Network meta-analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy in biliary tract cancers: Setting the scene for new randomized evidence.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The best adjuvant chemotherapy for resected biliary tract cancer (BTC) is under debate, with capecitabine supported by weak evidence. Aim of this network meta-analysis is to estimate the efficacy of different phase II/III regimens, comparing monotherapies (gemcitabine or fluoropyrimidines) head-to-head, against observation and combination regimens. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed and EMBASE for phase II/III randomized clinical trials (RCTs) available as of December 2023, reporting hazard ratios (HRs) of overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). A frequentist framework employing a random-effects model was applied; treatment rankings were outlined according to P-score, based on direct and indirect evidence. Exploratory subgroup analyses for OS were also performed (primary site, resected margin status and nodal involvement). RESULTS: Six RCTs (1979 total patients) were identified. Fluoropyrimidine monotherapy showed significantly better OS (HR .84 [.72-.97]) and EFS (HR .79 [.69-.91]) than observation, as any monotherapy did (HR .84 [.74-.96]; HR .79 [.70-.89]). In the head-to-head comparison for OS, only S1 confirmed to be superior to observation alone (HR .69 [.49-.98]) while fluoropyrimidines achieved the best P score (.81), similarly to any monotherapy (0.92). Combinations failed to prove superior to monotherapies with respect both to OS and EFS. Subgroup analyses were inconclusive due to results' inconsistency and limited sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Our work confirmed that adjuvant chemotherapy grants OS and EFS benefit for resected BTC patients. Fluoropyrimidines appeared the most effective option, confirming capecitabine as the preferred choice for the Western population.

Durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in advanced biliary tract cancer: A large real-life worldwide population.

BACKGROUND: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial showed a survival benefit with durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). To understand this combination's real-world efficacy and tolerability, we conducted a global multicenter retrospective analysis of its first-line treatment outcomes. METHODS: We included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with durvalumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin at 39 sites in 11 countries (Europe, the United States, and Asia). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: 666 patients were enrolled. Median OS was 15.1 months and median PFS was 8.2 months. The investigator-assessed overall response rate was 32.7 %, with stable disease in 45.2 % of patients. High baseline CEA levels, ECOG PS > 0, metastatic disease, and NLR > 3 were associated with poor survival. Any grade adverse events (AEs) occurred in 92.9 % of patients (grade >2: 46.6 %). Immune-related AEs (irAEs) occurred in 20.0 % (grade >2: 2.5 %). Three deaths (0.5 %) were deemed treatment-related, none linked to immunotherapy. Common irAEs were rash (8.2 % all grades; 0.3 % grade >2), itching (10.3 % all grades; 0.2 % grade >2), and hypothyroidism (5.1 % all grades; 0.3 % grade >2). Durvalumab discontinuation rate due to AEs was 1.5 %. ESMO-recommended genes were analyzed and no outcome differences were found. A comparative analysis with a historical cohort of patients treated with chemotherapy alone confirmed the positive survival impact of durvalumab in combination with cisplatin/gemcitabine. CONCLUSION: This first global real-world analysis largely confirmed the TOPAZ-1 findings, supporting gemcitabine, cisplatin, and durvalumab as a first-line standard of care for patients with advanced BTC.

Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy versus placebo plus chemotherapy as first line treatment for advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: RATIONALE-305 randomised, double blind, phase 3 trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab added to chemotherapy as first line (primary) treatment for advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma compared with placebo plus chemotherapy. DESIGN: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, phase 3 study. SETTING: 146 medical centres across Asia, Europe, and North America, between 13 December 2018 and 28 February 2023. PARTICIPANTS: 1657 patients aged ≥18 years with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, regardless of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression status, who had not received systemic anticancer therapy for advanced disease. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly (1:1) assigned to receive either tislelizumab 200 mg or placebo intravenously every three weeks in combination with chemotherapy (investigator's choice of oxaliplatin and capecitabine, or cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil) and stratified by region, PD-L1 expression, presence or absence of peritoneal metastases, and investigator's choice of chemotherapy. Treatment continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was overall survival, both in patients with a PD-L1 tumour area positivity (TAP) score of ≥5% and in all randomised patients. Safety was assessed in all those who received at least one dose of study treatment. RESULTS: Of 1657 patients screened between 13 December 2018 and 9 February 2021, 660 were ineligible due to not meeting the eligibility criteria, withdrawal of consent, adverse events, or other reasons. Overall, 997 were randomly assigned to receive tislelizumab plus chemotherapy (n=501) or placebo plus chemotherapy (n=496). Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy showed statistically significant improvements in overall survival versus placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with a PD-L1 TAP score of ≥5% (median 17.2 months v 12.6 months; hazard ratio 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.59 to 0.94); P=0.006 (interim analysis)) and in all randomised patients (median 15.0 months v 12.9 months; hazard ratio 0.80 (0.70 to 0.92); P=0.001 (final analysis)). Grade 3 or worse treatment related adverse events were observed in 54% (268/498) of patients in the tislelizumab plus chemotherapy arm versus 50% (246/494) in the placebo plus chemotherapy arm. CONCLUSIONS: Tislelizumab added to chemotherapy as primary treatment for advanced or metastatic gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma provided superior overall survival with a manageable safety profile versus placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with a PD-L1 TAP score of ≥5%, and in all randomised patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03777657.

