Immunotherapeutic approaches in biliary tract carcinoma: Current status and emerging strategies

Gallbladder cancer: surgical treatment, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy

Gallbladder cancer is a common type of biliary tract tumor. Optimal management for early stage cases typically involves radical excision as the primary treatment modality. Various surgical techniques, including laparoscopic, robotic, and navigational surgery, have demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes in radical gallbladder excision. Unfortunately, most patients are ineligible for surgical intervention because of the advanced stage of the disease upon diagnosis. Consequently, non-surgical interventions, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, have become the mainstay of treatment for patients in advanced stages. This review focuses on elucidating various surgical techniques as well as advancements in immunotherapy and targeted therapy in the context of recent advancements in gallbladder cancer research.

Advances in immunotherapy for biliary tract cancers

ABSTRACT

Biliary tract cancers (BTC), a heterogeneous disease with poor prognosis, including gallbladder cancer (GBC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC). Although surgery is currently the primary regimen to treat BTC, most BTC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and miss the opportunity of surgical eradication. As a result, non-surgical therapy serves as the main intervention for advanced BTC. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as one of the most promising therapies in a number of solid cancers, and it includes immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) monotherapy or combined therapy, tumor vaccines, oncolytic virus immunotherapy, adoptive cell therapy (ACT), and cytokine therapy. However, these therapies have been practiced in limited clinical settings in patients with BTC. In this review, we focus on the discussion of latest advances of immunotherapy in BTC and update the progress of multiple current clinical trials with different immunotherapies.

Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cell expansion and their cytotoxic responses against cholangiocarcinoma

Human Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes are regarded as promising effector cells for cancer immunotherapy since they have the ability to eliminate several tumor cells through non-peptide antigen recognition. However, the cytotoxic function and the mechanism of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells leading to specific killing of cholangiocarcinoma cells are yet to be confirmed. In this study, we established a protocol for ex vivo expansion of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells from healthy donors' peripheral blood mononuclear cells by culture with zoledronate and addition of IL-2, and IL-15 or IL-18 or neither. Testing the cytotoxic capacity of cultured Vγ9Vδ2 T cells against cholangiocarcinoma cell lines showed higher reactivity than against control cells. Surface expression of CD107 was detected on the Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, suggesting that these cells limit in vitro growth of cholangiocarcinoma cells via degranulation of the perforin and granzyme pathway. Analysis of molecular signaling was used to demonstrate expression of pro- and anti-survival genes and a panel of cytokine genes in Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. We found that in the presence of either IL-15 or IL-18, levels of caspase 3 were significantly reduced. Also, IL-15 and IL-18 stimulated cells contained cytotoxicity against cholangiocarcinoma cells, suggesting that stimulated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells may provide a feasible therapy for cholangiocarcinoma.

Response of cholangiocarcinoma with epigastric metastasis to lenvatinib plus sintilimab: A case report and review of literature

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.

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Antibody Plus Lenvatinib and Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy for Patients with Stage IV Gallbladder Cancer: A Real-World Study in a Chinese Population

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) antibody plus lenvatinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) therapy and chemotherapy as the first-line treatment to unresectable stage IV gallbladder cancer (GBC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with stage IV GBC who received chemotherapy or anti-PD-1 antibody combined with lenvatinib therapy at our hospital from March 2018 to October 2022. Patients with previous antitumor treatment were excluded. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs) were assessed. Results: A total of 64 patients were enrolled, of which 33 patients received chemotherapy (gemcitabine + cisplatin) in the chemotherapy group, and 31 patients received anti-PD-1antibody (camrelizumab) combined with lenvatinib therapy in the combined therapy group. The median OS was 12.00 months in the combined therapy group and 10.00 months in the chemotherapy group (hazard ratio (HR), 0.57; 95% CI: 0.32-1.03; p < 0.05). The median PFS was 9.00 months in the combined therapy group and 6.00 months in the chemotherapy group (HR, 0.46; 95% CI: 0.25-0.84; p < 0.01). The ORR was 54.84% and 39.39% in the combined therapy and chemotherapy groups, respectively, and the difference was not significant (p = 0.22). The DCR was 80.65% and 72.72% in the combined therapy and chemotherapy groups, respectively (p = 0.46). One patient successfully underwent radical surgery after 8 months of combined therapy and achieved a pathological complete response. Furthermore, no patients experienced AEs of hematologic toxic effects in the combined therapy group compared with the chemotherapy group, demonstrating the advantage of the combined therapy. Conclusions: Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with lenvatinib may be a potentially effective and tolerable first-line treatment for unresectable stage IV GBC.

Advances in molecular and cell therapy for immunotherapy of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly malignant tumor of the hepatobiliary system that has failed to respond to many traditional therapies to a certain extent, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In recent years, the new therapeutic schemes based on immunology have fundamentally changed the systemic treatment of various malignant tumors to a certain extent. In view of the immunogenicity of CCA, during the occurrence and development of CCA, some immunosuppressive substances are released from cells and immunosuppressive microenvironment is formed to promote the escape immune response of its own cells, thus enhancing the malignancy of the tumor and reducing the sensitivity of the tumor to drugs. Some immunotherapy regimens for cholangiocarcinoma have produced good clinical effects. Immunotherapy has more precise characteristics and less adverse reactions compared with traditional treatment approaches. However, due to the unique immune characteristics of CCA, some patients with CCA may not benefit in the long term or not benefit at all after current immunotherapy. At present, the immunotherapy of CCA that have been clinically studied mainly include molecular therapy and cell therapy. In this article, we generalized and summarized the current status of immunotherapy strategies including molecular therapy and cell therapy in CCA in clinical studies, and we outlined our understanding of how to enhance the clinical application of these immunotherapy strategies.

