title: Intraarterial 5-fluorouracil and interferon therapy is safe and effective for nonresectable biliary tract adenocarcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prognosis in advanced biliary carcinoma has remained poor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of intraarterial 5-fluorouracil and interferon therapy against unresectable biliary carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with unresectable biliary carcinoma with performance status 0 or 1 were enrolled between January 2002 and September 2012. They received pegylated interferon-α 2a and intraarterial 5-FU every 4 weeks. The therapy was either terminated at the end of the first cycle for the patients with progressive disease or continued for at least three cycles. Patients' characteristics (physical, laboratory and radiographic) at the time of starting intraarterial 5-FU therapy were investigated. The relationship between the patients' characteristics and outcome, i.e., survival time and radiographic therapeutic evaluation of patients, was statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor sites were the intrahepatic bile ducts in 23 patients and gallbladder in 2 patients. Previous treatment had been administered in ten patients. The overall response rate was 24% (6 partial responses in 25 patients). Stable disease was observed in 13 patients. The median overall survival was 358 days. Among the six partial responses, three patients received surgery, and one patient received radiofrequency ablation because clinical downstaging was obtained. The treatment was well tolerated. The survival analyses revealed that two factors (serum albumin ≥ 3.5 and hypovascular tumor) were significantly associated with overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combination therapy with 5-FU and interferon-α was safe and may improve the prognosis of advanced biliary carcinomas.
authors: Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Kyoundo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, yashimay@gmail.com.
authors: Yoko
authors: Y
authors: Yashima
authors: Shinpei
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Toshihiro
authors: T
authors: Kawai
authors: Takafumi
authors: T
authors: Sugimoto
authors: Takahisa
authors: T
authors: Sato
authors: Miho
authors: M
authors: Kanda
authors: Shuntaro
authors: S
authors: Obi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a; D005472:Fluorouracil