Cholangiocarcinoma

Real-world evidence demonstrates a survival advantage for patients with CCA harboring FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements compared with those with FGFR2 wild-type CCA.

On November 3, 2021, TransThera Sciences announced that the FDA granted its investigational drug, TT-00420, a spectrum-selective multi-kinase inhibitor, a fast-track designation for the treatment of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) who have no available standard treatment options. In preclinical studies, TT-00420 has shown high activity in a variety of FGFR mutations.

At the CCA Summit during the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Mitesh J. Borad, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, reviewed some of the key topics presented at ASCO 2021 related to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and other biliary tract cancers. Before turning to the specific presentations, Dr Borad welcomed the May 28, 2021, FDA approval of infigratinib (Truseltiq) for patients with advanced or metastatic CCA and FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements. Infigratinib follows pemigatinib (Pemazyre) as the second targeted therapy now available for this patient population.

Comprehensive molecular profiling has demonstrated a diverse landscape of oncogenic genomic alterations in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which are often the drivers of CCA. In a recent review article, Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, FACP, Vice Chair and Section Chief for Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix, AZ, and colleagues provided an overview of the molecular heterogeneity of CCA, discussing the role of molecular tests for the diagnosis of patients with intrahepatic CCA, and the implications of the genomic alterations in the treatment of patients with this aggressive disease.

On August 25, 2021, the FDA approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo; Servier Pharmaceuticals), an oral IDH1 inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and an IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA granted ivosidenib a priority review for this indication and an orphan drug designation.

Although cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare cancer that originates in the bile ducts, its incidence rate continues to rise in the United States, and many patients are diagnosed late, with unresectable tumor and poor prognosis. The majority of patients with extrahepatic CCA, including the perihilar subtype, require referral to a center with expertise in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and interventional radiology, because of the complexities in obtaining a definitive diagnosis and durable biliary drainage.

Key topics related to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) were presented at the 2021 Society of Interventional Oncology (SIO) and the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meetings and were discussed at the CCA Summit. Bruno C. Odisio, MD, FSIR, Interventional Radiologist and Co-Director of Research, Interventional Radiology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, reviewed the findings.

Ivosidenib has been approved by the FDA for adult patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test.

Personalized medicine has expanded the treatment options for patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). At the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF), Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD, MBA, Professor of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discussed recent developments in personalized therapies, highlighting genomic alterations that are informing the new therapies for patients with CCA.