Title:Comparison of Clinical Trial Results of the Recently Approved
Immunotherapeutic Drugs for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers
Volume: 19
Issue: 2
Author(s): Samayita Das*
Affiliation:
- Department of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115, USA
Keywords:
PD-L1, PD-L2, PD-1, MIS, keytruda, imfinzi.
Abstract: The recently approved immunotherapeutic drugs are Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and
Imfinzi (durvalumab) for advanced biliary tract cancers that inhibit PD-1 receptor and PD-L1
ligand, respectively. In this perspective, the results of the two clinical trials, i.e., TOPAZ-1
(NCT03875235) and KEYNOTE-966 (NCT04003636), are critically appraised, compared, and
discussed to assess the benefits of these two drugs in the context of the treatment of advanced
biliary tract cancers with a focus on PD-L1 status and MIS (microsatellite instability) status and
therapy responsiveness in the subgroups. Analyzing the PD-L2 status in biliary tract cancer
patients can aid in assessing the prognostic value of PD-L2 expression in determining the clinical
response and this may aid in appropriate patient stratification.