Clinical outcomes and toxicity using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for advanced cholangiocarcinoma

To report single-institutional clinical outcomes and toxicity with SBRT for cholangiocarcinoma.

From March 2009 to July 2011, 10 patients with 12 unresectable primary (n = 6) or recurrent (n = 6) cholangiocarcinoma lesions underwent abdominal SBRT. Sites treated included liver (n = 10), abdominal lymph nodes (n = 1), and adrenal gland (n = 1). SBRT was delivered in three (n = 2) or five (n = 10) consecutive daily fractions over one week. The median prescription dose was 55 Gy (range, 45-60). Treatment response was graded by RECIST v.1.1, and toxicities were scored by CTCAE v.4.0. Data was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method to determine rates of local control (LC), freedom from distant progression (FFDM) and overall survival (OS).

The median follow-up was 14 months (range, 2-26 months). LC, defined as freedom from progression within the SBRT field, was 100%, but four patients treated to intrahepatic sites experienced progression elsewhere in the liver. Estimates for FFDM at 6 and 12 months were 73% and 31%, respectively. Sites of disease relapse included liver (n = 3), liver and lymph nodes (n = 1), liver and lungs (n = 1), lymph nodes (n = 1), and mesentery (n = 1). OS estimates for the cohort at 6 and 12 months were 83% and 73%, respectively. The most common Grade ≥ 2 early toxicities were Grade 2 nausea and vomiting (n = 5) and gastrointestinal pain (n = 2). Late ≥ 2 toxicities included Grade 2 gastrointestinal pain (n = 3), Grade 3 biliary stenosis (n = 1), and Grade 5 liver failure (n = 1).

SBRT shows promise as an effective local therapy for properly-selected patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Further follow-up is needed to better quantify the risk of late complications associated with SBRT.