Photodynamic therapy may provide a benefit over systemic chemotherapy among non-surgically managed patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Abstract

Systemic chemotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with unresectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), however, the survival benefit of chemotherapy is limited. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been associated with improved survival among patients with advanced ECC, yet utilization of PDT remains low. We sought to compare the outcomes of patients with unresectable ECC following treatment with PDT versus chemotherapy. A review of the National Cancer Database was conducted to identify patients with ECC who were nonsurgically managed between 2004 and 2013. Overall survival (OS) of patients receiving PDT vs systemic chemotherapy was compared using propensity score matching. After propensity matching (PDT, n = 59; chemotherapy, n = 177), 5-year OS was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.0%-28.6%) among patients who underwent PDT vs 3.8% (95%CI, 0.4%-14.0%) among patients receiving chemotherapy (P < .001). On multivariable analysis PDT was associated with an OS benefit (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95%CI, 0.52-0.998; P = .048). Subset analysis of patients receiving PDT only (n = 45) and patients receiving chemotherapy demonstrated similar results. In subset analysis of patients undergoing PDT-only vs PDT-chemotherapy, OS was comparable. PDT was associated with a survival benefit compared with chemotherapy alone among patients with unresectable ECC.