.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vogel
- Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto; Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada.
| | - V Sahai
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | | | | | - D Melisi
- Università degli studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - A G Murphy
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - D-Y Oh
- Seoul National University Hospital, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Integrated Major in Innovative Medical Science, Seoul National University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - E Dotan
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
| | | | - E Van Cutsem
- University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven & University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - H Zhen
- Incyte Corporation, Wilmington, USA
| | - M L Veronese
- Incyte International Biosciences Sàrl, Morges, Switzerland
| | - G K Abou-Alfa
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York; Weill Medical College at Cornell University, New York, USA; Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine, Dublin, Ireland
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3
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Yoo C, Hyung J, Chan SL. Recent Advances in Systemic Therapy for Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma. Liver Cancer 2024; 13:119-135. [PMID: 38638168 PMCID: PMC11023692 DOI: 10.1159/000531458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCCA) is rising around the world. The disease is becoming a major global health issue. Conventionally, most patients with cholangiocarcinoma present with advanced disease and systemic therapy is the mainstay of treatment. This review discusses recent advances in systemic treatments for patients with IHCCA. Summary The addition of durvalumab to a gemcitabine plus cisplatin regimen has significantly improved overall survival in the phase 3 TOPAZ-1 trial and is currently recommended as a standard first-line treatment. The phase 3 ABC-06 and phase 2b NIFTY trials have shown the benefit of second-line fluoropyrimidine plus oxaliplatin, and fluoropyrimidine plus nanoliposomal irinotecan, respectively. They have provided a treatment option for patients without actionable alterations who progressed to first-line therapy. For patients with actionable genomic alterations, including FGFR2 rearrangement, IDH1 mutation, BRAF mutation, and ERBB2 amplification, targeted agents have shown encouraging efficacy in several phase 2-3 trials, and are recommended as subsequent treatments. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are being investigated for the treatment of previously treated patients, although only a small proportion of patients showed durable responses. Key Messages Recent advances in systemic treatments have improved clinical outcomes in patients with advanced IHCCA. However, most patients eventually show resistance to the treatment, and tumor progression occurs within a year. Indeed, there should be further efforts to improve the outcomes of patients with advanced IHCCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhoon Yoo
- Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewon Hyung
- Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Stephen L. Chan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Hong Kong Cancer Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
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Purchla J, Ghabi EM, Burns WR, Lafaro KJ, Burkhart RA, Cameron JL, Yarchoan M, Shubert CR, Baretti M, He J. Exploring the Clinical Use of Molecular Profiling of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in a Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Clinic. J Am Coll Surg 2024; 238:532-540. [PMID: 38189646 DOI: 10.1097/xcs.0000000000000948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular profiling of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) can detect actionable molecular alterations and guide targeted therapies. We explore the clinical use of molecular profiling of ICC in our comprehensive multidisciplinary clinic. STUDY DESIGN Patients with a tissue diagnosis of ICC seen between 2019 and 2023 were identified. A retrospective review was performed to identify their molecular profiles and targeted therapy. The association between the detection of actionable molecular alterations and overall survival (OS) from the first clinic visit date was studied. Patients with an OS of less than 2 months were excluded. RESULTS Among 194 patients with ICC, 125 had molecular profiling. Actionable molecular alterations were detected in 56 (45%) patients, including microsatellite instability (n = 3), high tumor mutational burden (>10 muts/mb; n = 5), isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations (n = 22 and 6, respectively), BRAF V600E mutations (n = 2), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha mutations (n = 7), breast cancer 1 and breast cancer 2 mutations (n = 5), mesenchymal epithelial transition amplification (n = 2), fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 and 3 fusions (n = 13), erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 overexpression (n = 6), and receptor tyrosine kinase 1 fusion (n = 1). Twenty-one patients received targeted therapies during their treatment course. Survival analysis revealed that for 120 patients with molecular profiling, the detection of an actionable molecular alteration was associated with improved mean OS (34.1 vs 23.6 months, p = 0.008). Among 70 patients with nonmetastatic ICC, the detection of an actionable molecular alteration was associated with improved mean OS (32.1 vs 27.5 months, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Actionable molecular alterations were frequently observed in patients with ICC. Detection of actionable alterations was associated with improved OS. The role of targeted therapy needs further exploration in prospective multicenter studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Purchla
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - Elie M Ghabi
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - William R Burns
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - Kelly J Lafaro
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - Richard A Burkhart
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - John L Cameron
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - Mark Yarchoan
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Yarchoan, Baretti)
| | - Christopher R Shubert
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
| | - Marina Baretti
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Yarchoan, Baretti)
| | - Jin He
- From the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Purchla, Ghabi, Burns, Lafaro, Burkhart, Cameron, Shubert, He)
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5
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Spahn S, Kleinhenz F, Shevchenko E, Stahl A, Rasen Y, Geisler C, Ruhm K, Klaumuenzer M, Kronenberger T, Laufer SA, Sundberg-Malek H, Bui KC, Horger M, Biskup S, Schulze-Osthoff K, Templin M, Malek NP, Poso A, Bitzer M. The molecular interaction pattern of lenvatinib enables inhibition of wild-type or kinase-mutated FGFR2-driven cholangiocarcinoma. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1287. [PMID: 38346946 PMCID: PMC10861557 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45247-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-2 can be inhibited by FGFR-selective or non-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Selective TKIs are approved for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) with FGFR2 fusions; however, their application is limited by a characteristic pattern of adverse events or evocation of kinase domain mutations. A comprehensive characterization of a patient cohort treated with the non-selective TKI lenvatinib reveals promising efficacy in FGFR2-driven CCA. In a bed-to-bench approach, we investigate FGFR2 fusion proteins bearing critical tumor-relevant point mutations. These mutations confer growth advantage of tumor cells and increased resistance to selective TKIs but remain intriguingly sensitive to lenvatinib. In line with clinical observations, in-silico analyses reveal a more favorable interaction pattern of lenvatinib with FGFR2, including an increased flexibility and ligand efficacy, compared to FGFR-selective TKIs. Finally, the treatment of a patient with progressive disease and a newly developed kinase mutation during therapy with a selective inhibitor results in a striking response to lenvatinib. Our in vitro, in silico, and clinical data suggest that lenvatinib is a promising treatment option for FGFR2-driven CCA, especially when insurmountable adverse reactions of selective TKIs or acquired kinase mutations occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Spahn
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Fabian Kleinhenz
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Shevchenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Tuebingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Aaron Stahl
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tuebingen, 72770, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Yvonne Rasen
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Christine Geisler
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Kristina Ruhm
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Thales Kronenberger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Tuebingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Tuebingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Holly Sundberg-Malek
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Khac Cuong Bui
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Marius Horger
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Saskia Biskup
- CeGaT GmbH and Praxis für Humangenetik, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Schulze-Osthoff
- Cluster of Excellence, Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Interfaculty Institute for Biochemistry, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Templin
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tuebingen, 72770, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Nisar P Malek
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- M3-Research Center for Malignome, Metabolome and Microbiome, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Tuebingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Michael Bitzer
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence, Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
- M3-Research Center for Malignome, Metabolome and Microbiome, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
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Luo WH, Li SJ, Wang XF. Response of cholangiocarcinoma with epigastric metastasis to lenvatinib plus sintilimab: A case report and review of literature. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2023; 15:2033-2040. [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i11.2033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) poses a significant clinical challenge due to its low radical resection rate and a propensity for high postoperative recurrence, resulting in a poor dismal. Although the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy has demonstrated notable efficacy in several solid tumors recently, however, its application in CCA remains underexplored and poorly documented.
