Advanced Biliary Cancer Research Articles

Efficacy of durvalumab plus chemotherapy in advanced biliary duct cancer and biomarkers exploration

BackgroundThe anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab has been approved for use in first-line advanced biliary duct cancer (ABC). So far, predictive biomarkers of efficacy are lacking.MethodsABC patients who underwent gemcitabine-based chemotherapy with or without durvalumab were retrospectively enrolled, and their baseline clinical pathological indices were retrieved from medical records. Overall (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were calculated and analyzed. The levels of peripheral biomarkers from 48 patients were detected with assay kits including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genomic alterations in 27 patients whose tumor tissues were available were depicted via targeted next-generation sequencing.ResultsA total of 186 ABC patients met the inclusion criteria between January 2020 and December 2022 were finally enrolled in this study. Of these, 93 patients received chemotherapy with durvalumab and the rest received chemotherapy alone. Durvalumab plus chemotherapy demonstrated significant improvements in PFS (6.77 vs. 4.99 months; hazard ratio 0.65 [95% CI 0.48–0.88]; P = 0.005), but not OS (14.29 vs. 13.24 months; hazard ratio 0.91 [95% CI 0.62–1.32]; P = 0.608) vs. chemotherapy alone in previously untreated ABC patients. The objective response rate (ORR) in patients receiving chemotherapy with and without durvalumab was 19.1% and 7.8%, respectively. Pretreatment sPD-L1, CSF1R and OPG were identified as significant prognosis predictors in patients receiving durvalumab. ADGRB3 and RNF43 mutations were enriched in patients who responded to chemotherapy plus durvalumab and correlated with superior survival.ConclusionThis retrospective real-world study confirmed the clinical benefit of durvalumab plus chemotherapy in treatment-naïve ABC patients. Peripheral sPD-L1 and CSF1R are promising prognostic biomarkers for this therapeutic strategy. Presence of ADGRB3 or RNF43 mutations could improve the stratification of immunotherapy outcomes, but further studies are warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Second line chemotherapy for advanced biliary cancer: FOLFOX versus FOLFIRI: Analysis of retrospective and prospective data

Aim. To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of second-line polychemotherapy according to FOLFOX or FOLFIRI regimen in patients with biliary tract tumours after progression during first-line chemotherapy (CT). Materials and methods. The study is based on the analysis of retrospective and prospective data on the examination and treatment of 94 patients with biliary cancer of grades T1-4N0-2M0-1 followed-up and treated at the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology from 2015 to 2023. All patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (FOLFOX, n=47) and Group 2 (FOLFIRI, n=47). In Group 1, patients received the recommended FOLFOX second-line CT regimen. Patients in Group 2 received FOLFIRI regimen. The endpoints were overall survival (OS) and incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events. Results. The study included 94 patients. In the FOLFOX group, the median OS was 13.0 months (1-year OS was 57.8±7.4%); for the FOLFIRI group, the median OS was 12.3 months (1-year OS was 54.4±7.3%). The toxicity profiles of FOLFOX and FOLFIRI were acceptable and consistent with those reported for the regimens. According to the grade 3–4 toxicity data, diarrhea was significantly more common in the FOLFIRI group (p=0.014), and neurotoxicity was more common in the FOLFOX group (p=0.006). During the second-line CT, the frequency of grade 1–4 toxicities in the groups did not differ: 18 (38.3%) events in the FOLFOX group and 19 (40.0%) events in the FOLFIRI group. Conclusion. Our results of evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of the second-line polychemotherapy regimens show that the FOLFOX and FOLFIRI CT regimens have equal efficacy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer with a good performance according to the ECOG scale, who previously received the first-line therapy with a combination of gemcitabine with a platinum agent (cisplatin or oxaliplatin); also, our data demonstrate similar toxicity profiles of these regimens.

Effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor administration timing on survival outcomes in advanced biliary tract cancers: A single-center propensity score matching analysis.

e16186 Background: Circadian rhythms in the immune system and anti-tumor immune responses have not received adequate attention in terms of their impact on cancer immunotherapy. Recent advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have marked a significant breakthrough in the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), but not all patients benefit from this therapy. Our study aimed to investigate whether the timing of ICI administration affects the treatment outcomes in BTC patients. Methods: We included patients with advanced BTC patients at West China Hospital of Sichuan University who received at least two ICI treatments from October 2019 to May 2023, with follow-up until December 2023. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), with secondary outcomes including progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse event incidence. Propensity score matching (1:2 ratio, nearest-neighbor caliper width of 0.1) and COX regression were used to analyze the relationship between the proportion of ICI administrations after 16:30 and both OS and PFS, while the Chi-square test was used to compare the ORR and adverse event rates between groups. Results: A total of 207 patients were eligible for analysis. Before matching, 37 patients had more than 20% of their ICI administrations after 16:30, and 170 had less than 20%. After matching, 34 patients receiving more than 20% of ICIs after 16:30 were compared with 65 who did not. The former group showed significantly shorter OS (median 10 months [95%CI: 8-14 months] vs. 17 months [95%CI: 12-20 months], HR = 2.067 [95%CI: 1.226-3.485, P = 0.00645]) and PFS (median 5 months [95%CI: 4-7 months] vs. 9 months [95%CI: 8-12 months], HR = 2.093 [95%CI: 1.315-3.331, P = 0.00183]), with these results remaining robust after multivariate Cox regression analysis. No significant difference in ORR (χ^2 = 2.287, p = 0.131) was observed. Safety analysis showed no difference in the incidence of adverse events, including Grade 3/4 adverse events, immune-related adverse events, and medication discontinuation due to adverse events (all p > 0.050). Sensitivity analyses in patients receiving at least three ICI treatments revealed similar results. Conclusions: The timing of ICI administration influences the efficacy of immunotherapy in advanced biliary cancer, with administrations before 16:30 associated with better survival outcomes. Further research with larger sample sizes and prospective studies is needed to validate these findings.

The Role of Endoscopy in the Palliation of Pancreatico-Biliary Cancers: Biliary Drainage, Management of Gastrointestinal Obstruction, and Role in Relief of Oncologic Pain.

Therapeutic endoscopy permits many and various treatments for cancer palliation in patients with bilio-pancreatic cancers, enabling different options, supporting patients during their route to oncologic treatments, and trying to improve their quality of life. Therefore, both endoscopic and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided techniques are performed in this scenario. We performed a literature review focusing on the role of endoscopy in the palliation of those advanced pancreatic and biliary cancers developing malignant biliary obstruction (MBO), gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), and pain unresponsive to medical therapies. Therefore, we explored and focused on the clinical outcomes of endoscopic procedures in this scenario. In fact, the endoscopic treatment is based on achieving biliary drainage in the case of MBO through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or EUS-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD), while GOO is endoscopically treated through the deployment of an enteral stent or the creation of EUS-guided gastro-entero-anastomosis (EUS-GEA). Furthermore, untreatable chronic abdominal pain is a major issue in patients unresponsive to high doses of painkillers, so EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) or celiac ganglia neurolysis (CGN) helps to reduce dosage and have better pain control. Therefore, therapeutic endoscopy in the palliative setting is an effective and safe approach for managing most of the clinical manifestations of advanced biliopancreatic tumors.

Four-dimensional Flow MRI Assessment of Portal Hemodynamics and Hepatic Regeneration after Portal Vein Embolization.

