One discussion this week included using chemotherapy to enable initially unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) to be resectable.
Reference: Le Roy B, et al. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for initially unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The British Journal of Surgery. 2018 Jun;105(7):839-847. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10641
Summary: Surgical resection is the standard treatment for ICC, with a 5-year survival rate of 25-35% for those presenting with potentially resectable disease. Those with initially unresectable ICC are treated with chemotherapy alone and have a poor prognosis (p.839). The strategy of conversion to secondary resectability through chemotherapy regimens has resulted in good long-term survival for other tumors (colorectal liver and neuroendocrine liver metastases). The authors state there is no published data on the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to achieve secondary resectability in locally advanced ICC.
Surgical Focus 