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TPS351 Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) carries a poor prognosis and no first-line treatments are approved. The accepted global standard of care is gemcitabine + cisplatin (GemCis). NUC-1031 is a phosphoramidate transformation of gemcitabine designed to overcome key cancer resistance mechanisms that are associated with gemcitabine. Promising efficacy has been observed with single-agent NUC-1031 in a phase I study in advanced solid tumors and in the phase Ib ABC-08 study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin for first-line treatment of advanced BTC. Of 14 patients enrolled in 2 cohorts (NUC-1031 625 mg/m2 or 725 mg/m2 + cisplatin 25 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8 of 21-day cycle), 1 had a CR and 6 had PRs, resulting in an unconfirmed ORR of 50%. This represents an approximate doubling of ORR over SoC. The combination was well-tolerated with no unexpected AEs or DLTs. The RP2D of NUC-1031 with cisplatin was 725 mg/m2. The tolerability profile, together with encouraging efficacy, suggested NUC-1031 + cisplatin may represent a more effective therapy than GemCis for BTC and led to initiation of a global registrational study. Methods: NuTide:121 is a Phase III, open-label, randomized study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin vs GemCis for first-line treatment of advanced BTC. Patients ≥18 years with histologically- or cytologically-confirmed BTC (including cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder, or ampullary cancer), who have had no prior systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced/metastatic disease, are eligible. A total of 828 patients are being randomized (1:1) to either 725 mg/m2 NUC-1031 or 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine, both with 25 mg/m2 cisplatin, administered on days 1 and 8 of 21-day cycles. Primary objectives are OS and ORR. Secondary objectives include PFS, safety, PK and patient-reported quality of life. In addition to the final analysis, three interim analyses, including two designed to support accelerated approval, are planned. The study has passed an initial safety analysis, with no protocol changes required. NuTide:121 is being conducted at approximately 130 sites across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific countries. Clinical trial information: NCT04163900.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression and amplification have been reported as predictive markers for HER2-targeted therapy in breast and gastric cancer, whereas human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is emerging as a potential resistance factor. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the HER2 and HER3 overexpression and amplification in biliary tract cancers (BTCs). An electronic search of MEDLINE, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society of Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO), and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) was performed to identify studies reporting HER2 and/or HER3 membrane protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or gene amplification by in situ hybridization (ISH) in BTCs. Studies were classified as "high quality" (HQ) if IHC overexpression was defined as presence of moderate/strong staining or "low quality" (LQ) where "any" expression was considered positive. Of 440 studies screened, 40 met the inclusion criteria. Globally, HER2 expression rate was 26.5 % (95 % CI 18.9-34.1 %). When HQ studies were analyzed (n = 27 studies), extrahepatic BTCs showed a higher HER2 overexpression rate compared to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: 19.9 % (95 % CI 12.8-27.1 %) vs. 4.8 % (95 % CI 0-14.5 %), respectively, p value 0.0049. HER2 amplification rate was higher in patients selected by HER2 overexpression compared to "unselected" patients: 57.6 % (95 % CI 16.2-99 %) vs. 17.9 % (95 % CI 0.1-35.4 %), respectively, p value 0.0072. HER3 overexpression (4/4 HQ studies) and amplification rates were 27.9 % (95 % CI 9.7-46.1 %) and 26.5 % (one study), respectively. Up to 20 % of extrahepatic BTCs appear to be HER2 overexpressed; of these, close to 60 % appear to be HER2 amplified, while HER3 is overexpressed or amplified in about 25 % of patients. Clinical relevance for targeted therapy should be tested in prospective clinical trials.

Introduction: Many patients with neuroendocrine tumour-related carcinoid syndrome treated with somatostatin analogues (SSA) won’t achieve adequate symptom relief with the SSA alone; new treatment options are required. Telotristat ethyl is a tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, developed for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome. Areas covered: This review summarises the evidence supporting the role of telotristat ethyl in the management of carcinoid syndrome. Rationale, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, clinical experience, efficacy and toxicity profiles are covered. Expert opinion: The efficacy of telotristat ethyl in producing a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful reduction in daily bowel movements has been confirmed in phase III clinical trials. Two pivotal trials, TELESTAR and TELECAST, explored the role of telotristat ethyl in the management of patients with carcinoid syndrome refractory to SSAs focusing on patients with ≥4 and

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a rare diverse group of malignancies occurring most commonly in the gastroenteropancreatic system and the lungs. The incidence of NETs is increasing worldwide; median survival for patients with metastatic NETs is 5–65 months. A growing body of evidence shows survival benefit in patients with advanced NETs (gastroenteropancreatic and lung) treated with mTOR inhibitor everolimus, with improvement in survival being demonstrated in the clinical trial and real-world setting. Everolimus has been shown to have a manageable safety profile, with the most common adverse events being stomatitis, rash, diarrhea, fatigue and infections. Due to the rarity of the condition, there are challenges in conducting clinical trials in these patients. Further research is required to clarify the role of adjuvant therapy, treatment sequencing and the use of multimodality treatments.

This study aimed to evaluate the utility of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) in measuring early tumor response of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma to axitinib. Twenty patients were enrolled (aged 18–78 y; median 65). DCE-US was performed with bolus injection and infusion/disruption replenishment. Median overall survival was 7.1 mo (1.8–27.3) and progression free survival was 3.6 mo (1.8–17.4). Fifteen patients completed infusion scans and 12 completed bolus scans at 2 wk. Among the perfusion parameters, fractional blood volume at infusion (INFBV) decreased at 2 wk in 10/15 (16%–81% of baseline, mean 47%) and increased in 5/15 (116%–535%, mean 220%). This was not significantly associated with progression free survival (p = 0.310) or progression at 16 wk (p = 0.849), but was borderline statistically significant (p = 0.050) with overall survival, limited by a small sample size. DCE-US is potentially useful in measuring early tumor response of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma to axitinib, but a larger trial is needed.

To investigate the predictive and prognostic values of DNA repair genes excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) in tumour samples from patients with a diagnosis of biliary tract cancer (BTC).Expressions of ERCC1 and XRCC1 were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for 160 patients with BTC and association with clinicopathological features and patient survival was performed to evaluate their predictive and prognostic values.Neoplastic tissue showed much lower nuclear expression compared with non-neoplastic tissue for ERCC1 (median immunostaining score (IS)=0.7 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.3) vs 8.0 (95% CI 5.5 to 8.0), p0.001) and XRCC1 (median IS=4.0 (95% CI 3.0 to 5.5) vs 8.0 (95% CI 8.0 to 12.0), p0.001). High nuclear expression of both proteins was able to predict better overall survival (OS) in patients with gallbladder adenocarcinoma, distal bile duct and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma undergoing gemcitabine as adjuvant therapy (ERCC1: median OS estimate=39.7 vs 22.9 months, p=0.011; XRCC1: median OS estimate=33.8 vs 14.6 months, p=0.005). Intense cytoplasmic expression of XRCC1 was found in 12 patients; these patients had significantly more frequent lymph node metastasis (90.0% vs 48.1%, p=0.017) and worse OS (median estimate=12.6 months vs 25.6 months, p=0.004) and recurrence-free survival (median estimate=5.7 months vs 15.1 months, p=0.011). Vascular invasion was significantly more frequent in patients with low nuclear expression for ERCC1 (58.7% vs 20.9%, p0.001) and XRCC1 (69.6% vs 30.3%, p=0.001).IHC expression of ERCC1 and XRCC1 has some predictive and prognostic values in patients with BTC. Nuclear expression of ERCC1 and XRCC1 may be used to predict therapeutic response in patients undergoing gemcitabine monotherapy.

