why choose us

300×250 Ad Slot

Research Article: 192 Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy and biliary stenting for unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Date Published: 2026-08-05

Abstract:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 192 Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and biliary stenting in patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Clinical data of 62 patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus percutaneous biliary stenting. Among them, 32 patients ( 192 Ir group) additionally received 192 Ir brachytherapy, and 30 patients (EBRT group) received EBRT alone. Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. At 3 months after treatment, the objective response rate was 93.8% in the 192 Ir group and 70.0% in the EBRT group. Median progression-free survival was 11.2 months vs 8.6 months (P = 0.032), and median overall survival was 14.5 months vs 12.2 months (P = 0.361). Liver function parameters and CA19–9 levels decreased in both groups, with significantly lower levels in the 192 Ir group at 3 months. Adverse events were tolerable in both groups. 192 Ir brachytherapy plus EBRT and biliary stenting may improve short-term tumor response and progression-free survival in unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma, with tolerable toxicity.

Introduction:
Cholangiocarcinoma is classified into intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and distal cholangiocarcinoma. Hilar cholangiocarcinoma arises from the mucosa of the common hepatic duct, left and right hepatic ducts, and their confluence, accounting for 60% to 70% of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. The incidence of hilar cholangiocarcinoma shows geographic variation, with a rising trend in global prevalence in recent decades ( 1 , 2 ). Surgical resection is the only potentially curative…

Read more

300×250 Ad Slot