CASE SUMMARY This case report describes a patient diagnosed with stage IV CCA, accompanied by liver and abdominal wall metastases, who underwent palliative surgery. Subsequently, the patient received two cycles of treatment combining lenvatinib with sintilimab, which resulted in a reduction in abdominal wall metastasis, while intrahepatic metastasis displayed progression. This unexpected observation illustrates different responses of intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastases to the same therapy.
CONCLUSION Lenvatinib combined with sintilimab shows promise as a potential treatment strategy for advanced CCA. Genetic testing for related driver and/or passenger mutations, as well as an analysis of tumor immune microenvironment analysis, is crucial for optimizing drug combinations and eventually addressing the issue of non-response in specific metastatic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hui Luo
- The Second Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai 264000, Shandong Province, China
| | - Shao-Jun Li
- The Second Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai 264000, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xue-Feng Wang
- The Second Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai 264000, Shandong Province, China
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7
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Cao X, Yang Y, Zhou W, Wang Y, Wang X, Ge X, Wang F, Zhou F, Deng X, Miao L. Aprepitant inhibits the development and metastasis of gallbladder cancer via ROS and MAPK activation. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:471. [PMID: 37221457 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10954-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aprepitant, as a neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonist, originally applied for curing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, has been reported to have significant antitumor effect on several malignant tumors. However, the effect of aprepitant on gallbladder cancer (GBC) is not clear yet. This study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor activity of aprepitant on GBC and the potential mechanisms. METHODS The NK-1R expression of gallbladder cancer cells were examined by immunofluorescence. MTT assay, wound healing and transwell migration assay were applied to detect the effect of aprepitant on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate. The effects of aprepitant on the expressions of cytokine were examined by real-time quantitative PCR and MAPK activation were detected via immunofluorescence and western blotting. Besides, xenograft model was established to investigate the effect of aprepitant in vivo. RESULTS Our results indicated that NK-1R was markedly expressed in gallbladder cancer cells and aprepitant effectively inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, the apoptosis, ROS and inflammation response were significantly boosted by aprepitant in GBC. Aprepitant induced NF-κB p65 nuclear translocationin and increased the expressions of p-P65, p-Akt, p-JNK, p-ERK and p-P38, as well as the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Consistently, aprepitant suppressed the growth of GBC in xenograft mice model. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that aprepitant could inhibit the development of gallbladder cancer via inducing ROS and MAPK activation, which suggested that aprepitant may become a promising therapeutic drug against GBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyan Cao
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xue Wang
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xianxiu Ge
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fangfang Zhou
- Burn and Plastic Surgery, Jiangsu University Affiliated Hospital, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Xueting Deng
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Lin Miao
- Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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8
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Vancanneyt J, Wilmsen B, Luyten C, Verslype C, Van Cutsem E, Roskams T, Tejpar S, Vanden Bempt I, Dekervel J. Therapeutic yield of extensive molecular profiling in cholangiocarcinoma: a retrospective single-center study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023:10.1007/s00432-023-04840-w. [PMID: 37184679 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04840-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Current available systemic therapies for advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are of limited effectiveness and prognosis is poor. Recently, introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies led to a better understanding of the genetic pathophysiology and, consequently, identification of molecular alterations for targeted treatment. AIM To determine the proportion of actionable alterations using extensive molecular profiling in a routine diagnostic setting and to study the effect of targeted treatment on disease control. METHODS Results of extensive molecular testing by either FoundationOne NGS or an in-house developed 96 cancer gene panel were retrospectively collected from patients with locally advanced or metastatic CCA diagnosed between 01/12/2018 and 01/08/2021 in a single center. Gene variants were classified according to ESCAT and correlated with efficacy endpoints. RESULTS Of 125 patients included, 65 patients had an intrahepatic CCA (iCCA). FGFR2 fusions and IDH1/BAP1 mutations were more frequent in iCCA, while KRAS and SMAD4 mutations were predominant in extrahepatic CCA (eCCA). Targetable alterations (ESCAT tiers I-IV) were identified in 73,6% of patients. Overall survival was significantly better for higher tiers regardless of treatment. Thirteen patients (10.4%) received targeted treatment based on molecular profiling, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 7.3 months. CONCLUSIONS Extensive molecular characterization led to the identification of targetable and potentially targetable alterations in a significant proportion of patients with locally advanced or metastatic CCA. We confirmed the association between higher ESCAT tier and benefit of a targeted treatment. Molecular analysis should therefore be considered in all patients fit enough for systemic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Vancanneyt
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bie Wilmsen
- Department of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Caroline Luyten
- Department of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chris Verslype
- Department of Gastroenterology/Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eric Van Cutsem
- Department of Gastroenterology/Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tania Roskams
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sabine Tejpar
- Department of Gastroenterology/Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabelle Vanden Bempt
- Department of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Dekervel
- Department of Gastroenterology/Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven and KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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9
