Percutaneous stenting in malignant biliary obstruction caused by metastatic disease: clinical outcome and prediction of survival according to tumor type and further therapeutic options.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Obstructive jaundice caused by metastatic disease leads to deterioration of general condition and short survival time. Successful decompression can offer symptom control and enable further treatment with chemotherapy, which can improve survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) procedures with metallic stent placement were performed in 93 patients between 2007 and 2013. Files were retrospectively studied and a review of patients' demographics, clinical and laboratory parameters, treatment and survival was performed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test was done in function of bilirubin level, tumor type and treatment with chemotherapy.

RESULTS: Hyperbilirubinemia resolved in 73% of procedures. Median survival time after the procedure was 48 (95%CI 34.8 - 61.1) days. If additional chemotherapy was possible, a median survival of 170 (95%CI 88.5 - 251.4) days was noted versus 32 (95%CI 22.4 - 41.5) days without chemotherapy (p < 0.01). Survival rates greatly differed between primary tumor type, with the largest benefit of PTC in colorectal cancer. In 35 % of the procedures minor or more severe complications were noted. The 30-day mortality was 33%, with 3 procedure related deaths.

CONCLUSION: PTC with metallic stenting can bring symptom relief and enable further treatment with chemotherapy, which can lead to a longer survival time, especially in colorectal cancer. However, in patients in whom palliative stenting failed to resolve the hyperbilirubinemia survival is short.