Immune microenvironment of cholangiocarcinoma: Biological concepts and treatment strategies

Cholangiocarcinoma is characterized by a poor prognosis with limited treatment and management options. Chemotherapy using gemcitabine with cisplatin is the only available first-line therapy for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma, although it offers only palliation and yields a median survival of < 1 year. Recently there has been a resurgence of immunotherapy studies focusing on the ability of immunotherapy to inhibit cancer growth by impacting the tumor microenvironment. Based on the TOPAZ-1 trial, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the combination of durvalumab and gemcitabine with cisplatin as the first-line treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. However, immunotherapy, like immune checkpoint blockade, is less effective in cholangiocarcinoma than in other types of cancer. Although several factors such as the exuberant desmoplastic reaction are responsible for cholangiocarcinoma treatment resistance, existing literature on cholangiocarcinoma cites the inflammatory and immunosuppressive environment as the most common factor. However, mechanisms activating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment contributing to cholangiocarcinoma drug resistance are complicated. Therefore, gaining insight into the interplay between immune cells and cholangiocarcinoma cells, as well as the natural development and evolution of the immune tumor microenvironment, would provide targets for therapeutic intervention and improve therapeutic efficacy by developing multimodal and multiagent immunotherapeutic approaches of cholangiocarcinoma to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the role of the inflammatory microenvironment-cholangiocarcinoma crosstalk and reinforce the importance of inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment, thereby highlighting the explanatory and therapeutic shortcomings of immunotherapy monotherapy and proposing potentially promising combinational immunotherapeutic strategies.

Spatiotemporal analysis of tumour-infiltrating immune cells in biliary carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND

Intraductal papillary neoplasms (IPN) and biliary epithelial neoplasia (BilIN) are well-defined precursor lesions of biliary tract carcinoma (BTC). The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive characterisation of the inflammatory microenvironment in BTC precursor lesions.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry was employed to assess tumour-infiltrating immune cells in tissue samples from patients, for whom precursor lesions were identified alongside invasive BTC. The spatiotemporal evolution of the immune microenvironment during IPN-associated carcinogenesis was comprehensively analysed using triplet sample sets of non-neoplastic epithelium, precursor lesion and invasive BTC. Immune-cell dynamics during IPN- and BilIN-associated carcinogenesis were subsequently compared.

RESULTS

Stromal CD3⁺ (P = 0.002), CD4⁺ (P = 0.007) and CD8⁺ (P < 0.001) T cells, CD20⁺ B cells (P = 0.008), MUM1⁺ plasma cells (P = 0.012) and CD163⁺ M2-like macrophages (P = 0.008) significantly decreased in IPN compared to non-tumorous biliary epithelium. Upon transition from IPN to invasive BTC, stromal CD68⁺ (P = 0.001) and CD163⁺ (P < 0.001) macrophages significantly increased. In contrast, BilIN-driven carcinogenesis was characterised by significant reduction of intraepithelial CD8⁺ T-lymphocytic infiltration from non-tumorous epithelium via BilIN (P = 0.008) to BTC (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

IPN and BilIN are immunologically distinct entities that undergo different immune-cell variations during biliary carcinogenesis. Intraepithelial CD8⁺ T-lymphocytic infiltration of biliary tissue decreased already at the IPN-precursor stage, whereas BilIN-associated carcinogenesis showed a slowly progressing reduction towards invasive carcinoma.

Progress in Radiotherapy for Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) originates from the epithelium of the bile duct and is highly malignant with a poor prognosis. Radical resection is the only treatment option to completely cure primary CCA. Due to the insidious onset of CCA, most patients are already in an advanced stage at the time of the initial diagnosis and may lose the chance of radical surgery. Radiotherapy is an important method of local treatment, which plays a crucial role in preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, postoperative adjuvant therapy, and palliative treatment of locally advanced lesions. However, there is still no unified and clear recommendation on the timing, delineating the range of target area, and the radiotherapy dose for CCA. This article reviews recent clinical studies on CCA, including the timing of radiotherapy, delineation of the target area, and dose of radiotherapy. Further, we summarize large fraction radiotherapy (stereotactic body radiotherapy [SBRT]; proton therapy) in CCA and the development of immunotherapy and the use of targeted drugs combined with radiotherapy.

