Perioperative Management of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Defining the Chance of Statistical Cure Among Patients with Extrahepatic Biliary Tract Cancer

BACKGROUND

While surgery offers the best curative-intent treatment, many patients with biliary tract malignancies have poor long-term outcomes. We sought to apply a non-mixture cure model to calculate the cure fraction and the time to cure after surgery of patients with peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC) or gallbladder cancer (GBC).

METHODS

Using the Extrahepatic Biliary Malignancy Consortium, 576 patients who underwent curative-intent surgery for gallbladder carcinoma or peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma between 1998 and 2014 at 10 major hepatobiliary institutions were identified and included in the analysis. A non-mixture cure model was adopted to compare mortality after surgery to the mortality expected for the general population matched by sex and age.

RESULTS

The median and 5-year overall survival (OS) were 1.9 years (IQR, 0.9-4.9) and 23.9 % (95 % CI, 19.6-28.6). Among all patients with PHCC or GBC, the probability of being cured after surgery was 14.5 % (95 % CI, 8.7-23.2); the time to cure was 9.7 years and the median survival of uncured patients was 1.8 years. Determinants of cure probabilities included lymph node metastasis and CA 19.9 level (p ≤ 0.05). The cure fraction for patients with a CA 19.9 < 50 U/ml and no lymph nodes metastases were 39.0 % versus only 5.1 % among patients with a CA 19.9 ≥ 50 who also had lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Examining an "all comer" cohort, <15 % of patients with PHCC or GBC could be considered cured after surgery. Factors such CA 19.9 level and lymph node metastasis independently predicted long-term outcome. Estimating the odds of statistical cure following surgery for biliary tract cancer can assist in decision-making as well as inform discussions around survivorship.

Preoperative biliary drainage in hilar cholangiocarcinoma: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The role of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the role of PBD in the treatment of potentially resectable HCC.

METHODS

All studies reporting outcomes on patients with PBD vs without PBD were included. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between 1980 and 2016.

RESULTS

Initial search identified 667 articles. Only 9 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis. No significant differences in mortality were observed between the two groups (RR = 0,935; 95% CI = 0,612 to 1429; p = 0,463). Overall morbidity was significantly higher in PBD group (RR = 1266; 95% CI = 1039 to 1543; p = 0,011). No significant differences in transfusion rate, hospital stay, anastomotic leaks, abdominal collections and operative time, were found. Wound infections were significantly higher in PBD group.

CONCLUSIONS

PBD seems to be associated with higher postoperative morbidity and increases the risk of wound infections. Further prospective studies are needed to better define the impact of PBD in outcomes after surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Clinical Implications of Biliary Confluence Pattern for Bismuth-Corlette Type IV Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Applied to Hemihepatectomy

BACKGROUND

Since biliary variations are commonly seen, our aims are to clarify these insidious variations and discuss their surgicopathologic implications for Bismuth-Corlette (BC) type IV hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) applied to hemihepatectomy.

METHODS

Three-dimensional images of patients with distal bile duct obstruction (n = 97) and advanced HC (n = 79) were reconstructed and analyzed retrospectively. Normal biliary confluence pattern was defined as the peripheral segment IV duct (B4) joining the common trunk of segment II (B2) and segment III (B3) ducts to form the left hepatic duct (LHD) that then joined the right hepatic duct (RHD). The lengths from left and right secondary biliary ramifications to the right side of the umbilical portion of the left portal vein (Rl-L) and the cranio-ventral side of the right portal vein (Rr-R) were measured, respectively, and compared with the resectable bile duct length in HCs. Surgicopathologic findings were compared between different BC types.

RESULTS

The resectable bile duct length in right hemihepatectomy for eradication of type IV tumors was significantly longer than the Rl-L length in normal biliary configuration (17.4 ± 1.8 and 10.3 ± 3.4 mm, respectively, p < 0.001), and type III variation (B2 joining the common trunk of B3 and B4) was the predominant configuration (53.8%). The resectable length in left hemihepatectomy for eradication of type IV tumors was comparable with the Rr-R length in RHD absent cases (15.2 ± 2.5 and 16.4 ± 2.6 mm, respectively, p = 0.177) but significantly longer than that in normal configuration (p < 0.001). The estimated length was 8.5 ± 2.0 mm in unresectable cases. There was no significant difference between type III and IV tumors, except for the rate of nodal metastasis (29.7 and 76.0%, respectively, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Hemihepatectomy might be selected for curative-intent resection of BC type IV tumors considering the advantageous biliary variations, whereas anatomical trisegmentectomy is recommended for the resectable bile duct length less than 10 mm. Biliary variations might result in excessive classification of BC type IV but require validation on further study.