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Schirizzi A, De Leonardis G, Lorusso V, Donghia R, Rizzo A, Vallarelli S, Ostuni C, Troiani L, Lolli IR, Giannelli G, Ricci AD, D'Alessandro R, Lotesoriere C. Targeting Angiogenesis in the Era of Biliary Tract Cancer Immunotherapy: Biological Rationale, Clinical Implications, and Future Research Avenues. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15082376. [PMID: 37190304 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15082376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Although biliary tract cancers are traditionally considered rare in Western countries, their incidence and mortality rates are rising worldwide. A better knowledge of the genomic landscape of these tumor types has broadened the number of molecular targeted therapies, including angiogenesis inhibitors. The role of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) could potentially change the first-line therapeutic approach, but monotherapy with ICIs has shown disappointing results in CCA. Several clinical trials are evaluating combination strategies that include immunotherapy together with other anticancer agents with a synergistic activity. The tumor microenvironment (TME) composition plays a pivotal role in the prognosis of BTC patients. The accumulation of immunosuppressive cell types, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and regulatory T-cells, together with the poor infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells, is known to predispose to a poor prognosis owing to the establishment of resistance mechanisms. Likewise, angiogenesis is recognized as a major player in modulating the TME in an immunosuppressive manner. This is the mechanistic rationale for combination treatment schemes blocking both immunity and angiogenesis. In this scenario, this review aims to provide an overview of the most recent completed or ongoing clinical trials combining immunotherapy and angiogenesis inhibitors with/without a chemotherapy backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Schirizzi
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Giampiero De Leonardis
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Vincenza Lorusso
- Clinical Trial Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Rossella Donghia
- Data Science Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rizzo
- Struttura Semplice Dipartimentale di Oncologia Medica per la Presa in Carico Globale del Paziente Oncologico "Don Tonino Bello", I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II", Viale Orazio Flacco 65, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Simona Vallarelli
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Carmela Ostuni
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Laura Troiani
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Ivan Roberto Lolli
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Giannelli
- Scientific Direction, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Rosalba D'Alessandro
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Claudio Lotesoriere
- Medical Oncology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
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10
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MUG CCArly: A Novel Autologous 3D Cholangiocarcinoma Model Presents an Increased Angiogenic Potential. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15061757. [PMID: 36980644 PMCID: PMC10046314 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are characterized by their desmoplastic and hypervascularized tumor microenvironment (TME), which is mainly composed of tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). CAFs play a pivotal role in general and CCA tumor progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, and the development of treatment resistance. To our knowledge, no continuous human in vivo-like co-culture model is available for research. Therefore, we aimed to establish a new model system (called MUG CCArly) that mimics the desmoplastic microenvironment typically seen in CCA. Proteomic data comparing the new CCA tumor cell line with our co-culture tumor model (CCTM) indicated a higher gene expression correlation of the CCTM with physiological CCA characteristics. A pro-angiogenic TME that is typically observed in CCA could also be better simulated in the CCTM group. Further analysis of secreted proteins revealed CAFs to be the main source of these angiogenic factors. Our CCTM MUG CCArly represents a new, reproducible, and easy-to-handle 3D CCA model for preclinical studies focusing on CCA-stromal crosstalk, tumor angiogenesis, and invasion, as well as the immunosuppressive microenvironment and the involvement of CAFs in the way that drug resistance develops.
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11
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Malik IA, Rajput M, Werner R, Fey D, Salehzadeh N, von Arnim CAF, Wilting J. Differential in vitro effects of targeted therapeutics in primary human liver cancer: importance for combined liver cancer. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:1193. [PMCID: PMC9675209 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-10247-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of primary liver tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC), and combined HCC/ICC (cHCC/CC) is increasing. For ICC, targeted therapy exists only for a small subpopulation of patients, while for HCC, Sorafenib and Lenvatinib are in use. Diagnosis of cHCC/CC is a great challenge and its incidence is underestimated, bearing the risk of unintended non-treatment of ICC. Here, we investigated effects of targeted inhibitors on human ICC cell lines (HUH28, RBE, SSP25), in comparison to extrahepatic (E)CC lines (EGI1, CCC5, TFK1), and HCC/hepatoblastoma cell lines (HEP3B, HUH7, HEPG2). Cells were challenged with: AKT inhibitor MK-2206; multikinase inhibitors Sorafenib, Lenvatinib and Dasatinib; PI3-kinase inhibitors BKM-120, Wortmannin, LY294002, and CAL-101; and mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin. Dosage of the substances was based on the large number of published data of recent years. Proliferation was analyzed daily for four days. All cell lines were highly responsive to MK-2206. Thereby, MK-2206 reduced expression of phospho(p)-AKT in all ICC, ECC, and HCC lines, which mostly corresponded to reduction of p-mTOR, whereas p-ERK1/2 was upregulated in many cases. Lenvatinib showed inhibitory effects on the two HCC cell lines, but not on HEPG2, ICCs and ECCs. Sorafenib inhibited proliferation of all cells, except the ECC line CCC5. However, at reduced dosage, we observed increased cell numbers in some ICC experiments. Dasatinib was highly effective especially in ICC cell lines. Inhibitory effects were observed with all four PI3-kinase inhibitors. However, cell type-specific differences were also evident here. Rapamycin was most effective in the two HCC cell lines. Our studies show that the nine inhibitors differentially target ICC, ECC, and HCC/hepatoblastoma lines. Caution should be taken with Lenvatinib and Sorafenib administration in patients with cHCC/CC as the drugs may have no effects on, or might even stimulate, ICC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ihtzaz Ahmed Malik
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Mansi Rajput
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Rieke Werner
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Kreuzbergring 36, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Dorothea Fey
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Kreuzbergring 36, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Niloofar Salehzadeh
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Kreuzbergring 36, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Christine A. F. von Arnim
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wilting
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Kreuzbergring 36, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
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12
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Noh BJ, Choi G, Jang H, Ma C, Oh HS, Kim M, Eom DW. Prognostic implications of immune classification using IDO1 expression in extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma. Oncol Lett 2022; 24:373. [PMID: 36238847 PMCID: PMC9494626 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2022.13493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Byeong-Joo Noh
- Department of Pathology, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Gun Choi
- Department of Surgery, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyuk Jang
