The recent approval of encorafenib, cetuximab, and FOLFOX based on the phase III BREAKWATER trial has introduced a new standard of care for the first-line treatment of BRAF V600E–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, its safety and efficacy in patients with significant liver dysfunction remains unclear and, as such, patients are often excluded from pivotal clinical trials. This report presents a case of BRAF V600E–mutated mCRC presenting with extensive hepatic involvement and liver dysfunction. Despite the absence of guidelines, the patient was initiated on full-dose encorafenib, cetuximab, and FOLFOX. He experienced a rapid clinical and biochemical response, with near-normalization of liver enzymes after cycle 1, and complete functional recovery by cycle 3. Treatment was well tolerated, with no significant adverse events throughout 9 cycles. He subsequently transitioned to maintenance 5-FU, cetuximab, and encorafenib. Posttreatment blood-based next-generation sequencing revealed no residual actionable mutations. The patient then successfully underwent complete surgical resection of his primary tumor and metastatic disease with negative margins. This case highlights the importance of considering encorafenib-based therapy in select patients with BRAF V600E–mutated mCRC in the setting of compromised liver function.
Bespoke Circulating Tumor DNA Testing for Diagnostic Resolution, Disease Surveillance, and Treatment Monitoring in Hepatopancreatobiliary Malignancies: A Real-World Experience
PURPOSE Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) cancers—including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and gallbladder cancer—are aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. The emergence of personalized liquid biopsy technologies, particularly bespoke circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), offers new opportunities for improving clinical management. Traditional methods like imaging and tumor markers may miss early recurrence or evolving disease. This study explores the real-world application of ctDNA in HPB cancers, focusing on its use for surveillance, diagnostic clarification, treatment monitoring, and recurrence detection. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the use of a personalized ctDNA assay (Signatera, Natera) in 54 patients with HPB cancers at a single academic cancer center. The cohort included PDAC (22/54), HCC (11/54), and CCA (21/54). ctDNA was assessed longitudinally for surveillance, treatment monitoring, or diagnostic clarification. Concordance with imaging and tumor markers, as well as lead time to recurrence detection, was descriptively analyzed. RESULTS ctDNA was evaluable in 37/54 patients (84.6%), with ctDNA positivity in 22/37 (59.5%). Success rates by tumor type were 16/22 (72.7%) in PDAC, 10/11 (90.9%) in HCC, and 11/21 (52.4%) in CCA. ctDNA concordance with imaging was observed in 69/85 assessments (72.6%) and with tumor markers (carbohydrate antigen 19-9 or alpha fetoprotein) in 39/95 (41%). Clinical applications included disease surveillance (21/54, 38.9%), treatment monitoring (24/54, 44.4%), and diagnostic clarification (16/54, 29.6%). In patients with recurrence, ctDNA detected disease before imaging in several cases, with a median lead time of 28 days (range, 1 month to 7 months). CONCLUSION Personalized ctDNA testing demonstrated meaningful utility across HPB cancers, enabling early recurrence detection and guiding clinical decision making as a complementary tool in multidisciplinary care.
Time Toxicity in Patients With Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Receiving Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin With or Without Durvalumab
PURPOSE For patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), cancer-related time spent in health care systems, time toxicity, represents a critical but understudied burden affecting quality of life. This study aimed to quantify time toxicity in patients receiving first-line systemic therapy and evaluate whether the addition of durvalumab to gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) increases health care contact time. METHODS This international, multicenter, retrospective cohort study included patients with advanced BTC seen between January 2019 and April 2024 at Mayo Clinic Enterprise (US), and between January 2021 and April 2024 at Kyorin University Hospital (Japan), and Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (Brazil). Patients received GC plus durvalumab (GCD) or GC. Time toxicity was recorded from treatment initiation until discontinuation or last follow-up during first-line systemic therapy. Multiple regression analysis identified factors associated with high time toxicity. RESULTS Among 193 patients (102 GCD, 91 GC; median age 65 years; 50% male; 49% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status [PS] 0), median time on treatment (TOT) was 156 days (95% CI, 122 to 190). The median proportion of total time toxicity was 14.4% (IQR, 10.9-20.6). Planned visits accounted for 11.9%, while unplanned visits were infrequent (1.8%). Time toxicity strongly correlated with TOT ( r = 0.824) and progression-free survival ( r = 0.827). Despite longer treatment in the GCD group than the GC group (212 v 134 days; P = .027), total time toxicity was similar (27 v 18 days; P = .19). Younger age and poor PS were independent factors of higher time toxicity. CONCLUSION Time toxicity represents a meaningful metric that allows for more comprehensive integration of the net benefit in patients with advanced BTC with a limited lifespan.
