Gemcitabine and cisplatin combination chemotherapy in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma as second-line treatment: report of four cases.

BACKGROUND

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a chemoresistant cancer for which effective chemotherapy is not yet available. We investigated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin as second-line chemotherapy in four patients with advanced, progressive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS

Four patients were enrolled who had previous chemotherapy with epirubicin, cisplatin and protracted infusion of 5-FU. All these patients treated with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) intravenously (i.v.) on days 1 and 8 for 30 min, cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) i.v. on day 1 for 90 min, given every 21 days.

RESULTS

Two patients had partial response (PR), and two had stable disease (SD), with one of the latter showing a decrease in tumor size of 35%. Median time to progression was 5 months (range, 3-9 months) and median survival was 9 months (range, 8-16 months). Toxicity was mild and tolerable.

CONCLUSIONS

Gemcitabine and cisplatin combination chemotherapy may be an effective regimen for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Further study is warranted to determine the efficacy of this combination regimen.