A Phase II Study of Pembrolizumab in Combination with Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin with Molecular Profiling in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

We conducted a phase II study of the combination of pembrolizumab with capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) in patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) to assess response rate and clinical efficacy. Exploratory objectives included correlative studies of immune marker expression, tumor evolution, and immune infiltration in response to treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Adult patients with histologically confirmed BTC were enrolled and received oxaliplatin and pembrolizumab on day 1 of cycles 1-6. Capecitabine was administered orally twice daily as intermittent treatment, with the first dose on day 1 and the last dose on day 14 of cycles 1-6. Starting on cycle 7, pembrolizumab monotherapy was continued until disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints were safety, tolerability, feasibility, and response rate. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for PD-L1 and immune infiltrates was analyzed in paired tumor biopsies, as well as bulk transcriptome and exome profiling for five patients and single-cell RNA sequencing for one partial responder.

RESULTS

Eleven patients enrolled, three of whom had received no prior systemic therapy. Treatment was well tolerated, and the most common treatment-related grade 3 or 4 adverse events were lymphocytopenia, anemia, and decreased platelet count. Three patients (27.3%) achieved a partial response, and six (54%) had stable disease. The disease control rate was 81.8%. The median PFS was 4.1 months with a 6-month PFS rate of 45.5%. Molecular profiling suggests qualitative differences in immune infiltration and clonal evolution based on response.

CONCLUSION

Capecitabine and oxaliplatin in combination with pembrolizumab is tolerable and a potentially effective treatment for refractory advanced BTC. This study highlights a design framework for the precise characterization of individual BTC tumors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03111732).

Novel and emerging targets for cholangiocarcinoma progression: therapeutic implications

INTRODUCTION

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive biliary malignancies. While surgery and liver transplantation are the only potentially curative modalities for early-stage disease, limited options are available for most patients with incurable-stage disease. Survival outcomes remain dismal. Recent molecular profiling efforts have led to improved understanding of the genomic landscape of CCA and to the identification of subgroups with distinct diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications.

AREAS COVERED

: We provide an updated review and future perspectives on features of cholangiocarcinogenesis that can be translated into therapeutic biomarkers and targets. We highlight the critical studies that have established current systemic chemotherapy and targeted therapeutics, while elaborating on novel targeted and immunotherapeutic approaches in development. Relevant literature and clinical studies were identified by searching PubMed and www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

EXPERT OPINION

: While therapies targeting the various molecular subgroups of CCA are rapidly emerging and changing treatment paradigms, their success has been limited by the genetic heterogeneity of CCA and the plasticity of the targets. Novel strategies aiming to combine immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and molecularly-targeted therapeutics will be required to offer durable clinical benefit and maximize survival.

The new insight of treatment in Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a relatively rare malignant tumor originating from the bile duct epithelial cells, and it is one of the malignant tumors with fast growth in incidence and death rate in recent years. CCA carries a very poor prognosis due to a typically late clinical presentation and a poor response to current therapeutics. Currently, surgery is the only possible curative treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy also play an important role in slowing down disease progression, while targeted therapy and immunotherapy are changing with each passing day and their combined effect may have great potential for the treatment of CCA; Clinical trials of various treatment options for CCA are also being conducted. This article reviews the different treatment options for CCA and explores the adjuvant treatment for it from a new perspective. In the future, the goal of treatment should be multiple and combined for different CCA patients to achieve individualized programs and improve overall survival.

Current challenges in targeting tumor desmoplasia to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy

Desmoplasia is crucial for the development, progression and treatment of immune-resistant malignancies. and treatment of immune-resistant malignancies. Targeting desmoplasia-related metabolic pathways appears to be an interesting approach to expand our stock of disposable anti-tumor agents.CXCL12/CXCR4 axis inhibition reduces fibrosis, alleviates immunosuppression and significantly enhances the efficacy of PD-1 immunotherapy. CD40L substitute therapy may increase the activity of T-cells, downregulate CD40+, prolong patients' survival and prevent cancer progression. Although FAPα antagonists used in preclinical models did not lead to permanent cure, an alleviation of immune-resistance, modification of desmoplasia and a decrease in angiogenesis were observed. Targeting DDR2 may enhance the effect of anti-PD-1 treatment in multiple neoplasm cell lines and has the ability to overcome the adaptation to BRAF-targeted therapy in melanoma. Reprogramming desmoplasia could potentially cooperate not only with present treatment, but also other potential therapeutic targets. We present the most promising metabolic pathways related to desmoplasia and discuss the emerging strategies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.

The Emerging Role of Immunotherapy in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

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.

Immunotherapy in cholangiocarcinoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive heterogeneous group of cancers of the biliary epithelium and most patients are detected with advanced metastatic disease with poor prognosis. The therapeutic options are limited, and the current standard care as systemic therapy is still cytotoxic chemotherapy. With the understanding of the complex immune microenvironment in the liver and these cancers arising in the milieu of chronic inflammation, recent advances in immune oncology have transformed the landscape of cancer management with breakthroughs in the treatment of several solid tumors.

RECENT FINDINGS

With the advances of genome sequencing, subgroups of cholangiocarcinoma with hyper mutated status and rich in cancer neoantigen production may be susceptible to immunotherapies like cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors by eliciting a host immune response resulting in tumor rejection or overcoming the immunosuppressive local tumor microenvironment.

SUMMARY

In this review, we look at the most recent evidence behind immunotherapy and its application in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. Though its utility is still in early development it shows great promise in improving response rates that may translate to durable disease control and improve clinical outcomes in this aggressive disease.

