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Yue S, Zhang Y, Zhang W. Recent Advances in Immunotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2024; 25:1089-1111. [PMID: 39066855 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-024-01243-y] [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] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive malignancies that arise from the epithelium of the biliary tract. Most patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. For patients with unresectable BTC, the survival advantage provided by systemic chemotherapy was limited. Over the last decade, immunotherapy has significantly improved the therapeutic landscape of solid tumors. There is an increasing number of studies evaluating the application of immunotherapy in BTC, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), cancer vaccines and adoptive cell therapy. The limited response to ICIs monotherapy in unselected patients prompted investigators to explore different combination therapy strategies. Early clinical trials of therapeutic cancer vaccination and adoptive cell therapy have shown encouraging clinical results. However, there still has been a long way to go via validation of therapeutic efficacy and exploration of strategies to increase the efficacy. Identifying biomarkers that predict the response to immunotherapy will allow a more accurate selection of candidates. This review will provide an up-to-date overview of the current clinical data on the role of immunotherapy, summarize the promising biomarkers predictive of the response to ICIs and discuss the perspective for future research direction of immunotherapy in advanced BTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwei Yue
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‑Pancreatic‑Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunpu Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‑Pancreatic‑Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‑Pancreatic‑Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China.
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, 430030, Wuhan, China.
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Heumann P, Albert A, Gülow K, Tümen D, Müller M, Kandulski A. Current and Future Therapeutic Targets for Directed Molecular Therapies in Cholangiocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1690. [PMID: 38730642 PMCID: PMC11083102 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16091690] [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: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
We conducted a comprehensive review of the current literature of published data, clinical trials (MEDLINE; ncbi.pubmed.com), congress contributions (asco.org; esmo.org), and active recruiting clinical trains (clinicaltrial.gov) on targeted therapies in cholangiocarcinoma. Palliative treatment regimens were analyzed as well as preoperative and perioperative treatment options. We summarized the current knowledge for each mutation and molecular pathway that is or has been under clinical evaluation and discussed the results on the background of current treatment guidelines. We established and recommended targeted treatment options that already exist for second-line settings, including IDH-, BRAF-, and NTRK-mutated tumors, as well as for FGFR2 fusion, HER2/neu-overexpression, and microsatellite instable tumors. Other options for targeted treatment include EGFR- or VEGF-dependent pathways, which are known to be overexpressed or dysregulated in this cancer type and are currently under clinical investigation. Targeted therapy in CCA is a hallmark of individualized medicine as these therapies aim to specifically block pathways that promote cancer cell growth and survival, leading to tumor shrinkage and improved patient outcomes based on the molecular profile of the tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Heumann
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, and Infectious Diseases University Hospital Regensburg Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Arne Kandulski
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, and Infectious Diseases University Hospital Regensburg Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Gilbert TM, Randle L, Quinn M, McGreevy O, O'leary L, Young R, Diaz-Neito R, Jones RP, Greenhalf B, Goldring C, Fenwick S, Malik H, Palmer DH. Molecular biology of cholangiocarcinoma and its implications for targeted therapy in patient management. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY 2024:108352. [PMID: 38653586 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108352] [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: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remains a devastating malignancy and a significant challenge to treat. The majority of CCA patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, making the disease incurable in most cases. The advent of high-throughput genetic sequencing has significantly improved our understanding of the molecular biology underpinning cancer. The identification of 'druggable' genetic aberrations and the development of novel targeted therapies against them is opening up new treatment strategies. Currently, 3 targeted therapies are approved for use in CCA; Ivosidenib in patients with IDH1 mutations and Infigratinib/Pemigatinib in those with FGFR2 fusions. As our understanding of the biology underpinning CCA continues to improve it is highly likely that additional targeted therapies will become available in the near future. This is important, as it is thought up to 40 % of CCA patients harbour a potentially actionable mutation. In this review we provide an overview of the molecular pathogenesis of CCA and highlight currently available and potential future targeted treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Gilbert
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
| | - L Randle
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - M Quinn
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK
| | - O McGreevy
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - L O'leary
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK
| | - R Young
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - R Diaz-Neito
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK
| | - R P Jones
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - B Greenhalf
- Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Goldring
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems Integrative and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - S Fenwick
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK
| | - H Malik
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT, Liverpool, UK
| | - D H Palmer
- Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool, UK; Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Taghizadeh H, Dong Y, Gruenberger T, Prager GW. Perioperative and palliative systemic treatments for biliary tract cancer. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2024; 16:17588359241230756. [PMID: 38559612 PMCID: PMC10981863 DOI: 10.1177/17588359241230756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the fact biliary tract cancer (BTC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, thus, not eligible for resection, and due to the aggressive tumor biology, it is considered as one of the cancer types with the worst prognosis. Advances in diagnosis, surgical techniques, and molecular characterization have led to an improvement of the prognosis of BTC patients, recently. Although neoadjuvant therapy is expected to improve surgical outcomes by reducing tumor size, its routine is not well established. The application of neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced disease may be indicated, the routine use of systemic therapy prior to surgery for cholangiocarcinoma patients with an upfront resectable disease is less well established, but discussed and performed in selected cases. In advanced disease, only combination chemotherapy regimens have been demonstrated to achieve disease control in untreated patients. Molecular profiling of the tumor has demonstrated that many BTC might bear actionable targets, which might be addressed by biological treatments, thus improving the prognosis of the patients. Furthermore, the addition of the immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy might improve the prognosis in a subset of patients. This review seeks to give a comprehensive overview about the role of neoadjuvant as well as palliative systemic treatment approaches and an outlook about novel systemic treatment concept in BTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Taghizadeh
