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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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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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Khankhel ZS, Goring S, Bobiak S, Lamy FX, Nayak D, Garside J, Reese ES, Schoenherr N. Second-line treatments in advanced biliary tract cancer: systematic literature review of efficacy, effectiveness and safety. Future Oncol 2022; 18:2321-2338. [PMID: 35387496 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-1302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: A systematic review was conducted to understand clinical, economic and health-related quality-of-life outcomes in second-line biliary tract cancer. Materials & methods: The review followed established recommendations. The feasibility of network meta-analysis revealed limited networks, thus synthesis was limited to a summary of reported ranges, percentiles and medians. Results: The review included 62 trials and observational studies highly variable with respect to key baseline characteristics. Commonly evaluated second-line treatments included fluoropyrimidine-, gemcitabine- and S-1-based regimens. Across active treatment arms, median overall survival ranged from 3.5 to 15.0 months (median: 6.9), median progression-free survival from 1.4 to 6.5 months (median: 2.9) and objective response from 0 to 36.4%. Outcomes were similar between study types, with a few notable outliers. Treatment-related/-emergent adverse events were infrequently reported; no studies reported economic or health-related quality-of-life outcomes. Conclusions: Biliary tract cancer is a difficult-to-treat disease with poor prognosis. Despite evolving treatment landscapes, more recent studies did not show clinical outcome improvement, highlighting an unmet need among advanced/metastatic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Goring
- SMG Outcomes Research, Vancouver, BC, V6T0C2, Canada
| | - Sarah Bobiak
- EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, USA, an affiliate of Merck KGaA
| | | | | | | | - Emily S Reese
- EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, USA, an affiliate of Merck KGaA
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Athauda A, Fong C, Lau DK, Javle M, Abou-Alfa GK, Morizane C, Steward K, Chau I. Broadening the therapeutic horizon of advanced biliary tract cancer through molecular characterisation. Cancer Treat Rev 2020; 86:101998. [PMID: 32203843 PMCID: PMC8222858 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2020.101998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Biliary tract cancers (BTC) comprise a group of rare and heterogeneous poor-prognosis tumours with the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma increasing over recent years. Combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin is the established first-line treatment for advanced BTC with a significant but modest survival advantage over monotherapy. There remains no accepted standard treatment in the second-line setting, although recent results from a randomised study have shown a survival benefit with 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Historically, clinical trials investigating targeted therapies in unselected BTC have failed to demonstrate significant clinical benefit. More recently, advancement in molecular exploration of BTC has shed light on the complex biological heterogeneity within these tumours and has also identified actionable genomic aberrations, such as fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene fusions, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and BRAF mutations, which offer promise with the anticipation of increased responses and durable clinical benefit in selected patients. Several targeted drugs have now entered clinical development with some encouraging results being seen. Here we review the current and rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape of advanced BTC, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy. We also discuss how recent efforts and successes in BTC are overcoming the obstacles typically associated with precision medicine in rare cancers. Ultimately, the management of advanced BTC is likely to become molecularly selected in the near future with the hope of finally improving the bleak prognosis of patients with this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avani Athauda
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.
| | - Caroline Fong
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.
| | - David K Lau
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.
| | - Milind Javle
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Ghassan K Abou-Alfa
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Weill Medical College at Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Chigusa Morizane
- National Cancer Center Hospital, Tsukiji, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
| | - Keith Steward
- QED Therapeutics Inc, 75 Federal Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.
| | - Ian Chau
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review new treatment and advances in biliary tract cancer (BTC). RECENT FINDINGS In the prespecified per-protocol analysis of the randomized phase III trial BILCAP, adjuvant capecitabine offers overall survival (OS) benefit when compared with observation with statistical significance. In the first-line setting in metastatic BTC, gemcitabine and S-1 had noninferior OS compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin. In a separate phase III study, the triplet of gemcitabine, cisplatin and S-1 (GCS) had superior OS compared with standard gemcitabine and cisplatin. The regimen of modified FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin) regimen can be considered a potential standard option in the second-line setting for patients who failed first-line therapy with gemcitabine-based regimens. Trials in genomically selected patients indicate activity of fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors, mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors. SUMMARY Capecitabine is a new option for adjuvant treatment in resected BTC. In the metastatic setting, gemcitabine and S-1 or GCS are new options for first-line therapy and modified FOLFOX regimen should be considered as a potential new empirical standard of care in genomically agnostic patients requiring second-line therapy. Future randomized trials will evaluate the role of targeted agents and immunotherapy in advanced BTC, both in monotherapy and in combination.
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