Clinical effectiveness of DEM-TACE combined with first-line chemotherapy as the initial treatment for patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the combination of DEM-TACE with chemotherapy in treating unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 70 patients diagnosed with unresectable ICC between Jan. 2016 and Dec. 2020 were retrospectively included in this study. Of these, 39 patients received DEM-TACE and first-line chemotherapy (D-TACE+Chemo group) and 31 received chemotherapy alone (Chemo group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce selection bias between the D-TACE+Chemo and the Chemo groups. Differences in tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were compared between the two groups .

RESULTS: The patients in the D-TACE+Chemo group had better median OS (18.6 vs. 11.9 months, P=0.018), median PFS (11.9 vs. 6.9 months, P=0.033), and objective response rates (56.8% vs. 13.3%, P < 0.001) than those in the Chemo group. TRAEs showed that a higher incidence of transient elevation of transaminase and abdominal pain in the D-TACE+Chemo group than in the Chemo group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with chemotherapy alone, DEM-TACE combined with first-line chemotherapy may be a viable and safe treatment option for unresectable ICC.