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  • Electrochemotherapy of chol...
    Tarantino, Luciano; Busto, Giuseppina; Nasto, Aurelio; Nasto, Riccardo Aurelio; Tarantino, Paolo; Fristachi, Raffaele; Cacace, Luigi; Bortone, Sara

    European journal of surgical oncology, October 2018, 2018-10-00, 20181001, Volume: 44, Issue: 10
    Journal Article

    We evaluated feasibility, safety and efficacy of Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in a prospective series of patients with unresectable Perihilar-Cholangiocarcinoma (PHCCA). Five patients with PHCCA underwent ECT. Three patients underwent percutaneous ECT of a single PHCCA nodule. One patient underwent resection of a nodule in the IV segment and intraoperative ECT of a large PHCCA in the VIII segment. Another patient underwent percutaneous ECT of a large PHCCA recurrence after left lobectomy and RF ablation of a synchronous metastasis in the VI segment. ECT was performed under US guidance. Efficacy was evaluated by contrast-enhanced multiple-detector-computed-tomography (MDCT) 4 weeks after treatment. Follow-up entailed MDCT every 6 months thereafter. No major complication occurred. Follow-up ranges from 10 to 30 months. Four weeks post-treatment CT showed complete response in 3 cases. These patients are still alive, and follow-up CT controls demonstrated no local or distant intrahepatic recurrences and no biliary duct dilation in 2 cases and local recurrence at 18 months follow-up control in 1 patient. In the remaining 2 cases, 4-weeks-post-treatment CT showed incomplete response (>90%). In these patients follow-up CT demonstrated local progression of the disease at 6 months. One of them had bilateral external biliary drainages and died because of tumor progression at 16-months-follow-up. The other patient, died at 10 months follow-up for cardiovascular failure not related to the hepatobiliary disease. ECT is feasible, safe and effective therapy to improve prognosis and quality of life of patients with unresectable PHCCA.