Until a year ago, for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma – a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer – There were no real hopes. Today, Thanks to the work of prof. Enrico Gringeri, internationally renowned Messina surgeon And vice-manager of the uoc of hepatabiliopancreatic surgery and liver transplants of the Hospital-University of Padua, the prospects have changed radically.
Twelve patients, between 40 and 70 years old – mostly young adults – have already been successfully subjected to liver transplantation from February 2024 to today. A historical result made possible by the innovative lyrical and litholhic protocols, developed in collaboration with Iov (Veneto Oncological Institute) and the National Transplant Center. “Until recently – explains Gringeri – communicating to these patients who was nothing to do was the most difficult time. Today, however, they are all well, without recurrence and with a normal life”. The last transplant before Easter on a 49 -year -old woman saw a liver taken from a 99 -year -old liver: A testimony of the potential of resources that, if well managed, can make a difference.
The turning point
The introduction of immunotherapy, which made it possible to stabilize the disease and make these patients candidable for transplantation, despite the fact that they were excluded from this option before. With the lyrical protocol, in fact, patients continue chemotherapy treatment until the transplant moment, avoiding dangerous interruptions.
But prof. Gringeri looks beyond the operating room. “The real problem – he says – is that these patients, unlike those who have cirrhosis, do not present symptoms up to an advanced stage. From that moment a ordeal begins: they do not know who to turn”. Hence the idea of the Colangiocarcinoma Foundationin the launch phase by May, with the aim of offering support from the moment of diagnosis, create a network of regional specialized centers and establish a national cup for quick reservations.
“It is premature to talk about budgets – precise gringeri – but the projections indicate a survival of 65% to 5 years from the transplant. Six out of ten patients could heal. “A concrete hope, based on data, protocols and skills.
The challenge is now investing more in transplants for oncological patients and guaranteeing those who need timely access to highly specialized care. Prof. Gringers, with his vision and determination, has already lit a lighthouse in the dark for many sick people and for Italian medicine.