Postoperative radiotherapy for gallbladder cancer

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the results of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and to identify prognostic factors for gallbladder cancer (GBC).

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 86 patients with GBC who underwent potentially curative surgical resection and PORT between November 1993 and December 2009. All patients received three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and 61 patients (71%) had concurrent chemotherapy. Survival outcomes including locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were analyzed.

Results: The median follow-up period was 83 months for surviving patients. The 5-year OS, DFS and LRC rates were 42%, 36% and 73%, respectively. Isolated locoregional recurrence as first failure occurred in seven patients (8%). On multivariate analysis, the postoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) level was a significant prognostic factor for LRC, DFS and OS.

Conclusion: Adjuvant radiotherapy might be an effective treatment in terms of LRC in GBC. Postoperative CA 19-9 might be useful as a surrogate marker for survival.

Keywords: Gallbladder cancer; chemotherapy; postoperative radiotherapy.