Background: One of the cornerstones of palliative treatment for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is biliary stent placement in order to restore biliary drainage. In this review, the potential added value of RFA with stent placement in comparison to stent placement alone in patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is analyzed.
Methods: We performed a comprehensive online search for relevant articles in November 2021 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021288180). The primary endpoint was difference in overall survival. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, stent patency and complications. Only studies comparing survival after RFA + stent placement with stent placement alone were included in the meta-analysis. Non-comparative studies or comparative studies describing stent patency only were included in the systematic review.
Results: A total of nine studies, including 217 patients with pCCA who underwent RFA + stent placement and 294 patients who underwent stent-only treatment, met the inclusion criteria for the primary endpoint analysis. Direct comparison between the two treatment groups showed a significantly longer overall survival for RFA + stent treatment, with a pooled HR of 0.65 [95% CI, 0.50-0.84, I2 = 38%]. When all eligible studies were included, RFA + stent treatment revealed an overall survival of 9.5 months [95% CI, 6.3-12.6], whereas survival for stent-only treatment was 7.0 months [95% CI, 5.7-8.2]. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, no pooled data analysis could be performed on stent patency or complications.
Conclusions: RFA + stent placement displays promising potential to prolong survival. However, further research incorporating confounding factors like use of palliative chemotherapy is necessary in order to validate these findings.
Keywords: biliary drainage; endoscopic stent; percutaneous stent; radiofrequency ablation; unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.