The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of bile duct carcinoma.

Forty-two patients with irresectable bile duct carcinoma (n = 31) or with microscopic evidence of tumor rest after aggressive surgery for bile duct carcinoma (n = 11) were given radiotherapy consisting intentionally of external-beam therapy and intraluminal 192Iridium (192Ir) wire application(s) following bile drainage procedures. The treatment was well tolerated; complications were mainly infectious and related to the success of the drainage. A median survival of 10 months was achieved for the group as a whole. Patients treated following microscopically incomplete resection survived longer than patients with an irresectable tumor (15 vs 8 months median survival, p = 0.06). Gross lymph node involvement also proved to be a prognostic factor.