The immunological characteristics of gallbladder carcinoma and advances in immunotherapy practices

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the biliary system, ranking sixth among gastrointestinal malignancies. In addition, the incidence of GBC has recently increased in China. GBC metastasizes early and invades adjacent organs such as the liver, making patients with GBC ineligible for radical surgery and giving them a poor prognosis. What is more, GBC is more inclined to develop chemo-resistance, which requires new strategies for clinical intervention. Cancer immunotherapy has made great advances over the past few years, with improved clinical efficacy against multiple malignancies, including GBC. This review summarizes the immunological characteristics of GBC as well as current advances in immunotherapies for GBC in order to provide new insights into future treatment and prevention of GBC.

A Perspective on Cell Therapy and Cancer Vaccine in Biliary Tract Cancers (BTCs)

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare, but aggressive, disease that comprises of gallbladder carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, with heterogeneous molecular profiles. Advanced disease has limited therapeutic options beyond first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Immunotherapy has emerged as a viable option for many cancers with a similar unmet need. Therefore, we reviewed current understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment and recent advances in cellular immunotherapy and therapeutic cancer vaccines against BTC. We illustrated the efficacy of dendritic cell vaccination in one patient with advanced, chemorefractory, melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE)-positive gallbladder carcinoma, who was given multiple injections of an allogenic MAGE antigen-positive melanoma cell lysate (MCL)-based autologous dendritic cell vaccine combined with sequential anti-angiogenic therapy. This resulted in good radiological and tumor marker response and an overall survival of 3 years from diagnosis. We postulate the potential synergism of adding anti-angiogenic therapy, such as bevacizumab, to immunotherapy in BTC, as a rational scientific principle to positively modulate the tumor microenvironment to augment antitumor immunity.

Genetic analysis in the clinical management of biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is clinically and pathologically heterogeneous and responds inadequately to treatment. A small section of patients develop resectable disease, although the relapse rates are high; the benefits of adjuvant capecitabine chemotherapy for BTC are now understood, and gemcitabine-based combination chemotherapy is the first line of therapeutic strategy for BTC; however, alternative therapy for BTC is not known. Genomic profiling can provide detailed information regarding the carcinogenesis, identification, and therapy for BTC. Currently, confirmed restorative targets for BTC are lacking. In this review, we aimed to analyze the preclinical and clinical implications of a spectrum of genomic alterations associated with new potentially remedial targets. We focused on eight draggable genes for BTC, which were described as having evidence of therapeutic impact (evidence level 2A-3B) based on the clinical practice guidance for next-generation sequencing in cancer diagnosis and treatment; these include ERBB2, NTRK1, RNF43, CDK6, CDKN2B, FGFR2, IDH1, and IDH2. Moreover, some of the BTC present microsatellite instability, hypermutation, and germline variants, which we also reviewed. Finally, we discussed the therapeutic options based on the next-generation sequencing findings in BTC. Studies have demonstrated that BTC includes subgroups with individually distinct driver mutations, most of which will be targeted with new treatment plans.

Phase I study of bintrafusp alfa, a bifunctional fusion protein targeting TGF-β and PD-L1, in patients with pretreated biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) have poor prognosis with few treatment options. Bintrafusp alfa, a first-in-class bifunctional fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-βRII receptor (a TGF-β 'trap') fused to a human IgG1 antibody blocking programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), has shown clinical efficacy in multiple solid tumors.

METHODS

In this phase I, open-label trial expansion cohort, Asian patients with BTC whose disease progressed after first-line chemotherapy received bintrafusp alfa 1200 mg every 2 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint is safety/tolerability, while the secondary endpoints include best overall response per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1.

RESULTS

As of August 24, 2018, 30 patients have received bintrafusp alfa for a median of 8.9 (IQR 5.7-32.1) weeks; 3 patients remained on treatment for >59.7 weeks. Nineteen (63%) patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), most commonly rash (17%), maculopapular rash and fever (13% each), and increased lipase (10%). Eleven (37%) patients had grade ≥3 TRAEs; three patients had grade 5 events (septic shock due to bacteremia, n=1; interstitial lung disease (reported term: interstitial pneumonitis), n=2). The objective response rate was 20% (95% CI 8 to 39) per independent review committee (IRC), with five of six responses ongoing (12.5+ to 14.5+ months) at data cut-off. Two additional patients with durable stable disease had a partial response per investigator. Median progression-free survival assessed by IRC and overall survival were 2.5 months (95% CI 1.3 to 5.6) and 12.7 months (95% CI 6.7 to 15.7), respectively. Clinical activity was observed irrespective of PD-L1 expression and microsatellite instability-high status.

CONCLUSIONS

Bintrafusp alfa had clinical activity in Asian patients with pretreated BTC, with durable responses. Based on these results, bintrafusp alfa is under further investigation in patients with BTC (NCT03833661 and NCT04066491).

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02699515.

Patterns and genomic correlates of PD-L1 expression in patients with biliary tract cancers

Background

Patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) have a dismal prognosis and limited treatment options. Given the potential for immunotherapy in patients with BTC, we studied the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)/programmed death-1 (PD-1) and evaluated for associated genetic alterations in patients with BTC.