Biliary tract cancer, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and gallbladder cancer (GBC) are rare tumours with a rising incidence. Prognosis is poor, since most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease. Only ~20% of patients are diagnosed with early-stage disease, suitable for curative surgery. Despite surgery performed with potentially-curative intent, relapse rates are high, with around 60-70% of patients expected to have disease recurrence. Most relapses occur in the form of distant metastases, with a predominance of liver spread. In view of high tumour recurrence, adjuvant strategies have been explored for many years, in the form of radiotherapy, chemo-radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Historically, few randomised trials were available, including a variety of additional tumours (e.g. pancreatic and ampullary tumours) and most evidence relied on phase II and retrospective studies, with no high-quality evidence available to define the real benefit derived from adjuvant strategies. Since 2017, three randomised phase III clinical trials have been reported; all recruited patients with resected biliary tract cancer (CCA and GBC) who were randomised to observation alone, or chemotherapy in the form of gemcitabine (BCAT study; included patients diagnosed with extrahepatic CCA only), gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (PRODIGE-12/ACCORD-18; included patients diagnosed with CCA and GBC) or capecitabine (BILCAP; included patients diagnosed with CCA and GBC). While gemcitabine-based chemotherapy failed to show an impact on patient outcome (relapse-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS)), the BILCAP study showed a benefit from adjuvant capecitabine in terms of OS (pre-planned sensitivity analysis in the intention-to-treat population and in the per-protocol analysis), with confirmed benefit in terms of RFS. Based on the BILCAP trial, international guidelines recommend adjuvant capecitabine for a period of six months following potentially curative resection of CCA as the current standard of care for resected CCA and GBC. However, BILCAP failed to show OS benefit in the intention-to-treat (non-sensitivity analysis) population (primary end-point), and this finding, as well as some inconsistencies between studies has been criticised and has led to confusion in the biliary tract cancer medical community. This review summarises the adjuvant field in biliary tract cancer, with evidence before and after 2017, and comparison between the latest randomised phase III studies. Potential explanations are presented for differential findings, and future steps are explored.

TPS602 Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) carries a poor prognosis and has no approved treatments. Although gemcitabine + cisplatin (GemCis) is accepted as the global standard of care (SoC) for 1st-line treatment, the reported unconfirmed ORR and OS from randomized studies of this combination are low at 18.5-26.1% and 11.2-11.7 months, respectively. NUC-1031, a phosphoramidate transformation of gemcitabine, is designed to overcome key cancer resistance mechanisms associated with gemcitabine. Promising signs of efficacy have been observed with single-agent NUC-1031 in a Phase I study in advanced solid tumors (Blagden et al 2018) and in the Phase Ib ABC-08 study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle for the 1st-line treatment of advanced BTC. Of 14 patients (pts) enrolled in 2 cohorts (NUC-1031: 625 mg/m2 and 725 mg/m2), 1 pt achieved a CR and 6 pts achieved PR, giving an unconfirmed ORR of 50% and representing an approximate doubling of ORR over SoC. The combination was well-tolerated with no unexpected adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities. The RP2D of NUC-1031 in combination with cisplatin is 725 mg/m2. The tolerability profile together with robust efficacy signals suggested NUC-1031 + cisplatin may represent a more effective therapy than GemCis for BTC and led to initiation of a global Phase III study. Methods: A Phase III, open-label, randomized head-to-head study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin versus GemCis for 1st-line treatment of advanced BTC will include pts ≥18 years with histologically- or cytologically-proven BTC (including cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder, or ampullary cancer), who have had no prior systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced/metastatic disease. A total of 828 pts will be randomized (1:1) to either 725 mg/m2 NUC-1031 + 25 mg/m2 cisplatin or 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine + 25 mg/m2 cisplatin, administered on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. Primary objectives are OS and ORR. Secondary objectives include further measurements of efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported quality of life. The study will be conducted at approximately 120 sites across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific countries. Clinical trial information: NCT04163900.

Background: There is no standard second-line treatment for patients with advanced extra-pulmonary poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-PD-NEC). This study explored data evaluating second-line treatment in these patients. Methods: A search of MEDLINE and EMBASE identified studies reporting survival and/or response data for patients with EP-PD-NEC receiving second-line therapy. Association between various factors (age, gender, ECOG performance status, primary tumour location, morphology, Ki-67, treatment and grade 3/4 haematological toxicity) and response rate (RR), progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed with a mixed effects meta-regression weighted by individual study sample size. Due to a small sample size, associations were reported quantitatively, based on magnitude of beta coefficient rather than statistical significance. Results: Of 83 identified studies, 19 were eligible, including 4 prospective and 15 retrospective studies. Analysis comprised 582 patients, with a median number of 19 patients in each study (range 5–100). Median age was 59 years (range 53–66). Median RR was 18% (range 0–50; 0% for single-agent everolimus, temozolomide, topotecan; 50% with amrubicin), median PFS was 2.5 months (range 1.15–6.0) and median OS was 7.64 months (range 3.2–22.0). Studies with a higher proportion of patients with a Ki-67>55% had lower RR (β = –0.73) and shorter OS (β = –0.82). Conclusion: Second-line therapy for patients with advanced EP-PD-NEC has limited efficacy and the variety of regimens used is diverse. Ki-67>55% is associated with worse outcomes. Prospective randomised studies are warranted to enable exploration of new treatment strategies.

Sorafenib has demonstrated survival benefit in first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); utility of sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC and Child-Pugh B (CP-B) liver function remains a subject of debate.A systematic review identified studies using first-line sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC and CP-A/B liver function. Meta-regression analysis comprising linear regression was conducted to explore the association between the baseline factors and overall survival (OS). Differences between efficacy/safety and tolerability parameters were explored using meta-analysis.Thirty studies (12 Asian) comprising 8678 patients (August 2002 - September 2012) were included (four randomised controlled trials, 26 cohort studies). Median age was 61 years and 83% were men. Hepatitis B/C status was positive in 35%/22%, respectively. The CP status was available for 8577 patients (99%); CP-A, 79% and CP-B, 19%. Median OS on sorafenib for entire cohort was 7.2 months; 8.8 months in CP-A and 4.6 months in CP-B. Multivariable meta-regression analysis showed significant negative association between OS and proportion of patients with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 2 (P = 0.04) and CP-B liver function (P = 0.001). Among four studies reporting multivariable comparison of the CP status, CP-B was associated with significantly worse OS (P 0.001). There were no differences in the response rate to sorafenib between patients with CP-A (4.6%) and CP-B (4.2%) liver function. Safety and tolerability were similar; 35% of patients with CP-A/B liver function developed grade III/IV adverse events (P = 0.7). Meta-regression analysis showed similar rates of treatment discontinuation without progression (P = 0.31) and treatment-related death (P = 0.94) in patients with CP-B liver function.CP-B liver function (versus CP-A) is associated with worse OS (but the similar response rate, safety and tolerability of first-line sorafenib, is unlikely to be clinically meaningful).

Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) following pancreatic carcinoma (PC) resection improves overall survival (OS). A systematic review identified 10 phase-2/3 studies investigating AC in 3644 patients looking at the influence of nodal and resection status. AC significantly improved disease free survival, OS and 5-year odds of death risk. There was greater survival benefit in patients PS 0 and with body/tail tumors. There was a nonsignificant effect in N - /N + patients on OS and no difference between R0/R1 patients.

IntroductionExpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2 and HER3 have been investigated in small BTC studies using variable scoring systems. Methods HER2 and HER3 overexpression/amplification were explored following internationally agreed guidelines using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescent in-situ hybridisation (FISH), respectively. Logistic regression and survival analysis (Kaplan Meier, Log rank test and Cox Regression) were used for statistical analysis.Results Sixty-seven eligible patients with Stage I/II (31.3%) or III/IV (68.7%) disease at diagnosis were included. Membrane HER2 overexpression/amplification was identified in 1 patient (1%). HER3 overexpression was predominantly cytoplasmic; the rate of overexpression/amplification of HER3 in membrane and cytoplasm was 16% [ampullary cancer (AMP) (1/13; 8%), gallbladder cancer (GBC) (1/10; 10%), intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) (6/26; 23%), extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) (3/18; 17%)] and 24% [AMP (1/13; 8%), GBC (1/10; 10%), ICC (10/26; 38%), ECC (4/18; 22%)], respectively. ConclusionsA significant subset of patients with BTC expressed HER3. Inhibition of HER3 warrants further investigation. A better understanding of the downstream effects of HER3 in BTC requires further mechanistic investigations to identify new biomarkers and improve patient selection for future clinical trials.

Background Platinum-etoposide (PE) chemotherapy (CH) is a globally established combination for extra-pulmonary high grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-G3-NEC); the optimal schedule has not been established. Methods An international survey was designed, and completed by clinicians with an expertise in the field to assess consistency in clinical practice. Results Seventy-five replies were received (June-Nov’17). A minority of physicians (13; 17.6%) did not take Ki-67 or morphology (9; 12.0%) into consideration for selection of CH. Most (72; 96.0%) selected PE-CH as first-line treatment for EP-G3-NEC. CH schedules varied: cisplatin-based (37/71; 52.1%), carboplatin-based (34/71; 47.9%); intravenous etoposide (64/71; 90.1%), oral etoposide (7/71; 9.9%). Choice of second-line CH depended on time to progression on PE-based first-line: if > 6 months, re-challenge with PE was the preferred choice (34; 45.9%); if

SUMMARY Optimal treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is clinically challenging. Systemic treatment for advanced HCC was limited until the approval of sorafenib. This discovery resulted in the advent of many clinical trials. An ongoing Phase III trial is examining the benefit of adjuvant sorafenib. Utilization of doxorubicin-eluting bead embolization may offer safer treatment in eligible HCC patients. The use of systemic treatment peritransarterial chemoembolization is also being investigated. Many targeted therapies are being explored as first-/second-line treatment options in advanced HCC. The potential benefit of c-MET inhibitors, particularly in those with advanced, MET high expression HCC, may result in new systemic patient-directed targeted medicinal approaches. Remaining dilemmas query the appropriate management of patients with advanced Child–Pugh B, HCC and those recurring post-transplant.

Background: Carboplatin-etoposide (CarboEtop) is a 1st-line option for patients with advanced extra-pulmonary (EP), poorly-differentiated (PD) neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). Different schedules are used in clinical practice and randomised evidence is lacking. Objectives: To provide real-life outcomes of carboplatin combined with oral or intravenous (IV) etoposide (Etop) in advanced EP-PD-NEC, from 2 specialist centres. Methods: Activity/efficacy/toxicity data of CarboEtop were collected retrospectively and analysed. Results: We identified 113 patients; median age: 65.8 years; male: 64%; gastro-entero-pancreatic origin: 54%; stage IV: 90%; median Ki-67: 70%; median follow-up: 11.5 months. A total of 123 courses of CarboEtop (oral: 45%; IV: 55%) were administered; 106 (86%) 1st-line, 16 (13%) 2nd-line, and 1 (1%) 3rd-line. Disease control rate: 74.5% in 1st-line and 69.2% in 2nd/3rd-line, with no significant difference between oral and IV Etop in 1st-line (69.8 vs. 80.8%, p = 0.237). Median progression-free survival (PFS): 6.0 and 4.5 months in 1st-line and 2nd/3rd-line, respectively. Overall survival (OS): 11.5 and 12.5 months in 1st-line and 2nd/3rd-line, respectively. The schedule (oral versus IV Etop) did not impact on 1st-line PFS (5.6 vs. 6.2 months, p = 0.179), although there was a trend towards shorter OS (8.9 vs. 12.1 months, p = 0.069). Liver metastases correlated with worse 1st-line PFS (p = 0.015) and 1st-line OS (p < 0.001) on multivariable analysis. The commonest grade 3–4 adverse event was myelosuppression (49%), with comparable toxicity between oral and IV Etop, except for venous thromboembolism (12.5 vs. 1.7%, p = 0.04). Conclusions: CarboEtop for advanced EP-PD-NEC is active, effective, and well-tolerated. Oral and IV Etop schedules are associated with comparable toxicity; activity should be compared in larger cohorts.

Background: Patients with advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours (Wd-NETs) are commonly treated with somatostatin analogues (SSAs). Some patients may develop SSA-related side effects such as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI). Methods: In this prospective, observational study, the frequency of SSA-induced PEI in 50 sequential patients with advanced Wd-NETs treated with SSAs was investigated. Toxicity was assessed monthly and faecal elastase-1 (FE1) and quality of life (QoL) were assessed 3-monthly. Results: The median age was 65.8 years, 58% were male and the majority (92%) of patients had metastatic disease; patients received 4-weekly long acting octreotide (60%) or lanreotide (40%). Twelve patients (24%) developed SSA-related PEI after a median of 2.9 months from SSA initiation; FE1 was a reliable screening tool for PEI, especially in symptomatic (abdominal bloating, flatulence and/or diarrhea) patients (risk ratio 8.25 (95% confidence interval 1.15–59.01)). Most of these patients (11/12; 92%) required PERT. Other SSA-related adverse events (any grade) included flatulence (50%), abdominal pain (32%), diarrhoea (30%) and fatigue (20%). Development of PEI did not significantly worsen overall QoL, however gastrointestinal symptoms and diarrhoea were increased. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that PEI occurs at a higher rate than previously reported; clinicians need to diagnose and treat this SSA-related adverse-event which occurs in 1 in 4 patients with Wd-NETs treated with SSAs. Screening with FE1 in symtomatic patients is recommend.

