At the ILCA 2024 Single Topic Workshop. you can expect to learn more on treatment selection for BTC, hear on rare subtypes of liver cancer and much more! Check what our speakers have to say and make sure to read the full STW24 programme.

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Save your seat to learn more on sistemic therapy at STW24

Selection of first-line therapy for BTC with Mairead McNamara

26th April | 10.00 – 10.20 AM CET

“Standard of care treatment for fit patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) in the first-line advanced setting had remained Cisplatin/Gemcitabine for over a decade. More recently, the addition of immunotherapy to Cisplatin/Gemcitabine has shown overall survival benefit. International guidelines in the first-line advanced biliary tract cancer setting will be presented during my session. This talk will summarise the current evidence for treatment in this setting and discuss the decision-making processes that may be involved in choosing this triplet combination (and which immunotherapy agent to choose) over doublet or single agent chemotherapy alone, or indeed best supportive care. The rationale for treatment schedules used (stopping chemotherapy at 8 cycles versus continuation) will also be evaluated. There will also be a discussion in relation to biomarker selection for immunotherapy and the on-going challenges in relation to this (including reference to other disease groups). The future for clinical trial development in this setting in biliary tract cancer will also be reviewed (including some on-going biomarker selected up-front first-line advanced trials).”

Mairead McNamara,

Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust Manchester,

United Kingdom

Rare subtypes – Fibrolamellar and sarcomatoid tumours with Ghassan Abou-Alfa

26th April | 17.10 – 17.30 AM CET

“Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a rare liver malignancy that impacts mostly young people, women more than men. FLC features a recurrent unique fusion gene between DNAJB1 and PRKACA, although the fusion is not specific to FLC and has been reported in other malignancies. Early-stage disease may be amenable to surgical resection. Recurrence and even presentation with metastatic disease are common. Till today, there remains no standard of care therapy. The fusion of DNAJB1 increased tumorigenesis suggested potential for therapeutic targeted therapy interventions. The last of which that led to a partial response was the combination of pembrolizumab plus neratinib. More work still needs to be done.

Sarcomatoid liver tumors are also rare liver cancers that remain poorly understood. Sarcomatoid liver tumors present with high degree of malignancy with rapid tumor growth indicating aggressive tumor behavior and a poor prognosis. With the lack a standard care of therapy, sarcomatoid liver tumors are treated same as primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma, with sometimes appropriate response.

Both fibrolamellar carcinoma and sarcomatoid liver tumors are two examples of rare liver malignancies with still a limited understanding of etiology and with no standard of care therapeutic approach. Like other rare tumors, a collaborative global effort is needed to help build an efficient and productive clinical trial system to help find out the badly needed standard care therapies.”

Ghassan Abou-Alfa,

Professor at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,

 United States

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