TIGIT Inhibitor May Improve Treatment of Liver Cancer
Adding the TIGIT inhibitor tiragolumab to standard-of-care Tecentriq (atezolizumab) plus Avastin (bevacizumab) delayed cancer progression when compared with “standard or care” Tecentria/Avastin as first-line treatment of patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).1
About Hepatocellular Cancer
Hepatocellular “Liver” cancer (HCC) is the most common cancer worldwide and each year in the United States more than 28,000 people are diagnosed with primary liver cancer. Long-term survival with HCC cancer remains poor, but recent advances in liver-directed therapies, and systemic immunotherapy drug combinations are contributing to improved outcomes. In addition, advances in supportive care have made liver cancer treatment more tolerable, leading to improved quality of life.
Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy
Treatment with the checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy drug Tecentriq in combination with Avastin was established as a standard of care for individuals with more advanced HCC in 2020 because it delays cancer recurrence and prolongs survival.2 Checkpoint inhibitors are precision cancer immunotherapy drugs that helps to restore the body’s immune system in fighting cancer by releasing checkpoints that cancer uses to shut down the immune system. PD-1 and PD-L1 are the proteins that inhibit the immune responses that allow cancer cells to evade detection and attack by certain immune cells in the body. A checkpoint inhibitor can block the PD-1 and PD-L1 pathway and enhance the ability of the immune system to fight cancer. Tecentriq and other checkpoint inhibitor medicines prolong the survival of individuals with HCC when used in combination therapy.1,5
About Tiragolumab
Tiragolumab is another precision cancer immunotherapy human monoclonal antibody that targets TIGIT and may augment antitumor responses when combined with other immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors. TIGIT is a coinhibitory receptor and immune checkpoint expressed on activated T cells, natural killer cells, and regulatory T cells, and is implicated in HCC and other cancers.3 TIGIT expression appears to correlate with PD-1 expression on T cells in cancer, and in pre-clinical models when combined with Tecentriq results in more tumor control and better survival than with either antibody alone.
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The MORPHEUS-Liver study evaluated Tecentriq/Avastin with or without tiragolumab in patients with advanced HCC. The overall response to treatment improved from 11% to 42% with the addition of tiragolumab to Tecentriq/Avastin.1 The median time to cancer progression also improved from 4 to 11 months. “The responses occurred very quickly and, for those patients who respond, the responses appear to be very durable,” said Richard S. Finn, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, in an interview with ASCO Daily News.4
The addition of tiragolumab to Tecentriq/Avastin may represent an advance in the first-line treatment options for surgically unresectable HCC. The results from the MORPHEUS-Liver clinical trial support the ongoing phase 3 IMbrave152/SKYSCRAPER-14 clinical trial which is designed to confirm the benefit of adding tiragolumab to Tecentriq and Avastin.
Connect With Others for Support and information
Cancer Connect was the first social network created for people with liver cancers. Founded by oncologists to support cancer patients and their caregivers, over 40 million individuals have accessed Cancer Connect programs since 1997. Cancer Connect is used by leading cancer centers like Dana Farber, Roswell Park and The James at Ohio State to support their patients. Join the conversation, ask questions, share your experience, and learn how the best cancer centers are treating cancer from others. Share your experience, ask a question, or start a conversation by posting on Cancer Connect.
References
- https://meetings.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/219773
- FDA approves atezolizumab plus bevacizumab for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
- Lancet Oncol. 2019 May 20. Epub ahead of print.
- https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/tiragolumab-added-standard-care-improves-responses-unresectable-hepatocellular
- Abou-Alfa GK, Lau G, Kudo M, et al. Tremelimumab plus durvalumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. N Eng J Evid. 2022;1(8). doi: 10.1056/EVIDoa2100070
