Clinical application of percutaneous drainage in treating hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus. Contemp Oncol (Pozn). 2013;17:176-183. [PMID: 23788987 DOI: 10.5114/wo.2013.34622]

The effect of bile duct tumor thrombus on the long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients after liver resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The effect of bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) on the postoperative long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is still under debate.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science databases were systematically searched to collect the clinicopathologic characteristics, perioperative indices, and postoperative survival outcomes in the BDTT and non-BDTT groups of HCC patients from inception to February 1, 2020. The study outcomes were extracted by two independent investigators.

Results

A total of 15 studies involving 6,484 patients were included. The meta-analysis revealed that the levels of serum total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were notably higher in patients with HCC and BDTT than those without BDTT. Meanwhile, HCC patients with BDTT had more aggressive biological characteristics, such as poor tumor differentiation, macrovascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis, as compared to patients without BDTT. The 1-year [odds ratio (OR) 0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.31–0.48, P<0.01], 3-year (OR 0.33, 95% CI: 0.22–0.51, P<0.01) and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates (OR 0.31, 95% CI: 0.20–0.49, P<0.01) of the BDTT group were significantly worse than those of the non-BDTT group. The hazard ratio of HCC with BDTT was 4.27 (95% CI: 3.47–5.26, P<0.01) within 5 years after hepatectomy.

Conclusions

HCC patients with BDTT had worse OS compared to patients free of BDTT after surgery. BDTT may be a potential prognostic factor for HCC patients.

Outcomes of hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumour thrombus

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumour thrombus (BDTT) is rare. The aim of the present study was to determine the prognosis of HCC with BDTT after a hepatectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on all HCC patients with BDTT having a hepatectomy from 1989 to 2012. The outcomes in these patients were compared with those in the control patients matched on a 1:6 ratio.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven HCC patients with BDTT having a hepatectomy (the BDTT group) were compared with 222 control patients. Patients in the BDTT group had poorer liver function (43.2% had Child-Pugh B disease). More patients in this group had a major hepatectomy (91.9% versus 27.5%, P = 0.001), portal vein resection (10.8% versus 1.4%, P = 0.006), en-bloc resection with adjacent structures (16.2% versus 5.4%, P = 0.041), hepaticojejunostomy (75.7% versus 1.6%, P < 0.001) and complications (51.4% versus 31.1%, P = 0.016). The two groups had similar hospital mortality (2.7% versus 5.0%, P = 0.856), 5-year overall survival (38.5% versus 34.6%, P = 0.59) and 5-year disease-free survival (21.1% versus 20.8%, P = 0.81). Multivariate analysis showed that lymphovascular permeation, tumour size and post-operative complication were significant predictors for worse survival whereas BDTT was not.

DISCUSSION

A major hepatectomy, extrahepatic biliary resection and hepaticojejunostomy should be the standard for HCC with BDTT, and long-term survival is possible after radical surgery.

Evaluation of endoscopic biliary stenting for obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To review the usefulness of endoscopic biliary stenting for obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma and identify problems that may need to be addressed.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 36 patients with obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent endoscopic biliary stenting (EBS) as the initial drainage procedure at our hospital. The EBS technical success rate and drainage success rate were assessed. Drainage was considered effective when the serum total bilirubin level decreased by 50% or more following the procedure compared to the pre-drainage value. Survival time after the procedure and patient background characteristics were assessed comparatively between the successful drainage group (group A) and the non-successful drainage group (group B). The EBS stent patency duration in the successful drainage group (group A) was also assessed.

RESULTS: The technical success rate was 100% for both the initial endoscopic nasobiliary drainage and EBS in all patients. Single stenting was placed in 21 patients and multiple stenting in the remaining 15 patients. The drainage successful rate was 75% and the median interval to successful drainage was 40 d (2-295 d). The median survival time was 150 d in group A and 22 d in group B, with the difference between the two groups being statistically significant (P < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to patient background characteristics, background liver condition, or tumor factors; on the other hand, the two groups showed statistically significant differences in patients without a history of hepatectomy (P = 0.009) and those that received multiple stenting (P = 0.036). The median duration of stent patency was 43 d in group A (2-757 d). No early complications related to the EBS technique were encountered. Late complications occurred in 13 patients (36.1%), including stent occlusion in 7, infection in 3, and distal migration in 3.

CONCLUSION: EBS is recommended as the initial drainage procedure for obstructive jaundice caused by HCC, as it appears to contribute to prolongation of survival time.