Intrahepatic Oxaliplatin and Systemic 5-FU +/- Cetuximab in Chemo-Naïve Patients with Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: In case of response to chemotherapy, unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer can be converted to resectable and thereby obtain a chance of cure. The primary aim of this trial was to evaluate the response rate with intrahepatic oxaliplatin in combination with systemic 5-FU +/- cetuximab. Secondary aims were to evaluate the conversion rate from unresectable to resectable liver metastases, median progression-free survival, median overall survival, and toxicity. METHODS: Forty-five chemo-naïve patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer were treated in a prospective phase II trial. Calcium folinate and 5-FU were delivered systemically while oxaliplatin was delivered alternating between systemic and intrahepatic administration. When oxaliplatin was delivered intrahepatic-ally, infusion time was reduced to 10 min followed by embolic material. In patients with KRAS wild-type tumors, cetuximab was added. RESULTS: The treatment was well tolerated and only pain in the liver and a mild increase in liver enzymes were observed after intrahepatic oxaliplatin. The patients obtained a response rate of 82%. Further, 58% converted from having unresectable to resectable liver metastases. The median overall survival and progression-free survival were 38.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 33.0-44.3) and 12.9 months (95% CI 10.2-15.6), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intrahepatic infusion of oxaliplatin in 10 min with systemic 5-FU to patients with chemo-naïve colorectal cancer is feasible and with low toxicity. A high response rate and long median overall survival were obtained.

Efficacy and Safety of Capecitabine, Irinotecan, Gemcitabine, and Bevacizumab as Second-Line Treatment in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Phase II Study.

OBJECTIVE: Since 2010, gemcitabine and cisplatin have been considered standard first-line treatment in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. Many centers have replaced cisplatin with oxaliplatin, which seems to obtain similar results. While first-line treatment has been well established, there are no phase III trials supporting second-line treatment, and the phase II trials with chemotherapy do not show any clear benefit. In this study, we investigated the effect of adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy in second-line treatment. METHODS: From November 2013 to January 2016, 50 patients with advanced biliary tract cancer were enrolled in this prospective phase II trial. All patients had received a gemcitabine-platinum combination as first-line treatment. The patients received capecitabine, irinotecan, gemcitabine, and bevacizumab in a 2-week schedule as second-line treatment. RESULTS: The combination was well tolerated with a median progression-free survival of 3.6 months, a median overall survival of 6.4 months, and a response rate of 6%. CONCLUSION: The combination of capecitabine, irinotecan, gemcitabine, and bevacizumab as a second-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer is well tolerated but with a modest, if any, benefit.

Dual Inhibition of EGFR and VEGF in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining irinotecan, bevacizumab, and cetuximab/panitumumab as a 4th-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. METHODS: All patients had KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer and had previously received fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and cetuximab/panitumumab in a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line setting. Most patients had previously received bevacizumab as well. All patients had progressed within 3 months after the last given treatment before starting the triple combination therapy every second week. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were evaluated. The triple combination therapy was well tolerated. The median progression-free survival was 6.1 months, and the median overall survival was 11.9 months. Four patients (6%) obtained a partial response, and 40 (63%) had stable disease. CONCLUSION: The combination of irinotecan, bevacizumab, and cetuximab/panitumumab is safe and shows a toxicity profile corresponding to what is expected from the agents alone. The results indicate that the combination in the 4th line may result in a high rate of disease control in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Nivolumab With or Without Ipilimumab Combined with Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in patients with Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancer: A Randomized Phase 2 Study.

PURPOSE: Evaluate the clinical benefits of nivolumab with/without ipilimumab combined with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with pretreated metastatic biliary tract cancer (mBTC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The study was a phase 2 randomized trial with Simon's optimal 2-stage design requiring 36 evaluable patients per group after second stage. Sixty-one patients were included from September 2018 to January 2022 and randomized (1:1) to receive SBRT (15 Gy × 1 on day one to a primary or metastatic lesion) and nivolumab (3 mg/kg intravenously on day one and every 2 weeks) with/without ipilimumab (1 mg/kg intravenously on day one and every 6 weeks). Primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR), defined as the percentage of patients with complete response, partial response or stable disease. Decision to continue accrual into the second stage depended on CBR from first stage. RESULTS: Forty-two patients received SBRT/nivolumab/ipilimumab with a CBR of 31.0% (95% CI, 17.6-47.1). Five patients (11.9%) achieved partial response with median duration of 4.4 months (range, 1.1-21.5). Nineteen patients received SBRT/nivolumab. This group was closed after the initial stage based on a CBR of 10.5% (95% CI, 1.3-33.1). Adverse events were graded with National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 13 (31%) and 3 (16%) patients in the SBRT/nivolumab/ipilimumab and SBRT/nivolumab groups, respectively. One patient died from immune-related hepatitis in the SBRT/nivolumab/ipilimumab group. CONCLUSION: Combining SBRT, nivolumab and ipilimumab is well tolerated, feasible, and shows response in a subgroup of patients with mBTC.

