The correlation between LAG-3 expression and the efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer
2024

LAG-3 Expression and Chemoimmunotherapy in Biliary Tract Cancer

Sample size: 44 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Cheng-Yu Tang, Yi-Ting Lin, Yi-Chen Yeh, Shin-Yi Chung, Yu-Chan Chang, Yi-Ping Hung, San-Chi Chen, Ming-Huang Chen, Nai-Jung Chiang

Primary Institution: Taipei Veterans General Hospital

Hypothesis

This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of LAG-3 expression in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer receiving chemoimmunotherapy.

Conclusion

LAG-3 expression is a valuable biomarker for predicting the clinical benefits of chemoimmunotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer.

Supporting Evidence

  • LAG-3 positivity was observed in 38.6% of the samples.
  • The objective response rate was significantly higher in LAG-3-positive tumors (70.6%) compared to LAG-3-negative tumors (33.3%).
  • LAG-3 expression was significantly correlated with PD-L1 positivity (P < 0.001).
  • Patients with LAG-3 expression ≥ 1% showed a trend toward longer progression-free survival and overall survival.

Takeaway

This study found that patients with higher levels of LAG-3 in their tumors responded better to treatment for bile duct cancer.

Methodology

The study analyzed 44 formalin-fixed biliary tract cancer samples using immunohistochemical staining for PD-L1 and LAG-3, correlating these with clinical efficacy.

Potential Biases

As a post-hoc analysis, the study may be subject to biases inherent in retrospective studies.

Limitations

The study's small sample size and reliance on biopsy samples limit the generalizability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

The median age of participants was 67 years, with 54% being women and 84% having metastatic disease.

Statistical Information

P-Value

P < 0.001 for LAG-3 and PD-L1 correlation; P = 0.029 for objective response rate comparison.

Confidence Interval

95% confidence interval: 0.443–0.893 for concordance between LAG-3 and PD-L1 positivity.

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1007/s00262-024-03878-0

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