Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy With Doxifluridine and Paclitaxel for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

Treatment Response and Survival with Chemotherapy for Unresectable, Nonmetastatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Background and objectives

Limited studies have dwelt upon the treatment of unresectable, nonmetastatic cholangiocarcinoma as a separate entity. Hence, the management protocols are not clearly defined for this subgroup of patients. We aimed to analyze patients treated for unresectable, nonmetastatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Materials and methods

We analyzed the treatment of patients with unresectable, nonmetastatic cholangiocarcinoma retrospectively.

Results

A total of 162 cases of cholangiocarcinoma were reported to our center from 2016 to 2019, out of which 54 were unresectable and nonmetastatic. Thirty patients opted for treatment and were the subjects of this study. Of 30 patients, 24 had hyperbilirubinemia, out of which 10 received chemotherapy after biliary drainage procedure. Out of 30 patients, a total of 16 patients had received chemotherapy, while 14 did not. Gemcitabine/Cisplatin was the first-line chemotherapy administered to 9 patients, whereas 5 received Gemcitabine/Capecitabine and 2 received single-agent gemcitabine. Partial response was documented in 6 patients, and 4 patients had stable disease. The median overall survival was 12.04 months in patients who had received chemotherapy and 6.02 months in those who did not receive chemotherapy (p = 0.005). The median progression-free survival was 6.53 months for patients who had received chemotherapy. The aHR for mortality with chemotherapy compared with no chemotherapy was 0.353 (95% CI: 0.154-0.807).

Conclusion

The study data demonstrate that gemcitabine combined with cisplatin- or capecitabine-based chemotherapy prolongs survival in patients with unresectable and nonmetastatic cholangiocarcinoma. In patients with cholangiocarcinoma associated with jaundice, biliary drainage procedure enables giving chemotherapy. Hyperbilirubinemia persisting despite drainage procedures portends poor prognosis and represents an unmet need.

How to cite this article

Gupta A, Sahai P, Prasad M, et al. Treatment Response and Survival with Chemotherapy for Unresectable, Nonmetastatic Cholangiocarcinoma. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2024;14(1):5-8.

A Case Report of Primary Unresectable Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Causing Colonic Obstruction Due to Peritoneal Dissemination

Although surgical resection is the only available treatment to achieve long-term survival in biliary tract cancer, many cases are often identified at an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. Radiotherapy may be an alternative option to prolong survival in cases with locally advanced unresectable disease. While there are some reports of long-term survival after radiotherapy for unresectable biliary tract cancer, it is rare that clinical symptoms are exhibited by peritoneal dissemination more than 8 years after radiotherapy and that resection can be performed. Our case was a 55-year-old female who had visited with a complaint of jaundice and was diagnosed with primary unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. She received definitve chemoradiotherapy, and repeated receiving maintenance chemotherapy thereafter until clinical manifestation. During follow-up, she was diagnosed with stenosis of the sigmoid colon, which was attributed to peritoneal dissemination of cholangiocarcinoma. We herein report a rare case of primary unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma after chemoradiotherapy which was followed by chemotherapy that was controlled for more than 8 years but eventually caused colonic obstruction attributed to peritoneal dissemination.

[Intra and extra hepatic cholangiocarcinomas radiation therapy]

Cholangiocarcinomas are digestive tumors whose incidence remains low and have poor prognosis. The benefits of adjuvant radiochemotherapy and radiotherapy have never been demonstrated in any phase III randomized controlled trial. Chemotherapy with capecitabine 6 months is the standard of care in adjuvant setting. Radiochemotherapy is validated in R1 patients. It is not recommended in neoadjuvant situations given the lack of evidence. Chemotherapy and radiochemotherapy are validated in adjuvant or locally advanced diseases. Stereotactic radiation therapy offers an interesting perspective, at the cost of significant digestive toxicities, requiring evaluation in randomized trials.

Radiologic Evaluation and Structured Reporting Form for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer: 2019 Consensus Recommendations from the Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology

Radiologic imaging is important for evaluating extrahepatic bile duct (EHD) cancers; it is used for staging tumors and evaluating the suitability of surgical resection, as surgery may be contraindicated in some cases regardless of tumor stage. However, the published general recommendations for EHD cancer and recommendations guided by the perspectives of radiologists are limited. The Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology (KSAR) study group for EHD cancer developed key questions and corresponding recommendations for the radiologic evaluation of EHD cancer and organized them into 4 sections: nomenclature and definition, imaging technique, cancer evaluation, and tumor response. A structured reporting form was also developed to allow the progressive accumulation of standardized data, which will facilitate multicenter studies and contribute more evidence for the development of recommendations.

Efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with 5-fluorouracil or gemcitabine in locally advanced biliary tract cancer

PURPOSE

There is no established standard treatment for patients with locally advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC).

METHODS

We analyzed the treatment results of locally advanced BTC from Jan 1995 to Dec 2010 at single institution of South Korea with retrospective study. One hundred and seventy-six patients were eligible to investigate the treatment response and toxicity. We treated these patients with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)- or gemcitabine (GEM)-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or best supportive care (BSC). The primary end point was overall survival.

RESULTS

Of these locally advanced BTC patients, 106 patients received CCRT and 70 patients were treated with BSC. The median overall survival was 42.57 weeks (95 % confidence interval [CI], 35.85-49.30) in CCRT group and 13.29 weeks (95 % CI 10.42-16.15) in BSC group (P < 0.001). Nausea and anemia were the most common toxicities observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with locally advanced BTC who were treated with 5-FU-based or GEM-based CCRT seem to have a better survival than those who received BSC. The treatment-related toxicity was mild. GEM-based or 5-FU-based CCRT showed similar survival advantages.

Stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy for Klatskin tumours

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In spite of various efforts perihilar cholangiocellular carcinoma (Klatskin tumour) has still a bad prognosis. The treatment of patients with inoperable Klatskin tumours by stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT) was analysed retrospectively. PATIENTS, METHODS AND MATERIALS: In our department 13 patients were treated for Klatskin tumours by SFRT (32-56 Gy, 3 x 4 Gy/week) from 1998 to 2008. The treatment technique was developed from stereotactic body frame radiotherapy to image guided (IGRT) stereotactic radiotherapy with control of patient positioning by cone beam computer tomography (CBCT). 6/13 patients received additional chemotherapy before or after SFRT.

RESULTS

A median survival of 33.5 (6.6-60.4) months after diagnosis was reached by SFRT. The median time of freedom from tumour progression was 32.5 (6.1-60.4, last patient died without tumour progression) months. The therapy was tolerated very well. Nausea was the most common side effect. 5/13 patients suffered from recurrent cholangitis caused and enhanced by the primary tumour and drainages or stents in the bile ducts.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of reaching local control being still the main problem of Klatskin tumour patients, SFRT seems to be a very promising method for the treatment of these tumours.

Management of bile duct tumors

Cholangiocarcinomas are a rare but highly fatal disease. The only curative treatment is radical surgical resection of the tumor and the regional lymph nodes. More than half of patients have irresectable disease, which implicates a median survival of < 1 year. The mainstay of palliative treatment is endoscopic or percutaneous drainage of the biliary system. In patients with good performance status, palliative chemotherapy seems to provide some survival benefit together with an improved quality of life. No standard chemotherapy has been defined but gemcitabine monotherapy or the combination of gemcitabine with platin derivates or capecitabine seems to be more effective than other protocols. Additionally, photodynamic therapy has shown promising results and radiation might be helpful for localized disease. In a very selected population liver transplantation can also be an option.