Impact of infusion timing (IT) on survival outcomes across gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies: A multicenter analysis of circadian rhythm (CR) effects on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) activity.
837 Background: A recent randomized trial suggested that CR may influence ICI activity in patients with lung cancer. However, the same has not been established in GI cancers, where reports have shown mixed results with variable definitions of 'early' vs 'late' IT. We evaluated multiple approaches to assess the impact of CR on first-line ICI in GI malignancies. Methods: This retrospective study included patients from three Mayo Clinic sites (N=455). Both previously reported IT cutoffs and a new cutoff derived from ROC analysis were evaluated. Patients were categorized by the median of all ITs, the median of the first four ITs, and whether ≥20% of ITs occurred before the identified cutoff. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression (adjusting for age, MSI status, type of cancer, metastasis status, number of cycles, and receipt of chemotherapy with ICI) assessed associations with OS. KM analyses were performed to illustrate survival differences. The primary endpoint was OS. Results: When patients were categorized based on whether ≥20% of infusions occurred before 14:00 (ROC-derived cutoff), a significant association with OS was observed. On univariate analysis, early infusion timing was associated with improved survival (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.58–3.32, p <0.001). This remained significant after multivariable adjustment (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.41–3.16, p < 0.001). Median OS was 14.2 months in the early group vs 3.8 months in the late group (log-rank p < 0.001). Using previously defined cutoffs, categorization by the median IT of all infusions or the median of the first four infusions did not demonstrate a significant association with OS in either univariate or multivariate Cox regression analyses. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential role of infusion timing as a chronotherapy factor in GI cancers. Given the retrospective design and heterogeneous population, prospective studies are warranted to validate this signal and clarify its clinical relevance. Baseline demographics of patients by infusion timing (early vs late). Variables Early N=412 (%) LateN=43(%) Total N=455(%) p-value Age <70 249(60.4) 21(48.8) 270 (59.3) 0.1 >70 163(39.6) 22(51.2) 185 (40.7) Gender F 118(28.6) 16(37.2) 134 (29.5) 0.3 M 294(71.4) 27(62.8) 321 (70.5) Cancer Type Gastroesophageal 109 (26.5) 8 (18.6) 117 (25.7) 0.1 Hepatocellular 159 (38.6) 24 (55.8) 183 (40.2) Biliary 86 (20.9) 4 (9.3) 90 (19.8) MSI-H 58 (14.1) 7 (16.3) 65 (14.3) Metastasis No 150 (36.4) 22 (51.2) 172 (37.8) 0.1 Yes 262 (63.6) 21 (48.8) 283 (62.2) Immunotherapy Cycle Number <6 189 (45.9) 33 (76.7) 222 (48.8) <0.001 >6 223 (54.1) 10 (23.3) 233 (51.2)
Molecular characterization of resected non-metastatic pancreatic cancer (PC) based on
KRAS
status.