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital St. Pölten, St. Pölten, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Oncology and Nephrology, St. Pölten, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yawen Dong
- Department of Surgery, HPB Center, Health Network Vienna, Clinic Favoriten, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Gruenberger
- Department of Surgery, HPB Center, Health Network Vienna, Clinic Favoriten, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald W. Prager
- Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna AT1090, Austria
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Yuan ZG, Zeng TM, Tao CJ. Current and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches for biliary tract cancers. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2022; 21:440-449. [PMID: 36115807 DOI: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2022.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) comprise a heterogeneous group of aggressive malignancies with unfavorable prognoses. The benefit of chemotherapy seems to have reached a bottleneck and, therefore, new effective therapeutic strategies for advanced BTCs are needed. Molecularly targeted therapies in selected patients are rapidly changing the situation. However, the low frequency of specific driver alterations in BTCs limits their wide application. Recently, immunotherapeutic approaches are also under active investigation in BTCs, but the role of immunotherapy in BTCs remains controversial. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Web of Science, and meeting resources were searched for relevant articles published from January 2017 to May 2022. The search aimed to identify current and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches for BTCs. Information on clinical trials was obtained from https://clinicaltrials.gov/ and http://www.chictr.org.cn/. RESULTS Immunotherapy in BTC patients is currently under investigation, and most of the investigations focused on the application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, only a subgroup of BTCs with microsatellite-instability high (MSI-H)/DNA mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) or tumor mutational burden-high (TMB-H) benefit from monotherapy of ICIs, and limited activity was observed in the second or subsequent settings. Nevertheless, promising results come from studies of ICIs in combination with other therapeutic approaches, including chemotherapy, in advanced BTCs, with a moderate toxicity profile. Recent studies demonstrated that compared to GEMCIS alone, durvalumab plus GEMCIS significantly improved patient survival (TOPAZ-1 trial) and that ICIs-combined chemoimmunotherapy is poised to become a new frontline therapy option, regardless of TMB and MMR/MSI status. Adoptive cell therapy and peptide- or dendritic-based cancer vaccines are other immunotherapeutic options that are being studied in BTCs. Numerous biomarkers have been investigated to define their predictive role in response to ICIs, but no predictive biomarker has been validated, except MSI-H/dMMR. CONCLUSIONS The role of immunotherapy in BTCs is currently under investigation and the results of ongoing studies are eagerly anticipated. Several studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of ICIs in combination with chemotherapy in treatment-naive patients, such as the phase III TOPAZ-1 trial, which will change the standard care of first-line chemotherapy for advanced BTCs. However, further research is needed to understand the best combination with immunotherapy and to discover more predictive biomarkers to guide clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Gang Yuan
- Department of Oncology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Tian-Mei Zeng
- Department of Oncology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Chen-Jie Tao
- Department of Oncology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), Shanghai 200438, China
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Scheiter A, Hierl F, Winkel I, Keil F, Klier-Richter M, Coulouarn C, Lüke F, Kandulski A, Evert M, Dietmaier W, Calvisi DF, Utpatel K. Wnt/β-Catenin-Pathway Alterations and Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines and Clinical Samples: Towards Specific Vulnerabilities. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12081270. [PMID: 36013219 PMCID: PMC9410222 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12081270] [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: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) features a dismal prognosis with limited treatment options. Genomic studies have unveiled several promising targets in this disease, including fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) fusions and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations. To fully harness the potential of genomically informed therapies in CCA, it is necessary to thoroughly characterize the available model organisms, including cell lines. One parameter to investigate in CCA is homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). While mutations in homologous recombinational repair (HRR)-related genes have been detected, their predictive value remains undetermined. Using a targeted next-generation sequencing approach, we analyzed 12 human CCA cell lines and compared them to 62 CCA samples of the molecular tumor board cohort. The AmoyDx® HRD Focus Panel was employed to determine corresponding genomic scar scores (GSS). Ten of twelve cell lines harbored alterations in common HRR-related genes, and five cell lines were HRD-positive, although this parameter did not correlate well with Olaparib sensitivity. Moreover, functionally relevant APC and β-catenin mutations were registered, which were also detected in 4/176 (2.3%) samples on a CCA microarray. Although rare, these alterations were exclusive to large duct type CCA with associated intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNB) in 3 cases, pointing at a distinct form of cholangiocarcinogenesis with potential specific vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Scheiter
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
- Bavarian Center for Cancer Research/BZKF, 91054 Bavaria, Germany;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-941-944-6706
| | - Frederik Hierl
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Ingrid Winkel
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Felix Keil
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Margit Klier-Richter
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | | | - Florian Lüke
- Bavarian Center for Cancer Research/BZKF, 91054 Bavaria, Germany;
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Hematology and Oncology, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Arne Kandulski
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany;
| | - Matthias Evert
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Wolfgang Dietmaier
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Diego F. Calvisi
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Kirsten Utpatel
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (F.H.); (I.W.); (F.K.); (M.K.-R.); (M.E.); (W.D.); (D.F.C.); (K.U.)
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