A case of unresectable biliary tract cancer with liver metastasis that exhibited an effective response to chemotherapy

: Surgical resection is the only curative treatment for biliary tract cancer; however, it is only feasible if the cancer is detected at an early stage. Since early diagnoses are difficult, most patients are diagnosed when the cancer is at an unresectable, advanced stage. Current treatments for unresectable cases include radiotherapy and chemotherapy, although it remains difficult to achieve long-term survival. We herein present our experience with a case of unresectable biliary tract cancer that exhibited an effective response to chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GEM+CDDP). The patient was a 76- year-old man with biliary tract cancer( T2N1M0, cStage III). Multiple liver metastases were detected during laparotomy. We judged the tumor to be unresectable and placed a biliary tract metallic stent. After surgery, we initiated chemotherapy with GEM+CDDP. No liver metastases were visualized on computed tomography (CT) after 5 courses of chemotherapy. We considered surgical resection; however, the patient chose to continue chemotherapy. Currently, the patient is alive and well without any recurrence of liver metastasis, 26 months after surgery.