Opportunities and Approaches to Optimising Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma Outcomes in the Era of Targeted Therapies: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Biliary tract cancer; Cholangiocarcinoma; Molecular testing

Càncer de les vies biliars; Colangiocarcinoma; Proves moleculars

Cáncer de las vías biliares; Colangiocarcinoma; Pruebas moleculares

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) represents a diverse group of malignancies. It is often identified at a late stage after the opportunity for curable resection has passed. An international educational meeting on CCA was held in Barcelona in September 2024. The meeting described the challenges with obtaining accurate epidemiological estimates for CCA because of misdiagnosis and marked regional differences, reflecting the prevalence of socioeconomic risk factors. Early-stage CCA is usually asymptomatic, and when symptoms appear, they are nonspecific. Diagnosis and treatment planning should involve a multidisciplinary team (MDT) from the outset. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines recommend molecular testing using next-generation sequencing when advanced disease is diagnosed. Biopsy sampling is technically challenging; if insufficient quality tissue is collected for molecular testing, liquid biopsy can be used. If the tumour is unresectable, the recommended first-line treatment is cisplatin + gemcitabine + durvalumab a programmed cell death ligand 1 [PD-L1] inhibitor or pembrolizumab a programmed cell death protein 1 [PD-1] inhibitor. The development of targeted therapies has led to these treatments being recommended as second- or third-line therapy for patients with actionable gene alterations, while 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy is recommended for those without. Robust data support the use of ivosidenib in patients with IDH1 mutations (phase 3), and phase 2 trials showed efficacy of pemigatinib and futibatinib for patients with FGFR2 gene fusions, trastuzumab deruxtecan and zanidatamab for patients with HER2 overexpression/amplification, and dabrafenib + trametinib for patients with BRAFV600E mutations. It is hoped that wider dissemination of the content from this meeting will improve outcomes of patients with CCA by encouraging earlier referral, increasing the use of early molecular testing, an MDT approach, and maximising the use of targeted therapies. Continued efforts to raise awareness, implement education outreach opportunities, and involve patient advocacy groups are encouraged to improve CCA outcomes.

The development of this manuscript and the Rapid Service publishing fees were supported by Servier.