There is a well-established link between biliary tract cancers (BTC) and chronic inflammatory conditions such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, chronic cholecystitis, chronic cholelithiasis, liver fluke-associated infestations, and chronic viral hepatic infections. These associated risk factors highlight the potential for development of immune-modulatory agents in this poor-prognostic disease group with limited treatment options. Clinical trials have evaluated the role of immune cells, inflammatory biomarkers, vaccines, cytokines, adoptive cell therapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with BTC. Although these have demonstrated the importance of the immune environment in BTC, currently none of the immune-based therapies have been approved for use in this disease group. The role of immunomodulatory agents is a developing field and has yet to find its way ‘from bench to bedside' in BTC.

// Angela Lamarca 1 , Daisuke Nonaka 2, 3 , Wolfgang Breitwieser 4 , Garry Ashton 5 , Jorge Barriuso 1, 3 , Mairead G. McNamara 1, 3 , Sharzad Moghadam 5 , Jane Rogan 5 , Wasat Mansoor 1 , Richard A. Hubner 1 , Christopher Clark 4 , Bipasha Chakrabarty 2 and Juan W. Valle 1, 3 1 Department of Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK 2 Department of Histopathology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK 3 Division of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK 4 Molecular Biology Core Facility, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Manchester, UK 5 Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) BioBank, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Correspondence to: Juan W. Valle, email: juan.valle@manchester.ac.uk , juan.valle@christie.nhs.uk Keywords: PD-L1; tumour infiltrating lymphocytes; neuroendocrine; immunotherapy; treatment Received: November 22, 2017 Accepted: February 03, 2018 Epub: February 12, 2018 Published: March 13, 2018 ABSTRACT Background: The extent of resistance to immune surveillance in patients with well-differentiated (Wd) (grade 1/2) small-intestinal neuroendocrine tumours (Si-NETs) is unknown. Methods: Patients diagnosed with Wd Si-NETs (excluding appendix, which are considered to have a different biology to other midgut NETs) were eligible. Tumoural programmed death (PD)-ligand(L) 1 (PD-L1)/PD-L2/PD-1 and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) [presence and phenotype] were analysed in archival tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC); reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used for confirmation of IHC results. Results: Of 109 patients screened, 62 were eligible: 54.8% were male; median age was 63.7 years (95%-CI 59.7-67.2); disease stage II: 4.8%, III: 40.3% and IV: 54.8%; 41.9% were functional. Analysed samples (67.1% from primary tumours, 32.9% from metastases) were of grade 1 (67.1%) or 2 (32.86%) with a median Ki-67 of 2%. From the total of 62 eligible patients, 70 and 63 samples were suitable for IHC and RT-qPCR analysis, respectively. PD-L1 expression within tumour cells and TILs were identified in 12.8% and 24.3% of samples respectively; 30% of samples showed PD-L1 expression within tumour cells and/or TILs. PD-1 was present in TILs in 22.8% of samples. Majority of samples showed significant presence of CD4 + (focal 42.86%; moderate 2.86%) and CD8 + (focal 92.86%; moderate 4.29%) TILs. IHC findings were confirmed with RT-qPCR; which showed higher expression levels of PD-L1 (p-value 0.007) and PD-1 (p-value 0.001) in samples positive for IHC compared to negative-IHC. Conclusions: Thirty-percent of patients express PD-L1 within tumour cells and/or TILs. Identification of presence of TILs was also significant and warrant the investigation of immunotherapy in this setting.

OBJECTIVE:: There are high rates of recurrence after definitive surgery in biliary tract cancer patients. We reviewed the use and effectiveness of adjuvant therapy (AT; chemotherapy�radiotherapy) in a single institution series. METHODS:: Characteristics, treatment details, and follow-up data of all patients with biliary tract cancer who had definitive surgery from January 1987 to September 2011 were reviewed. The association between baseline variables and disease-free survival/overall survival (OS) were tested using Cox proportional hazard analysis in the univariable and multivariable settings. RESULTS:: Analysis included 296 patients (58% male; median age, 63 y). Negative or microscopically positive resections were reported in 42% and 14%, respectively, with 44% not reported. Node positivity was reported in 35% patients. AT was given in 28% of patients with 59% receiving chemotherapy and 35% concurrent chemotherapy/radiotherapy. Disease recurred in 60% patients. AT was associated with significantly improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.41; P=0.02). Compared with R0 resection, patients with R1 resection derived significantly increased benefit from AT (P for difference 0.02). In the node positive population (n=103), AT was associated with significantly improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.95; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS:: Patients with R1 resection and node positive disease receiving AT after definitive surgery seem to derive OS advantage. Large prospective trials are needed to confirm these data.

BACKGROUND: Second-line treatment options in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited. Axitinib, a selective potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF) receptors 1, 2, and 3, merits exploration in HCC. METHODS: This was a single-arm phase II trial of axitinib in advanced HCC. Eligible patients were Child-Pugh A/B7, with measurable progressive disease after TKIs/antiangiogenic drugs. Axitinib was started at 5 mg twice daily orally, titrated from 2 to 10 mg twice daily as tolerated. The primary end point was tumor control at 16 weeks by RECIST1.1; secondary end points were response rate, comparing response by RECIST1.1 to Choi and modified RECIST, exploring dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging models, safety, progression-free (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Thirty patients were treated. Of 26 patients evaluable for response, there were 3 partial responses (PR) per RECIST1.1; 13 PR by Choi, 6 PR and 1 complete response by modified RECIST. Tumor control rate at 16 weeks was 42.3%. Two-week perfusion changes were noted on functional imaging. Of 21 patients with evaluable ?-fetoprotein response, 43% had >50% decrease from baseline. Most common axitinib-related grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were hypertension, thrombocytopenia and diarrhea. Of 11 patients with any grade hypertension, 7 had disease control >36wks. Four patients discontinued treatment due to AEs. Median PFS was 3.6months. Median OS was 7.1months. CONCLUSIONS: With 42.3% tumor control at 16weeks, primary endpoint was met. Axitinib has shown encouraging tolerable clinical activity in VEGF-pretreated HCC patients but further study should be in a selected population incorporating potential biomarkers of response. Cancer 2015. � 2015 American Cancer Society.