Durvalumab Plus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Versus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Biliary Tract Cancer: a Real-World Retrospective, Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial reported a survival benefit with the anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated for the first time the impact on survival of adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine compared with cisplatin/gemcitabine in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analyzed population included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with durvalumab in combination with cisplatin/gemcitabine or with cisplatin/gemcitabine alone. The impact of adding durvalumab to chemotherapy in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) was investigated with univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 563 patients were included in the analysis: 213 received cisplatin/gemcitabine alone, 350 received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab. At the univariate analysis, the addition of durvalumab was found to have an impact on survival, with a median OS of 14.8 months versus 11.2 months [hazard ratio (HR) 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50-0.80, p = 0.0002] in patients who received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab compared to those who received cisplatin/gemcitabine alone. At the univariate analysis for PFS, the addition of durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine demonstrated a survival impact, with a median PFS of 8.3 months and 6.0 months (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.47-0.70, p < 0.0001) in patients who received cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab and cisplatin/gemcitabine alone, respectively. The multivariate analysis confirmed that adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine is an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS, with patients > 70 years old and those affected by locally advanced disease experiencing the highest survival benefit. Finally, an exploratory analysis of prognostic factors was performed in the cohort of patients who received durvalumab: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and disease stage were to be independent prognostic factors in terms of OS. The interaction test highlighted NLR ≤ 3, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) = 0, and locally advanced disease as positive predictive factors for OS on cisplatin/gemcitabine plus durvalumab. CONCLUSION: In line with the results of the TOPAZ-1 trial, adding durvalumab to cisplatin/gemcitabine has been confirmed to confer a survival benefit in terms of OS and PFS in a real-world setting of patients with advanced BTC.

A phase II/III randomized clinical trial of CisPlatin plUs Gemcitabine and Nabpaclitaxel (GAP) as pReoperative chemotherapy versus immediate resection in patIents with resecTable BiliarY Tract Cancers (BTC) at high risk for recurrence: PURITY study.

BACKGROUND: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and lethal cancers, with a 5-year survival inferior to 20%(1-3). The only potential curative treatment is surgical resection. However, despite complex surgical procedures that have a remarkable risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality, the 5-year survival rate after radical surgery (R0) is 20-40% and recurrence rates are up to ~ 75%(4-6). Up to ~ 40% of patients relapse within 12 months after resection, and half of these patient will recur systemically(4-6). There is no standard of care for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in resectable BTC, but retrospective reports suggest its potential benefit (7, 8). METHODS: PURITY is a no-profit, multicentre, randomized phase II/III trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of the combination of gemcitabine, cisplatin and nabpaclitaxel (GAP) as neoadjuvant treatment in patients with resectable BTC at high risk for recurrence. Primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant GAP followed by surgery as compared to upfront surgery, in terms of 12-month progression-free survival for the phase II part and of progression free survival (PFS) for the phase III study. Key Secondary objectives are event free survival (EFS), relapse-free survival, (RFS), overall survival (OS), R0/R1/R2 resection rate, quality of life (QoL), overall response rate (ORR), resectability. Safety analyses will include toxicity rate and perioperative morbidity and mortality rate. Exploratory studies including Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in archival tumor tissues and longitudinal ctDNA analysis are planned to identify potential biomarkers of primary resistance and prognosis. DISCUSSION: Considering the poor prognosis of resected BTC experiencing early tumor recurrence and the negative prognostic impact of R1/R2 resections, PURITY study is based on the rationale that NAC may improve R0 resection rates and ultimately patients' outcomes. Furthermore, NAC should allow early eradication of microscopic distant metastases, undetectable by imaging but already present at the time of diagnosis and avoid mortality and morbidity associated with resection for patients with rapid progression or worsening general condition during neoadjuvant therapy. The randomized PURITY study will evaluate whether patients affected by BTC at high risk from recurrence benefit from a neoadjuvant therapy with GAP regimen as compared to immediate surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PURITY is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06037980) and EuCT(2023-503295-25-00).

