title: Imaging features predict prognosis of patients with combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic value of imaging patterns in combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 36 patients with histopathologically confirmed combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma were enrolled. Pretreatment imaging was conducted to evaluate the tumour enhancement patterns, based on which the disease was classified as two subtypes: radiographic hepatocellular carcinoma-dominant (n=26) and radiographic cholangiocarcinoma-dominant (n=10). Moreover, based on the proportion of components, all combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma cases were divided into histopathological hepatocellular carcinoma-dominant (n=26) or histopathological cholangiocarcinoma-dominant (n=10). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare patient outcome between the two subtypes of each classification. Univariate Cox regression analysis were employed to evaluate the prognostic relevance of the imaging and histopathological classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistency between histopathological and imaging classification was not high. Only 66.7% of patients had consistent classification. Moreover, the median overall survival of the radiographic cholangiocarcinoma-dominant and radiographic hepatocellular carcinoma-dominant population was 15.03 and 40.4 months, respectively (p=0.012); however, no significant difference was observed between histopathological type, with median overall survival being 32.07 and 40.4 months in the histopathological cholangiocarcinoma-dominant group and histopathological hepatocellular carcinoma-dominant group, respectively (p=0.784).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was an association between imaging patterns and overall survival in combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma. Postoperative re-evaluation of imaging patterns could help to assess patient outcome.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Hepatobiliary Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong Province, PR China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zhangr@sysucc.org.cn.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Hepatobiliary Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, 510060, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: lishp@sysucc.org.cn.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome