Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Compared to Standard of Care After Curative Intent Resection of Biliary Tract Cancer

The ACTICCA-1 investigator initiated trial is funded by the Deutsche Krebshilfe (grant number 70110215, 70112047). With respect to data obtained in the ABC-02 trial, the combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine for 24 weeks as investigational treatment was selected. Based on adjuvant trials in pancreatic cancer (e.g. ESPAC IV) with a comparable postoperative recovery time, inclusion of patients within a maximum interval of 16 weeks between surgery and start of CTx was chosen. Gemcitabine and cisplatin has a relevantly higher cumulative dose of gemcitabine 18 vs. 12 applications and may thus be of increased efficacy compared to the gemcitabine/oxaliplatin regimen applied in the PRODIGE 12 trial.

Based on the data of the BILCAP trial showing an improvement in median overall survival for capecitabine compared to observation alone presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 4th 2017 in Chicago by the British BILCAP trial group, capecitabine has evolved as the new standard of care after curative intent resection of biliary tract cancer.

Based on these data the comparative efficacy of gemcitabine/cisplatin and capecitabine had to be established.

Therefore, the ACTICCA trial was amended to compare gemcitabine and cisplatin to the newly established standard regimen in the adjuvant setting capecitabine, aiming for superiority of the combination regimen vs. the oral monotherapy This was based on the BILCAP protocol, applying the similar dosing, assessments and dose modifications as in BILCAP, including dose calculation and patient diary.

As data of recent trials like the French PRODIGE 12/ACCORD 18 trial have clearly shown that in terms of efficacy of an adjuvant chemotherapy there is no difference between cholangiocarcinoma and gall bladder carcinoma, these two subtypes are pooled and location was added as an stratification factor.

Randomization will be 1:1 with adjuvant CTx for 24 weeks and imaging every 12 weeks in the experimental arm and standard of care (capecitabine) and observation in the control arm.

The primary endpoint is DFS and secondary endpoints include recurrence free survival, OS, safety and tolerability of adjuvant CTx, quality of life, and patterns of disease recurrence.