ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic radiofrequency ablation on patients with advanced stage unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. Methods Clinical data of 45 cases with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography from October 2011 to October 2014 were collected. The patients were divided into two groups: the group A included 23 cases undergoing radiofrequency ablation, and the group B included 22 cases without ablation. The occurrence of complications, the postoperative levels of CA19-9 and total bilirubin ( TBIL) in blood plasma, the patency of stents, and survival period were compared between the two groups. Results All of the 45 patients completed treatment, and no perforation, bleeding and bile leakage occurred. In the group A, 2 patients got fever and 5 patients got pancreatitis after operation, and the number in the group B was 3 and 4, respectively. Their symptoms disappeared after suitable treatment. The postoperative pain rate in group A ( 21. 7％, 5/23) was significantly lower than that of group B ( 54. 5％, 12/22,χ2=5. 148, P=0. 023) . At 7th day of post-operation, the levels of CA19-9 in the two groups were 960. 5 ± 362. 7 U/mL and 979. 3 ± 378. 1 U/mL, respectively, and the levels of TBIL were 95. 25±28. 36μmol/L and 98. 75±20. 76μmol/L, respectively, which were not significantly different between the two groups( P>0. 05) , but were significantly decreased compared with the levels of pre-operation ( P<0. 05) . The patency of self-expandable metal stent in group A ( 60. 0％, 6/10) was significantly higher than that of group B ( 10. 0％, 1/10,χ2=5. 495, P=0. 019) 9 months after operation. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the median survival time in the two groups had no statistical difference [ 271. 0 days ( 95％CI: 168. 4-373. 4days ) VS 245. 0 days ( 95％CI:200. 3-289. 7 days), χ2=1. 380, P=0. 258]. Conclusion For the patients with advanced unresectable cholangiocarcinoma, endoscopic radiofrequency ablation is able to relieve cancer pain, prolong the patency of stents, and improve the life quality, which deserves clinical applications.