Predictive factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma recurrence in the liver following surgery.
BACKGROUND
We performed hepatectomy without lymph node (LN) dissection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) limited to the peripheral region of the liver, and hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection and regional LN dissection for any types of ICC extending to the hepatic hilum. Surgical outcomes were evaluated to elucidate the prognostic factors that influence patient survival with respect to intrahepatic recurrence.


METHODS
Forty-one patients underwent resection of ICC with no macroscopic evidence of residual cancer.


RESULTS
Significant risk factors for poorer survival included preoperative jaundice (P = 0.0115), serum CA19-9 levels >37 U/ml (P = 0.0089), tumor diameter >4.5 cm (P = 0.017), ICC extending to the hepatic hilum (P = 0.0065), mass-forming with periductal-infiltrating type (P = 0.003), poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, portal vein involvement (P = 0.0785), LN metastasis at initial hepatectomy (P < 0.0001), and positive surgical margin (P = 0.023). Intrahepatic recurrence, which was the predominant manner of recurrence, was detected in 20 patients (74.1%). Patients with intrahepatic recurrence had a significantly high incidence of high serum CA19-9 levels (>37 U/ml; P = 0.0006), preoperative jaundice (P = 0.0262), ICC extended to the hepatic hilum (P = 0.0349), large tumors (>4.5 cm; P = 0.0351), portal vein involvement (P = 0.0423), and LN metastasis at initial hepatectomy (P = 0.009) compared with disease-free patients. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative CA19-9 elevation and obstructive jaundice influenced intrahepatic recurrence of ICC.


CONCLUSIONS
Although LN metastasis is a significant prognostic factor, the most obvious recurrence pattern after surgery was intrahepatic recurrence, which could be predicted preoperatively by a combination of elevated serum CA19-9 levels and manifestation of obstructive jaundice.
Miwa
Shiro
S
Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan.
Miyagawa
Shinichi
S
Kobayashi
Akira
A
Akahane
Yasuhiko
Y
Nakata
Takenari
T
Mihara
Motohiro
M
Kusama
Kei
K
Soeda
Junpei
J
Ogawa
Shinichiro
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate