Adjuvant therapy – retrospective study – GI ASCO 2013

Author(s):

Kosin Wirasorn, Thundon Ngamprasertchai, Narong Khantikaew, Ake Pakkhem, Piti Ungarereevittaya, Jarin Jindaprasert, Aumkhae Sookprasert; Department of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; Department of Surgery, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; Department of Pathology, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma patients usually have poor treatment outcome and high mortality rate. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is controversy. Our study aimed to evaluate benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy in resectable cholangiocarcinoma patients. Methods: A retrospective study included 263 patients who underwent curative resection in Srinakarind university hospital. These patients had pathological report with clear margin (R0) or microscopic margin (R1). Results: There were 138 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. This group had significantly lower mean age than patients without chemotherapy (57.7 ± 8.5 vs. 60.4 ± 9.0 years, p = 0.01). Level of serum albumin above 3g/dL was more common in adjuvant chemotherapy group than another one (87.7% vs. 79.2%, p = 0.04). Patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy had significantly longer overall median survival time (21.6 vs. 13.4 months, p = 0.01). Patients with combination of gemictabine and capecitabine regimen had the longest survival time (median overall survival time of gemcitabine and capecitabine 31.5, 5-FU and mitomycin 17.3, 5-FU alone 22.2, capecitabine alone 21.6, and gemcitabine alone 7.9 months, p = 0.02). Benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy were likely to be found in patients who had high risk features, i.e. high level of CEA, high level of CA19-9, advanced stage, T4 stage, nodal involvement and R1 margin. Conclusions: Adjuvant chemotherapy may significantly prolong survival time in resectable cholangiocarcinoma patients, particularly the high risk group.