Methods

By immunohistochemistry (IHC), PD-L1 (SP142 antibody; ≥2+ and/or ≥5% staining on tumor cells considered positive) and PD-1 [NAT105 antibody; ≥1+ staining of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) considered positive] expression was studied and next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed using Caris Life Sciences' sequencing panel of 592 genes. A total of 652 patients with BTC were included in this study: 77 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), 203 gallbladder cancer (GBC), and 372 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Results

Of the 652 tumors 8.6% were PD-L1 positive with the following distribution: GBC 12.3% (25/203), ICC 7.3% (27/372), and ECC 5.2% (4/77). There was a statistically significant increase in BRAF, BRCA2, RNF43, and TP53 mutations in PD-L1 positive group as compared to PD-L1 negative. Among other biomarkers tested, TOP2A, tumor mutational burden (TMB) high (≥17 mutations per megabase) (10.7%), and microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) (7.1%) were increased in PD-L1 positive tumors versus PD-L1 negative tumors.

Conclusions

PD-L1 expression was noted in a small percentage (8.6%) of patients with BTC. This finding suggests potential benefit of immunotherapy in this subset of patients. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant association between PD-L1 expression and certain genomic alterations (BRAF, BRCA2, RNF43, TP53) and biomarkers (TOP2A, TMB high, MSI-H), which might direct the use of rational combination strategies and clinical trial development.

The efficiency and regimen choice of adjuvant chemotherapy in biliary tract cancer: A STROBE-compliant retrospective cohort study

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients have poor prognosis even following radical resection. To improve the current status, more evidence is required clarifying the role of adjuvant chemotherapy. This study aim is to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and discuss the regimen choices.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 80 patients who underwent curative-intent R0 resection from 2008 to 2016. Among them, 40 patients had received adjuvant chemotherapy, and the others in the observation group were 1:1 matched by clinical characteristics including gender, age, tumor stage, and ECOG performance status score. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to compare DFS and OS. Potential confounding factors were adjusted by Multivariate analysis.In the entire patient cohort, the mean disease-free survival (DFS) time of BTC patients with adjuvant chemotherapy and observation was 18.63 ± 3.63 months versus 10.36 ± 1.67 months, respectively (P = .029). There was no significant difference observed in overall survival (OS) time (33.72 ± 5.02 vs 21.05 ± 4.12 months, P = .114). On multivariate analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy and N factor were found to be significant factors for DFS, and sex, age, T factor were found to be significant factors for OS. Besides, subgroup analysis indicated that combination chemotherapy prolonged DFS time of BTC patients than single-agent to some extent, and oral agents showed efficacy to improve OS.This retrospective study demonstrates that adjuvant chemotherapy contributes to DFS, but is unsatisfactory for improving OS. Combination chemotherapy contained oral agents provides a possibility of therapeutic strategy for improving surgical outcomes of BTC patients.

Exosomes derived from rAAV/AFP-transfected dendritic cells elicit specific T cell-mediated immune responses against hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Dendritic cell (DC)-derived exosomes (Dexs) have been proved to induce and enhance antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo, and previous clinical trials have shown the feasibility and safety of Dexs in multiple human cancers. However, there is little knowledge on the efficacy of Dexs against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) until now.

Methods

In this study, human peripheral blood-derived DCs were loaded with recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV)-carrying alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene (rAAV/AFP), and high-purity Dexs were generated. Then naive T cells were stimulated with Dexs to investigate the specific T cell-mediated immune responses against HCC.

Results

Our findings showed that Dexs were effective to stimulate naive T cell proliferation and induce T cell activation to become antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), thereby exhibiting antitumor immune responses against HCC. In addition, Dex-sensitized DC precursors seemed more effective to trigger major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I)-restricted CTL response and allow DCs to make full use of the minor antigen peptides, thereby maximally activating specific immune responses against HCC.

Conclusion

It is concluded that Dexs, which combine the advantages of DCs and cell-free vectors, are promising to completely, or at least in part, replace mature DCs (mDCs) to function as cancer vaccines or natural antitumor adjuvant.

Novel targeted treatment options for advanced cholangiocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Surgical resection remains the mainstay of potentially curative treatment in the early stages of cholangiocarcinoma, whereas for the advanced stage, systemic chemotherapeutics and experimental targeted therapies are the primary treatment options. The molecular heterogeneity of the tumor is based on location, liver dysfunction, and relative rarity of the disease and confers challenges for clinical trial enrollment. The advancements in the understanding of molecular pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma have led to the development of targeted therapies that are currently being evaluated in the clinical trials.

AREAS COVERED

This review summarizes the current understanding and future directions of targeted therapeutic options in the management of advanced cholangiocarcinoma.

EXPERT OPINION

Advanced cholangiocarcinoma has a dismal prognosis; improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and advancements in development of targeted therapy offers hope that we may improve outcomes in this rare, but highly lethal cancer. Among the newly discovered molecular alterations, targeting FGFR2 fusions, IDH1/2 mutations and HER2 receptors hold great promise for improving the future management of cholangiocarcinoma. Immunotherapy in combination with targeted agents and chemotherapy may improve outcomes. In addition, drugs targeting the MEK, EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, and ROS1 pathways and neo-angiogenesis may also provide new horizons in the management of cholangiocarcinoma.

