Photodynamic Therapy in Unresectable Cholangiocarcinoma: Not for the Uncommitted.
- Author:
Jayant P TALREJA
1
;
Marisa DEGAETANI
;
Kristi ELLEN
;
Timothy SCHMITT
;
Monica GAIDHANE
;
Michel KAHALEH
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Photodynamic therapy; Cholangiocarcinoma; Single operator choledochoscopy
- MeSH: Bismuth; Burns; Cholangiocarcinoma; Exanthema; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Photochemotherapy; Plastics; Stents; Tertiary Care Centers; Triazenes
- From:Clinical Endoscopy 2013;46(4):390-394
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) in unresectable cholangiocarcinoma has been associated with improved survival. We report a single tertiary care center experience over the past 6 years. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma received PDT between 2004 and 2010. Plastic stents were placed after PDT to prevent cholangitis. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (49%) showed Bismuth type IV, 22 (41%) showed Bismuth type III, and six (10%) showed Bismuth type I and II. Twenty patients (37%) received chemotherapy and radiation therapy, five (9%) received chemotherapy only; and one (2%) received radiation therapy only. Mean number of PDT sessions was 1.9+/-1.5 sessions (range, 1 to 9). Mean survival duration was 293+/-266 days (median, 190; range, 25 to 1,332). PDT related complications included three (5%) facial burn, three (5%) photosensitivity, and two (3%) rash. Kaplan-Meier analysis comparing the survival means of patients who received PDT and chemotherapy/radiation therapy (median survival 257 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], 166 to 528) versus who received PDT only (median survival 183 days; 95% CI, 129 to 224) showed no significant difference (log-rank p=0.20). CONCLUSIONS: PDT has a measurable impact on survival in unresectable cholangiocarcinoma but requires aggressive stenting posttherapy.
