Ivosidenib for IDH1-Mutant Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Insights From a Multicenter Real-World Study.

Background & Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare cancer with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. While first-line combination therapies have improved outcomes, second-line treatment remains challenging. Ivosidenib, an IDH1 inhibitor, has shown promise in treating IDH1 mutant CCA, but real-world data is limited.

Homologous Repair-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer: Refined Targeting of DNA Damage Response is an Effective Therapeutic Strategy.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating malignancy with a high mortality rate. While up to 20% of PDAC patients harbor mutations in genes involved in homologous recombination (HR) repair, only 5% of germline BRCA1/2 mutation carriers have an approved treatment option with the PARP inhibitor (PARPi) olaparib. Characterizing HR-deficient (HRD) genotypes beyond gBRCA1/2 that are susceptible to PARPi has potential to substantially broaden the eligible patient population, and defining the optimal inhibitor may further optimize treatment strategies to advance personalized medicine in PDAC.

Impact of antibiotic therapy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma treated with chemoimmunotherapy.

Background: Patients with biliary tract cancers (BTC) often require antibiotic therapy before starting systemic treatment that includes an immune checkpoint inhibitor. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of antibiotic therapy administered in the 15 days prior to the start of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with BTC.

Material And Methods: The study population included patients with metastatic or locally advanced BTC from western and eastern populations treated with first-line chemoimmunotherapy.

Negative impact of corticosteroid use on outcome in patients with advanced BTCs treated with cisplatin, gemcitabine, and durvalumab: A large real-life worldwide population.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the possible prognostic impact of concomitant medications in patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy combinations. This real-world analysis aims to evaluate the impact of concomitant medications on survival outcomes in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTCs) treated with cisplatin, gemcitabine and durvalumab (CGD) therapy. The study cohort included patients with a diagnosis of advanced BTCs who were taking concomitant medications for their comorbidities before the start of CGD.

The impact of molecular alterations in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer receiving cisplatin, gemcitabine and durvalumab: a large real-life worldwide population.

Background & Aims: Cisplatin, gemcitabine, and durvalumab (CGD) combination is a standard first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). This study aimed to assess the impact of genetic alterations on outcomes in patients with advanced BTC treated with CGD in real-world clinical practice.

Methods: Patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with CGD across 39 centers in 11 countries (Europe, United States, and Asia) were included in this analysis.

A Prognostic Index for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Treated With Cisplatin, Gemcitabine and Durvalumab: The MAGIC-D Index.

Background: Over the years, prognostic indexes have been developed to help clinicians stratify patients with biliary tract cancers (BTC) into risk groups. This study aims to identify a new prognostic index for patients with BTC treated with cisplatin, gemcitabine and durvalumab (CGD) in the first-line setting.

Patients And Methods: The study population consisted of patients with BTC from 11 Eastern and Western Countries.

Factors associated with reaching maintenance therapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer treated with durvalumab: Real-world results from a multicenter and multinational study.

Standard of care first-line systemic treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer includes chemo-immunotherapy with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and durvalumab, followed by maintenance durvalumab monotherapy. The present work aims to investigate the differences in baseline clinical and molecular characteristics between patients with early progression during chemo-immunotherapy and those who reach durvalumab maintenance therapy. The study population included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC who received treatment at 38 clinical Institutions in 12 countries from July 2021 to December 2023.

Unveiling the intriguing relationship: oncogenic KRAS, morphological shifts, and mutational complexity in pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) often arises from preexisting cystic lesions such as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN). This study investigated the molecular heterogeneity and mutational landscape of MCN in relation to PDAC, highlighting the significance of KRAS mutations in tumor progression. Utilizing targeted next-generation sequencing on low-grade MCN and invasive PDAC samples, we identified a substantial overlap in mutational profiles, particularly mutations in KRAS, TP53, and FBXW7.

European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: UEG, EPC, EDS, ESPEN, ESPGHAN, ESDO, and ESPCG evidence-based recommendations.

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is defined as a reduction in pancreatic exocrine secretion below the level that allows the normal digestion of nutrients. Pancreatic disease and surgery are the main causes of PEI. However, other conditions and upper gastrointestinal surgery can also affect the digestive function of the pancreas.

Durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in advanced biliary tract cancer: A large real-life worldwide population.

Background: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial showed a survival benefit with durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). To understand this combination's real-world efficacy and tolerability, we conducted a global multicenter retrospective analysis of its first-line treatment outcomes.

Methods: We included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with durvalumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin at 39 sites in 11 countries (Europe, the United States, and Asia).

