title: Assessment of pathology reports on hilar cholangiocarcinoma: the results of a nationwide, multicenter survey performed by the AFC-HC-2009 study group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the accuracy of pathology reports in patients operated on for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pathology reports for 263 patients operated on in 22 tertiary hepatobiliary centers were reviewed. The report format, turnaround time, tissue specimens, intraoperative consultations, macroscopic and microscopic descriptions, and conclusions were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surgeons provided pathologists with pertinent clinical and imaging data in only 14% of cases and gave information on specimen orientation in only 24% of cases. The reports frequently failed to give information on prognostic histological factors: tumor differentiation (missing in 27% of cases), vascular invasion (45%), tumor thickness (99%), and infiltration of the bile duct surgical margins (4%). Distances between the tumor and the vessel margin, liver margin and the periductal soft tissue circumferential margin were not specified in 87%, 79%, and 89% of cases, respectively. Only 21% of the reports gave the pTNM stage in the conclusion section. A lack of information prevented retrospective pTNM staging in 48% of cases. Three percent of the reports had discrepancies in their conclusion section.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our French, nationwide study revealed that pathology reports on hilar cholangiocarcinoma frequently lack important information on the main prognostic histological factors and pTNM staging. We recommend the use of a standardized pathology report in this context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Amiens University Medical Center, Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France. Electronic address: chatelain.denis@chu-amiens.fr.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatelain
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Farges
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Amiens University Medical Center, Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuks
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Amiens University Medical Center, Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trouillet
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Claude Huriez Hospital, Lille University Medical Center Lille, France.
authors.forename: François René
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pruvot
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Regimbeau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000473:pathology*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003625:Data Collection; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000592:standards