Abstract
Background The placement of 125I seeds was a safe method for treating cholangiocarcinoma .The purpose of this study was to compare a novel brachytherapy biliary drainage catheter (BBDC) with an Iodine-125 (125I) seed strand after self-expandable metallic stent(SEMs) implantation in terms of safety and efficacy, as treatments for patients with cholangiocarcinoma of malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). Methods From September 2016 to December 2018, We retrospectively enrolled patients with biliary stent implantation after receiving either BBDC loaded with 125I seeds (double-strands irradiation group) or an 125I seed strand treatment (single-strand irradiation group, control group). The outcomes were analyzed regarding the relief of obstructive jaundice, interventional-related complications, stent patency and survival time. ResultsThe success rate of interventional therapy in both groups was 100% and all patients with MOJ were alleviated . The overall complication rates of BBDC group and control group were 23.1% (9 / 39) and 26.5% (9/ 34), respectively (P > 0.05). The median and mean overall stent patency of the BBDC group and the control group were (207 days versus 180 days, 204.212 days versus 186.278 days, p = 0.043). The median and mean overall survivals in the BBDC group were higher than those in the control group (245 days versus 212 days, 244.883 days versus 221.844 days, p = 0.030). ConclusionsThis interim analysis showed that BBDC (double-stranded irradiation) can prolong the stent patency time compared with 125I seed strand treatment (single-stranded irradiation) and had the advantage of reducing jaundice, which seemed to extend survival period.