Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a difficult-to-treat group of tumors with an overall poor prognosis. Until 2022, combination chemotherapy was the first-line treatment standard for patients with advanced BTCs, achieving a moderate patient survival improvement. The evolution of chemoimmunotherapy has...

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Main Author: Ralph Fritsch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: THE HEALTHBOOK COMPANY LTD. 2024-10-01
Series:healthbook TIMES. Oncology Hematology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.36000/HBT.OH.2024.21.157
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author Ralph Fritsch
author_facet Ralph Fritsch
author_sort Ralph Fritsch
collection DOAJ
description Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a difficult-to-treat group of tumors with an overall poor prognosis. Until 2022, combination chemotherapy was the first-line treatment standard for patients with advanced BTCs, achieving a moderate patient survival improvement. The evolution of chemoimmunotherapy has since shifted the first-line treatment landscape for advanced BTCs. In 2022, the publication of results from the pivotal phase III TOPAZ-1 trial marked a critical turning point, showing that adding durvalumab to standard chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine (CG) significantly improved overall survival in previously untreated patients with unresectable and metastatic BTCs. TOPAZ-1 marked the first major advancement in BTC treatment for more than a decade. This review summarizes the clinical evidence supporting the addition of durvalumab to CG in this indication, including the latest 3-year follow-up data from the TOPAZ-1 trial, presented at the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) 2024 Annual Conference and at the European Society for Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers (ESMO GI) Congress 2024, alongside real-world outcome data reflecting two years of clinical practice since FDA approval of durvalumab plus CG for first-line treatment of BTC. Additionally, we briefly touch on the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to synergy between immunotherapy and chemotherapy in BTC treatment and the potential implications for future BTC treatment strategies. PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE **Peer reviewers:** Dr Antonia Digklia, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland PD Dr Sara De Dosso, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland Received on July 22, 2024; accepted after peer review on September 19, 2024; published online on October 08, 2024.
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spelling doaj-art-aa52c03a28014e77bc69bdb85963a43b2025-01-17T12:15:34ZengTHE HEALTHBOOK COMPANY LTD.healthbook TIMES. Oncology Hematology2673-21062024-10-01213Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 TrialRalph FritschBiliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a difficult-to-treat group of tumors with an overall poor prognosis. Until 2022, combination chemotherapy was the first-line treatment standard for patients with advanced BTCs, achieving a moderate patient survival improvement. The evolution of chemoimmunotherapy has since shifted the first-line treatment landscape for advanced BTCs. In 2022, the publication of results from the pivotal phase III TOPAZ-1 trial marked a critical turning point, showing that adding durvalumab to standard chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine (CG) significantly improved overall survival in previously untreated patients with unresectable and metastatic BTCs. TOPAZ-1 marked the first major advancement in BTC treatment for more than a decade. This review summarizes the clinical evidence supporting the addition of durvalumab to CG in this indication, including the latest 3-year follow-up data from the TOPAZ-1 trial, presented at the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) 2024 Annual Conference and at the European Society for Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers (ESMO GI) Congress 2024, alongside real-world outcome data reflecting two years of clinical practice since FDA approval of durvalumab plus CG for first-line treatment of BTC. Additionally, we briefly touch on the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to synergy between immunotherapy and chemotherapy in BTC treatment and the potential implications for future BTC treatment strategies. PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE **Peer reviewers:** Dr Antonia Digklia, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland PD Dr Sara De Dosso, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland Received on July 22, 2024; accepted after peer review on September 19, 2024; published online on October 08, 2024.https://doi.org/10.36000/HBT.OH.2024.21.157
spellingShingle Ralph Fritsch
Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
healthbook TIMES. Oncology Hematology
title Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
title_full Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
title_fullStr Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
title_full_unstemmed Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
title_short Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment: Insights from the TOPAZ-1 Trial
title_sort durvalumab plus chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer treatment insights from the topaz 1 trial
url https://doi.org/10.36000/HBT.OH.2024.21.157
work_keys_str_mv AT ralphfritsch durvalumabpluschemotherapyforadvancedbiliarytractcancertreatmentinsightsfromthetopaz1trial