Background Percutaneous transhepatic portal vein (PV) embolization (PVE) is a standard preoperative procedure for advanced biliary cancer when the future liver remnant (FLR) is insufficient, yet the effect of this procedure on portal hemodynamics is still unclear. Purpose To assess whether four-dimensional (4D) MRI flowmetry can be used to estimate FLR volume and to identify the optimal time for this measurement. Materials and Methods This prospective single-center study enrolled consecutive adult patients with biliary cancer who underwent percutaneous transhepatic PVE for the right liver between June 2020 and November 2022. Portal hemodynamics were assessed using 4D flow MRI before PVE and within 1 day (0-day group) or 3-4 days (3-day group) after PVE. FLR volume was measured using CT before PVE and after PVE but before surgery. Blood flow changes were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and correlations with Spearman rank correlation. Results The 0-day group included 24 participants (median age, 72 years [IQR, 69-77 years]; 17 male participants), and the 3-day group included 13 participants (median age, 71 years [IQR, 68-78 years]; eight male participants). Both groups showed increased left PV (LPV) flow rate after PVE (0-day group: from median 3.72 mL/sec [IQR, 2.83-4.55 mL/sec] to 9.48 mL/sec [IQR, 8.12-10.7 mL/sec], P < .001; 3-day group: from median 3.65 mL/sec [IQR, 2.14-3.79 mL/sec] to 8.16 mL/sec [IQR, 6.82-8.98 mL/sec], P < .001). LPV flow change correlated with FLR volume change relative to the number of days from PVE to presurgery CT only in the 3-day group (ρ = 0.62, P = .02; 0-day group, P = .11). The output of the regression equation for estimating presurgery FLR volume correlated with CT-measured volume (ρ = 0.78; P = .002). Conclusion Four-dimensional flow MRI demonstrated increased blood flow in residual portal branches 3-4 days after PVE, offering insights for estimating presurgery FLR volume. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Roldán-Alzate and Oechtering in this issue.

Third-Line Palliative Systemic Therapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: Multicentre Review of Patterns of Care and Outcomes.

Phase 3 trials have established standard first-line (1L) and 2L systemic therapy options for patients with advanced biliary cancer (ABC). However, a standard 3L treatment remains undefined. Clinical practice and outcomes for 3L systemic therapy in patients with ABC were therefore evaluated from three academic centres. Included patients were identified using institutional registries; demographics, staging, treatment history, and clinical outcomes were collected. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Ninety-seven patients, treated between 2006 and 2022, were included; 61.9% had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. At the time of analysis, there had been 91 deaths. Median PFS from initiating 3L palliative systemic therapy (mPFS3) was 3.1 months (95%CI 2.0-4.1), while mOS3 was 6.4 months (95%CI 5.5-7.3); mOS1 was 26.9 months (95%CI 23.6-30.2). Among patients with a therapy-targeted molecular aberration (10.3%; n = 10; all received in 3L), mOS3 was significantly improved versus all other included patients (12.5 vs. 5.9 months; p = 0.02). No differences in OS1 were demonstrated between anatomical subtypes. Fourth-line systemic therapy was received by 19.6% of patients (n = 19). This international multicentre analysis documents systemic therapy use in this select patient group, and provides a benchmark of outcomes for future trial design.

PO-1346 Chemoradiation versus chemotherapy alone in locally advanced biliary cancer. A meta-analysis.

PO-1346 Chemoradiation versus chemotherapy alone in locally advanced biliary cancer. A meta-analysis.

PO-1360 Chemoradiation of locally advanced biliary cancer. A systematic review.

PO-1360 Chemoradiation of locally advanced biliary cancer. A systematic review.

Moving Beyond Single-Agent Checkpoint Inhibition in Biliary Tract Cancers: What is the Next Frontier?

Background: Immunotherapy has been shown to improve outcomes for patients with cancer. Biliary tract cancers are a group of lethal diseases, and immunotherapy is an exciting new strategy to treat patients in advanced stages. Role of immunotherapy in biliary cancers: Durvalumab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, is a new immunotherapy option for patients with advanced biliary cancers. In a randomized phase III trial, the combination of durvalumab and chemotherapy improved disease outcomes, including overall survival, in patients with advanced biliary cancers regardless of PD-L1 expression. Future perspective: Promising new combinations with new and potent antibodies or antiangiogenics are under development. Combinations with new immunotherapy agents targeting CTLA-4 or OX40 can enhance T-cell activation and improve outcomes compared with single anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents. Furthermore, ctDNA is being used as an alternative to tissue genomic analysisand can be used to identify actionable targets. In this review, we will discuss the most important studies involving immunotherapy in biliary cancers as well as future perspectives in the field.

Patients with advanced pancreatic and biliary cancer appear vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: An observational study during the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe. Cancer patients have a higher risk of severe infections and associated mortality than the general population. However, the lethal effect of Omicron-variant affection on advanced pancreatic and biliary cancer patients is still not clear. Herein, we designed an observational study to shed light on the influence of the Omicron variant on this so-called "King of Cancer" and improve management of these patients with COVID-19 in the future. Omicron-infected patients with advanced pancreatic and biliary cancer were enrolled from 15 April to 31 May 2022. Four groups were set up in this study: Group 1, Omicron-infected cancer patients (N = 4); Group 2, non-infected cancer patients (N = 4); Group 3, infected non-cancer-afflicted subjects (N = 4); Group 4, non-infected non-cancer-afflicted subjects (N = 4). On Days 0, 7, and 14 after infection, the blood samples were collected dynamically from all subjects. The primary endpoints were disease severity and survival. At the endpoint of this observational study, Patient Nos. 2, 3, and 4 died separately on Days 11, 25, and 13 after viral infection. All of them had advanced cancer, with a death rate of up to 75%. Group 1 presented an overall T-cell exhaustion status compared with other groups. Group 1 had obviously lower T-cell populations and higher B-cell percentages and CD4+T/CD8+T ratios (P<0.05). Time-course cytokine monitoring results showed that IL-1β was significantly decreased in Group 1 (P <0.05) and generally kept at a low level without obvious fluctuation. IL-6 was markedly increased in infected cancer patients (P <0.01) but remained at a low level and had no apparent change during the whole infection process in non-cancer-afflicted subjects. Furthermore, several inflammatory parameter indexes indicated a tight association of Omicron infection with the disease course and prognosis of Omicron-infected cancer patients. Advanced pancreatic and biliary cancer patients with Omicron infection have severe symptoms and poor outcomes. More attention, protective measures, and routine healthcare services should be recommended to these vulnerable populations in clinical practice during the pandemic in the foreseeable future.

Significance of alterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes in advanced biliary cancers (ABCs) treated with second-line active-symptom-control (ASC) alone or ASC with oxaliplatin/5-FU chemotherapy (ASC+FOLFOX) in the randomised phase III, multicentre, open-label ABC-06 trial.