Protein Signatures and Individual Circulating Proteins, including IL-6 and IL-15, Associated with Prognosis in Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer.

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare gastrointestinal cancer with a dismal prognosis. Biomarkers with clinical utility are needed. In this study, we investigated the association between survival and 89 immuno-oncology-related proteins, with the aim of identifying prognostic biomarkers for BTC. The study included patients with BTC (n = 394) treated at three Danish hospitals. Patients were divided into four cohorts: the first-line discovery cohort (n = 202), first-line validation cohort (n = 118), second-line cohort (n = 56), and surgery cohort (n = 41). Plasma protein levels were measured using a proximity extension assay (Olink Proteomics). Twenty-seven proteins were associated with overall survival (OS) in a multivariate analysis in the discovery cohort. In the first-line validation cohort, high levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-15, mucin 16, hepatocyte growth factor, programmed cell death ligand 1, and placental growth factor were significantly associated with poor OS in univariate Cox regression analyses. When adjusting for performance status, location, and stage, the association was significant only for IL-6 (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.46) and IL-15 (HR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.48-3.35). Receiver operating characteristic analyses confirmed IL-6 and IL-15 as the strongest predictors of survival. Combining several proteins into signatures further improved the ability to distinguish between patients with short (<6 months) and long survival (>18 months). The study identified several circulating proteins as prognostic biomarkers in patients, with BTC, IL-6, and IL-15 being the most promising markers. Combining proteins in a prognostic signature improved prognostic performance, but future studies are needed to determine the optimal combination and thresholds.

Treatment of Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer with Either Oxaliplatin, Gemcitabine, and Capecitabine or Cisplatin and Gemcitabine-A Randomized Phase II Trial.

This study is an investigator-initiated randomized phase II trial focusing on the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancer with either oxaliplatin 50 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on day 1 in a two-week cycle with capecitabine 650 mg/m2 twice-daily continuously or cisplatin 25 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 8 in a three-week cycle. One-hundred patients were included. Forty-seven patients received oxaliplatin, gemcitabine, and capecitabine with a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 5.7 months (95% CI 3.0-7.8) and a median overall survival (mOS) of 8.7 months (95% CI 6.5-11.2). Forty-nine patients received cisplatin and gemcitabine with a mPFS of 7.3 months (95% CI 6.0-8.7) and a mOS of 12.0 months (95% CI 8.3-16.7). This trial confirms a mOS of 12 months with cisplatin and gemcitabine, as found in earlier trials. With a superior tumor control rate of 79% vs. 60% (p = 0.045), a difference in the mPFS of 1.6 months (HR = 0.721, p = 0.1), and a difference in the mOS of 3.3 months (HR = 0.731, p = 0.1), cisplatin and gemcitabine should still be considered the standard first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer.

Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin Before, During, and After Radiotherapy for High-Risk Rectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of capecitabine and oxaliplatin before, during, and after radiotherapy for high-risk rectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with rectum cancer T4 or T3 involving the mesorectal fascia was included in a prospective phase 2 trial. Liver or lung metastases were accepted if the surgeons found them resectable. The patients received 6 weeks of capecitabine and oxaliplatin before chemoradiotherapy (CRT), continued capecitabine and oxaliplatin during radiotherapy, and received 4 weeks of capecitabine and oxaliplatin after CRT. The patients received radiotherapy as intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Total mesorectal excision was planned 8 weeks after CRT. The patients were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before start of treatment, after 6 weeks of chemotherapy, and again just before the operation. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-CR29 scoring system was used to evaluate adverse events. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were enrolled between 2009 and 2012. The treatment was well tolerated, with only one death during treatment. Eighty percent of assessable patients experienced response to chemotherapy alone as evaluated by MRI, which increased to 94% after complete oncologic treatment. Forty-nine patients had a total mesorectal excision performed, all with a R0 resection and with a pathologic complete response of 20% for patients with T3 tumor and 7% for patients with T4 tumor. Five patients had metastases at study entry, while 47 patients had locally advanced rectal cancer without metastases. Of these 47 patients, overall survival and progression-free survival at 5 years was 72% and 62%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 60 months. CONCLUSION: This aggressive approach with capecitabine and oxaliplatin before, during, and after radiotherapy for high-risk rectal cancer is safe and feasible; it also has an impressive response rate as measured by MRI and a promising 5-year overall survival.