Prognostic factors in advanced biliary tract cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine.

Abstract

350 Background: Data regarding prognostic factors in advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC) remains scarce. The aim of this study was to review our experience in ABTC as well as to evaluate potential prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) as defined in the ABC-02 trial. Methods: 106 consecutive patients with ABTC who initiated palliative chemotherapy with Cisplatin and Gemcitabine from 2009 to 2012 at the BC Cancer Agency were identified using our pharmacy database. Clinicopathologic variables and treatment outcome were retrospectively collected. Potential prognostic factors were assessed by univariate (Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test) and multivariate analyses (Cox proportional hazards model). Results: 106 patients (46 males) with a median age of 64 years (range 43 – 88) were included. Median progression free-survival (PFS) was 6.2 months (95%CI: 5.4-7.0). Median OS from diagnosis of advanced disease to death was 12.9 months (95%CI: 10.0-15.7), while median OS from initiation of chemotherapy to death was 10.0 months (95%CI: 7.3-12.6). 34.9% of the patients received 2nd line chemotherapy, with single-agent 5-fluorouracil being the most used drug. On univariate analysis, ECOG performance status (PS) at diagnosis, primary tumor location (gallbladder, intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma, extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma, ampulla of Vater, unkown), and sites of advanced disease (unresectable locally advanced, regional lymph nodes, liver-limited metastases, extra-hepatic metastases) were significantly associated with worse OS (p < 0.001, 0.003 and 0.009, respectively). Age, gender, CA19-9, CEA, hemoglobin, neutrophil count, prior stent and prior surgery were not significantly associated with OS. On multivariate analysis, predictors of poorer OS were ECOG PS (p<0.001), primary location (p=0.009), site of advanced disease (p=0.006) and CEA (p=0.002). Conclusions: In this population based analysis, outcomes for patients with ABTC were comparable to those noted in the ABC-02 trial. ECOG PS, primary tumor location, site of advanced disease and CEA were all found to be significantly prognostic.