Frontiers in Gastrointestinal Oncology: Advances in Multi-Disciplinary Patient Care

Cancers of the digestive system remain highly lethal; therefore, the care of patients with malignant diseases of the digestive tract requires the expertise of providers from multiple health disciplines. Progress has been made to advance the understanding of epidemiology and genetics, diagnostic and screening evaluation, treatment modalities, and supportive care for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. At the Multi-Disciplinary Patient Care in Gastrointestinal Oncology conference at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pennsylvania on 29 September 2017, the faculty members of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center presented a variety of topics that focused on this oncological specialty. In this continuing medical education-certified conference, updates on the population sciences including health disparities and resistance training were presented. Progress made in various diagnostic evaluation and screening procedures was outlined. New developments in therapeutic modalities in surgical, radiation, and medical oncology were discussed. Cancer genetic testing and counseling and the supportive roles of music and arts in health and cancer were demonstrated. In summary, this disease-focused medical conference highlighted the new frontiers in gastrointestinal oncology, and showcase the multi-disciplinary care provided at the Penn State Cancer Institute.

Second-line therapy in advanced upper gastrointestinal cancers: current status and new prospects

The prognosis of patients with advanced upper gastrointestinal cancers (UGC) remains poor. Current available systemic armamentarium is limited, and little progress has been made over the last decades. Main achievements have been obtained in first-line setting, however an increasingly proportion of patients are considered for second-line therapy, although data from randomized trials are scarce or even lacking. In this comprehensive review we examine the literature to summarize the efficacy and limitations of second-line systemic options in patients with advanced UGC, with a glimpse into the innovations.

Immunotherapeutic Approaches to Biliary Cancer

OPINION STATEMENT

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare aggressive neoplasms with a poor prognosis and a median survival of less than 1 year in the locally advanced or metastatic setting. Among the few patients who undergo curative resection the recurrence rates are high. About 90% of patients are detected at advanced stages, and systemic chemotherapy is the mainstay of their treatment. The treatment options for these patients are limited and multiple modalities of therapy from targeted therapy to immunotherapy and combination therapies (immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy) have been tested in this disease. Targeted therapies have failed to show a survival benefit. The deregulation of the immune system plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of BTCs. Therefore, immunotherapy, especially, immune checkpoint inhibitors hold great promise for this group of cancers. Numerous trials of immunotherapy in BTC are currently ongoing. In this review, we will discuss the available data and evidence for immunotherapy in BTC.

Immunotherapy as a treatment for biliary tract cancers: A review of approaches with an eye to the future

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are aggressive malignancies associated with resistance to chemotherapy and poor prognostic rates. Therefore, novel treatment approaches are in need. Immunotherapy represents a promising breakthrough that uses a patient's immune system to target a tumor. This treatment approach has shown immense progress with positive results for selected cancers such as melanoma and nonsmall cell lung cancer. Initial preclinical data and preliminary clinical studies suggest encouraging mechanistic effects for immunotherapy in BTC offering the hope for an expanding therapeutic role for this disease. These approaches include targeted tumor antigen therapy via peptide and dendritic cell-based vaccines, allogenic cell adoptive immunotherapy, and the use of inhibitory agents targeting the immune checkpoint receptor pathway and multiple components of the tumor microenvironment. At this time demonstrating efficacy in larger clinical trials remains imperative. A multitude of ongoing trials aim to successfully translate mechanistic effects into antitumor efficacy and ultimately aim to incorporate immunotherapy into the routine management of BTC. With further research efforts, the optimization of dosing and therapeutic regimens, the identification of novel tumor antigens and a better understanding of alternative checkpoint pathway receptor expression may provide additional targets for rational combinatorial therapies which enhance the effects of immunotherapy and may offer hope for further advancing treatment options. Ultimately, the challenge remains to prospectively identify the subsets of patients with BTC who may respond to immunotherapy, and devising alternative strategies to sensitize those that do not with the hopes of improving outcomes for all with this deadly disease.

New Horizons for Precision Medicine in Biliary Tract Cancers

Biliary tract cancers (BTC), including cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, are poor-prognosis and low-incidence cancers, although the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rising. A minority of patients present with resectable disease but relapse rates are high; benefit from adjuvant capecitabine chemotherapy has been demonstrated. Cisplatin/gemcitabine combination chemotherapy has emerged as the reference first-line treatment regimen; there is no standard second-line therapy. Selected patients may be suitable for liver-directed therapy (e.g., radioembolization or external beam radiation), pending confirmation of benefit in randomized studies. Initial trials targeting the epithelial growth factor receptor and angiogenesis pathways have failed to deliver new treatments. Emerging data from next-generation sequencing analyses have identified actionable mutations (e.g., FGFR fusion rearrangements and IDH1 and IDH2 mutations), with several targeted drugs entering clinical development with encouraging results. The role of systemic therapies, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy for BTC, is rapidly evolving and is the subject of this review.Significance: The authors address genetic drivers and molecular biology from a translational perspective, in an intent to offer a clear view of the recent past, present, and future of BTC. The review describes a state-of-the-art update of the current status and future directions of research and therapy in advanced BTC. Cancer Discov; 7(9); 943-62. ©2017 AACR.

