Progression-free survival of up to 8 months of an advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patient treated with apatinib: a case report

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) arises from the biliary epithelium and is a relatively rare and highly fatal neoplasm. The prognosis is poor, and survival is limited to a few months. Here, we report a case of advanced ICC that was successfully treated with apatinib, a new oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the intracellular domain of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of the successful use of apatinib for advanced ICC; this treatment has demonstrated fewer toxic effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The progression-free survival time was 8 months. The only toxicity observed was mild hand-foot syndrome. Therefore, apatinib may be an additional option for the treatment of advanced ICC, but further prospective studies are needed to optimize the treatment.