Survival of Thai Metastasis Cholangiocarcinoma Patients Treated with Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy or Immunotherapy

Abstract

           Cholangiocarcinoma is a type of cancer which incidence and mortality worldwide are increasing every year. The world’s highest incidence of bile duct cancer is found in Thailand. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment choice at the moment. The first line treatment is the cisplatin/gemcitabine combination. Additionally, targeted therapy may be used. However, there is a lack of information regarding the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy in Thai patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma. The purpose of the research was to study the effectiveness and safety of using chemotherapy and/or targeted drugs in the treatment of advanced cholangiocarcinoma in Thai patients. This is a descriptive retrospective study that collected data from medical records of patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021. Sixty seven patients met the eligible criteria, most patients were male (62.69) with an average age of 63.07±9.30 years. For effectiveness, the median progression-free survival was 9 months (95% CI, 6.7-11.2), and the median overall survival was 14 months (95% CI, 11.0-16.9). Adverse events for cisplatin/gemcitabine were reported in 57 out of 59 patients, and the most common adverse events were nausea/vomiting in 57 cases (99.6, constipation in 39 cases (66.1%), and diarrhea in 33 cases (55.9%). The median overall survival of cholangiocarcinoma patients receiving chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy was higher when compared to previous studies. The median progression-free survival was comparable. However, Thai patients experienced more adverse events.