Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) combined with standard chemotherapy can be effective in treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma that is not suitable for surgical resection, a study led by the Chinese University of Medicine found.
The study involved 24 patients who received selective internal radiation therapy for liver tumors with "yttrium-90" resin microspheres, followed by standard chemotherapy.
It was found that among the patients who received the new regimen, 25% of the patients' tumors shrank after treatment, 75% of the patients had their disease under control, and their survival was about 20 months higher than 12 months of chemotherapy alone.
However, the cost of a single dose is as high as HK$80,000, and the cost of a single treatment for a patient can reach 300,000 to 500,000 yuan.
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer, accounting for about 3% of all digestive tract cancers, and about 1 to 2 people per 100,000 people suffer from cholangiocarcinoma. Unknown, according to local statistics, about 680 people suffer from cholangiocarcinoma every year.
Cholangiocarcinoma cannot be removed by surgery. In the past, only gemcitabine and cisplatin could be used for chemotherapy. This therapy was launched ten years ago. The median survival time was about 11.7 months, and the tumor response rate was only 15.5%. .
The Department of Oncology and Interventional Radiology of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK designed a combination of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) and standard chemotherapy, and recruited 24 suitable patients for clinical research. They will first receive "yttrium-90" for SIRT, targeting the liver Local treatment is given followed by standard chemotherapy.
Yu Junhao, professor of the Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, pointed out that SIRT is a method of injecting radioactive substances containing "yttrium-90" into liver tumors for treatment. Since the radiation depth of "yttrium-90" is only 2.5 to 11 mm, plus The half-life is 64.1 hours, which can reduce the impact on other organs, and there are fewer side effects. Only less than 15% of patients have abdominal pain or discomfort, and less than 5% of patients have mild fever and night sweats.
Yu Junhao said that this method has long been proven to be effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, but there has been a lack of clinical research data on the use of SIRT for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, especially the data on the combination of SIRT and standard chemotherapy.
The study found that patients who received SIRT only survived 13.6 months, and patients who received a combination of SIRT and standard chemotherapy had a median overall survival of 21.6 months, about 20 months higher than 12 months with chemotherapy alone.
In addition, of the 16 patients who received the new treatment regimen, 25% of the patients shrank their tumors after treatment, and 75% of the patients had their disease under control.
In terms of side effects, less than 10% of patients experienced moderate to severe side effects, proving that the therapy was safe.
However, since the government does not subsidize the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in this way, the cost of a single dose is as high as HK$80,000. If this treatment is performed in a private hospital, there is no pricing standard, and it can reach 300,000 to 500,000 yuan per dose.
Chen Lin, Professor of the Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, said that the pharmaceutical industry is less interested in exploring treatment methods for uncommon cancers, so the university should take the lead to open up more possibilities for treating patients with this type of cancer.
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