- Department of Surgery, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Chung Ma
- Department of Surgery, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Suk Oh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Moonho Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Woon Eom
- Department of Pathology, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Gangwon‑do 25440, Republic of Korea
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13
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Wu Z, Yu X, Zhang S, He Y, Guo W. The role of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in gallbladder carcinoma. Am J Transl Res 2022; 14:4426-4442. [PMID: 35958463 PMCID: PMC9360899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is poor, with a less than 5% five-year survival rate. Identifying the mechanisms underlying GBC occurrence and advancement is necessary to improve GBC patient prognosis and survival rates. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (AKT) pathway is involved in cancer deterioration, tumor growth, cell proliferation, and distant metastasis. Studying the impacts of the PI3K/AKT pathway has resulted in the identification of key factors involved in GBC progression that might serve as therapeutic targets, promoting the development of new treatments. METHODS We reviewed recent literature exploring abnormal regulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in gallbladder cancer, with a focus on abnormal RNA levels, protein level regulation, and drug treatment advances. RESULTS Further investigation of the regulation of small molecules and proteins by the PI3K/AKT pathway might ultimately provide new diagnostic or prognostic markers or cancer treatment targets. Recent studies have focused on RNA and proteins involved in the regulation of the cell cycle or cell movement in cancer progression via PI3K/AKT pathway, the use of anticancer drug combinations, or the anticancer effects of drugs not currently utilized for cancer treatment. CONCLUSIONS We herein review the known available molecules that affect the PI3K/AKT pathway in patients with GBC and the mechanisms of drug action associated with this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Wu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Shuijun Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Yuting He
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Wenzhi Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
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14
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Yi B, Zhao Z, Dong H, Yuan L, Wu Y, Xu Y, Jiang X, Sun C, Wu D, Xiao Y. Case Report: Durable Complete Response After Combined Immunotherapy Following Resection of Primary Tumor in a Gallbladder Cancer Patient With Distant Metastatic Lymph Nodes of Favorable Immune-Microenvironment. Front Immunol 2022; 13:820566. [PMID: 35242133 PMCID: PMC8887603 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.820566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Metastatic gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies. As GBC is usually diagnosed with distant metastases, only a few patients can receive R0 resection and the relapse rate remains high. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy has provided encouraging long-term outcomes in a subset of patients in many cancers. However, the data on efficacy of PD-1 blockade in GBC are very limited. Case Presentation We herein reported a stage IVB GBC patient with localized primary tumor and distant lymph node metastasis. Except for the unresectable multiple metastatic nodes including distant nodes, a complete resection of primary tumor en bloc with partial segment 4B+5 was performed. Tumor tissues of primary tumor and one metastatic lymph node were collected to perform whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, and immunohistochemistry. Low TMB (5.38 muts/Mb), low MSI (<20%), and negative PD-L1 expression (TC0) were observed in the primary tumor. Likewise, low TMB (5.44 muts/Mb), low MSI (<20%), and low PD-L1 expression (TC2) presented in the metastatic lymph node. Besides, low genetic intratumor heterogeneity exhibited between the primary and metastatic tumors in this patient. In contrast to the primary tumor, higher-level CD8+ T cell infiltration was revealed in the tumor microenvironment of the metastatic lymph node. Then, chemo-immunotherapy using S1 and anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab was administrated as the first-line treatment for the residual metastatic nodes. Complete response was achieved after 7 courses and has lasted for 32 months up to present. Additionally, blood samples during treatment were further analyzed for immune repertoire sequencing, showing that several T cell receptor clones in metastatic lymph node were predominant in blood during the combined anti-PD-1 treatment. Conclusions Chemo-immunotherapy may provide a potential curative option for the lymph node metastases of gallbladder cancer. The low intratumor heterogeneity and high level of infiltrating CD8+ T-cells in metastatic node might be indispensable to the durable complete response in this patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yi
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhikun Zhao
- Department of Medicine, YuceBio Technology Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Dong
- Department of Pathology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Yuan
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingjun Wu
- Department I of Biliary Tract, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Department I of Biliary Tract, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoqing Jiang
- Department I of Biliary Tract, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Sun
- Department of Medicine, YuceBio Technology Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Dongfang Wu
- Department of Medicine, YuceBio Technology Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Yajie Xiao
- Department of Medicine, YuceBio Technology Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China
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15
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Prognostic value of Dickkopf-1 and ß-catenin expression according to the antitumor immunity of CD8-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in biliary tract cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1931. [PMID: 35121803 PMCID: PMC8816896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05914-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of β-catenin and Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is dependent on the specific immunobiology of T cell inflammation in biliary tract cancer (BTC). We aimed to analyze the role of DKK1 or β-catenin as a prognostic factor in BTC, and determine the clinical associations of ß-catenin and DKK1 with CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). We used data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network and the clinicopathological data of 145 patients with BTC who had undergone primary radical resection between 2006 and 2016. CD8+ TIL expression was a significant predictor of favorable overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) (median OS, 34.9 months in high-TIL, 16.7 months in low-TIL, P < 0.0001 respectively; median RFS, 27.1 months in high-TIL, 10.0 months in low-TIL, P < 0.0001 respectively). In the high-CD8+ TIL BTC group, the tumor expression of β-catenin and DKK1 had a significant negative impact on either OS or RFS. In the low-TIL BTC group, there were no differences according to ß-catenin and DKK1 expression. Cox regression multivariate analysis demonstrated that CD8+ TIL and β-catenin retained significant association with OS. Among patients with resected BTC, the β-catenin and DKK1 protein and high CD8+ TIL levels were associated with poor and good clinical outcomes, respectively.
