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May 29, 2026Journal of Clinical Oncology0 citations

Final results of a phase II study of fluorouracil (FU), leucovorin (LV), and nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) in previously treated biliary tract cancer (NAPOLI-2).

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BWBenjamin A. WeinbergBTBenjamin R. TanAHAiwu Ruth He

Key Points

  • This study aims to determine the efficacy of nal-IRI combined with FU and LV in increasing progression-free survival for previously treated biliary tract cancer patients.
  • Single-arm, open-label, multicenter phase II study conducted in US.
  • Patients received nal-IRI, LV, and FU as second-line treatment after prior gemcitabine/platinum.
  • Primary objective was to determine progression-free survival rate at 4 months using RECIST v. 1.1 criteria.
  • 18 out of 38 evaluable patients were alive and progression-free at 4 months (PFS 4mo 47%), meeting the primary endpoint.
  • Median time to disease progression for all patients was 2.3 months (95% CI 1.8-4.6), with median PFS of 3.5 months (95% CI 1.8-5.5) in evaluable patients.
  • Median overall survival for all enrolled patients was 7.9 months (95% CI 5.7-11.7).

Abstract

4122 Background: BTCs are rare and aggressive malignancies. The first-line standard of care regimen for advanced BTC (aBTC) is gemcitabine (GEM), cisplatin, and an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Although FOLFOX is a preferred second-line treatment, it is limited by neuropathy. Nal-IRI contains IRI free base in liposome nanoparticles, which shelter IRI from conversion to its active metabolite (SN-38) and increase intratumoral SN-38 compared with IRI alone. The NAPOLI-1 trial of FU/LV/nal-IRI vs. FU/LV in second-line advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma showed an overall survival (OS) benefit. The NIFTY trial (South Korea) demonstrated median OS (mOS) benefit of FU/LV/nal-IRI over FU/LV in a second-line aBTC population (8.6 vs. 5.3 months mo, HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.48-0.95); however, the NALIRICC trial (Germany) did not (6.9 vs. 8.2 mo, HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.68-1.72). We sought to characterize second-line FU/LV/nal-IRI efficacy in US patients (pts) with second-line aBTC. Methods: This was a single-arm, open-label, multicenter phase II study of pts with aBTC previously treated with GEM/platinum chemotherapy. Pts received nal-IRI 70 mg/m 2 IV over 90 minutes, LV 400 mg/m 2 IV over 30 minutes every 14 days, and FU 2400 mg/m 2 IV over 46 hours every 14 days. The primary objective was to determine progression-free survival rate at 4 mo (PFS 4mo ) using RECIST v. 1.1 criteria. Median PFS reported for pts receiving second-line 5-FU doublet chemotherapy was 3 mo with a PFS of 30%. FU/LV/nal-IRI was of interest if it could increase the PFS 4mo to 50% or higher. Using a one-sided α of 0.05 and 80% power, 17 of 39 evaluable pts had to be progression-free at 4 mo to detect a difference in PFS 4mo between 30% and 50%. Results: Forty-eight pts were enrolled: median age 64.5 years; 69% women; 27% gallbladder primary; 54% intra- and 19% extrahepatic. Ten pts came off study due to toxicity without disease progression before 4 mo on study and were replaced to evaluate the PFS 4mo endpoint. Of 38 evaluable pts, 18 pts (PFS 4mo 47%) were alive and progression-free at 4 mo, meeting the primary endpoint. With a median follow-up of 7.1 mo, median time to disease progression or study discontinuation due to toxicity for all pts was 2.3 mo (95% CI 1.8-4.6, PFS 4mo 38%), and for pts evaluable for the primary endpoint, median PFS was 3.5 mo (95% CI 1.8-5.5). Five pts (10%) had PFS beyond 12 mo. mOS for all pts was 7.9 mo (95% CI 5.7-11.7). Of 41 evaluable pts, the response rate was 2% (1 PR), and the disease control rate was 54%. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with known toxicities from the FU/LV/nal-IRI regimen. Conclusions: FU/LV/nal-IRI is an effective second-line regimen for aBTC in US pts. There was significant early toxicity as 21% of pts came off study due to AEs before 4 mo. Correlative studies, including longitudinal analyses of circulating tumor DNA using banked blood specimens, are planned (NCT04005339). Clinical trial information: NCT04005339 .

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Cite This Study

Weinberg et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a192dbbfab5b468c44169dbhttps://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.4122
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Liposomal irinotecan with fluorouracil and leucovorin as salvage treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer refractory to gemcitabine and cisplatin2025
  2. 2NALIRIFOX versus liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil/leucovorin as the second-line chemotherapy in gemcitabine refractory pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a real-world study2026
  3. 3Changing treatment outcomes in metastatic and recurrent pancreatic cancer: a real-world comparison before and after the availability of nanoliposomal irinotecan2025
  4. 4Changing treatment outcomes in metastatic and recurrent pancreatic cancer: a real-world comparison before and after the availability of nanoliposomal irinotecan2025
  5. 5Phase II study of NALIRIFOX (nanoliposomal irinotecan + oxaliplatin with fluorouracil and folinic acid) in advanced unresectable small bowel tumors.2026