593 Background: The ABC-06 clinical trial established ASC+mFOLFOX as the standard of care treatment after Cisplatin and Gemcitabine (CisGem) for ABC. Translational research explored the role of alterations in DDR-related genes in the context of the ABC-06 clinical trial. Methods: Translational research using samples collected from the ABC-06 trial included all recruited patients with tissue sample containing &gt;20% tumour cellularity with sufficient DNA extracted for analysis. Primary objective: assess the prevalence of somatic mutations within DDR genes in ABC. Secondary objectives: explore the impact of somatic mutations in DDR genes on: A) Patient’s response to platinum-based chemotherapy (predictive biomarker): 1) Retrospectively, using progression-free survival (PFS) data from 1st-line chemotherapy and 2) Prospectively, by assessing the impact on PFS/radiological response to 2nd-line FOLFOX (vs. control) and B) Overall survival (prognostic biomarker). Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression. Results: Of 162 pts randomised, 83 had a sample available for analysis; of these, analysis failed in 24 despite &gt;20% tumour content. Thus, a total of 59 patients (30 ASC arm, 29 ASC+FOLFOX arm) were eligible for this translational analysis: male 50.85%, metastatic 77.97%, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma 47.46%, adenocarcinoma 91.53%, median age 65.84 years (95% CI 63.36-68.91). Pathogenic mutations in DDR genes were identified in 22 patients (37.29%). PFS did not vary depending on the DDR-gene alterations either in the first-line setting with CisGem (n=59; 8.73 months vs 8.18 months; p-value 0.155) or with second-line FOLFOX (n=29; 3.19 months vs 3.45 months; p-value 0.098). Median OS for DDR-altered patients was 4.59 months (95% CI 2.17-5.88) (vs 7.23 months (95% CI 5.45-8.28) for DDR-wild-type); HR 2.63 (95% CI 1.48-4.67); p-value 0.001. This prognostic impact was confirmed when the prognostic model was adjusted for treatment arm and stratification factors (HR 3.75 (95% CI 1.99-7.09); p-value &lt;0.001). Conclusions: For ABC patients, the presence of DDR-related gene pathogenic mutations are present in around one third of patients. Despite presence of DDR-mutations having a negative prognostic impact, their predictive role is not confirmed either for first-line CisGem or second-line FOLFOX. Clinical trial information: NCT01926236 .

Defining equitable genomic testing uptake in gastrointestinal oncology: Ensuring capture of demographic data.

794 Background: Tumor genomic testing (GT) has increased diagnostic accuracy and treatment options for patients (pts) with cancer. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) has made GT accessible as an institute-supported research effort for &gt;10 yrs. We estimate 50% standard therapies and 15-35% clinical trials in Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinic (GCC) require GT to determine eligibility. Pts in GCC with certain cancers are eligible for GT as a clinical test – these include metastatic/locally advanced colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, or biliary cancers. Clinical testing requires CLIA lab certification and insurance reimbursement; research does not. Herein we ID gaps in our GT database. Methods: We reviewed data on GT uptake in GCC between 4/2015 - 6/2022. 20,096 pts were captured by the GT tracking system. Data included: testing ordered and completed (proportion, type, time to receiving tissue for testing [TR], time to testing completion [TC]). Demographic data is not captured in the tracking system; matching unique patient identifiers with electronic health record is pending. Results: Most pts received GT (57.6%); 12% were not eligible; 30.4% declined consent. Most testing was completed (67.6%), but 21.3% of tests failed (45.5% of these from insufficient tissue). Research testing (71%) comprised most tests, but clinical tests were completed faster (median 34 days research vs 20 days clinical). Ampullary (91%), anal (90%), colon (90%) had highest completion rates; pancreatic (59%), hepatocellular carcinoma (56%) had lowest (from insufficient viable tumor in submitted specimens). Conclusions: GCC has a robust recruitment program that has yielded high GT uptake. Given the frequency that GT is used for treatment and trials, building a demographically representative dataset is crucial, especially for pts with largest burden of morbidity and mortality from cancer. We ID'd data gaps in the GT tracking system, which lacks demographics and reason for not testing. Demographic data is available in the electronic health record but does not speak with the GT tracking system so this analysis is not routinely done. Ability to visualize this data is important to ensure equitable GT uptake. Future efforts will focus on improving rates of consent in genomics databases and cancer clinical trials. Genomic testing at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, 4/2015 – 6/2022.[Table: see text]