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16
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Cao L, Bridle KR, Shrestha R, Prithviraj P, Crawford DHG, Jayachandran A. CD73 and PD-L1 as Potential Therapeutic Targets in Gallbladder Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031565. [PMID: 35163489 PMCID: PMC8836068 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the most common and aggressive biliary tract cancers with a dismal prognosis. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating a few selected immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as monotherapy for the treatment of GBC patients. However, only a subset of patients benefits from these treatments. To improve ICI therapy response, molecular mechanisms that confer resistance to immune checkpoint (IC) blockade needs to be explored. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program and cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated as key processes that confer ICI treatment resistance. However, in GBC the EMT-CSC-IC axis has not yet been clearly elucidated. This study aims to examine the aberrant expression of ICs associated with CSC and EMT. We successfully enriched CSCs by utilizing a 3-dimensional culture system and established a reversible EMT model with human GBC NOZ cell line. Notably, ICs CD73 and PD-L1 were closely associated with both CSC and EMT phenotypes. Knockdown of CD73 or PD-L1 reduced the proliferative and motile abilities of both adherent monolayers and anchorage-free spheroids. In conclusion, blocking CD73 and PD-L1 offer a promising therapeutic strategy for targeting highly aggressive populations with CSC and EMT phenotype to improve GBC patient prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Cao
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (L.C.); (K.R.B.); (R.S.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Kim R. Bridle
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (L.C.); (K.R.B.); (R.S.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Ritu Shrestha
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (L.C.); (K.R.B.); (R.S.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | | | - Darrell H. G. Crawford
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (L.C.); (K.R.B.); (R.S.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Aparna Jayachandran
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (L.C.); (K.R.B.); (R.S.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
- Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia;
- Correspondence:
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17
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Chen X, Wang D, Liu J, Qiu J, Zhou J, Ying J, Shi Y, Wang Z, Lou H, Cui J, Zhang J, Liu Y, Zhao F, Pan L, Zhao J, Zhu D, Chen S, Li X, Li X, Zhu L, Shao Y, Shu Y. Genomic alterations in biliary tract cancer predict prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003214. [PMID: 34795005 PMCID: PMC8603283 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has shown promising efficacy in biliary tract cancer (BTC), which includes gallbladder cancer (GBC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL). Understanding the association between immunotherapy outcomes and the genomic profile of advanced BTC may further improve the clinical benefits from immunotherapy. METHODS Genomic tumor DNA was isolated from 98 Chinese patients with advanced BTC and used for targeted next-generation sequencing of 416 cancer-related genes to identify the genomic alterations common to advanced BTC. Thirty-four patients had received ICI camrelizumab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (from the NCT03486678 trial) as a first-line treatment. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells were evaluated using immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS KRAS and TP53 mutations were much more frequent in the advanced-stage BTC cohort than in other cohorts with mostly early stage disease. Specifically, KRAS-TP53 co-mutations were favored in advanced CHOL, with a favorable response to immunotherapy, while single KRAS mutations predicted poor prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes for CHOL. Compared with GBC, CHOL had more mutations in genes involved in KRAS signaling; a high mutation load in these genes correlated with poor immunotherapy outcomes and may subsequently cause inferior immunotherapy outcomes for CHOL relative to GBC. Furthermore, a genomic signature including 11 genes was developed; their mutated subtype was associated with poor prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes in both CHOL and GBC. Transcriptome analyses suggested immune dysfunction in the signature mutated subtype, which was validated by tumor microenvironment (TME) evaluation based on detection of immune cell infiltration. Importantly, the signature wild-type subtype with favorable TME may be an advantageous population of immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Genomic alterations in advanced BTC were associated with specific prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes. Combining genomic classification with TME evaluation further improved the stratification of immunotherapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Chen
- Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Deqiang Wang
- Oncology, Jiangsu University Hospital, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Oncology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingrong Qiu
- Biological Therapy, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis & Translational Research, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Jieer Ying
- Abdominal Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Oncology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaoxia Wang
- Oncology, Nanjing Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haizhou Lou
- Oncology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, Jilin University First Hospital, Changchun, China
| | - Jingdong Zhang
- Medical Oncology, Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Liaoning Cancer Institute and Hospital, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, China Medical University First Hospital, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.,Key Laboratory of Anticancer Drugs and Biotherapy of Liaoning Province, China Medical University First Hospital, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Fengjiao Zhao
- Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lanlan Pan
- Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jianyi Zhao
- Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Medical, Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Xiangcheng Li
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xue Li
- Medical, Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc, Nanjing, China
| | - Liuqing Zhu
- Medical, Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Shao
- Medical, Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc, Nanjing, China.,School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yongqian Shu
- Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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18
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Shekher A, Tiwari AK, Awasthee N, Verma SS, Dixit VK, Sinha N, Gupta SC, Puneet. Genes involved in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis correlate with nuclear factor-κB in biliary tract cancer patients: Evidence from 1H NMR and computational analyses. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2021; 1866:158970. [PMID: 34023500 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2021.158970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive malignancy of gastrointestinal tract. Due to uncontrolled growth, GBC cells rapidly synthesize biomolecules including lipids. The lipids are integral component of cell membrane with a wide range of cellular functions. In this study, we measured the clinicopathological features in 40 cases of histologically confirmed GBC and 16 cases of chronic cholecystitis (CC). The female to male ratio in the GBC and CC groups were 3.44:1 and 2.2:1, respectively. The GBC patients exhibited well to poorly differentiated tumor. In the CC group, all patients showed cholecystitis with no evidence of dysplasia or malignancy. The majority of GBC and CC patients reported pain. Using 1H NMR spectroscopy, we observed 4-folds increase in the level of choline containing phospholipids (CCPLs) in the gallbladder of GBC patients as compared to CC patients. Other lipid metabolites such as cholesterol ester, C18-cholesterol and saturated fatty acids were insignificantly changed between GBC and CC patients. Moreover, the level of CCPLs in the GBC patients with BMI <25 kg/m2 was significantly higher as compared to CC patients. Further, a significant increase in the CCPLs level was observed in GBC female patients in comparison to CC patients. From the computational analyses, we observed that the genes involved in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) indirectly interact with the RELA, which encodes the NF-κB p65 subunit. The genes involved in the PtdCho biosynthesis were also correlated with the overall and disease-free survival of cholangiocarcinoma patients. The study opens new window for exploring the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of CCPLs in GBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusmita Shekher
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Amit Kumar Tiwari
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Nikee Awasthee
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Sumit Singh Verma
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Vinod Kumar Dixit
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Neeraj Sinha
- Centre of Bio-Medical Research, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226 014, India
| | - Subash Chandra Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India; Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Guwahati, India.
| | - Puneet
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India.
