Radiology, Vol 146, 787-789, Copyright © 1983 by Radiological Society of North America
Radiation therapy of carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts
Y Hishikawa, T Shimada, T Miura and Y Imajyo
Carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts was treated in 25 patients by
radiation therapy between 1974 and 1981. Seventeen patients were men and
eight were women, and the average age was 59.2 years. Cobalt-60 beam or 10
MV x ray was used for radiation therapy, with the total dose ranging from
10 Gy to 60 Gy. Twenty-one patients received 40 Gy or more. Twenty-two
patients underwent surgical procedures such as percutaneous transhepatic
drainage or T-tube drainage before radiation therapy. Total bilirubin level
decreased after radiation therapy in 21 patients. Side effects included
loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, general fatigue, and duodenal ulcer.
The mean survival of all patients was 9.2 months after completion of
radiation therapy. The longest survival has been for 6.5 years, and the
patient is alive and well as of this writing. Radiation therapy proved
effective in treatment of carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts in terms
of palliation and prognosis.