Second line drug therapy for biliary cancer

Biliary cancer is a group of tumors that develop from the epithelium of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts (cholangiocarcino-ma), as well as the gallbladder. For 10 years, chemotherapy based on a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin has remained the standard of first-line therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic biliary cancer, resulting in a median overall survival of 11.7 months. With the progression of the disease on the first line, effective options did not previously exist. Attempts to use various chemotherapeutic regimens, both in monotherapy and in combination, have not been successful. In order not to leave the patient without treatment, fluoropyrimidines, their combinations with oxaliplatin or irinotecan, are empirically prescribed as follow-up therapy. In recent years, different subtypes of biliary tract cancer have been defined depending on the anatomical location and genetic and/or epigenetic aberrations. Especially for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma novel therapeutic targets have been identified, including fibroblast growth factor receptor gene fusions 2 (FGFR2) and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations (IDH1/2), with molecularly targeted agents having shown evidence of activity in this subgroup of patients. Additionally, other pathways are being evaluated in both intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and other subtypes of biliary tract cancer, alongside targeting of the immune microenvironment. The growing knowledge of biliary tract cancer biology and molecular heterogeneity has paved the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches that will completely change the treatment paradigm for this disease in the near future. In this review, we review recently published data on the use of second-line therapy after progression with standard first-line therapy in patients with biliary cancer.

Immunotherapy improved cancer related pain management in patients with advanced Hepato-Pancreatic Biliary Cancers: A propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis.

BackgroundHepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) cancer is a serious form of cancer. in many HPB cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma (also known as bile duct cancer), pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gallbladder cancer and ampullary cancer, although several treatment options are developed during these decades, the prognosis is still poor.MethodsA total of 356 HPB cancers patients in advanced stage received different kinds of treatments including adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Among these patients with advanced HPB cancers, 135 patients have received standard opioid treatment for pain controlling.ResultsWe performed a PSM analysis to minimize differences between groups. Before PSM, 135 patients received standard opioid treatment for pain controlling were enrolled in this study and divided into 4 groups, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Relevant clinical variables that were available at the time of initial diagnosis were used for 1:1 matching between the two groups. After PSM, the cohort consisted of 18 patients in each group. Prior to PSM, patients received targeted therapy and immunotherapy exhibited shorter median OSs than their counterparts for patients received chemotherapy and radiotherapy (p<0.001). there were so survival differences among all the four different treatments for these patients with HPB cancers (p>0.05). We found the OMED (mg) q/day and NRS scores decreased significantly when patients received immunotherapy treatment. Fewer adverse events were showed between immunotherapy group and other three treatment groups, which was consistent with our previous reports.ConclusionIn conclusion, we found that given the same survival benefit, immunotherapy reduced opioid consumption in HPB cancers patients and improved the pain management. Moreover, immunotherapy results in fewer other adverse effects.

Durable Responses in Patients With Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma on Sequential Dual-agent Immunotherapy After Progressing on Single-agent Immunotherapy.

Objectives:Biliary tract tumors have a poor prognosis despite advancements in targeted therapies. More recent studies have started to investigate the use of combination immunotherapy in advanced biliary cancers. However, currently, there are no clinical trials investigating the use of dual-agent immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab as a sequential treatment after patients have progressed on single-agent immunotherapy. In this case series, we discussed 3 patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma who have an objective response to dual-agent immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab after having disease progression on pembrolizumab and multiple other failed lines of treatment.Materials and Methods:A case series, including 3 patients treated at the University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, was completed.Results:Although none of the 3 patients had microsatellite instability or high tumor-mutation burden and were not necessarily predicted to have a response to dual-agent immunotherapy, all 3 patients had an objective radiographic and/or tumor-marker response to a combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab.Conclusions:This case series serves as proof of the concept that sequential immunotherapy can be beneficial after progression on single-agent immunotherapy for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma. This study can also serve as the foundation to build further tests on the true effectiveness and ideal duration of sequential therapy with dual immunotherapy agents.