New Horizons for Precision Medicine in Biliary Tract Cancers

Biliary tract cancers (BTC), including cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, are poor-prognosis and low-incidence cancers, although the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rising. A minority of patients present with resectable disease but relapse rates are high; benefit from adjuvant capecitabine chemotherapy has been demonstrated. Cisplatin/gemcitabine combination chemotherapy has emerged as the reference first-line treatment regimen; there is no standard second-line therapy. Selected patients may be suitable for liver-directed therapy (e.g., radioembolization or external beam radiation), pending confirmation of benefit in randomized studies. Initial trials targeting the epithelial growth factor receptor and angiogenesis pathways have failed to deliver new treatments. Emerging data from next-generation sequencing analyses have identified actionable mutations (e.g., FGFR fusion rearrangements and IDH1 and IDH2 mutations), with several targeted drugs entering clinical development with encouraging results. The role of systemic therapies, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy for BTC, is rapidly evolving and is the subject of this review.Significance: The authors address genetic drivers and molecular biology from a translational perspective, in an intent to offer a clear view of the recent past, present, and future of BTC. The review describes a state-of-the-art update of the current status and future directions of research and therapy in advanced BTC. Cancer Discov; 7(9); 943-62. ©2017 AACR.

Opisthorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma in Southeast Asia: an unresolved problem

The prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in Southeast Asia is much higher than other areas of the world. Eating raw, fermented, or undercooked cyprinid fish, infected with the liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini sensu lato (sl), results in chronic biliary inflammation, periductal fibrosis, and increased cancer risk. There may be associated glomerulonephritis. The process of infection is difficult to disrupt because eating practices have proven extremely difficult to change, and the life cycle of the fluke cannot be broken due to high prevalence in canine and feline reservoir hosts. Fecal analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests can be used to diagnose opisthorchiasis. Diagnosis of CCA is complex, partly due to the lack of definitive imaging characteristics but also due to the difficulty of obtaining samples for cytology or histology. This cancer has proven to be resistant to common chemotherapy treatments and so the two avenues of treatment available are surgical resection and liver transplantation, both requiring early detection of the tumor for the best chances of success. Late presentation of symptoms reduces the chances of successful surgical intervention. While liver fluke infections can be treated with praziquantel, individuals will often become reinfected, and multiple reinfections can be more harmful than a singular, long-term infection. A key research on the detection and characterization of novel biomarkers in all parts of the carcinogenic pathway for early diagnosis is needed.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: current management and emerging therapies

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a malignancy with an increasing incidence and a high-case fatality. While surgery offers the best hope at long-term survival, only one-third of tumors are amenable to surgical resection at the time of the diagnosis. Unfortunately, conventional chemotherapy offers limited survival benefit in the management of unresectable or metastatic disease. Recent advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of iCCA and the use of next-generation sequencing techniques have provided a chance to identify 'target-able' molecular aberrations. These novel molecular therapies offer the promise to personalize therapy for patients with iCCA and, in turn, improve the outcomes of patients. Area covered: We herein review the current management options for iCCA with a focus on defining both established and emerging therapies. Expert commentary: Surgical resection remains as an only hope for cure in iCCA patients. However, frequently the diagnosis is delayed till advanced stages when surgery cannot be offered; signifying the urge for specific diagnostic tumor biomarkers and targeted therapies. New advances in genomic profiling have contributed to a better understanding of the landscape of molecular alterations in iCCA and offer hope for the development of novel diagnostic biomarkers and targeted therapies.

New molecular and immunotherapeutic approaches in biliary cancer

Biliary tract carcinoma is a collective term for a group of rare gastrointestinal cancers. This overview outlines the key pathways and specialised therapeutics in biliary cancer and the emerging role of immunotherapy by highlighting the rationale and selected examples of studies in each area.

