Photodynamic therapy in cholangiocarcinoma: an overview

Cholangiocarcinoma is a challenge to manage; mortality rate is nearly as high as the incidence. Unless curative resection is performed, these tumours are rapidly fatal because they respond poorly to current therapies. Symptoms occur late in cholangiocarcinoma and curative resection can be performed in less than half of the patients. In non-resectable disease, endoprostheses insertion can relieve jaundice and improve quality of life, provided that tumour extension does not lead to diffuse intrahepatic stenoses of ductal system. However, tumour growth cannot be influenced and therefore, prognosis remains dismal. Despite the fact, that radiotherapy and chemotherapy could reduce tumour volume and growth, no survival advantage has yet been shown. Photodynamic therapy has been evaluated as an new additional, palliative option. A randomised trial comparing photodynamic therapy plus endoprostheses insertion versus endoprostheses insertion alone, indicates a considerably benefit on survival time, cholestasis and quality of life in large, advanced cholangiocarcinoma. Furthermore, few specific side effects occurred. Since photodynamic therapy is the first approach leading to an improvement of prognosis, it should be offered to patients with non-resectable cholangiocarcinoma.