title: Relationship between types of common channel and development of biliary tract cancer in pancreaticobiliary maljunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence of biliary tract cancer development is high among patients with pancreaticobiliary maljunction. However, there have been no reports published evaluating the incidence of development of biliary tract cancers in pancreaticobiliary maljunction based on the morphology of the common channel at the junction of the bile and pancreatic ducts. We evaluated between types of common channel and development of biliary tract cancers in pancreaticobiliary maljunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the last 21 years, we have experienced 78 patients with pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Of those patients, 44 adult patients, whose morphologic types of common channel were identified by cholangiography, were enrolled in this study. The dilatation patterns of the common channel were classified into 3 types: A type (moderately dilated type), B type (markedly dilated type), and C type (non-dilated type). Evaluated items included the length and dilation patterns of the common channel, incidence of development of biliary tract cancers and proliferative activity in the biliary tract epithelium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen patients had a common channel shorter than 20 mm, while 27 had a common channel of 20 mm or longer. Eleven patients with a common channel of 20 mm or longer had development of bile tract cancers. The dilation patterns of the common channel were classified as A (11 patients), B (16 patients) and C type (17 patients). Amylase levels in the biliary tract were higher in patients with A and B type than in patients with the C type. Development of gallbladder cancer was observed in 6 patients with A, 2 patients with B and one patient with C, while development of bile duct cancer was observed in 2 patients with C and one patient with B. The PCNAL.I. of the biliary epithelium was higher in patients with A, B and C type in descending order.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of development of biliary tract cancer was higher in patients with common channel of 20 mm or longer. The proliferative activity in the biliary epithelium was accelerated in patients with A type, together with a high incidence of development of gallbladder cancer.
authors: Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan. sur049@poh.osaka-med.ac.jp
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Hara
authors: Shinsho
authors: S
authors: Morita
authors: Shozo
authors: S
authors: Sako
authors: Takehiko
authors: T
authors: Dohi
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Otani
authors: Mitsuhiko
authors: M
authors: Iwamoto
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Inoue
authors: Nobuhiko
authors: N
authors: Tanigawa
mesh_terms: D017734:Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology