Immunohistochemically demonstrated lymph node micrometastasis and prognosis in patients with otherwise node-negative hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether immunohistochemically demonstrated lymph node micrometastasis has prognostic significance in patients with histologically node-negative (pN0) hilar cholangiocarcinoma.


BACKGROUND
The clinical significance of immunohistochemically detected lymph node micrometastasis recently has been evaluated in various tumors. However, no reports have addressed this issue with regard to hilar cholangiocarcinoma.


METHODS
A total of 954 lymph nodes from surgical specimens of 45 patients with histologically node-negative hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent macroscopically curative resection were immunostained with monoclonal antibody against cytokeratins 8 and 18. The results were examined for relationships with clinical and pathologic features and with patient survival.


RESULTS
Lymph node micrometastases were detected immunohistochemically in 11 (24.4%) of the 45 patients, being found in 13 (1.4%) of 954 lymph nodes examined. Of the 13 nodal micrometastases, 11 (84.6%) were found in the N2 regional lymph node group rather than N1. Clinicopathologic features showed no associations with lymph node micrometastases. Survival curves were essentially similar between patients with and without micrometastasis. In addition, the grade of micrometastasis showed no effect on survival. The Cox proportional hazard model identified microscopic venous invasion, microscopic resection margin status, and histologic differentiation as significant prognostic factors in patients with pN0 disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Lymph node micrometastasis has no survival impact in patients with otherwise node-negative hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The authors do not recommend extensive lymph node sectioning with keratin immunostaining for prognostic evaluation.
Tojima
Yuichiro
Y
Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Nagino
Masato
M
Ebata
Tomoki
T
Uesaka
Katsuhiko
K
Kamiya
Junichi
J
Nimura
Yuji
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007633:Keratins