776 Background: Surgery is the only potentially curative option for PC. However, only a minority of patients (pts) undergo resection with current perioperative (periop)-chemotherapy (CT). In the absence of phase III trials, selection between mFOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (gem-nab) is based on limited evidence. We assessed whether NGS–based tumor profiling can guide tailoring of CT. Methods: pts with resected PC (resectable, borderline resectable, and downstaged locally advanced) that underwent Tempus xT, xF (DNA), and/or xR (RNA) testing were selected (89% tissue, 11% blood). Most samples (73%) were collected post-CT. Samples were stratified by KRAS status into KRAS -mutated ( KRAS mut) and KRAS wild-type ( KRAS wt). PD-L1 IHC was reported as tumor proportion score (TPS). Primary endpoint was median overall survival (mOS) defined from CT initiation to death with censoring of pts alive at the last follow-up or at a study cutoff of 5 years. Secondary endpoint was molecular profiling by KRAS status. Pearson chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used for descriptive comparisons; univariate Cox regression and log-rank tests (p<0.05) for survival. Results: We included 1,325 pts (median age 66 years [IQR 59–72]) with resected PC [stage II (15%), stage III (12%) and stage I (10%), unknown (62%)]. 95% had adenocarcinoma. Pts received neoadjuvant (50%), neoadjuvant plus adjuvant (26%), neoadjuvant with indeterminate adjuvant allocation (13%) or adjuvant CT (11%). First-line periop-CT was mFOLFIRINOX in 73% and gem-nab in 27% (median duration 4.3 months (mo) [range, 2.6–6.7]). KRAS mutations were present in 75% (G12X 91%: G12D 44%, G12V 34%, G12R 21%, G12C <1%). mOS was 26.7 mo (95%CI, 22.4-35.7) in the total cohort; KRAS mut pts showed a clinically meaningful worse mOS compared to KRAS wt [24.1 vs 35.7 mo; HR 1.61 (95%CI, 0.98 - 2.63); p=0.06]. In the KRAS G12D pts, mFOLFIRINOX showed a trend towards longer mOS compared to gem-nab [17.79 vs 14.53 mo; HR 0.75, (95% CI, 0.56 - 1); p=0.050]; no significant differences were observed in other KRAS subgroups. Compared to KRAS wt, KRAS mut pts were enriched for TP53 (76% vs 22%; p<0.001), SMAD4 (28% vs 5.8%; p<0.001), CDKN2A (33% vs 8.5%; p<0.001), MTAP deletions (7.7% vs 1.2%; p<0.001), and chromatin-regulator alterations ( ARID1A 7.8% vs 1.2%; p<0.001; KMT2C 2.5% vs 0.6%; p=0.034). KRAS wt pts were enriched for BRAF V600E (1.5% vs 0%; p<0.001). PD-L1 TPS ≥1% was more frequent in KRAS mut compared to KRAS wt (11.0% vs 8.1%; p=0.033). Conclusions: KRAS status does not predict benefit from mFOLFIRINOX vs gem-nab in resected PC. Interestingly, resected PC showed a higher prevalence of KRAS wt compared to the metastatic setting. KRAS status is associated with distinct profiles of potentially targetable co-alterations. These findings may suggest the integration of genomic profiling in clinical trials to develop biomarker-driven tailored strategies in the early stage.
Use of transcriptomic signatures of
RAD51
and
GATA6
to predict real-world overall survival with platinum therapy in
BRCA/PALB2
679 Background: DNA-damaging agents improve outcomes in metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC) with homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiency, albeit use is limited to 6-9% of patients (pts) with BRCA1/2 or PALB2 mutations. We hypothesized that BRCA/PALB2 wildtype mPC may exhibit platinum sensitivity driven by altered HRR gene expression. We correlated HRR gene RNA profiles with real-world overall survival (rwOS) following first-line (1L) platinum therapy (PT). Methods: Tempus Lens, a platform used to query multimodal data from millions of de-identified patient records in the Tempus Database was used to identify mPC pts with wildtype somatic BRCA1/2 and PALB2 who had Tempus xT DNA and xR RNA testing. RNA-seq data were normalized to correct for assay/batch effects, quantified as transcripts per million (TPM) and reported as log2(TPM+1) for 17 HRR genes and GATA6 . Pts were classified as high and low expressors based on the top and bottom quartile gene expression. Pts were grouped as PT-treated (received 1L PT) or PT-naïve (never received PT). Real world overall survival (rwOS) was calculated from 1L start to death or loss to follow up. Risk set adjustment was applied to mitigate immortal time bias. Median rwOS was estimated using Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox models. A multivariate Cox Proportional (CoxPh) model included PT use, RAS status, and expression of genes (as continuous variables). Results: Among 1,068 pts, the median age was 66 years and 609 (57%) received 1L PT. In low RAD51 expressors, PT-treated pts (n=136) had significantly longer rwOS than PT-naïve (n=112): 11.4 months (95% CI, 7.8–13.8) vs 8 months (95% CI, 5.5–9.0); p=0.028. In contrast, in high RAD51 expressors, rwOS was similar between PT-treated (n=150) and PT-naïve (n=97): 7.9 vs 6.9 months (p=0.236). High GATA6 expression was also associated with improved rwOS in PT-treated pts vs PT-naïve: 13.5 vs. 9.3 months; p=0.011. In multivariate analysis, increased GATA6 expression remained a positive predictor of rwOS (HR 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76–0.88; p<0.001), and high RAD51 expression was associated with shorter rwOS with PT (HR 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01–1.39; p=0.043). Conclusions: In BRCA/PALB2 wt mPC, transcriptomic profiling identified low RAD51 and high GATA6 expression as predictors for improved rwOS when treated with PT. Integrating these biomarkers may improve development of DNA-damaging therapies beyond canonically defined HRD. Hazard ratios of mPC mortality by selected HRR genes estimated by multivariate CoxPh models. HR 95% CI p value 1L PT (vs PT-naïve) 0.87 0.75, 1.00 0.054 BRCA1 1.15 0.98, 1.35 0.079 BRCA2 0.89 0.77, 1.04 0.14 GATA6 0.82 0.76, 0.88 <0.001 NBN 0.97 0.81, 1.15 0.7 RAD51 1.18 1.01, 1.39 0.043 RECQL4 0.94 0.84, 1.04 0.2 Any RAS mutation 1.43 1.14, 1.81 0.002
Updated multicenter retrospective analysis of systemic treatments in well-differentiated grade 3 (G3) gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).