Introduction: MANEC is a rare diagnosis and little is known on its epidemiology/prognosis/management. Methods: Demographic/clinical-pathological/survival data of patients with a diagnosis of MANEC (2010 WHO criteria) from five European centres were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Sixty-six patients were identified (09/80–07/17); median age: 62.5 years (range 34–89); male: 66.7%; ECOG-PS 0-1: 59%; primary tumours from: small/large bowel 62.1%, oesophagus/stomach 22.7%, pancreas/biliary tract 13.6%, unknown 1.5%; adult-comorbidity-evaluation (ACE)-27 score 0: 36.4%. The NE component (predominant histology in 58.1% of 43 cases where this information was available) was poorly-differentiated (PD) in 80.3%, with a median Ki-67 value of 70% (95%-Confidence-Interval (CI): 60–73.6). Most frequently expressed IHC markers were: synaptophysin (87.9%), chromogranin-A (CgA) (54.5%) and CDX2 (48.5%). Histology from recurrent/metastatic sites (14 patients) was PD-NE in 71.4%. Median follow-up time was 11.5 months (mo). Of 34 (51.5%) patients with localised-stage (LA) disease, 91.2% had curative surgery (22.5% had neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CT-RT), 29% had adjuvant or peri-operative CT), 5.9% had definitive CT-RT and 2.9% had unknown management; 77.4% recurred. Fifty-four (81.8%) patients were treated for advanced-stage (adv) disease: 50% had platinum-based CT, 5.5% irinotecan-based CT, 1.8% gemcitabine, 1.8% 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, 3.7% unknown CT regimen, 1.8% CT-RT, 1.8% RT, 24% best-supportive-care (BSC), and 9.25% unknown management. Median overall-survival (OS) for all patients was 16.2 mo (95%-CI 12.1–21). Median recurrence-free-survival and OS in patients with LA disease were 12.9 mo (95%-CI 6.7–21) and 21 mo (95%-CI 14.57–35). Median progression-free-survival (PFS) and OS in patients with adv disease were 4.9 mo (95%CI 3.5–7.2) and 14.6 mo (95%CI 9.6–19.4). On univariable analysis, age

Introduction: Platinum-etoposide chemotherapy is a globally established chemotherapy combination for EP-G3-NEC. However, there are many different schedules for such chemotherapy, and the preferred one for EP-G3-NEC has not been established. Methods: An international survey was created, and completed by colleagues with an expertise in the field of neuroendocrine neoplasms. The aim was to explore which schedules of platinum-etoposide chemotherapy are used across centres and to assess consistency in clinical practice. Results: Sixty four replies were received (June-August’17); completed by medical oncologists (43;67.2%), clinical oncologists (11;17.2%), gastroenterologists (8;12.5%) and endocrinologists (2;3.1%). United Kingdom was the most represented country (25;39.1%), followed by Spain (13;20.3%). Most of the physicians completing the survey (39;60.9%) had >10 years of experience in the field; 29 (46.0%) were working in European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) Centres of Excellence (CoE). A small minority did not take Ki67 (7;11.1%) or morphology (7;10.9%) into consideration when selecting type of chemotherapy to be administered. Regarding choice of chemotherapy, most (61;95.3%) agreed on selecting platinum-etoposide chemotherapy as first-line treatment for NEC tumours ± poor-differentiation ± Ki67>55%, although there was a large number of different schedules used: cisplatin-based (28/60;46.7%), carboplatin-based (32/60;53.3%). Most centres chose a schedule with intravenous etoposide (53/60;88.3%), while oral etoposide was less popular (7/60;11.7%). Chemotherapy was usually administered up to a maximum of 6 cycles (49;79.0%). At time of progression, choice of second-line chemotherapy was influenced by the time between completion of first-line chemotherapy and tumour progression. When this period was >6 months, re-challenge with platinum-etoposide was the preferred choice (29;46.0%). Conversely, when time to progression was

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CC), gallbladder cancer (GBC) and ampullary cancer (AC) (collectively BTCs) are poor-prognosis cancers. Cisplatin-gemcitabine chemotherapy is the standard treatment for patients (pts) with advanced BTC. New treatment targets are warranted; the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 and HER-3 pathways may be potential candidates. High-quality data regarding expression and/or amplification rates in BTC are lacking.Methods: Pts diagnosed with BTC and with available paraffin-embedded archival tissue were eligible. Seventy consecutive pts were required (power 0.91; assumptions: 5% (no expression) vs. 15% (expression of interest); α-error 0.1). All pts had been previously consented for tissue storage for research purposes. The study was approved by the local BioBank Ethics Committee. Overexpression of HER-2 and HER-3 was analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) following standard guidelines (gastric criteria were followed for HER-2); samples with “2+; borderline” IHC expression underwent additional fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH). Kaplan Meier and Cox Regression analyses were employed for survival. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with HER overexpression.Results: Of 167 screened pts between Jan-13 and Jul-15, 76 samples were retrieved for quality assessment; 67 were eligible with a median age of 65.6 years (range 32.9-79.3); 51.2% were female; 85.1% had ECOG performance status 0-1; all were adenocarcinomas. Primary site was GBC (n = 10, 14.9%), CC (n = 44, 65.7%; n = 26 intra-hepatic (ICC), n = 18 extra-hepatic (ECC)) and AC (n = 13, 19.4%). Stage at diagnosis: I/II (n = 21, 31.3%) or III/IV (n = 46, 68.7%). Estimated median overall survival (OS) for all pts was 15.9 months (95% CI 11.1-20.3). HER-2 overexpression was identified in 1 pt (1.5%). HER-3 overexpression was identified in 16 (23.9%): 1 pt was classified as “3+; positive” by IHC and 15 were confirmed by FISH following a “2+” expression in IHC. Neither HER-2 (p = 0.103) nor HER-3 (p = 0.087) impacted on OS. No factors related to HER-3 overexpression were identified.Conclusions: HER-3 is overexpressed in a significant subset of pts diagnosed with BTC; treatment targeting this pathway may warrant evaluation.

Background: Carcinoid syndrome (CS), characterised by flushing, diarrhoea, wheeze and fibrotic valvulopathy, arises in patients (pts) with advanced NETs due to serotonin and kallikrein secretion.Methods: Sequential pts with advanced well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEP-NETs) treated at The Christie (1998-2017) with ≥1 carcinoid symptom(s) and raised serum/urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were identified. Ratio of 5-HIAA/upper limit normal (ULN) was calculated. Progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated (Kaplan-Meier method) and prognostic factors identified (Cox proportional hazards model).Results: Of 882 pts, 139 (16%) had CS: median (med) age 64 yrs, 55% male, 80% performance status (PS) 0-1, 13% PS 2; 65% had small bowel primary, 10% large bowel, 4% pancreas, 0.7% gastric, 21% unknown primary (consistent with GEP-NET origin). Tumour grade (G) was 1 in 45%; G2 in 29%; symptoms included diarrhoea (91%), flushing (89%), wheeze (22%), and carcinoid heart disease (CHD; 35%). Fifty-seven (41%) had primary resection, and 121 (87%) had liver metastases. In first line, 66% received a somatostatin analogue (SSA), 20% debulking surgery, 14% other. Med baseline 5-HIAA levels were 8.45 x ULN (urinary: 10.56 x ULN, serum: 6.07 x ULN). Med follow-up was 45.7 months (mo). Med PFS and OS were 27.0 (95%CI 17.2-33.9) and 65.4 (95%CI 50.4-76.4) mo. On univariate analysis, small bowel primary (P = 0.045), liver metastases (P = 0.03), Ki-67 (P

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer with a poor prognosis. Patients often present with biliary obstruction or non-specific abdominal pain and a high proportion of patients have advanced disease at initial diagnosis. The goal of this review is to discuss treatment options for patients with advanced bile duct tumours focusing on radioembolisation (RE) and its impact on overall survival. Radioembolisation provides a therapeutic option for patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. However, although systemic chemotherapy has demonstrated a survival benefit in randomised-controlled trials, there is limited supporting evidence for the use of RE in this setting. Studies are mostly limited to single-centre, small cohorts with variable outcome measures. Additionally, patients included in these studies received a variety of previous therapies including chemotherapy, surgery or alternative intra-arterial therapy; therefore, a true assessment of overall survival benefit is difficult.

