title: Prognostic significance of tumor doubling time in mass-forming type cholangiocarcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of the preoperatively assessed tumor doubling time (DT) in patients undergoing liver resection for mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 79 patients who underwent curative resection for IHC, and in whom the same imaging technique was preoperatively available in two consecutive occasions, to allow the calculation of the DT. The influence of DT and other clinical and pathological variables on tumor recurrence and patient survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method and uni- and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median overall survival was 40 months; 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 86.1, 55.1, and 35.1 %, respectively. Median disease-free survival was 17 months; 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 62.0, 29.1, and 23.3 %, respectively. At univariate analysis, DT <70 days (p < 0.001) and advanced tumor stage (p = 0.024) were associated with worse overall survival and maintained significance at multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DT is a clinically useful parameter to estimate the prognosis of "mass-forming" IHC in patients undergoing liver resection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Hepatobiliary Unit, Agostino Gemelli Hospital, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Agostino Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: De Rose
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cucchetti
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ardito
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ercolani
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giuliante
authors.forename: Antonio Daniele
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nuzzo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D047368:Tumor Burden