619 Background: Well-differentiated G3 GEP-NETs are rare and heterogeneous diseases, limiting phase III trials and definition of clear standards of care. Building upon our preliminary cohort of 76 patients (pts), we present an updated and expanded retrospective analysis across three Mayo Clinic tertiary centers. Methods: We included pts with histologically confirmed well-differentiated G3 GEP-NETs diagnosed since 2017 (new WHO classification) from the three Mayo Clinic sites (Rochester, Phoenix, Jacksonville). Endpoints were ORR, DCR, PFS, and OS across treatment lines. PFS/OS were estimated by Kaplan-Meier. OS was defined from treatment start. Multivariate Cox regression was used to evaluate the association of clinic-pathologic features (age, sex, tumor functionality, Ki-67, primary tumor site, stage at diagnosis, presence of liver metastasis, number of metastatic sites at diagnosis) with OS (p<0.05). Results: 111 pts (median age 62 y, range 22–83). Primary sites were pancreas (58%), small bowel (19%), unknown (9%), and rectum (5%). Most tumors were G3 at diagnosis (88%); the remainder evolved from prior G1/G2. Ki-67 was 20–55% in 83% of cases. Most were nonfunctional (70%); functional subtypes included carcinoid (13%) and gastrinoma (8%). Median plasma 5-HIAA was 38.5 ng/ml (5–1394). Advanced disease was present in 85%. Common metastatic sites included liver (85%), lymph nodes (32%), bone (26%), peritoneum (10%), and lung (9%). Median number of metastatic sites was 1 (range 0–5). Median number of systemic treatment lines was 2 (range 0–8). The most frequent regimens and outcomes are shown in the Table. Insulin-secreting tumors (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.33–25.73, p=0.019) and ≥2 metastatic sites (HR 2.13, 95% CI 1.05–4.31, p=0.035) were associated with inferior OS. Conclusions: This represents one of the largest real-world datasets of well-differentiated G3 GEP-NETs and provides a deeper evaluation of treatment strategies and prognostic factors. CAPTEM, SSAs, and PRRT with Lu-177 emerged as the most commonly used therapies, with PRRT showing the most favorable outcomes. Insulin secretion and higher metastatic burden were confirmed as adverse prognostic factors. CAPTEM SSAs PRRT Lu-177 Carboplatin plus etoposide FOLFOX Everolimus Sunitinib N of pts (%) 64 (58) 44 (40) 37 (33) 24 (19) 18 (13) 11 (10) 8 (7) Line of therapy (%) First 36 (56.3) 27 (61.4) 5 (13.5) 13 (59.2) 5 (7.2) 1 (9.0) 1 (12.5) Second 15 (23.4) 13 (29.5) 13 (35.2) 3 (13.6) 5 (35.7) 3 (27.3) 2 (37.5) Third or higher 13 (20.3) 4 (9.1) 19 (51.3) 6 (27.2) 8 (57.1) 7 (63.7) 5 (62.5) DCR (%) 60.9 56.8 75.0 52.2 71.4 45.5 37.5 ORR (%) 34.4 13.6 44.4 30.4 35.7 18.2 12.5 mPFS (95% CI) 8.0 (5.3-10.6) 6.2 (2.8-9.5) 11.2 (9.1-13.3) 7.3 (2.8-11.8) 4.4 (2.4-6.4) 3.9 (2.2-5.6) 3.9 (1.54-6.26) mOS (95% CI) 40.1 (23.0-57.2) 50 (22.6-77.4) 76.1 (16.3-135.8) 33.0 (21.0-45.0) 21.1 (15.0-27.2) NE NE
Prognostic role of PIK3CA and co-alterations in advanced biliary tract cancer: A multicenter retrospective analysis.
