scholarly journals Immunotherapy for Biliary Tract Cancer in the Era of Precision Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 820
Author(s):  
Davide Ciardiello ◽  
Brigida Anna Maiorano ◽  
Paola Parente ◽  
Maria Grazia Rodriquenz ◽  
Tiziana Pia Latiano ◽  
...  

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) represent a heterogeneous and aggressive group of tumors with dismal prognosis. For a long time, BTC has been considered an orphan disease with very limited therapeutic options. In recent years a better understanding of the complex molecular landscape of biology is rapidly changing the therapeutic armamentarium. However, while 40–50% of patients there are molecular drivers susceptible to target therapy, for the remaining population new therapeutic options represent an unsatisfied clinical need. The role of immunotherapy in the continuum of treatment of patients with BTC is still debated. Despite initial signs of antitumor-activity, single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) demonstrated limited efficacy in an unselected population. Therefore, identifying the best partner to combine ICIs and predictive biomarkers represents a key challenge to optimize the efficacy of immunotherapy. This review provides a critical analysis of completed trials, with an eye on future perspectives and possible biomarkers of response.

2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 14 ◽  
pp. 1873-1882
Author(s):  
Poshita-Kumari Seesaha ◽  
Kang-Xin Wang ◽  
Guo-Qun Wang ◽  
Ting-Yun Cui ◽  
Feng-Jiao Zhao ◽  
...  

Medicines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Angela Dalia Ricci ◽  
Alessandro Rizzo ◽  
Chiara Bonucci ◽  
Nastassja Tober ◽  
Andrea Palloni ◽  
...  

Poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) represent an effective therapeutic strategy for cancer patients harboring germline and somatic aberrations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes. BRCA1/2 mutations occur at 1–7% across biliary tract cancers (BTCs), but a broader spectrum of DDR gene alterations is reported in 28.9–63.5% of newly diagnosed BTC patients. The open question is whether alterations in genes that are well established to have a role in DDR could be considered as emerging predictive biomarkers of response to platinum compounds and PARPi. Currently, data regarding PARPi in BTC patients harboring BRCA and DDR mutations are sparse and anecdotal; nevertheless, a variety of clinical trials are testing PARPi as monotherapy or in combination with other anticancer agents. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview regarding the genetic landscape of DDR pathway deficiency, state of the art and future therapeutic implications of PARPi in BTC, looking at combination strategies with immune-checkpoint inhibitors and other anticancer agents in order to improve survival and quality of life in BTC patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanghui Xu ◽  
Yuhao Wang ◽  
Hushan Zhang ◽  
Xueke She ◽  
Jianjun Yang

Neuroendocrine neoplasias (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of rare tumors scattered throughout the body. Surgery, locoregional or ablative therapies as well as maintenance treatments are applied in well-differentiated, low-grade NENs, whereas cytotoxic chemotherapy is usually applied in high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas. However, treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic NENs are limited. Immunotherapy has provided new treatment approaches for many cancer types, including neuroendocrine tumors, but predictive biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the treatment of NENs have not been fully reported. By reviewing the literature and international congress abstracts, we summarize the current knowledge of ICIs, potential predicative biomarkers in the treatment of NENs, implications and efficacy of ICIs as well as biomarkers for NENs of gastroenteropancreatic system, lung NENs and Merkel cell carcinoma in clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1412
Author(s):  
Michele Ghidini ◽  
Angelica Petrillo ◽  
Andrea Botticelli ◽  
Dario Trapani ◽  
Alessandro Parisi ◽  
...  

