Progression-free survival of up to 8 months of an advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patient treated with apatinib: a case report

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) arises from the biliary epithelium and is a relatively rare and highly fatal neoplasm. The prognosis is poor, and survival is limited to a few months. Here, we report a case of advanced ICC that was successfully treated with apatinib, a new oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the intracellular domain of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of the successful use of apatinib for advanced ICC; this treatment has demonstrated fewer toxic effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The progression-free survival time was 8 months. The only toxicity observed was mild hand–foot syndrome. Therefore, apatinib may be an additional option for the treatment of advanced ICC, but further prospective studies are needed to optimize the treatment.