Cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant tumor originating from the bile duct epithelium, accounting for about 70% of the malignant tumors of the bile duct system. Patients have no obvious clinical symptoms in the early stage. After late diagnosis, the effective treatment is surgical resection and & or liver transplantation, and chemotherapy is only used as adjuvant or palliative treatment. Some types of cholangiocarcinomas, such as hilar cholangiocarcinomas, are difficult to achieve radical resection due to their anatomical location, early invasions and are prone to recurrence with a poor long-term efficacy after surgery. Therefore, the comprehensive treatment of cholangiocarcinoma by multiple means urgently needs to be explored. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a new local treatment method, has attracted increasing attention.~This study investigates the bile duct patency and effectiveness of photodynamic therapy compare with ordinary ERCP treatment for cholangiocarcinoma including the median survival, overall survival, and other indicators of side effects.
Comparison of the bile duct patency with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and regular Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) stents in unresectable cholangiocarcinoma.