599 Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTC) remain aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options. Alterations in PIK3CA are implicated in tumor progression across solid tumors, but their prognostic impact in BTC remains unclear. We investigated the association of PIK3CA alterations(alt), alone and in combination with TP53 and ARID1A , with survival outcomes in advanced BTC. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1,079 patients with advanced BTC treated with first-line chemotherapy (CT) or chemoimmunotherapy (CIO) across three sites in the USA, Japan, and Brazil. Genomic profiling was performed using next-generation sequencing on tissue and/or liquid biopsy samples. Survival outcomes were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, with comparisons by log-rank testing and hazard ratios (HR) derived from Cox regression models. Results: PIK3CA alterations were identified in 11% (123/1,079) of patients. The median age at diagnosis was 68 yrs (range, 20–79), with 50% (62/123) female. The most common primary site was intrahepatic in 43.1% (53/123) while majority of patients received CT only 92.5% (111/123). When analyzed with TP53 , 68 pts had PIK3CA/TP53 co-alterations(co-alt), 501 had TP53 alt, 55 had PIK3CA alt alone, and 455 had neither PIK3CA nor TP53 alt (WT/WT). Overall survival (OS) was significantly worse in patients with PIK3CA alt, particularly in the setting of TP53 co-alt. Median OS (mOS) was 22.6 months(m) (95% CI, 20.4–24.8) for PIK3CA/TP53 WT, 15.9 m (95% CI, 11.6–18.5) for PIK3CA alt /TP53 WT, 14.6 m (95% CI, 13.1–19.5) for PIK3CA alt/ TP53 alt, and 17.1 m (95% CI, 15.5–18.8) for TP53alt/PIK3CA WT (p<0.001). In analyses with ARID1A , 32 pts had PIK3CA/ARID1A co-alt, 91 had ARID1A alt only, 120 had PIK3CA alt only, and 836 were WT/WT. PIK3CA/ARID1A co-alt tumors had a mOS of 12.8 m (95% CI, 9.1–NE) compared with 19.3 m (95% CI, 18.1–20.9) in PIK3CA WT /ARID1A WT (p=0.009). Multivariate analysis identified PIK3CA alt (hazard ratio [HR] 1.37, 95%CI 1.09–1.72; p=0.008), PIK3CA alt/ TP53 alt (HR 1.52 95% CI, 1.11–2.07; p=0.008), ARID1A alt/ PIK3CA WT (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.08-1.82, p=0.011), and metastatic status (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.52-2.19, P<0.001) as independent prognostic factors for shorter OS. Conclusions: In advanced BTC, PIK3CA alt were associated with significantly worse overall survival, particularly when co-occurring with TP53 or ARID1A alt. These findings establish PIK3CA as a prognostic biomarker of poor outcome and highlight the need to explore PI3K-targeted therapeutic strategies in BTC.
Clinico-genomic characterization of
TP53
/
CDKN2A
co-alteration and its prognostic value in biliary tract cancer (BTC).
