Assessment of a High Sensitivity Method for Identification of IDH1 R132x Mutations in Tumors and Plasma of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patients

Biomarkers for Hepatobiliary Cancers

The clinical management of primary liver cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has significantly changed in the last 3 years. The introduction of systemic therapies, including immune-based therapies and biomarker-driven therapies, has significantly improved survival, particularly in patients at advanced stages of disease. Survival is still poor, and projections from the World Health Organization underscore the need to improve outcomes in these patients. Biomarkers have emerged as powerful tools for the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of treatment responses to improve patient stratification and maximize clinical benefits. Recent advances in understanding the molecular alterations of HCC have not yet translated into biomarkers. Some reasons for the lack of progress are the absence of druggable mutations in the majority of liver cancers and the significant heterogeneity of the disease. In contrast, several therapeutic targets have been identified in CCA, and biomarker-driven therapies are currently under evaluation in phase 2/3 clinical trials. Here, we summarize the status on biomarker development for HCC and CCA.

Pharmacotherapeutic options for biliary tract cancer: current standard of care and new perspectives

Introduction: Biliary tract cancer (BTC), which comprises gallbladder cancer, ampullary cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma, is a rare and heterogeneous entity, with limited approved therapeutic options. However, interest in this disease has grown exponentially in recent years, as a mounting body of evidence has shed light on the complex molecular and microenvironmental background of BTC, and clinical investigations have explored a variety of new agents and combinations, with promising results.Areas covered: This review describes the standard of care in advanced BTC and summarizes the most recent evidence available on the pharmacological treatment of resected and advanced disease, focusing on chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.Expert opinion: The therapeutic armamentarium of BTC has made radical progress after almost a decade of very few positive results. Phase-III evidence now supports the use of adjuvant capecitabine after resection of localized disease, while investigations into improved regimens in the advanced setting are underway, exploring alternative options to the standard gemcitabine-cisplatin doublet. The first positive phase-III trial supports the use of the mFOLFOX6 regimen as a second-line chemotherapy. Targeted therapy against specific genomic alterations can combine with chemotherapy in specific subsets of patients. Despite recent advancements, conducting clinical trials for BTC is still a real challenge.