Despite extensive research efforts, advanced gastric cancer still has a dismal prognosis with conventional treatment options. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment landscape for many solid tumors. Amongst gastric cancer subtypes, tumors with microsatellite instability and Epstein Barr Virus positive tumors provide the strongest rationale for responding to immunotherapy. Various predictive biomarkers such as mismatch repair status, programmed death ligand 1 expression, tumor mutational burden, assessment of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and circulating biomarkers have been evaluated. However, results have been inconsistent due to different methodologies and thresholds used. Clinical implementation therefore remains a challenge. The role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastric cancer is emerging with data from monotherapy in the heavily pre-treated population already available and studies in earlier disease settings with different combinatorial approaches in progress. Immune checkpoint inhibitor combinations with chemotherapy (CT), anti-angiogenics, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anti-Her2 directed therapy, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors or dual checkpoint inhibitor strategies are being explored. Moreover, novel strategies including vaccines and CAR T cell therapy are also being trialed. Here we provide an update on predictive biomarkers for response to immunotherapy with an overview of their strengths and limitations. We discuss clinical trials that have been reported and trials in progress whilst providing an account of future steps needed to improve outcome in this lethal disease.


ESMO Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e000375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Fumet ◽  
Nicolas Isambert ◽  
Alice Hervieu ◽  
Sylvie Zanetta ◽  
Jean-Florian Guion ◽  
...  

Background5-Fluorouracil plus irinotecan or oxaliplatin alone or in association with target therapy are standard first-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 demonstrated efficacy on mCRC with microsatellite instability but remain ineffective alone in microsatellite stable tumour. 5-Fluorouracil and oxaliplatin were known to present immunogenic properties. Durvalumab (D) is a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) that inhibits binding of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to its receptor. Tremelimumab (T) is a mAb directed against the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). This study is designed to evaluate whether the addition of PD-L1 and CTLA-4 inhibition to oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) increases treatment efficacy.MethodsThis phase II study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03202758) will assess the efficacy and safety of FOLFOX/D/T association in patients with mCRC (n=48). Good performance status patients (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group <2) with untreated, RAS mutational status mCRC will be eligible. Prior adjuvant therapy is allowed provided recurrence is >6 months postcompletion. There is a safety lead in nine patients receiving FOLFOX/D/T. Assuming no safety concerns the study will go on to include 39 additional patients. Patients will receive folinic acid (400 mg/m²)/5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m² as bolus followed by 2400 mg/m2 as a 46-hour infusion)/oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2) every 14 days with D (750 mg) D1 every 14 days and T (75 mg) D1 every 28 days. After six cycles of FOLFOX only D/T will continue until disease progression, death, intolerable toxicity, or patient/investigator decision to stop. Primary endpoint is safety and efficacy according to progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints include overall response rate and quality of life. Hypothesis is that a PFS of 50% at 6 months is insufficient and a PFS of 70.7% is expected (with α=10%, β=10%). Blood, plasma and tumour tissue will be collected and assessed for potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (11) ◽  
pp. 3177-3188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Neuzillet ◽  
Andrea Casadei‐Gardini ◽  
Bertrand Brieau ◽  
Caterina Vivaldi ◽  
Giovanni Brandi ◽  
...  

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3750
Author(s):  
Yasir Khan ◽  
Timothy D. Slattery ◽  
Lisa M. Pickering

Therapeutic options for treating advanced renal cell cancer (RCC) are rapidly evolving. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-directed therapy, predominantly VEGF receptor (VEGFr) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) had been the most effective first line treatment since 2005 irrespective of International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk stratification. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have recently changed the treatment paradigm for advanced RCC particularly as the first-line systemic treatment modality. The combination of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab provides better disease control and long-term outcomes compared with the anti-VEGFr TKI Sunitinib for IMDC intermediate- to poor-risk patients and we now have the option of using ICI with TKI upfront for all IMDC risk groups. This poses a challenge for physicians, both to select the most suitable first line regimen and the most suitable subsequent therapy given the lack of data about sequencing in this setting. This treatment landscape is expected to become more complex with the emerging treatment options. Moreover, these therapeutic options cannot be generalized as significant variability exists between individual’s disease biologies and their physiologies for handling treatment adverse effects. Notable efforts are being made to identify promising predictive biomarkers ranging from neo-antigen load to gene expression profiling. These biomarkers need prospective validation to justify their utility in clinical practice and in treatment decision making. This review article discusses various clinicopathological characteristics that should be carefully evaluated to help select appropriate treatment and discusses the current status of biomarker-based selection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. TPS498-TPS498
Author(s):  
Anuj Kishor Patel ◽  
Ronald G. Stoller ◽  
John C. Rhee ◽  
Barry C. Lembersky ◽  
James Ohr ◽  
...  