Introduction: Patients with advanced Biliary Tract Cancer (BTC) are often treated with palliative chemotherapy (PC). Standard PC since 2010 is a cisplatin/gemcitabine doublet, with median overall survival (OS) of 11.7 months from the ABC-02 trial. Prior to this, our institutional standard was gemcitabine and fluoropyrimidine. The ABC-02 study used 8 cycles of PC as standard with treatment stopped even in the absence of disease progression, but some patients may benefit from continuing PC longer than 8 cycles. Methods: Patients treated with at least 2 cycles of PC for advanced BTC in Princess Margaret Cancer Centre between 1987 and 2015 were included, and divided into 2 groups for analysis - long-term responders (LTR) who received 9 or more cycles, and controls (2-8 cycles). Data was collected on demographics, clinicopathological features, PC regimen, toxicities, and survival. The primary outcome measure was OS, with secondary analyses including progression-free survival (PFS) and toxicity rates between groups. Results: A total of 382 patients were identified, 123 who met the criteria for LTR and 259 who were included as controls. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were similar, although more patients in the control group had gallbladder cancer or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma than LTR (p=0.024), and more patients in the LTR group were treated with combination chemotherapy regimens (93% vs 82% in controls, p=0.003). The LTR patients had significantly longer PFS (median 13.3 vs 4.1 months, p

Background:Radiotherapy with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine improves overall survival (OS) in patients with 1p19q co-deleted anaplastic oligodendroglioma/anaplastic oligoastrocytoma.Methods:This retrospective analysis investigated outcomes in patients with 1p19q co-deleted/partially deleted oligodendroglioma, oligoastrocytoma, anaplastic oligodendroglioma, or anaplastic oligoastrocytoma. OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors using the Cox proportional hazard model.Results:A total of 106 patients (between December 1997 and December 2013) were included. Median age was 40 years (19-66), 58 were male (55%), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0 in 80 patients (75%). 1p19q status was co-deleted in 66 (62%), incompletely co-deleted in 27 (25%), and 1p or 19q loss alone in four (4%) and nine (8%) patients, respectively. Isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 R132H mutation was found in 67 of 85 patients with sufficient material. Upfront treatment was given in 72 (68%) patients and temozolomide alone in 52 (49%). Median time to radiotherapy in 47 patients (44%) was 34.7 months and 41.2 months in 9 patients with co-deleted/incompletely co-deleted anaplastic oligodendroglioma/anaplastic oligoastrocytoma who received upfront temozolomide alone. Median OS was not reached and 5-year OS was 91% for all groups (median follow-up, 5.1 years). On multivariable analysis for all patients, receipt of therapy upfront versus none (p=0.04), PS 1 versus 0 (pConclusions:With similar survival patterns in low-grade/anaplastic gliomas, molecular characteristics may be more important than histological grade. Longer follow-up and results of prospective trials are needed for definitive guidance on treatment of these patients.

// Rille Pihlak 1, 2 , Juan W. Valle 1, 2 and Mairead G. McNamara 1, 2 1 Division of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom 2 Department of Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom Correspondence to: Mairead McNamara, email: Mairead.McNamara@christie.nhs.uk Keywords: pancreatic cancer, germline mutations, BRCA1, BRCA2, PARP inhibitors Received: November 10, 2016 Accepted: April 11, 2017 Published: April 20, 2017 ABSTRACT Due to short-lived treatment responses in unresectable disease, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) continues to be one of the deadliest cancers. There is availability of new information about germline and sporadic mutations in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage repair pathway in PDAC in recent decades and the expectation is that novel targeted therapies will thus be developed. A variety of germline mutations ( BRCA2 , BRCA 1 , PALB 2, CDKN2A , ATM , TP53 and mismatch repair genes MLH1 , MSH2 , MSH6 ) have been reported in these patients with the highest prevalence being BRCA1 /2. Positive results have been reported with the use of targeted therapies, particularly poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors in BRCA -mutated ovarian and breast cancers, and their use is currently being investigated in germline-mutated pancreatic cancer. The aim of this review is to provide an outline of germline DNA damage repair mutations in pancreatic cancer and their effect on the incidence, outcomes and responses to different therapeutic options.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes in younger (METHODS: Multivariable analysis explored the impact of therapy on progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in two separate age cohort groups: RESULTS: Overall, 1163 patients were recruited (Jan 1997-Dec 2013). Median age of entire cohort: 63 years (range 23-85); 36 (3%) were CONCLUSIONS: In ABC, younger patients are rare, and survival in elderly patients in receipt of systemic therapy for advanced disease, whether monotherapy or combination therapy, is similar to that of non-elderly patients, therefore age alone should not influence decisions regarding treatment.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic markers for risk stratification of patients with gastrointestinal high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (GI-NECs) are lacking; we designed and validated a prognostic score for overall survival (OS). METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed in five neuroendocrine specialist European centers were included. Patients were divided into three cohorts: a training cohort (TC), an external validation cohort (EVC), and a prospective validation cohort (PVC). Prognostic factors were identified by log-rank test, Cox-regression, and logistic regression analyses. The derived score was internally and externally validated. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Of 395 patients screened, 313 were eligible (TC = 109 patients, EVC = 184 patients, and PVC = 20 patients). The derived prognostic score included five variables: presence of liver metastases, alkaline phosphatase (ALK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), and Ki67. In multivariable analysis, the score was prognostic for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.47 to 2.35, P < .001) and had good discrimination (C-index = 0.76) and calibration (mean error = 0.021, 90th percentile = 0.037) in the TC. These results were validated in the EVC and PVC, in which our score was able to prognosticate for OS when adjusted for other prognostic variables in the multivariable analysis (HR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.27 to 2.71, P = .001; and HR = 4.51, 95% CI = 1.87 to 10.87, P = .001, respectively). The score classified patients into two groups with incremental risk of death: group A (0-2 points, 181 patients [63.9%], median OS = 19.4 months, 95% CI = 16.1 to 25.1) and group B (3-6 points, 102 patients [36.1%], median OS = 5.2 months, 95% CI = 3.6 to 6.9). CONCLUSIONS: The GI-NEC score identifies two distinct patient cohorts; it provides a tool for clinicians when making treatment decisions and may be used as a stratification factor in future clinical trials.