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19
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Peng H, Fan K, Zan R, Gong ZJ, Sun W, Sun Y, Wang W, Jiang H, lou J, Ni J, Suo T, Zhang X. Degradable magnesium implants inhibit gallbladder cancer. Acta Biomater 2021; 128:514-522. [PMID: 33964481 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.04.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Gallbladder cancer can be difficult to detect in its early stages and is prone to metastasize, causing bile duct obstruction, which is usually treated by stent implantation in clinic. However, the commonly used biliary stents are non-degradable, which not only prone to secondary blockage, but also need to be removed by secondary surgery. Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) is expected to one of the promising candidates for degradable biliary stents due to its excellent physicochemical property and biocompatibility. In this work, we studied the influence of high-purity Mg wires on gallbladder cancer through in vitro and in vivo experiments and revealed that the degradation products of Mg could significantly inhibit the growth of gallbladder cancer cells and promote their apoptosis. Our findings indicate that Mg biliary stent possesses the function of draining bile and treating gallbladder cancer, suggesting that Mg has good application prospects in biliary surgery. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Current research and development of biomedical magnesium are mainly concentrated in the cardiovascular and orthopedics field. Degradable magnesium bile duct stents have great application prospects in the treatment of bile duct blockage caused by bile duct-related cancers. At present, the effect of magnesium implants on gallbladder cancer is not clear. Our work verified the effectiveness of magnesium wire implants in inhibiting gallbladder cancer through in vivo and in vitro experiments, and studied the effect of magnesium degradation products on gallbladder cancer cells from the perspective of cell proliferation, apoptosis and cycle. This study provided new understanding for the application of magnesium in biliary surgery.
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20
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Zhou M, Wang C, Lu S, Xu Y, Li Z, Jiang H, Ma Y. Tumor-associated macrophages in cholangiocarcinoma: complex interplay and potential therapeutic target. EBioMedicine 2021; 67:103375. [PMID: 33993051 PMCID: PMC8134032 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive and multifactorial malignancy of the biliary tract. The carcinogenesis of CCA is associated with genomic and epigenetic abnormalities, as well as environmental effects. However, early clinical diagnosis and reliable treatment strategies of CCA remain unsatisfactory. Multiple compartments of the tumor microenvironment significantly affect the progression of CCA. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a type of plastic immune cells that are recruited and activated in the CCA microenvironment, especially at the tumor invasive front and perivascular sites. TAMs create a favorable environment that benefits CCA growth by closely interacting with CCA cells and other stromal cells via releasing multiple protumor factors. In addition, TAMs exert immunosuppressive and antichemotherapeutic effects, thus intensifying the malignancy. Targeting TAMs may provide an improved understanding of, and novel therapeutic approaches for, CCA. This review focuses on revealing the interplay between TAMs and CCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghua Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Chaoqun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Shounan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yanan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Zihao Li
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Hongchi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Yong Ma
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of Hepatic Minimal Invasive Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
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21
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Rizzo A, Ricci AD, Frega G, Di Federico A, Brandi G. FGFR inhibitors in elderly patients with advanced biliary tract cancer: an unsolved issue. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021; 15:567-574. [PMID: 33787429 DOI: 10.1080/17474124.2021.1911646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Despite recent advances in the understanding of the molecular landscape of biliary tract cancer (BTC), advanced disease continues to carry a poor prognosis, and the benefit from systemic treatments remains modest. However, BTCs have emerged as malignancies harboring specific potentially druggable aberrations, and thus, several molecularly targeted treatments have been recently tested. Among these, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors have shown interesting results in previously treated BTC patients with advanced diseaseAreas covered: In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of available evidence on FGFR inhibitors in elderly patients with metastatic BTC, especially focusing on subgroup analyses of recently published trials exploring this novel therapeutic approach in these aggressive malignancies.Expert opinion: The FGFR1, FGFR2, and FGFR3 inhibitor pemigatinib has been recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in metastatic BTCs harboring FGFR2 fusion or other rearrangement. However, few data are available regarding the use of FGFR inhibitors in elderly BTCs, a patient population that remains seriously under-represented in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna - Italia
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna - Italia
| | - Giorgio Frega
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna - Italia
| | - Alessandro Di Federico
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna - Italia
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna - Italia
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22
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Abstract
Introduction: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive malignancies comprising intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and ampulla of Vater cancer. Although recent years have witnessed the emergence of novel treatment targets, medical therapy remains a compelling challenge in these hepatobiliary malignancies. In order to provide more effective treatment options, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are currently under investigation in advanced BTC, with controversial results reported so far.Areas covered: This review provides an overview regarding current scenario of ICIs and immune-based combinations in advanced BTC, where several novel treatments are currently being developed, some of which have suggested interesting efficacy in recent clinical trials. In addition, we provide a report of ongoing Phase I to III clinical trials assessing ICIs and new immunotherapeutic strategies for advanced BTC.Expert opinion: Although immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment landscape of several hematological and solid tumors, the role of ICIs and immune-based combinations in advanced BTC is still unclear. Despite ICI monotherapy has reported limited efficacy in this setting, the durable responses observed in sporadic cases suggest that testing patients for MMR, MSI, TMB, and PD-L1 expression is warranted. Results of currently ongoing trials are highly awaited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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23
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Rizzo A, Brandi G. Pitfalls, challenges, and updates in adjuvant systemic treatment for resected biliary tract cancer. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021; 15:547-554. [PMID: 33571059 DOI: 10.1080/17474124.2021.1890031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Unfortunately, potentially curative surgical resection is possible in approximately the 25% of biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients at diagnosis, and even following radical surgery, relapse rates remain high. Thus, the role of adjuvant systemic treatment has been widely explored in this setting over the last decades, with the hope of lowering recurrence rates and improving outcomes of BTC patients.Areas covered: In this review, we provide an overview of available evidence regarding adjuvant systemic therapy in resected BTC, critically discussing the pros and cons of recently published clinical trials such as the BILCAP, the BCAT, and the PRODIGE-12/ACCORD-18 phase III studies.Expert opinion: Although the BILCAP trial has established adjuvant capecitabine for 6 months following radical resection as a novel standard of care, the role of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy is the object of debate and controversy in the BTC medical community. Although most of the international guidelines on BTC management have not yet been updated, the recently published ASCO guidelines support the use of capecitabine in this setting. Several phase I to III clinical trials are currently evaluating the role of novel therapeutic approaches in patients with resected BTC, and the results of these studies are highly awaited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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24
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The Emerging Role of Immunotherapy in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9050422. [PMID: 33922362 PMCID: PMC8146949 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Biliary tract cancer, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC) in particular, represents a rather uncommon, highly aggressive malignancy with unfavorable prognosis. Therapeutic options remain scarce, with platinum-based chemotherapy is being considered as the gold standard for the management of advanced disease. Comprehensive molecular profiling of tumor tissue biopsies, utilizing multi-omics approaches, enabled the identification of iCC’s intratumor heterogeneity and paved the way for the introduction of novel targeted therapies under the scope of precision medicine. Yet, the unmet need for optimal care of patients with chemo-refractory disease or without targetable mutations still exists. Immunotherapy has provided a paradigm shift in cancer care over the past decade. Currently, immunotherapeutic strategies for the management of iCC are under intense research. Intrinsic factors of the tumor, including programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and mismatch repair (MMR) status, are simply the tip of the proverbial iceberg with regard to resistance to immunotherapy. Acknowledging the significance of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in both cancer growth and drug response, we broadly discuss about its diverse immune components. We further review the emerging role of immunotherapy in this rare disease, summarizing the results of completed and ongoing phase I–III clinical trials, expounding current challenges and future directions.