The Italian Rare Biliary tract Cancer initiative (IRaBiCa): A multicentric observational study of Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale (GOIM) in collaboration with Gruppo Italiano Colangiocarcinoma (GICO).

INTRODUCTION: About 90% of cholangiocarcinomas are adenocarcinomas with glandular or tubular structures lined by epithelial cells, with no bile production and with a variable degree of differentiation, arising in the background of desmoplastic stroma. The remaining 10% is represented by rarer histological variants of which there is little knowledge regarding the biological behavior, molecular characterization, and sensitivity to the various possible therapies, including molecular-based treatments. Such rare tumors are described only in case reports or small retrospective series because of their exclusion from clinical trials. This national initiative, here presented, aims to address the following knowledge gap: a) how much does histological diversity translate into clinical manifestation variety? b) are those chemotherapy regimens, recommended for conventional biliary tract cancers, potentially active in rare variants?Therefore, epidemiological, pathological, and clinical characterization of series of rare biliary histotypes/variants, for which therapeutic and follow-up data are available, will be collected. METHODS: An Italian task force on rare tumors of the biliary tract (IRaBiCa) has been created, whose initiative is a multicenter retrospective study involving 34 Italian cancer centers.Clinical data from approximately 100 patients will be collected and analyzed. Continuous variables will be presented as median ± standard deviation, while categorical variables will be expressed in terms of frequency. Kaplan-Maier analyses will be used to compare disease free, progression free and overall survival, according to the different histotypes. CONCLUSIONS: We expect to gather novel data on rare histotypes of biliary tract cancer that will be useful to support their molecular and immunological characterization.

Different Genomic Clusters Impact on Responses in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treated with Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine Plus Durvalumab.

BACKGROUND: The results reported in the TOPAZ-1 phase III trial led to the approval of the combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine with durvalumab as the new first-line standard of care for patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. OBJECTIVE: We performed a clustering analysis to classify patients into different groups based on their mutation profile, correlating the results of the analysis with clinical outcomes. METHODS: We selected 51 patients with cholangiocarcinoma who were treated with the combination of chemotherapy and durvalumab and who were screened using the next-generation sequencing-based FoundationOne gene panel. We conducted mutation-based clustering of tumors and a survival analysis. RESULTS: Three main clusters were identified. Cluster 1 is mostly characterized by mutations in genes belonging to the chromatin modification pathway, altered in 100% of patients. Cluster 2 is characterized by the alteration of several pathways, among which DNA damage control, chromatin modification, RTK/RAS, cell-cycle apoptosis, TP53, and PI3K were the most affected. Finally, most altered pathways in cluster 3 were RTK/RAS and cell-cycle apoptosis. Overall response rate was 4/13 (31%), 12/24 (50%), and 0/10 (0%) in cluster 1, cluster 2, and cluster 3, respectively, and the difference between the three clusters was statistically significant (p = 0.0188). CONCLUSIONS: By grouping patients into three clusters with distinct molecular and genomic alterations, our analysis showed that patients included in cluster 2 had higher overall response rates, whereas patients included in cluster 3 had no objective response. Further investigations on larger and external cohorts are needed in order to validate our results.

Mismatch Repair Deficiency in Biliary Tract Cancer: Prognostic Implications and Correlation with Histology.

