October 2020, Vol 1, No 2

While the COVID-19 pandemic rages throughout the world, patients, providers, and healthcare advocates are learning to survive in an alternative (virtual) world that is likely to change the face of medicine forever. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a complex disease that requires multidisciplinary care. Virtual clinic visits and online tumor boards and symposia represent just a few of the countless innovations introduced over the past year.

Two phase 2 studies of futibatinib, a highly selective irreversible fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)1-4 inhibitor, analyzed data from the FOENIX-CCA2 clinical trial and were presented at the 2020 virtual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).

In the past decade, there has been a sea change in awareness about cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the standard of care has remained unchanged for more than 10 years. This year, the FDA approved a new targeted therapy, pemigatinib, which became a treatment option for approximately 10% to 15% of patients with CCA. The process of drug discovery, as well as changes in the standard of care, are becoming increasingly reliant on collaborative approaches that leverage the expertise and resources of a wide range of partners to strengthen the tools and knowledge that advance the research objectives of all stakeholders.

At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF), results of a patient survey conducted in summer 2019 by the CCF and Incyte Corporation, provided real-life responses from patients regarding the impact of a cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) diagnosis on patients with this rare disease.

At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, a panel of experts focused on the science of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) addressed the topic of “Genetic Disposition for CCA,” which was moderated by Anna Lleo De Nalda, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy. The panel members responded to questions from the attendees.

Cancer is a personal journey. We often see and hear from patients, families, and their caregivers about how this disease changes their lives. However, what is often missing is a physician’s view of the role that the physician plays in the battle against cancer.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) knows no geographic borders. Nevertheless, some geographical areas in the world are associated with increased risk for this type of cancer, according to recent research. At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, several experts presented global perspectives related to global trends in CCA.

The 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) was wrapped up with reflections on the meeting highlights and key takeaways from the meeting chairs and organizers.

One year after the FDA approval of the combination of lenvatinib (Lenvima), a multikinase inhibitor, plus the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a PD-1 inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer that is not microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR), results of the LEAP-005 study showed that several other advanced solid tumors, including biliary tract cancer, may also respond to this combination. The results of the LEAP-005 study were presented at the 2020 virtual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).