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25
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Mehta R, Wood AC, Yu J, Kim R. Investigational PARP inhibitors for the treatment of biliary tract cancer: spotlight on preclinical and clinical studies. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:451-461. [PMID: 33660569 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1898586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Alterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes are observed in up to 60% of biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients. Patients with advanced/metastatic BTC have few therapeutic options, so there is a demand for the development of new and innovative treatment approaches. The use of poly-adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPis), either as a monotherapy or in combination, is being extensively studied in clinical trials.Areas Covered: This review examines the targeting of the DDR pathway with PARPis as a potential novel treatment option for the management of BTCs. The rationale behind the use of PARPis and current clinical experience is discussed. Moreover, further insights into potential future directions concerning the applicability of PARPis in the treatment of BTCs are proposed.Expert Opinion: Prospective clinical data with PARPis in the treatment of BTCs are limited. The potential combination of PARPis and IDH1 inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinical trials is interesting because of the potential synergistic preclinical data. There are other possible combinations including those drugs that target the angiogenesis or STAT3 pathways. An enhanced understanding of acquired resistance to PARPis is necessary to progress the use of these agents in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutika Mehta
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Anthony C Wood
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - James Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Advent Health, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Richard Kim
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
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26
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Rizzo A, Ricci AD, Brandi G. Durvalumab: an investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody for the treatment of biliary tract cancer. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:343-350. [PMID: 33645367 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1897102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: The prognosis of patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) remains dismal, with a 5-year overall survival rate of less than 10%. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment landscape of several hematological and solid tumors, controversial results have been reported in BTC. In this setting, the anti-PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab is currently under investigation in several clinical trials as monotherapy, or in combination with other pharmacological agents.Areas covered: We offer an overview of immunotherapies for BTC, discuss recently published or presented data on durvalumab pharmacology, safety, and efficacy in the treatment of BTC and consider future research directions for the agent in this setting.Expert opinion: The promising antitumor activity shown by durvalumab in early trials warrants further investigation because it may provide more effective, much needed treatment options. The results of clinical trials of this PD-L1 inhibitor, as a monotherapy or in combination, are eagerly awaited. Future efforts should focus on the identification and development of reliable biomarkers of response to durvalumab in BTC, clarifying the role of PD-L1 expression, microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR), tumor mutational burden (TMB) and other emerging predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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27
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Fonkoua LAAK, Mahipal A. Research Progress of Biliary Tract Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040919. [PMID: 33671644 PMCID: PMC7926639 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
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28
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Pemigatinib: Hot topics behind the first approval of a targeted therapy in cholangiocarcinoma. Cancer Treat Res Commun 2021; 27:100337. [PMID: 33611090 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) includes a heterogeneous group of malignancies with limited treatment options. Despite recent advances in medical oncology, the prognosis of CCA patients with metastatic disease remains poor, with a median overall survival of less than a year. In the last decade, notable efforts have been made by the CCA medical community in an attempt to improve clinical outcomes of patients, with the development of molecularly targeted therapies in this setting. Among these treatments, the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2 inhibitor pemigatinib has received accelerated approval in April 2020 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in CCA patients harboring FGFR2 gene fusions or other rearrangements, on the basis of the results of the FIGHT-202 trial, and thus, representing the first molecularly targeted therapy to be approved for the treatment of CCA. However, several issues remain, including the emergence of polyclonal mutations determining resistance to pemigatinib, the identification of biomarkers predictive of response, and the knowledge gaps regarding the role of other FGFR gene aberrations. This review aims to provide an overview of recent development of pemigatinib, especially focusing on the results of the pivotal FIGHT-202 trial, the approval of this FGFR inhibitor, and the future challenges concerning the use of FGFR-directed treatments in CCA patients.
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29
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Waddell SH, Boulter L. Developing models of cholangiocarcinoma to close the translational gap in cancer research. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:439-450. [PMID: 33513027 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1882993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive primary liver malignancy with abysmal prognosis and increasing global incidence. Individuals afflicted with CCA often remain asymptomatic until late stages of disease, resulting in very limited possibilities for therapeutic intervention. The emergence of numerous preclinical models in vitro and in vivo has expanded the tool kit for CCA researchers; nonetheless, how these tools can be best applied to understand CCA biology and accelerate drug development requires further scrutiny.Areas covered: The paper reviews the literature on animal and organoid models of CCA (available through PubMed between September 2020 and January 2021) and examines their investigational role in CCA therapeutics. Finally, the potential of these systems for screening therapeutics to improve CCA patient outcomes is illuminated.Expert Opinion: The expansion of CCA models has yielded a diverse and interesting tool kit for preclinical research. However, investigators should consider which tools are best suited to answer key preclinical questions for real progress. A combination of advanced in vitro cell systems and in vivo testing will be necessary to accelerate translational medicine in cholangiocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott H Waddell
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Luke Boulter
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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30
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Adjuvant systemic treatment in resected biliary tract cancer: State of the art, controversies, and future directions. Cancer Treat Res Commun 2021; 27:100334. [PMID: 33592563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Biliary tract cancer (BTC) includes a heterogeneous group of aggressive malignancies comprising gallbladder cancer (GBC), ampulla of Vater cancer (AVC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). Unfortunately, potentially curative resection is possible in approximately the 25% of presenting patients, and relapse rates are high, with a notable proportion of BTCs experiencing disease recurrence. Recent years have seen the publication of several prospective clinical trials evaluating the role of adjuvant systemic treatments, and among these, the phase III BILCAP study provided evidence supporting the use of capecitabine after radical surgery in BTC patients; in fact, although the study failed to meet its primary endpoint, the capecitabine arm showed improved clinical outcomes in terms of overall survival (pre-planned sensitivity analysis in the intention-to-treat population and in the per-protocol analysis) and relapse-free survival. However, the BILCAP has been widely criticized, with several authors that have not accepted adjuvant capecitabine as novel standard of care. In this review, we summarize current state of the art regarding adjuvant systemic treatment in BTC, highlighting advantages and disadvantages of recent clinical trials, and suggesting new research directions in this setting.