Introduction: Platinum-etoposide is considered standard-of-care first-line treatment for patients diagnosed with advanced EP-PD-NECs. The optimal platinum-etoposide schedule remains undefined; carboplatin is often substituted for cisplatin, although quality data is lacking. Methods: Electronic records of patients with advanced EP-PD-NEC treated with carboplatin-etoposide (06/09-02/17) were reviewed retrospectively, with aim to provide real-life efficacy/safety data on carboplatin-etoposide in this setting. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier and univariate/multivariable Cox-regression analyses were performed, as appropriate. Results: Seventy-three patients were screened, 57 eligible; median follow-up 8.57 months (m); median age 70.4 years (range 36.2–88.4). Most patients were male (68.4%), had Eastern-Cooperative-Oncology-Group performance-status (ECOG-PS) 0–1 (79%) and none-mild comorbidities (72%). Site of primary tumour: foregut 35.1%, hindgut 24.6%, unknown 21%, pancreas 8.8%, others 10.5%. Most had stage IV disease (87.7%); median number of metastatic sites: 2 (range 1–6), liver (68%) being the most common. Histopathology: median Ki-67 75% (95%-Confidence-Interval (95%-CI) 60–80%); morphology included small-cell (33.3%), large-cell (22.8%), others (3.5%), not-specified (40.4%). The 57 patients received a total of 64 courses of carboplatin-etoposide: 54 (84.4%) first-line, 9 (14%) second-line and 1 (1.6%) third-line. Etoposide was administered orally (81.2%) or intravenously (18.8%); median number of cycles: 4 (range 1–7). In the first- and second-line settings, median progression-free-survival (PFS) was 5.4 m (95%-CI 3.6–6.9) and 3.4 m (95%-CI 1.6–11.0) and median overall-survival was 7.5 m (95%-CI 6.2–11.5) and 5.8 m (95%-CI 1.6–15.4), respectively. Most common grade 3–4 adverse events in first/second-line were myelotoxicity (29.6%/44.4%), infections (13%/11.1%), venous thromboembolism (11.1%/22.2%); no differences between first-/second-line were identified (all P-values >0.05). Median carboplatin-etoposide dose-intensity was 94.8 and 94.4% in first-/second-line, respectively. Line of chemotherapy did not impact PFS (P-value >0.3). Liver metastases and age were significant in the univariate analysis for PFS and included in the multivariable Cox-regression: presence of liver metastases was the only independent factor related to worse PFS (Hazard-Ratio 1.9 (95%-CI 1.1–3.3); P-value 0.03). Conclusion: Carboplatin-etoposide is associated with survival outcomes in real-life comparable to those reported in current literature. It is an active combination for patients with advanced EP-PD-NECs, with a manageable toxicity profile which allows adequate dose-intensity.

Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) occurs in >90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) and is associated with a poorer prognosis. A systematic review of electronic databases identified studies exploring the addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced (LA)/metastatic PDAC. Efficacy, safety and tolerability of EGFR-targeted therapy were explored using meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Meta-regression was utilised to explore factors associated with improved prognosis (all studies) and benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy (RCTs). Twenty-eight studies (7 RCTs and 21 cohort studies) comprising 3718 patients were included. The addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy did not improve progression-free (pooled hazard ratio (HR): 0.90, p = 0.15) or overall survival (HR: 0.94, p = 0.18). EGFR-targeted therapy was associated with increased treatment-related deaths (pooled odds ratio (OR): 5.18, p = 0.007), and grade (G)3/4 rash (OR: 4.82, p = 0.03). There was a borderline significant increase in G3/4 diarrhoea (OR: 1.75, p = 0.06), but no effect on treatment discontinuation without progression (OR: 0.87, p = 0.25). Neither G3/4 rash nor diarrhoea were associated with increased survival benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy. The effect of EGFR-targeted therapy on overall survival (OS) appeared greater in studies with a greater proportion of LA rather than metastatic patients (R = −0.69, p < 0.001). Further studies in unselected patients with advanced PDAC are not warranted. The benefit from EGFR inhibitors may be limited to patient subgroups not yet clearly defined.

BACKGROUNDThe neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of inflammation, has been reported to be a poor prognostic indicator in prostate cancer. Here we explore the use of the NLR to establish a simple prognostic score for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with docetaxel. METHODS: In the training cohort, the NLR and other known prognostic variables were evaluated among a cohort of chemotherapy-naive patients treated with thrice-weekly docetaxel at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Significant prognostic variables identified by univariable Cox regression were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. Multivariable Cox regression was then used to derive a prognostic score where 1 risk point was assigned for each significant variable. The model was externally validated in a cohort of patients treated at the Royal Marsden. RESULTS: Three hudred fifty-seven patients were analyzed in the training cohort. Median age was 71 years, 12% had liver metastasis, and median overall survival (OS) was 14.7 months. Liver metastases, hemoglobin 2.0x upper limit of normal (ULN), lactate dehydrogenase >1.2x ULN, and NLR >3 were associated with significantly worse OS in multivariable analysis. Four risk categories were subsequently established with 0, 1, 2, and 3-5 points. Two-year OS rates for these categories were 43%, 37%, 12%, and 3%, respectively. Area under the curve for the training cohort was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.72-0.84) compared with 0.66 (95% CI, 0.58-0.74) for the 215 patients in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This simple risk score provides good prognostic and discriminatory accuracy for men with mCRPC. Cancer 2014;120:3346-3352. (c) 2014 American Cancer Society.

Background Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has improved overall survival (OS) in selected patients (pts) with cancers, but predictive biomarkers are required. TMB has been proposed as a potential biomarker, but challenges exist as to its optimal definition, quantification and utility. Methods A search of Medline and Embase identified studies reporting association of TMB (high vs low) with survival in pts with solid tumors, irrespective of exposure to ICB. The influence of TMB on OS was explored by meta-analysis, utilizing the generic inverse variance method. Association between baseline factors (age, gender, primary tumor site, stage, smoking history, proportion of pts with squamous histology, receipt of ICB) and survival were assessed with mixed effects meta-regression, weighted by study sample size. Results Of 493 studies, 35 were eligible (ICB used in 28); 13 prospective, 22 retrospective; correlation between PD-L1 expression and TMB was not possible due to limited reporting studies. Analysis comprised 10,433 pts; median age: 63 yrs (range 53-73; reported in 18 studies). Median proportion male: 62.5% (range 40-83%), primary tumor site lung: 17 studies (9 squamous histology), melanoma: 5, urothelial: 3, breast: 2, head & neck, biliary and hepatocellular carcinoma: all 1, multiple sites: 5. Eleven different assays for TMB determination were utilized (Foundation One in 15 studies). Amongst 22 studies, where reported, 5 different TMB definitions were used, with only 10 studies reporting a median TMB (Mut/Mb); 11 different TMB “high” thresholds were reported. In the absence of ICB, high TMB was associated with increased risk of death (HR 2.87, 95% CI 1.41-5.82, p=.004). In the presence of ICB, high TMB was associated with improved OS (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.86, p=.005), albeit with significant heterogeneity (p=.002). Studies with a higher proportion of male pts had increased hazard of death (β=.75) and those with a higher proportion of pts receiving ICB had a lower hazard of death (β=-.56). Conclusions High TMB is a poor prognostic factor in solid tumors, but is predictive of improved OS with ICB. Standardization of TMB analysis/reporting is imperative for reliable clinical application. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background Inclusion of all patients (pts) with advanced biliary tract cancer (aBTC), irrespective of anatomic location, with assessment of overall survival (OS) in prospective trials, is debated. Additionally, outcome is typically described as estimated OS, but CS offers more relevant information once pts have survived for some time; this study assessed the impact of anatomic site of BTC origin and CS. Methods Pts enrolled into 15 prospective first-line aBTC clinical trials were included. OS was analysed using Cox proportional hazard regression; CS and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results Overall, 1333 pts were included (Jan 97-Dec 13) with a median (med) age of 63 yrs (range 23-85); 46% male; 84% ECOG PS 0/1; 25% locally advanced (LA) stage, 72% metastatic (met), and 3% not reported (NR). Anatomic site of origin was gallbladder (GBC): 385 (29%), cholangiocarcinoma not specified (CCA-NS): 363 (27%), extrahepatic (EHC): 247 (19%), intrahepatic (IHC): 209 (16%), ampulla: 53 (4%) and 76 (6%) NR. Treatment was mono-chemotherapy: 310 (23%), cis/gem combination: 482 (36%), other combination: 520 (39%) and NR: 21 (2%). Med OS: 10.2 mths (95% CI 9.6-10.9). All sites, adjusted for treatment, had decreased risk of death vs GBC: EHC (p .05, p=.08 respectively). Conclusions Pts with GBC have worse OS compared to other anatomic BTC sites. Inclusion of other BTC subtypes, at least, in prospective aBTC clinical trials is justified. Conditional probabilities allow adjusted prognosis prediction for survivors with aBTC. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