Prediction of resistance to bevacizumab plus FOLFOX in metastatic colorectal cancer-Results of the prospective multicenter PERMAD trial.

Background: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are widely used for tumor treatment, including metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). So far, there are no biomarkers that reliably predict resistance to anti-VEGF mAbs like bevacizumab. A biomarker-guided strategy for early and accurate assessment of resistance could avoid the use of non-effective treatment and improve patient outcomes.

Nanoliposomal Irinotecan With Fluorouracil and Leucovorin or Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin in Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma: A Phase II Study of the AIO Hepatobiliary-YMO Cancer Groups (NIFE-AIO-YMO HEP-0315).

Purpose: First-line therapy options in advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are based on the ABC-02 trial regimen (gemcitabine/cisplatin [G/C]). The NIFE trial examined nanoliposomal irinotecan/fluorouracil/leucovorin (nal-IRI/FU/LV) as alternative first-line therapy in advanced CCA.

Methods: NIFE is a prospective, open-label, randomized, multicenter phase II study that aimed at detecting efficacy comparable with the standard treatment.

A Systematic Evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Induced Anti-S-RBD-Ig Response in a Population of Health Care Workers.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel class of mRNA vaccines has been granted first-time approval for active immunization against SARS-CoV-2 alongside the already established viral vector-based vaccines. In this prospective single-center study, we set out to determine the vaccine-induced humoral immune response in a population of 1512 health care employees after the second and third vaccination, respectively. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid antigen antibody concentrations were assessed using commercially available immunoassays.

TBX3 is dynamically expressed in pancreatic organogenesis and fine-tunes regeneration.

Background: The reactivation of genetic programs from early development is a common mechanism for injury-induced organ regeneration. T-box 3 (TBX3) is a member of the T-box family of transcription factors previously shown to regulate pluripotency and subsequent lineage commitment in a number of tissues, including limb and lung. TBX3 is also involved in lung and heart organogenesis.

Gallbladder Cancer: Current Multimodality Treatment Concepts and Future Directions.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common primary tumor site of biliary tract cancer (BTC), accounting for 0.6% of newly diagnosed cancers and 0.9% of cancer-related deaths.

A Methodological Workflow to Analyze Synthetic Lethality and Drug Synergism in Cancer Cells.

Current concepts in treating cancer usually neglect individual tumor characteristics such as a given mutational make up. Consequently, a "one-size-fits-all" therapeutic concept may commonly fail in terms of efficacy, evolving drug resistance, and side effects. In times of omics, novel elaborated and personalized approaches emerge for efficiently eradicate cancer cells, while sparing healthy cells.

Homologous recombination deficiency is inversely correlated with microsatellite instability and identifies immunologically cold tumors in most cancer types.

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) leads to DNA double-strand breaks and can be exploited by the use of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors to induce synthetic lethality. Extending the original therapeutic concept, the role of HRD is currently being investigated in clinical trials testing immune checkpoint blockers alone or in combination with PARP inhibitors, but the relationship between HRD and immune cell context in cancer is incompletely understood. We analyzed the association between immune cell composition, gene expression, and HRD in 9,041 tumors of 32 solid cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

Pancreatic Cancer: Current Multimodality Treatment Options and the Future Impact of Molecular Biological Profiling.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) - even if deemed resectable - has still a dismal prognosis and is the seventh leading cause of global cancer-related death with rising incidence worldwide.

Summary: Surgical resection at best in combination with adjuvant systemic chemotherapy is the only potentially curative treatment. Surgical treatment has substantially improved over the last years with significantly reduced perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Green Tea Extract to Prevent Colorectal Adenomas, Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Preclinical, epidemiological, and small clinical studies suggest that green tea extract (GTE) and its major active component epigallocatechingallate (EGCG) exhibit antineoplastic effects in the colorectum.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind trial of GTE standardized to 150 mg of EGCG b.i.

Improved team communication in endoscopic procedures by digital enhanced telecommunication during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unbiased communication is crucial for excellent teamwork in high-quality endoscopy. Personal protective equipment (PPE) (FFP-masks and face-shields) worn by endoscopists that are ubiquitous in the current COVID-19 pandemic strikingly impair communication. Digital enhancement approaches to maintain team communication, especially during complex endoscopic procedures, are urgently warranted.

The Impact of Biomarkers in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma on Diagnosis, Surveillance and Therapy.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still difficult to treat due to insufficient methods for early diagnosis and prediction of therapy response. Furthermore, surveillance after curatively intended surgery lacks adequate methods for timely detection of recurrence. Therefore, several molecules have been analyzed as predictors of recurrence or early detection of PDAC.