Metronomic Chemotherapy in Inoperable Carcinoma Gall Bladder : Our Experience

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Gallbladder cancer is an aggressive malignancy and carries an extremely poor prognosis. The most consistently implicated etiologic factor in the development of gallbladder cancer is cholelithiasis and chronic inflammation. Surgery is indicated in only very selected cases because often the disease presents at an advanced stage. The poor prognosis corresponds to the high proportion of patients presenting with advanced disease. There are no proven effective options for adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy for patients with gallbladder cancer in terms of survival. To improve the quality of life of these terminally ill patients without significant toxic side effects at a significantly lower cost, metronomic chemotherapy appears to be a promising option. We studied metronomic chemotherapy in advanced inoperable carcinoma of gall bladder using 5 FU and Cisplatin with promising results.