[Local and locoregional treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma].

Clinical/methodical issue: In the new edition of the German S3-guideline published in June 2021, the diagnosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and gallbladder carcinoma are addressed for the first time. This article discusses the local and locoregional treatment options for intrahepatic CCA (iCCA).

Standard radiological methods: Mortality is high in iCCA and the incidence is rising. In unresectable patients, treatment options include local and locoregional approaches.

Methodical innovations: Besides recommendations regarding surgery, biliary drainage, intraductal locoregional therapy and radiation therapy, two recommendations regarding interventional radiologic therapies are included in the updated S3-guideline. Percutaneous thermal ablation via radiofrequency or microwave ablation (RFA/MWA) is suggested for unresectable tumors with up to 3 cm in diameter as primary therapy and for recurrent tumors. In advanced, liver dominant iCCA, intra-arterial therapies such as transarterial radioembolization (TARE), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) are recommended as single therapy or in combination with other therapies.

Achievements: Due to a lack of randomized controlled studies, the efficacy of locoregional therapies in iCCA is challenging to assess; however, various cohort studies, meta-analyses and review articles confirm their efficiency.

Practical recommendations: Interventional radiological therapies alone or in combination with systemic therapies have the potential to improve the prognosis of patients with iCCA. Due to the various therapeutic options, patients with iCCA should be treated in centers which cover the entire therapeutic spectrum.