Holmium-166 Transarterial Radioembolization for the Treatment of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is used to treat primary and secondary malignancies in the liver that are not amenable to curative resection. Accumulating evidence demonstrates the efficacy and safety of TARE with yttrium-90 (Y), which is the most widely used radionuclide for TARE, and later with holmium-166 (Ho) for various indications. However, the safety and efficacy of Ho TARE in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains to be studied.

METHODS

This was a retrospective case series study of seven consecutive patients with ICC who were treated with Ho-TARE in our center. We recorded the clinical parameters and outcomes of the TARE procedures, the tumor response according to mRECIST, subsequent treatments, and adverse events.

RESULTS

Three out of the seven patients had a partial or complete response. Two patients had stable disease after the first TARE procedure, and two of the patients (one with a complete response, and one with stable disease) were alive at the time of analysis. No serious adverse events related to the procedure were recorded.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first case series reporting the safety and tumor response outcomes of Ho-TARE for ICC. The treatment demonstrated its versatility, allowing for reaching a high tumor dose, which is important for improving tumor response and treating patients in a palliative setting, where safety and the preservation of quality of life are paramount.