Circulating miRNAs as potentially predictive biomarkers for chemoimmunotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer: a post-hoc analysis of the phase II T1219 study.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have not been investigated as predictive biomarkers in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC) who received chemoimmunotherapy. In the single-arm phase II T1219 trial, 46 patients with ABTC received first-line nivolumab, gemcitabine, and S-1 treatment. Plasma samples were prospectively collected at baseline and 6 weeks after treatment for miRNA profiling.

The correlation between LAG-3 expression and the efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer.

In our previous phase II T1219 trial for advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC), the combination of nivolumab with modified gemcitabine and S-1 exhibited promising efficacy, while the programmed-death-ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression did not predict chemoimmunotherapy efficacy. Lymphocyte-activation-gene-3 (LAG-3), a negative immune checkpoint, is frequently co-expressed with PD-L1. This study assessed the predictive value of LAG-3 expression in ABTC patients who received chemoimmunotherapy.

Impact of previous S-1 treatment on efficacy of liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Background/objectives: Liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV) provides survival benefits for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) refractory to gemcitabine-based treatment, mainly gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GA), in current practice. Gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS) is another commonly administered first-line regimen before nab-paclitaxel reimbursement; however, the efficacy and safety of nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV for mPDAC after failed GS treatment has not been reported and was therefore explored in this study.

Methods: In total, 177 patients with mPDAC received first-line GS or GA treatment, followed by second-line nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV treatment (identified from a multicenter retrospective cohort in Taiwan from 2018 to 2020); 85 and 92 patients were allocated to the GS and GA groups, respectively.

A generational comparison for unfavorable cancer of unknown primary in a single institute over 20 years.

Background: The prognosis of unfavorable cancer of unknown primary is extremely poor. This is the first report to compared the treatment results between generations of CUP and examined prognostic factors.

Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study enrolled 68 patients with newly diagnosed unfavorable cancer of unknown primary at Taipei Veteran General Hospital from 2017 to 2020 as study cohort and 167 patients from 2000 to 2009 as historical cohort.

Hemodialysis reduces the viral load in uremic patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

Background And Aims: The effect of hemodialysis (HD) to change the viral load of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in uremic patients with chronic HBV infection has never been studied. In this study, we investigated the HBV viral loads and their changes between the HD procedure in the uremic patients.

Patients And Methods: A total of 38 chronic HBV-infected uremic patients were enrolled, but eight cases were excluded due to HCV co-infection and under anti-viral therapy.