54MO Quality of life (QoL) and value of health (V-He) in advanced biliary cancers (ABC) treated with second-line active-symptom-control (ASC) alone or ASC with oxaliplatin/5-FU chemotherapy (ASC+FOLFOX) in the randomised phase III, multi-centre, open-label ABC-06 trial

The ABC-06 clinical trial stablished ASC+mFOLFOX as the standard of care treatment after Cisplatin and Gemcitabine (CisGem) for ABC but its impact on QoL has not been reported. Within the ABC-06 study, patients (pts) diagnosed with ABC with progression after CisGem were randomised (1:1) to ASC+mFOLFOX or ASC. QoL (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC] QLQ-30, QLQ-BIL21) and V-He (Euroqol EQ5D) questionnaires were completed at baseline and 12-weekly thereafter. Pateints who completed all or part of the EORTC or EQ-5D measure at baseline (BSL) were elegible. Follow-up data is reported for month 4 (M4) (follow-up visit that occurred up to 120 days post screening). Descriptive analyses,of the QoL measures by study arm are reported here; T-test was used for comparison between time-points (two-tailed p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant). Out of 162 pts randomised, 138 were eligible for this available case analysis (65 ASC arm, 73 ASC+FOLFOX arm). Baseline characteristics and time from BSL to M4 visit were well balanced between both study arms. Addition of FOLFOX to ASC did not appear to induce worsening of the QOL parameters assessed (Table). In contrast, pts in the ASC-alone arm appeared to experience worsening of the EQ-5D utility values, and most of the QLQ-30 scales (including global, physical, social and role scales). There also appeared to be worsening of nausea and pain which remained stable in the ASC+FOLFOX arm.Table: 54MOMeasureTime-pointASCASC+mFOLFOXMeanp-valueInterpretationMeanp-valueInterpretationEQ-5D utility valueBSL0.750.0309↓0.770.6183↔M40.620.70QLQ-30 Summary scoreBSL770.0446↓790.1846↔M46471QLQ-30 Global health scaleBSL670.0447↓660.8295↔M45358QLQ-30 Physical health scaleBSL740.0221↓780.1238↔M45966QLQ-30 Social function scaleBSL770.0272↓760.1307↔M46165QLQ-30 Emotional scaleBSL790.4630↔811.000↔M47379QLQ-30 Role scaleBSL710.0283↓760.2713↔M44957QLQ-30 Cognitive scaleBSL870.3009↔850.5075↔M47580QLQ-30 NauseaBSL100.0009↑100.4495↔M42516QLQ-30 PainBSL290.0323↑280.2089↔M44421QLQ-30 FatigueBSL400.1129↔350.4662↔M45648 Open table in a new tab For ABC patients, treatment with second-line ASC+mFOLFOX may allow stabilisation of QoL scales and avoid worsening of nausea and pain at 4 months after baseline assessment. Full analyses of QoL to explore this potentially positive impact of FOLFOX is ongoing, along with an assessment of whether FOLFOX may be cost-effective.

Circulating monocytes associated with anti-PD-1 resistance in human biliary cancer induce Tcell paralysis.

Suppressive myeloid cells can contribute to immunotherapy resistance, but their role in response to checkpoint inhibition (CPI) in anti-PD-1 refractory cancers, such as biliary tract cancer (BTC), remains elusive. We use multiplexed single-cell transcriptomic and epitope sequencing to profile greater than 200,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells from advanced BTC patients (n= 9) and matched healthy donors (n= 8). Following anti-PD-1 treatment, CD14+ monocytes expressing high levels of immunosuppressive cytokines and chemotactic molecules (CD14CTX) increase in the circulation of patients with BTC tumors that are CPI resistant. CD14CTX can directly suppress CD4+ Tcells and induce SOCS3 expression in CD4+ Tcells, rendering them functionally unresponsive. The CD14CTX gene signature associates with worse survival in patients with BTC as well as in other anti-PD-1 refractory cancers. These results demonstrate that monocytes arising after anti-PD-1 treatment can induce Tcell paralysis as a distinct mode of tumor-mediated immunosuppression leading to CPI resistance.

A phase II study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anlotinib combined with toripalimab for advanced biliary cancer.