TPS4156 Background: Cisplatin and gemcitabine (CisGem) is the global standard of care for 1st-line treatment of patients (pts) with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). No agents have regulatory approval for this disease. CisGem achieves an objective response rate (ORR) of 26% and median overall survival (OS) of 11.7 months (ABC-02). Key cancer resistance mechanisms limit gemcitabine efficacy. NUC-1031, a phosphoramidate transformation of gemcitabine, is designed to overcome resistance mechanisms associated with poor gemcitabine response. Promising signs of efficacy have been observed with single agent in a phase I study in solid tumors (Blagden et al 2018) and in the phase Ib ABC-08 study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin 25 mg /m2 d1, d8 q 21 days for the 1st-line treatment of advanced BTC. 14 pts have been enrolled across 2 cohorts (NUC-1031: 625 mg/m2 and 725 mg/m2). In 11 pts evaluable for response ORR was 64% (1 CR, 6 PRs) and DCR was 73%. PFS/OS data is maturing. The combination was very well-tolerated with no unexpected adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities. The RP2D in combination with cisplatin is 725 mg/ m2. Safety, coupled with encouraging efficacy signal has led to initiation of a global Phase III development program. Methods: A Phase III, open-label, randomized head-to-head study of NUC-1031 + cisplatin versus CisGem for the 1st-line treatment of advanced BTC will include pts ≥18 years with histologically- or cytologically-proven BTC (including cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder, or ampullary cancer), that is not resectable and who have had no prior systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced/metastatic disease. A total of 828 pts will be randomized (1:1) to either 725 mg/m2 NUC-1031 + 25 mg/m2 cisplatin or 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine + 25 mg/m2 cisplatin, administered on Days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle, respectively. Primary objectives are OS and ORR. Secondary objectives include further measurements of efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported quality of life. The study will be conducted at approximately 120 sites across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific countries. Clinical trial information: NCT02351765.

3030 Background: The inhibition of cellular nucleotide metabolism to promote apoptosis is a key principle of cancer therapy. This, in combination with platinum-induced DNA-damage, is key to promoting anti-cancer activity in a variety of tumors, including ovarian, biliary tract, lung, breast and bladder. NUC-1031, a phosphoramidate transformation of gemcitabine is designed to overcome resistance mechanisms that limit the efficacy of this nucleoside analog. NUC-1031 has shown broad clinical activity across multiple solid tumors as both a single agent and in combination with platinum agents. We show potential synergism between NUC-1031 and a platinum agent in advanced ovarian (OC) and biliary tract (BTC) cancers. Methods: PRO-002 was a phase Ib study; 25 patients (pts) with recurrent OC who had exhausted all other therapy options received NUC-1031 + carboplatin. 17 pts were considered platinum resistant (10) or platinum refractory (7). ABC-08 is a phase Ib study, 14 pts with advanced BTC treated in the first-line setting with NUC-1031 + cisplatin. Results: In PRO-002, strong efficacy signals were observed in non-platinum-responsive patients. Of the 17 response-evaluable platinum-resistant or refractory pts, 5 partial responses (PRs) and 11 stable diseases (SDs) were achieved, resulting in an ORR of 29% and a DCR of 94%. NUC-1031 + carboplatin was well-tolerated with no unexpected AEs; DLTs were myelosuppression and fatigue. Encouraging response rates were also observed in ABC-08 compared to historical standard of care (ABC-02). One CR (7%), 6 PRs (43%) and 1 SD (7%) were observed, resulting in an ORR of 50%. NUC-1031 + cisplatin was well-tolerated, with no unexpected AEs or DLTs. Complementary in vitro evidence suggests that the beneficial interaction occurs whereby platinum treatment sensitizes cells to NUC-1031. Conclusions: Increasing evidence suggests that NUC-1031 in combination with a platinum agent may have synergistic properties, leading to enhanced anti-cancer activity. In both OC and BTC, durable tumor shrinkage was observed. This was particularly encouraging in a platinum resistant/refractory OC population. Future studies utilizing both NUC-1031 plus a platinum agent will further elucidate the potential of this therapeutic combination.

TPS4158 Background: The prognosis for pts with PD-EP-NEC is poor. First-line treatment for advanced disease is etoposide/platinum-based chemotherapy, analogous to that of high grade lung NEC, with no standard second-line treatment, and is an area of unmet need. Methods: This is a multi-centre, randomised, phase II trial of nal-IRI; 80mg/m2 intravenously (IV) over 90 mins, prior to 5-FU; 2400 mg/m2 infusion over 46 hrs and folinic acid, Q14 days, or docetaxel; 75mg/m2 IV over 60 mins, Q21 days, as second-line therapy in pts with progressive PD-EP-NEC (Ki-67 > 20%), with the overall aim of selecting a treatment for continuation to a phase III trial. The standard arm is that used in high-grade lung NEC, of which docetaxel is a second-line therapy option (NCCN guidelines) and combination regimens such as Irinotecan/5-FU are a second-line therapy option currently used without trial evidence for this subset of pts. Pts must have had prior treatment with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, have documented disease progression and have an ECOG performance status of ≤2. This study plans to recruit 102 pts from 16 UK centres (over 37 mths). Primary endpoint is 6-mth progression-free survival (PFS) rate; trial is designed to have an 80% chance of demonstrating that the one-sided 95% confidence interval of the 6 mth PFS rate excludes 15%, if the true rate is at least 30%, where 30% is the required level of efficacy, and a rate of < 15% would give grounds for rejection. If both treatment arms exceed the required level of efficacy to warrant further evaluation in a phase III trial, treatment with the higher PFS rate at 6 mths will be selected. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, objective response rate, toxicity, quality of life, serum neuron-specific enolase. Exploratory endpoints include quantification of circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating tumour deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) and molecular profiling of CTCs, ctDNA and tumour tissue, and generation of CTC-derived xenografts. This trial is open and has enrolled 6 pts at time of submission. Clinical trial information: 10996604.