INTRODUCTION: Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency represents a biomarker and therapeutic target in various neoplasms, but its role in biliary tract cancers (BTCs) remains misunderstood. METHODS: MMR status was retrospectively assessed using immunohistochemistry in 163-BTCs patients. We identified MMR proficiency (pMMR)/deficiency (dMMR) according to the loss of MMR proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, MSH6). The primary objective of the study was to assess the incidence of dMMR in BTCs; the secondary purpose was to explore its association with prognosis and clinical features. RESULTS: dMMR was recorded in 9 patients, and it was strongly associated with mucinous histology (p < 0.01). Regarding the prognostic effect, in 122-radically resected patients, disease-free survival (DFS) resulted significantly shorter in dMMR patients compared to pMMR patients (10.7 vs. 31.3 months, p = 0.025) and so did nodal status (48.2 vs. 15.3 months in N0 vs. N+) (p < 0.01). Moreover, dMMR confirmed its prognostic role in terms of DFS at multivariate analysis (p = 0.03), together with nodal status (p = 0.01), and resection margin (p = 0.03). In 103 M+ patients (encompassing 41 metastatic de novo and 62 recurred after surgery patients) there were not differences between dMMR and pMMR regarding survival analyses. CONCLUSIONS: dMMR status is strongly correlated with mucinous histology and represents an independent prognostic factor in terms of disease relapse in patients with resected BTC. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: MMR may play an independent role in promoting an aggressive behaviour in patients with radically resected BTC. These results could be useful in improving the selection of patients after resection and, above all, should justify the evaluation of MMR status as a therapeutic target in BTC, especially in patients with atypical histology.

Abdominal Visceral-to-Subcutaneous Fat Volume Ratio Predicts Survival and Response to First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Prognosis in advanced gastric cancer (aGC) is predicted by clinical factors, such as stage, performance status, metastasis location, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. However, the role of body composition and sarcopenia in aGC survival remains debated. This study aimed to evaluate how abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat volumes, psoas muscle volume, and the visceral-to-subcutaneous (VF/SF) volume ratio impact overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in aGC patients receiving first-line palliative chemotherapy. We retrospectively examined CT scans of 65 aGC patients, quantifying body composition parameters (BCPs) in 2D and 3D. Normalized 3D BCP volumes were determined, and the VF/SF ratio was computed. Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Cox Proportional Hazard model between the upper and lower halves of the distribution. Additionally, response to first-line chemotherapy was compared using the χ2 test. Patients with a higher VF/SF ratio (N = 33) exhibited significantly poorer OS (p = 0.02) and PFS (p < 0.005) and had a less favorable response to first-line chemotherapy (p = 0.033), with a lower Disease Control Rate (p = 0.016). Notably, absolute BCP measures and sarcopenia did not predict survival. In conclusion, radiologically assessed VF/SF volume ratio emerged as a robust and independent predictor of both survival and treatment response in aGC patients.

Durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in advanced biliary tract cancer: An early exploratory analysis of real-world data.

BACKGROUND: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial reported a survival benefit with the anti-programmed death cell ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. The present study investigated the efficacy and safety of this new standard treatment in a real-world setting. METHODS: The analysed population included patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the biliary tract treated with durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin at 17 Italian centres. The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival (PFS), whereas secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR) and safety. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) by baseline characteristics were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: From February 2022 to November 2022, 145 patients were enrolled. After a median follow-up of 8.5 months (95% CI: 7.9-13.6), the median PFS was 8.9 months (95% CI: 7.4-11.7). Median OS was 12.9 months (95% CI: 10.9-12.9). The investigator-assessed confirmed ORR was 34.5%, and the disease control rate was 87.6%. Any grade adverse events (AEs) occurred in 137 patients (94.5%). Grades 3-4 AEs occurred in 51 patients (35.2%). The rate of immune-mediated AEs (imAEs) was 22.7%. Grades 3-4 imAEs occurred in 2.1% of the patients. In univariate analysis, non-viral aetiology, ECOG PS >0 and NLR ≥3 correlated with shorter PFS. CONCLUSION: The results reported in this first real-world analysis mostly confirmed the results achieved in the TOPAZ-1 trial in terms of PFS, ORR and safety.

Evolving Landscape in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Stage Migration to Immunotherapy Revolution.

Liver transplantation (LT) represents the primary curative option for HCC. Despite the extension of transplantation criteria and conversion with down-staging loco-regional treatments, transplantation is not always possible. The introduction of new standards of care in advanced HCC including a combination of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies led to an improvement in response rates and could represent a promising strategy for down-staging the tumor burden. In this review, we identify reports and series, comprising a total of 43 patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitors as bridging or down-staging therapies prior to LT. Overall, treated patients registered an objective response rate of 21%, and 14 patients were reduced within the Milan criteria. Graft rejection was reported in seven patients, resulting in the death of four patients; in the remaining cases, LT was performed safely after immunotherapy. Further investigations are required to define the duration of immune checkpoint inhibitors, their minimum washout period and the LT long-term safety of this strategy. Some randomized clinical trials including immunotherapy combinations, loco-regional treatment and/or tyrosine kinase inhibitors are ongoing and will likely determine the appropriateness of immune checkpoint inhibitors' administration before LT.

