Modified FOLFIRINOX as a Second-Line Treatment for Patients with Gemcitabine-Failed Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Phase II Study

Abstract

Simple SummaryBiliary tract cancer is a malignant tumor of the biliary tract and gallbladder. Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the basis of treatment is combination chemotherapy. However, the survival outcomes for biliary tract cancer, especially for patients who have failed frontline treatment, are poor. Accordingly, there have been various studies on effective subsequent treatments, and this study is one of those efforts. Through this study, we attempted to demonstrate the efficacy of enhanced chemotherapy in relapsed or refractory biliary tract cancer.Background: After the publication of the ABC-02 trial, gemcitabine and cisplatin combination therapy (GP) became the standard first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). Despite GP therapy, most patients suffer from disease progression. The ABC-06 trial recommended FOLFOX as a second-line treatment, but its efficacy was modest. In this phase II study, we looked at the efficacy and safety of a second-line modified dose of FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) for patients who had failed first-line gemcitabine-based treatment. Methods: From January 2020 to January 2021, 34 patients with advanced BTC who failed first-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy were enrolled. We evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of mFOLFIRINOX. Results: With a median follow-up duration of 13.4 months, the median progression-free survival and overall survival was 2.8 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–4.0 months) and 6.2 months (95% CI: 5.0–7.4 months), respectively. The objective response rate was 14.7% with no complete response. The disease control rate was 61.7%, with a disease control duration of 4.2 months. Due to the rapid progression of the disease, approximately half of all patients received less than three cycles of treatment. The most common type of adverse event (AEs) was hematopoietic AEs. The incidence of non-hematopoietic AEs was relatively low. Conclusions: The efficacy of mFOLFIRINOX as a second-line treatment in advanced BTC patients after the failure of gemcitabine-based first-line treatment was replicated, albeit with slightly shorter survival results compared to previous studies. Long-term administration of mFOLFIRINOX with toxicity management might offer a survival benefit.