[Long-term survivor of unresectable bile duct cancer complicated with sclerosing cholangitis treated with chemotherapy]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2014 Nov;41(12):1542-4.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to a near by hospital with complaints of epigastric pain and fever. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed stenosis of the hilar bile duct and multiple stenoses in the intrahepatic bile duct; bile cytological analysis indicated adenocarcinoma. The levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were within normal limits. It was very difficult to evaluate the extent of tumor invasion; therefore, we concluded that the tumor was unresectable. The patient underwent systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine. After 5 years, she developed obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. The patient underwent endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD), with 3 incidents of cholangitis recurrence. Although systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine was performed for a long time, she died 6 years after the initiation of chemotherapy. Gemcitabine was administered 140 times in total, with a total dose of 203.744 g.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / complications
  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy*
  • Aged
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use*
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / complications
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde
  • Cholangitis, Sclerosing / etiology*
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Deoxycytidine / therapeutic use
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Deoxycytidine
  • Gemcitabine