Efficacy and safety of nivolumab in first-line or further treatment of advanced metastatic biliary tract cancer.

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

315 Background: PD-1 inhibitors have improved efficacy in many cancers. There are few report of nivolumab for metastatic biliary tract cancer (MBTC). This study reviewed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab for MBTC to improve efficacy and survival. Methods: Thirty patients with MBTC were voluntarily treated with non-clinical nivolumab at the PLA General Hospital. Nivolumab 200 mg or 180 mg was administered according to patient tolerance. Progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) was evaluated by kaplan-meier and univariate analysis were carried out among clinical characteristics. Objective response rates (ORR), disease control rates (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were also evaluated. Results: The median treatment cycle is 4 cycles. One case was complete response (CR), 5 cases partial response (PR), 12 cases stable (SD). ORR was 20%, DCR was 60%. PFS was 3.1m (95% CI: 2.13~4.06 months). The AEs of nivolumab monothrapy were fatigue (3 cases), fever (2 cases), hypothyroidism (1 case), skin reaction (1 case). Nivolumab combined with chemotherapy related 1-2 hematologic toxicity were leukopenia (5 cases), thrombocytopenia (2 cases), and grade 3-4 were leukopenia (3 cases). Non-hematologic toxicity grade 1-2 were nausea and vomiting (4 cases), fatigue (4 cases), fever (3 cases), peripheral neurotoxicity (3 cases), and hypothyroidism (1 case). Univariate analysis showed that PFS was 4.20m in patients older than 53 years, slightly higher than those younger than 53 years (3.0 m, P = 0.047). PFS of nivolumab combined with chemotherapy was statistically significant compared with nivolumab monothrapy (4.1 m vs 2.3 m, p = 0.031). Patients with metastatic number > 2 had a shorter PFS than those < 2 (1.4 m vs 4.1 m, P = 0.05). PD-L1 expression positive have no better PFS compared with PD-L1 negative (3.6 m vs 3.1 m , p = 0.801). Multivariate analysis show nivolumab combined with chemotherapy was only independent factor for longer PFS (HR: 0.432, P < 0.05). Conclusions: the safety of nivolumab in MBTC is controllable. Subgroup analysis suggests that further selection of superior populations is needed and sample size need to be expanded to improve the efficacy of nivolumab in MBTC.