TPS498 Background: Biliary tract cancers (including cholangiocarcinomas) are rare but aggressive malignancies with limited options for treatment. Currently, the combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin is considered the upfront systemic chemotherapy for patients with advanced and metastatic diseases. There is no ‘standard’ for second-line treatment. Several signaling pathways have been identified that might play a role in the development of biliary tract cancer and that may represent targets for directed therapies. Overexpression of VEGF and alterations of the Ras/Raf pathway have been identified in the majority of cholangiocarcinoma; some studies have shown these mutations to be associated with metastasis and poorer prognosis. Regorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor of multiple angiogenic and oncogenic kinases (VEGFR1-3, TIE2, PDGFR-β, FGFR1, KIT, RET, RAF) which has shown efficacy as a single agent in multiple solid tumors. This study evaluates the efficacy of regorafenib in patients with advanced/metastatic biliary tract cancer following the failure of first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Enrollment in this phase II, single-arm trial is ongoing. Eligible patients have unresectable advanced or metastatic biliary tract adenocarcinoma, and have failed first-line systemic chemotherapy. Patients receive regorafenib 120 mg orally daily in a 21 days on, 7 days off cycle. Tumor measurements take place every 3 cycles by CT or MRI imaging. Patients continue on therapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. The primary end point of this study is median progression-free survival (PFS). To evaluate for evidence of activity, defined as a median PFS of 3.5 months or greater, with 83% power (one-sided test, α=0.10), target enrollment is 37 patients. Secondary endpoints include safety, overall response rate, disease control rate, median overall survival, and changes in biomarker levels. The correlation of these biomarkers and of tumor mutations with response to treatment is built into the study as well. As of September 2014, 9 patients had been enrolled. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02053376. Clinical trial information: NCT02053376.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16679-e16679
Author(s):  
Hyera Kim ◽  
Jung Yong Hong ◽  
Jeeyun Lee ◽  
Se Hoon Park ◽  
Joon Oh Park ◽  
...  

e16679 Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is associated with poor prognosis because of its aggressive and heterogeneous nature. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been considered as a novel biomarker for prognosis and response of immune checkpoint inhibitors in various tumors. However, there are limited data reporting on the role of PD-L1 in advanced BTC patients. Methods: We analyzed 186 patients with advanced BTC who received palliative gemcitabine and platinum between May 2010 and December 2019. All patients were evaluated for PD-L1 expression by combined positive score (CPS) positivity. Results: In all 186 patients, the median age was 62 years (range 38-82), and the primary tumor location was intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IH-CCC) in 72 patients (38.7%), extrahepatic (EH)-CCC in 90 (48.4%), and gallbladder (GB) cancer in 24 (12.9%). There were 158 (84.9%) patients with recurrent disease and 28 (15.1%) with metastatic disease. Among the 186 patients, 53 (28.5%) had PD-L1 CPS positivity, and 133 were CPS negative. The median overall survival (OS) of patients with PD-L1 CPS positivity or negativity was 12.1 and 15.4 months, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with PD-L1 positivity or negativity was 5.7 and 7.1 months, respectively. The OS and PFS were not statistically different between groups. In sub-group analysis, EH-CCC patients with PD-L1 negativity had more favorable OS (17.2 vs. 11.6 months, p= 0.002) and PFS (7.8 vs. 5.4 months, p= 0.005) than those that were PD-L1 negative. However, this finding was not reproduced in patients with IH-CCC or GB cancer. Univariate analysis of the association between PD-L1 expression and OS in patients with advanced BTC indicated that PD-L1 CPS positivity has a prognostic role in sub-populations older than 60 years (HR 1.743, CI 1.001-3.034, p = 0.050), those with EH-CCC (HR 2.449, CI 1.355-4.426, p = 0.003), and those with liver metastasis (HR 2.511, CI 1.362-4.626, p = 0.003). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that PD-L1 expression might be a novel prognostic biomarker in patients with EH-CCC but not for patients with IH-CCC or GB cancer.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document