Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ¹⁹²Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiation for the treatment of unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 26 patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma admitted to Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine from February 2016 to July 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received ¹⁹²Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiation. First, percutaneous hepatobiliary stent implantation was given, followed by external beam radiotherapy (radiotherapy dose 45 Gy, 25 times), and then ¹⁹²Ir brachytherapy (radiotherapy dose 20 Gy, 4 times), a total of 4 to 6 cycles of chemotherapy. The short-term and long-term efficacy were evaluated, and the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score, CA19-9, total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level changes and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTCD) tube indwelling time were analyzed. Adverse reactions were recorded according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) injury classification standard. Results Three months after the end of treatment, 4 cases (15.4%) were completely remitted, 20 cases (76.9%) were partially remitted, 2 cases (7.7%) were stable, and there was no disease progression. The objective remission rate was 92.3% (24/26). The 1-year and 2-year local control rates were 75.0% and 62.5% respectively, and the 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates were 57.7% and 26.9% respectively. The KPS score was 70.39±10.76 one month after the treatment, which was significantly higher than the 60.00±10.58 before treatment (t=-27.00, P<0.001). The levels of CA19-9 before treatment and 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after treatment were (390.88±202.62) U/ml, (322.45±204.06) U/ml, (254.00±160.49) U/ml, (182.85±124.05) U/ml, which showed a gradual decrease trend, and there was a statistically significant difference (F=126.94, P<0.001). TBIL [(250.88±80.83) μmol/L, (153.98±61.74) μmol/L, (93.45±38.12) μmol/L, (53.82±26.75) μmol/L], DBIL [(205.82±66.68) μmol/L, (133.23±58.53) μmol/L, (64.31±36.25) μmol/L, (40.55±26.16) μmol/L], ALT [(163.92±54.12) U/L, (68.23±28.86) U/L, (45.73±21.94) U/L, (32.66±12.88) U/L], AST [(177.69±58.68) U/L, (79.23±32.87) U/L, (49.77±25.45) U/L, (35.54±16.10) U/L] showed progressive decline, with statistically significant differences (F=315.60, P<0.001; F=385.30, P<0.001; F=284.24, P<0.001; F=311.80, P<0.001), and liver function was improved. The PTCD tube was removed after treatment in all patients, with a median time of 54 days (49-96 days). During the treatment, bone marrow suppression, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and biliary tract infection occurred. All of them improved after symptomatic treatment. No serious complications such as bile leakage and biliary hemorrhage occurred. Conclusion ¹⁹²Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiation has a reliable curative effect in the treatment of unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. It can improve the quality of life of patients, and the adverse reactions can be tolerated. It provides a feasible and safe treatment method for the clinic.

Key words: Klatskin tumor, Brachytherapy, External beam radiation