Concordance of microsatellite instability and mismatch repair status in paired biopsies and surgical specimens of resectable gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: time for a call to action.

BACKGROUND: Reliability of mismatch repair proteins and microsatellite instability assessment is essential in order to define treatment strategy and identify candidates to immune checkpoint inhibitors in locally advanced gastroesophageal carcinoma. We evaluated the concordance of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) status between endoscopic biopsies and surgical specimens. METHODS: Consecutive patients with resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma classified as MSI-H/dMMR by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or immunohistochemistry (IHC) and operated at three referral Institutions were included. The primary endpoint was the rate of concordance between biopsy and surgical samples. If needed, central revision by IHC/PCR was performed by specialized pathologists from coordinating Institutions. RESULTS: Thirteen (19.7%) out of 66 patients showed discordant MSI-H/dMMR results in the original pathology reports. In most cases (11, 16.7%) this was due to the diagnosis of proficient mismatch repair status on biopsies. Among the ten cases available for central review, four were due to sample issues, four were reclassified as dMMR, one case showed dMMR status but was classified as microsatellite stable by PCR, one was linked to misdiagnosis of endoscopic biopsy by the local pathologist. Heterogeneity of mismatch repair proteins staining was observed in two cases. CONCLUSIONS: Available methods can lead to conflicting results in MSI-H/dMMR evaluation between endoscopic biopsies and surgical samples of gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Strategies aiming to improve the reliability of assessment should be primarily focused on the optimization of tissue collection and management during endoscopy and adequate training of dedicated gastrointestinal pathologists within the multidisciplinary team.

Dynamic Profiling of the Immune Tumor Microenvironment in Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer Treated with Perioperative Chemotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: In locally advanced gastric cancer (GC), FLOT represents the standard perioperative regimen and combination with immunotherapy is under investigation. However, the role of immune tumor microenvironment (TME) is poorly recognized in this setting. We aimed to study TME characteristics and dynamics during FLOT. METHODS: Paired biopsy (PRE) and surgical (POST) samples of 25 patients treated with FLOT were prospectively analyzed. After collection of clinic-pathological data, NanoString analyses were performed. The primary objective of the study was to assess the changes induced by chemotherapy in POST compared to PRE samples. RESULTS: The unsupervised hierarchical method analysis clearly distinguished PRE and POST samples, even though some cases showed high immune gene expression at baseline. When POST samples were compared with PRE, a differential expression in hyper-expressed gene sets related to cytotoxicity, T-cell functions, complement system, tumor necrosis factor superfamily, cell cycle, and regulation was recognized. Downstaging of the primary tumor (T-regression, measured by pathologic compared to clinical T stage) was the covariate most frequently associated with these changes. Using the immune cell profiling, cases with T-regression reported a significant increase of T, CD8+ T and B cells and a decrease in mast cells, while nonresponders demonstrated an increase of T, B, cytotoxic, and mast cells. CONCLUSION: Our analysis shows that FLOT significantly influences immune TME of GC. While relevant modifications preferentially occur in tumors showing primary tumor regression, response to treatment seems to be associated with a specific immune profile.

Outcomes and a prognostic classifier in patients with microsatellite instability-high metastatic gastric cancer receiving PD-1 blockade.