593 Background: TP53 and CDKN2A are the most frequently mutated tumor suppressors in BTC, each linked to poor outcomes. Their co-alteration remains unexplored due to the current single-gene classification. Methods: This is an international multicenter study involving 35 institutions across 3 continents (North America, Asia, South America). Genomic profiling was performed on tissue or blood samples using NGS. Patients (pts) were categorized as wild-type (wt) TP53/ wt CDKN2A (WT/WT) (42%), mutated (mut) TP53 /wt CDKN2A (45%), wt TP53 /mut CDKN2A (5%), mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A (8%). Associations between TP53 / CDKN2A status , clinical and genomic features were evaluated using Chi-squared/Kruskal-Wallis tests adjusted for multiple comparisons. Overall survival (OS) from start of first-line systemic therapy was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier and multivariate Cox regression (covariates: age, sex, stage, primary site, first-line treatment, TP53/CDKN2A status), p or q<0.05. Results: We included 1079 pts with BTC. Median age 66 years with intrahepatic BTC (46%), gallbladder cancer (25%), extrahepatic BTC (22%), undefined (6%), ampullary cancer (< 1%). Most had de novo metastatic disease (54%), followed by recurrent (38%) and locally advanced disease (8%). Treatment regimens included chemotherapy (87%), chemo-immunotherapy (12%) and immunotherapy alone (<1%). The most frequently actionable genes were HER2 (8%), IDH1 (7%), BRAF (6%), FGFR2 fusions (4%), MSI-High (H) (3%). HER2 alterations were prevalent in mut TP53 /wt CDKN2A vs WT/WT (11 vs 4%, q = 0.002). IDH1 alterations were more frequent in WT/WT vs TP53 mut/wt CDKN2A (10 vs 4%, q < 0.001). FGFR2 fusions were more common in wt TP53 /mut CDKN2A vs WT/WT (17 vs 6%, q < 0.001), mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A (17 vs 3%, q = 0.001) and mut TP53 /wt CDKN2A (17 vs 1%, q < 0.001). MSI-H was enriched in mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A vs wt TP53 /mut CDKN2A (11 vs 2%, q = 0.035), mut TP53 /wt CDKN2A (11 vs 3%, q = 0.002) and WT/WT (11 vs 2%, q < 0.001). TMB-H was more prevalent in mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A vs mut TP53 /wt CDKN2A (16 vs 8%, q < 0.001) and WT/WT (16 vs 3%, q < 0.024). There was no significant difference in ORR, DCR and PFS among the four groups. mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A had the shortest median OS, while WT/WT had the longest (Table). Only 14% of mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A received regimens including immunotherapy. Conclusions: mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A represents a high-risk subset enriched with MSI-H and TMB-H pts, underscoring the need to prioritize the development of immunotherapy strategies. TP53 / CDKN2A status is prognostic, stratifying patients into distinct survival groups and supporting NGS use in the first-line setting. mOS (months) (95% CI) HR (95% CI) P-value WT/WT 21.4 (19.0-24.4) reference wt TP53 /mut CDKN2A 17.3 (12.4-25.9) 1.16 (0.79-1.71) 0.442 mut TP53 /wt CDKN2A 17.4 (16.0-19.2) 1.21 (1.01-1.45) 0.040 mut TP53 /mut CDKN2A 13.8 (11.5-18.1) 1.54 (1.13-2.09) <0.001
Targeted Therapy Improves Real-World Survival in Patients with Molecularly Matched Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer
Abstract Molecular profiling reveals that up to 40% of advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs) harbor actionable genomic alterations amenable to matched targeted therapies. However, conventional trial designs typically evaluate these agents in pretreated populations, resulting in approvals for later-line use. Notably, 25–44% of patients with advanced BTC may become ineligible for treatment after first-line therapy due to disease progression or functional decline, thus the real-world survival outcomes with matched therapies remains poorly characterized. This international collaborative study includes data from Mayo Clinic, Duke Cancer Institute, and National Cancer Center East (Japan), as well as a combined dataset from the SCRUM-Japan GOZILA, MONSTAR-SCREEN-1, and MONSTAR-SCREEN-2 projects. We assessed overall survival (OS) of patients based on the presence of actionable alterations and the receipt of matched therapy. To adjust for confounding, we applied propensity score weighting with inverse probability of treatment and multivariate Cox regression modeling, controlling for age, sex, tumor location, prior resection, and mutational subgroup. Among 1,049 patients that were analyzed, 358 (34.1%) harbored actionable alterations, with 160 (44.7%) receiving matched targeted therapy. The matched group (patients with actionable tumors who received a matched therapy) were significantly associated with longer median OS (23.3 months; 95% CI: 19.5–30.4) compared to the unmatched group (14.7 months; 95% CI: 12.8–17.9) and those with non-actionable tumors (17.1 months; 95% CI: 15.5–18.7; HR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.46–0.71; p < 0.0001). The unmatched group also was associated with the lowest three-year OS rate (13% vs. 35% in matched and 19% in actionable groups, respectively; p<0.0001). On multivariable analysis with patients who received ≥2 lines of therapy, receipt of matched therapy remained an independent predictor of improved OS (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.43–0.90). These findings support the early integration of targeted therapies in BTC management and underscore the need to overcome systemic barriers to treatment access.