Feasibility and safety of long-term photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the palliative treatment of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background and Aim: PDT is emerging as an important palliative option for patients with unresectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC). However, the results published to date reported on studies with no more than 6 (mostly up to 4) PDT procedures. Furthermore, the clinical experience of PDT in combination with chemotherapy is limited. The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of multiple (4 to 14) settings of PDT, combined with biliary drainage, and (in some cases) with chemotherapy. Methods: Ten consecutive patients with unresectable extrahepatic CC were treated wi…