BACKGROUND: Subgroup analyses of randomized trials suggest the superiority of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapy over chemotherapy in patients with mismatch-repair deficient (dMMR) and/or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high) advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. However, these subgroups are small and studies examining prognostic features within dMMR/MSI-high patients are lacking. METHODS: We conducted an international cohort study at tertiary cancer centers and collected baseline clinicopathologic features of patients with dMMR/MSI-high metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer treated with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-based therapies. The adjusted HRs of variables significantly associated with overall survival (OS) were used to develop a prognostic score. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty patients were included. At a median follow-up of 25.1 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 30.3 months (95% CI: 20.4 to NA) and 2-year PFS rate was 56% (95% CI: 48% to 66%). Median OS was of 62.5 months (95% CI: 28.4 to NA) and 2-year OS rate was 63% (95% CI: 55% to 73%). Among the 103 Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors-evaluable patients, objective response rate was 66% and disease control rate 87% across lines of therapy. In the multivariable models, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 1 or 2, non-resected primary tumor, presence of bone metastases and malignant ascites were independently associated with poorer PFS and OS. These four clinical variables were used to build a three-category (ie, good, intermediate, and poor risk) prognostic score. Compared with patients with good risk, patients with intermediate risk score had numerically inferior PFS and OS (2-year PFS rate: 54.3% versus 74.5%, HR 1.90, 95% CI: 0.99 to 3.66; 2-year OS rate: 66.8% versus 81.2%, HR 1.86, 95% CI: 0.87 to 3.98), whereas patients with poor risk score had significantly inferior PFS and OS (2-year PFS rate: 10.6%, HR 9.65, 95% CI: 4.67 to 19.92; 2-year OS rate: 13.3%, HR 11.93, 95% CI: 5.42 to 26.23). CONCLUSIONS: Overall outcomes with anti-PD-1-based therapies are favorable in MSI-high gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. However, within this overall favorable subgroup a more accurate prognostication using baseline clinical characteristics might identify patients at higher risk of rapid disease progression who may deserve intensified immunotherapy combination strategies.

Survival trends over 20 years in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma: Results from a national retrospective analysis of 922 cases in Italy.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare group of tumors that involve the hepatic biliary tree. Prognosis for patients with cholangiocarcinoma remains dismal. Herein, we present survival trends over a long time period spanning almost 20 years in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma receiving systemic chemotherapy. We retrospectively analyzed a large multicenter dataset of cholangiocarcinoma outpatients evaluated in 14 centers within the Cholangiocarcinoma Italian Group Onlus (Gruppo Italiano Colangiocarcinoma Onlus, G.I.C.O.) between 2000 and 2017 (first-line), and 2002 and 2017 (second-line). Three time periods were considered: 2000-2009, 2010-2013, and 2014-2017. A total of 922 patients (51.19% male) with cholangiocarcinoma undergoing first-line therapy were evaluated. The median durations of follow-up for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 37 and 57 months, respectively. PFS at 12 months in the three periods of starting first-line therapy was similar, ranging from 11.71% to 15.25%. OS at 12 months progressively improved (38.30%, 44.61% and 49.52%, respectively), although the differences were not statistically significant after adjusting for age, disease status, and primary tumor site. A total of 410 patients (48.5% male) underwent second-line chemotherapy. The median durations of follow-up for PFS and OS were 47.6 and 41.90 months, respectively. An OS of 24.3%, 32.3%, and 33.1% was observed in 2002-2009, 2010-2013, and 2014-2017, respectively. Despite incremental benefits across years, our clinical experience confirms that modest overall advances have been achieved with first- and second-line chemotherapy in advanced cholangiocarcinoma. Efforts should focus on the identification of patients who derive the greatest benefit from treatment.

FGFR2 testing in cholangiocarcinoma: translating molecular studies into clinical practice.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous group of neoplasms burdened by a dismal prognosis. Several studies have investigated the genomic profile of CCA and identified numerous druggable genetic alterations, including FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements. Approximately 5-7% of CCAs and 10-20% of intrahepatic iCCAs harbor FGFR2 fusions. With the recent advent of FGFR-targeting therapies into clinical practice, a standardization of molecular testing for FGFR2 alterations in CCA will be necessary. In this review, we describe the technical aspects and challenges related to FGFR2 testing in routine practice, focusing on the comparison between Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and FISH assays, the best timing to perform the test, and on the role of liquid biopsy.

Primary Tumor Resection for Metastatic Colorectal, Gastric and Pancreatic Cancer Patients: In Search of Scientific Evidence to Inform Clinical Practice.

The management of the primary tumor in metastatic colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer patients may be challenging. Indeed, primary tumor progression could be associated with severe symptoms, compromising the quality of life and the feasibility of effective systemic therapy, and might result in life-threatening complications. While retrospective series have suggested that surgery on the primary tumor may confer a survival advantage even in asymptomatic patients, randomized trials seem not to definitively support this hypothesis. We discuss the evidence for and against primary tumor resection for patients with metastatic gastrointestinal (colorectal, gastric and pancreatic) cancers treated with systemic therapies and put in context the pros and cons of the onco-surgical approach in the time of precision oncology. We also evaluate current ongoing trials on this topic, anticipating how these will influence both research and everyday practice.