4077 Background: To evaluate anlotinib combined with toripalimab for advanced biliary cancer that failed or without the will of standard first-line treatments. Methods: Open single arm phase II study were conducted, eligible patients (pts) were advanced biliary without the chance of operation and failed or without the will of standard first-line treatments. Pts received anlotinib 12mg po qd in 21-day cycles and toripalimab 240mg i.v. every 3 weeks. The main outcome measure was the objective response rate (ORR) of the target lesions evaluated by researchers based on the RECIST 1.1 standard, the secondary outcome measures were progress free survival (PFS) and treatment-related adverse event (TRAE). Results: As of Jan, 2022, 15 pts were enrolled including 9 the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 3 hilar Cholangiocarcinoma, and 3 the gall bladder carcinoma. 11 (73.3%) pts failed standard first-line treatments, and 4 pts were without the will of standard first-line treatments. The median follow-up was 254 days and 15 pts were all evaluated. 4PR, 9SD and 2PD were achieved. The ORR and DCR for irradiated target lesions was 26.7% and 86.7%, respectively. PFS for first line treatment was 139 days, and for second line treatment as 171 days. By this strategy, 1 ps was successfully transferred to operation after 3 cycle treatment. TRAEs (all grades) occurred in 14 (93.3%) pts. Grade 3 related AEs were fatigue (13.3%). Grade 1-2 related AEs were white blood cell count decreased (53.3%), hypertension (20.0%), thrombocytopenia (60.0%), fatigue (13.3%), hypothyroidism (6.7%), and fever asthenia (6.7%). Conclusions: The combination of anlotinib and toripalimab were demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity in advanced biliary cancer. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2000037847.

P-88 Clinical role of tumour markers in advanced biliary cancers (ABC) treated with second-line active-symptom-control (ASC) alone or ASC with oxaliplatin/5-FU chemotherapy (ASC+mFOLFOX) in the randomised phase III, multi-centre, open-label ABC-06 trial

P-88 Clinical role of tumour markers in advanced biliary cancers (ABC) treated with second-line active-symptom-control (ASC) alone or ASC with oxaliplatin/5-FU chemotherapy (ASC+mFOLFOX) in the randomised phase III, multi-centre, open-label ABC-06 trial

Cell-Free Tumor DNA Dominant Clone Allele Frequency Is Associated With Poor Outcomes in Advanced Biliary Cancers Treated With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

This investigation sought to evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in metastatic biliary tract cancers (BTCs) treated with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy treatment. We performed a retrospective analysis of 67 patients who underwent ctDNA testing before platinum-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment for metastatic BTC. For analysis, we considered the detected gene with highest variant allele frequency as the dominant clone allele frequency (DCAF). Results of ctDNA analysis were correlated with patients' demographics, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The median age of patients was 67 (27-90) years. Fifty-four (80.6%) of 67 patients evaluated had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; seven had extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and six gallbladder cancers. Forty-six (68.6%) of the patients were treated with cisplatin plus gemcitabine, and 16.4% of patients received gemcitabine and other platinum (carboplatin or oxaliplatin) combinations, whereas 15% of patients were treated on a clinical trial with gemcitabine and cisplatin plus additional agents (CX4945, PEGPH20, or nab-paclitaxel). TP53, KRAS, FGFR2, ARID1A, STK11, and IDH1 were the genes with highest frequency as DCAF. The median DCAF was 3% (0%-97%). DCAF > 3% was associated with worse OS (median OS: 10.8 v 18.8 months, P = .032). Stratifying DCAF in quartiles, DCAF > 10% was significantly related to worse PFS (median PFS: 3 months, P = .014) and worse OS (median OS: 7.0 months, P = .001). Each 1% increase in ctDNA was associated with a hazard ratio of 13.1 in OS when adjusting for subtypes, metastatic sites, size of largest tumor, age, sex, and CA19-9. DCAF at diagnosis of advanced BTC can stratify patients who have worse outcomes when treated with upfront platinum-based chemotherapy. Each increase in %ctDNA decreases survival probabilities.