Radical resection of an initially unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after chemotherapy with using gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1: report of a case

Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma with BRCA Mutation Achieved Pathological Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, and S-1 Therapy: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly malignant cancer for which surgery is the only curative treatment. The prognosis of ICC is extremely poor, especially in cases of lymph node metastasis (LNM), owing to the high postoperative recurrence rate. Herein, we present a case of advanced ICC with a breast cancer susceptibility gene-2 (BRCA2) mutation, treated with preoperative chemotherapy, including cisplatin, followed by surgery, in which we achieved a pathologic complete response.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 52-year-old woman was referred to our hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging incidentally detected a liver tumor in the hilar region and lymph node enlargement in the hepatoduodenal ligament. A 19 mm tumor was observed in the area surrounded by the right and left branches of the portal vein and an abnormal portal branch of segment 7. Positron emission tomography-CT showed fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the liver tumor, hepatoduodenal ligament lymph nodes, and bilateral breasts. A tumor biopsy showed a papillary tumor, and ICC was suspected. As ICC with LNM has a poor prognosis, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was planned. Genetic testing using a blood sample revealed a BRCA2 mutation, indicating the patient would benefit from chemotherapy, particularly cisplatin. The patient received a chemotherapy regimen comprised of gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1 (GCS), and after 7 courses, her carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level decreased from 2433 to 15 U/mL. CT showed that the tumor had shrunk and the LNMs were indistinct. The patient was referred to our department for curative surgery, which included a left hepatectomy, caudate lobectomy, hepatoduodenal ligament lymph node dissection, bile duct resection, and choledocojejunostomy. The postoperative course was generally uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 18. Pathological examination of the resected specimen revealed an absence of malignant cells. At 24 months postoperative, there was no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

We encountered a patient with advanced ICC with a BRCA2 mutation, which was successfully treated with preoperative GCS therapy followed by surgical resection, and a pathologic complete response was achieved. GCS therapy, therefore, appears promising as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of ICC.

Impact of conversion surgery after chemotherapy in patients with initially unresectable and recurrent biliary tract cancer

Purpose

Gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1 chemotherapy was superior to gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy for progression-free survival and overall survival for unresectable and recurrent biliary tract cancer in a randomized phase III trial (KHBO1401). This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of conversion surgery after chemotherapy in biliary tract cancer patients (ancillary study, KHBO1401-3C).

Methods

A total of 246 patients were enrolled in KHBO1401. We compared progression-free and overall survivals between the conversion surgery and non-conversion surgery groups.

Results

Eight patients (3.3%) underwent conversion surgery with chemotherapy, seven of whom were diagnosed with unresectable disease and one with recurrence. Six and two patients received gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1 chemotherapy as well as gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy, respectively. Three patients in the conversion surgery group who received gemcitabine, cisplatin, and S-1 chemotherapy showed no disease progression and survived without postoperative chemotherapy. Preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level was a prognostic factor for conversion surgery. After correcting for immortal time bias, 1-year progression-free survival rates in the conversion surgery and non-conversion surgery groups were 50.0% and 19.0%, respectively (hazard ratio 0.343, 95% confidence interval 0.286-0.843, p = 0.0092). One-year overall survival rates in the conversion surgery and non-conversion surgery groups were 87.5% and 56.0%, respectively (hazard ratio 0.222, 95% confidence interval 0.226-0.877, p = 0.0197).

Conclusions

Conversion surgery might be an option for the treatment of unresectable and recurrent biliary tract cancer in patients with normal preoperative CA19-9 level.