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Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials

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ISSN (Print): 1574-8871
ISSN (Online): 1876-1038

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Perspective

Comparison of Clinical Trial Results of the Recently Approved Immunotherapeutic Drugs for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers

Author(s): Samayita Das*

Volume 19, Issue 2, 2024

Published on: 29 January, 2024

Page: [81 - 90] Pages: 10

DOI: 10.2174/0115748871276666240123043710

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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.

Keywords: PD-L1, PD-L2, PD-1, MIS, keytruda, imfinzi.

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