Benefits and safety of photodynamic therapy in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapy evaluated for the treatment of cancers resistant to standard oncological treatments. PDT might be beneficial for the palliation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

AIM:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PDT for treating hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS:

PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for articles published up to May 2021. The patients were grouped as PDT+stent vs. stent alone. The outcomes were survival, quality of life, and adverse events (AEs). Data were summarized using hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS:

Six studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were 235 and 211 patients in the PDT+stent and stent groups, respectively. The 1-year survival rate of the PDT+stent group was 0.56, and that of the control group was 0.25. The 2-year survival rate of the PDT+stent group was 0.16, and that of the control group was 0.07. PDT significantly prolonged overall survival compared to the controls (P = 0.002). No differences were detected in the occurrence of cholangitis (P = 0.996) and all other AEs (early complications, stent malfunction, total AEs, acute pancreatitis, liver abscess, and biliary hemorrhage) between the two groups.

CONCLUSION:

PDT in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma could improve survival without additional AEs. Large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the findings.

• Authors: Pengcheng Chen, Ting Yang, Peidong Shi, Jiangbo Shen, Qingchun Feng, Jingen Su
• Journal: Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy (Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther) Vol. 37 Pg. 102712 (Mar 2022) ISSN: 1873-1597 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 34995788 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Bile Duct Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic (pathology)
• Cholangiocarcinoma (drug therapy)
• Humans
• Klatskin Tumor (drug therapy, etiology, pathology)
• Pancreatitis (etiology, pathology)
• Photochemotherapy (methods)
• Quality of Life
• Stents
• Treatment Outcome