Activation or suppression of the immune response mediators in biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Infiltration of immune cells and immune microenvironment determine the proliferative activity of the tumor and metastasis. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of activation or suppression of the immune response mediators on the prognosis of biliary tract cancer (BTC). Methods: We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase and The Cochrane Library for relevant literatures until June 2016. The quality of studies was assessed by QUADAS-2 and NOS tools. Forest and funnel plots and all statistical analyses were generated by using Review Manager 5.3. The bias of included studies was estimated by Egger's test using Meta R package. Results: A total of 2339 patients from 12 studies were finally enrolled in this meta-analysis. Patients with high expression of immune active factors, intraepithelial tumor-infiltrating CD4+ , CD8+, and Foxp3+ T lymphocytes, MHC I, NKG2D, showed a better overall survival (OS) than those with low expression (HR=0.52, 95% CI=0.41-0.67, P<0.00001). On the contrary, the high expression of immune suppressive factors (CD66b+ neutrophils, Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, Intratumoral IL-17+ cells and PD-1+/CD8+ TILs) was significantly associated with poor OS (HR=1.79, 95% CI=1.44-2.22, P<0.00001). A further analysis of therapies targeting tumor microenvironment modulation showed that the median progression free survival (PFS) for BTC patients who received adjuvant immunotherapy was longer than those who received surgery or chemotherapy alone, and the estimated pooled mean difference demonstrated a highly significant improvement (MD =2.33; 95% CI: 0.63-4.02, P=0.007). The total effect of PFS and OS was statistically longer in experimental group, compared to patients in control groups, respectively (PFS: RR=1.25; 95% CI: 1.08-1.46, P=0.004; OS: RR=1.16; 95% CI: 1.07-1.27, P=0.0006). In subgroup meta-analysis of studies on 6-, 12- and 18-month PFS and OS, it showed that adjuvant immunotherapy could improve the 6-month PFS (RR=1.23; 95% CI: 1.05-1.44, P=0.009), and 6-month OS (RR=1.17; 95% CI: 1.06-1.30, P=0.002). Conclusions: So given the above issue, our meta-analysis confirmed that the level of immune mediators could be a predicative factor for prognosis of BTC patients, and immunotherapy regimens by modulating the tumor microenvironment was superior for enhancing median PFS, 6-month PFS and OS.

Advanced biliary tract cancer: clinical outcomes with ABC-02 regimen and analysis of prognostic factors in a tertiary care center in the United States

BACKGROUND

Gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) is currently the standard regimen for advanced biliary tract cancers (BTC) based on the outcomes in ABC-02 trial. Multiple factors can affect outcomes in these patients. This retrospective review evaluates the University of Cincinnati experience with GC in advanced intrahepatic (IHC)/extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHC) and gall bladder carcinoma (GBC).

METHODS

In this study approved by University of Cincinnati IRB, retrospective analysis of advanced BTC patients seen between 01/2008 and 01/2015 was done. Kaplan Meyer method was used to calculate progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Cox model was used to test the association between baseline variables and OS/PFS, adjusting for gender and age at diagnosis. Patients were identified using ICD code for BT tumors, 26 patients met inclusion criteria: histologically proven advanced BTC that received GC as their initial chemotherapy. GC was given as per ABC-02 protocol with appropriate modifications until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities.

RESULTS

Median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range, 31-81 years). Eighteen (69%) were IHC, 5 EHC, 3 GBC, 61% male, 73% whites. Performance status (PS): 0-1: 69%, PS 2: 31%. Baseline CA19-9 data was available for 21 patients, (range 1 to 69,543), and abnormal CA19-9 was seen in 14 patients (54%). PFS was 4.5 months (95% CI: 3.1-8.9 months) and OS was 10.5 months (95% CI: 7.9-18.8 months). OS at 6 and 12 months was 69% (18/26) and 42% (11/26). Thirty-eight percent (10/26) received 2nd line chemotherapy, of these 9/10 received 5FU based chemotherapy. Eleven percent (3/26) received 3rd line chemotherapy. Increase in baseline carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin was associated with increased risk of death while increase in baseline CEA and ALP was associated with increased risk of progression (P valve <0.05). In the group of patients who had all three major risk factors (PS ≥2, CEA >3, and stage IVb), the median survival was 2.9 months (95% CI: 2.6-9.3 months), which was significantly worse compared to rest of the population [median 18 months (95% CI: 5.4-19.5 months), P<0.01].

CONCLUSIONS

Our data supports the use of GC as a first line regimen for advance BTC in a non-clinical trial setting. Results are comparable to those reported in ABC-02 trial, despite inclusion of PS 2 patients whom constituted 31% of our population. In the patient population studied, baseline CEA and liver function test appeared able to predict response to GC in advanced BTC. Patients with all three high risk factors (PS ≥2, CEA >3, and stage IVb) did poorly and may need careful selection prior to initiating chemotherapy.

Long-Term Outcome of Distal Cholangiocarcinoma after Pancreaticoduodenectomy Followed by Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: A 15-Year Experience in a Single Institution

Purpose

This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term outcome in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) followed by adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) in a high-volume center and to identify the prognostic impact of clinicopathologic factors.

Materials and Methods

A total of 132 consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria were retrieved from the institutional database from January 1995 to September 2009. All patients received adjuvant treatments at a median of 45 days after the surgery. Median follow-up duration was 57 months (range, 6 to 225 months) for all patients and 105 months for survivors (range, 13 to 225 months).

Results

The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 70.7%, 55.7%, 49.4%, and 48.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed poorly differentiated (P/D) tumors and lymph node (LN) metastasis were significantly associated with DMFS and OS. Additionally, preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level was significantly correlated with DFS, LRRFS, and DMFS. Upon multivariate analysis for OS, P/D tumors (p=0.015) and LN metastasis (p=0.003) were significant prognosticators that predicted inferior OS. Grade 3 or higher late gastrointestinal toxicity occurred in only one patient (0.8%).

Conclusion

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after PD for DCC is an effective and tolerable strategy without significant side effects. During long-term follow-up, we found that prognosis of DCC was mainly influenced by histologic differentiation and LN metastasis. For patients with these risk factors, further research should focus on improving adjuvant strategies as well as other treatment approaches.