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Copyright of Der Onkologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Opinion Statement: Pancreatic cancer is mainly diagnosed at an advanced, often metastatic stage and still has a poor prognosis. Over the last decades, chemotherapy of metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPDAC) has proven to be superior to a mere supportive treatment with respect to both survival and quality of life. Recently, even sequential treatment of mPDAC could be established. Options for first-line treatment are combination chemotherapy regimens such as FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel when the performance status of the patient is good. For patients with poorer performance status, gemcitabine single-agent treatment is a valid option. Recently, the PARP inhibitor olaparib has been demonstrated to improve progression-free survival when used as a maintenance treatment in the subgroup of patients with mPDAC and a BRCA1/-2 germ line mutation having received at least 16 weeks of platinum-based chemotherapy. This group of patients also benefits from platinum-based chemotherapy combinations. Therefore, the BRCA1/-2 stats should be examined early in patients with mPDAC even when the occurrence of these mutations is only about 5% in the general Caucasian population. After the failure of first-line treatment, patients should be offered a second-line treatment if their ECOG permits further treatment. Here, the combination of 5-FU/FA plus nanoliposomal irinotecan has shown to be superior to 5-FU/FA alone with respect to overall survival. Immune checkpoint inhibitors like PD1/PD-L1 mAbs are particularly efficacious in tumors with high microsatellite instability (MSI-h). Limited data in mPDACs shows that only a part of the already small subgroup of MSI-H mPDACs (frequency about 1%) appears to benefit substantially from a checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The identification of further subgroups, e.g., tumors with DNA damage repair deficiency, gene fusions, as well as novel approaches such as tumor-organoid-informed treatment decisions, may further improve therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wiener Klinisches Magazin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Nivolumab is the first checkpoint-inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced HCC patients. Real-life experience data of nivolumab treatment in HCC patients, especially those with advanced liver disease, is scarce.Materials and methods: All patients with confirmed advanced HCC and nivolumab treatment from three large German centers were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical parameters and outcome were assessed.Results: A total of 34 patients were included. At the time of treatment initiation 5 patients (14.7%) were classified as stage BCLC B and 29 (85.3%) BCLC C, respectively. 25 (73.5) patients had received prior sorafenib treatment. All patients presented with cirrhosis, namely Child-Pugh stages A (56%) or B (41%), respectively. At time of patient's assessment, 20 out of 34 (58.8%) patients had died. Grade 3 toxicities occurred in two patients (5.9%). Best overall responses were partial response in four patients (11.8%) and stable disease in eight patients (23.5%). The median overall survival of the whole cohort was 7.5 weeks (range 0-46). Child-Pugh B stage disease at treatment start was significantly associated with poor outcome.Discussion: Nivolumab treatment seems safe and clinical efficacious. Patients with advanced liver disease require further prospective evaluation due to probable limited efficacy of nivolumab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]