Safety and Efficacy of PDT vs RFA vs PDT+RFA for the Treatment of Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

The lower common bile duct and the hepatic hilar area are the origin of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC). Patients with advanced, unresectable EHCC have a relatively poor prognosis, with a median survival time of 3 to 6 months. The only way to prolong stent patency and survival for patients with unresectable locally advanced EHCC is by active control of tumor development. The only treatment that has consistently demonstrated an improvement in stent patency and overall survival (OS) in cholangiocarcinoma patients is photodynamic therapy (PDT). The popularity of endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has grown recently in an effort to increase stent patency and survival time for patients with malignant biliary obstruction.RFA for biliary cholangiocarcinoma has demonstrated safety and effectiveness. Endoscopic RFA has been shown in various studies to prolong stent patency and the survival of patients with malignant biliary obstruction. The clinical effectiveness and adverse events of these two endoscopic treatments have not been compared in many papers.