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31
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Rizzo A, Brandi G. First-line Chemotherapy in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Ten Years After the ABC-02 Trial: "And Yet It Moves!". Cancer Treat Res Commun 2021; 27:100335. [PMID: 33592561 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) include a heterogeneous group of highly aggressive hepatobiliary malignancies, representing the 3% of all gastrointestinal cancers and the second most frequent type of primary liver cancer after hepatocellular carcinoma. Ten years after the publication of the phase III, randomized, ABC-02 trial, the combination of cisplatin plus gemcitabine remains the standard first-line treatment for patients with advanced BTC. In the last decade, a large number of attempts has been made to improve the efficacy of the reference doublet by using novel drugs or adding a third agent to cisplatin-gemcitabine. Unfortunately, despite the addition of different cytotoxic drugs failed to improve clinical outcomes in several studies, recently published clinical trials have provided interesting results, and other first-line chemotherapy options are currently under investigation in randomized phase III studies. Moreover, recent years have witnessed the parallel emergence of molecularly targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, with these novel agents having the potential to revolutionize the therapeutic algorithm of advanced BTC. In this review, we will provide an overview on first-line therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of advanced BTCs, especially focusing on recently published data and ongoing clinical trials in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy; Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy; Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
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Di Federico A, Rizzo A, Ricci AD, Frega G, Palloni A, Tavolari S, Brandi G. Nivolumab: an investigational agent for the treatment of biliary tract cancer. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2020; 30:325-332. [PMID: 33307866 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1863946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) include four uncommon primary biliary malignancies characterized by poor prognosis: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and ampulla of Vater cancer. To date, the available therapeutic options are limited; nevertheless, with the advent of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, the treatment scenario is constantly changing, opening toward future possibilities for the personalized treatment of BTC. Among these treatments, nivolumab is currently being investigated in BTC.Areas covered: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent progress and future perspectives of immunotherapy for the treatment of BTC, with a particular focus on nivolumab, which has demonstrated its effectiveness in many malignancies and is in its initial phase of evaluation in BTC.Expert opinion: BTCs are not among those tumors that demonstrated remarkable sensitivity to immunotherapy, such as melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer. However, the results obtained with nivolumab are not disappointing if we analyze the population of the trials testing its efficacy, including pretreated patients, unselected for PD-L1 expression and with different BTCs. In our opinion, ICIs such as nivolumab could fill an empty spot in the treatment of selected BTC patients, especially in combination with other agents, and the results of ongoing clinical trials are awaited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Di Federico
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giorgio Frega
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Palloni
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
| | - Simona Tavolari
- Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy.,Center of Applied Biomedical Research, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.,Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, via Albertoni, 15 Bologna, Italy
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Personeni N, Lleo A, Pressiani T, Colapietro F, Openshaw MR, Stavraka C, Pouptsis A, Pinato DJ, Rimassa L. Biliary Tract Cancers: Molecular Heterogeneity and New Treatment Options. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3370. [PMID: 33202975 PMCID: PMC7696875 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) are diagnosed with advanced disease, relapse rates are high in those undergoing surgery and prognosis remains poor, while the incidence is increasing. Treatment options are limited, and chemotherapy is still the standard of care in both adjuvant and advanced disease setting. In recent years, different subtypes of BTC have been defined depending on the anatomical location and genetic and/or epigenetic aberrations. Especially for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) novel therapeutic targets have been identified, including fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 gene fusions and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations, with molecularly targeted agents having shown evidence of activity in this subgroup of patients. Additionally, other pathways are being evaluated in both iCCA and other subtypes of BTC, alongside targeting of the immune microenvironment. The growing knowledge of BTC biology and molecular heterogeneity has paved the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches that will completely change the treatment paradigm for this disease in the near future. This review provides an overview of the molecular heterogeneity of BTC and summarizes new targets and emerging therapies in development. We also discuss resistance mechanisms, open issues, and future perspectives in the management of BTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Personeni
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (N.P.); (T.P.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (F.C.)
| | - Ana Lleo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (F.C.)
- Internal Medicine Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Pressiani
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (N.P.); (T.P.)
| | - Francesca Colapietro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (F.C.)
- Internal Medicine Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy
| | - Mark Robert Openshaw
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London W120HS, UK; (M.R.O.); (D.J.P.)
| | - Chara Stavraka
- Department of Medical Oncology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK;
| | - Athanasios Pouptsis
- Department of Medical Oncology, “Euromedica” General Clinic, 54645 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - David James Pinato
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London W120HS, UK; (M.R.O.); (D.J.P.)
| | - Lorenza Rimassa
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (N.P.); (T.P.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20090 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (F.C.)
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Rizzo A, Federico AD, Ricci AD, Frega G, Palloni A, Pagani R, Tavolari S, Marco MD, Brandi G. Targeting BRAF-Mutant Biliary Tract Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Challenges. Cancer Control 2020; 27:1073274820983013. [PMID: 33356500 PMCID: PMC8642057 DOI: 10.1177/1073274820983013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) represent a heterogeneous group of aggressive solid tumors with limited therapeutic options, and include gallbladder cancer (GBC), ampulla of Vater cancer (AVC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). METHODS & RESULTS In the current review, we will discuss recent results of clinical trials testing targeted therapies in BRAF-mutant BTCs, with a particular focus on the recently published Phase II ROAR trial and ongoing active and recruiting clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS Although the extended use of molecular profiling has paved the way toward a new era in BTC management, targeted therapies are limited to iCCA so far, and the prognosis of patients with metastatic disease has substantially not changed in the last decade. In this discouraging scenario, BRAF inhibition is currently emerging as a novel treatment option in patients harboring BRAF mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Di Federico
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Giorgio Frega
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Palloni
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Rachele Pagani
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Simona Tavolari
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
- Center of Applied Biomedical Research, S. Orsola-Malpighi University
Hospital, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariacristina Di Marco
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S.
Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna,
Bologna, Italy
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