Analysis of the relationships between clinicopathologic factors and survival time in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: This study elucidated the relationships between various clinicopathologic factors and the outcome of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) treated by hepatic resection. METHODS: A total of 37 ICC patients were treated by hepatic resection in our department between March 1979 and March 2001. Eleven clinicopathological variables (age, sex, preoperative jaundice, operative curability, number of tumors, UICC [Union Internationale Contre le Cancer] pT factor, UICC pN factor, UICC pM factor, histological tumor type, 10-year period during which they initially examined, and adjuvant therapy) were selected for univariate and multivariate analysis to evaluate their influence on the outcome. RESULTS: The actuarial 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in the 37 resected cases were 54.1%, 34.0%, and 23.9%, respectively. The stage of the ICC influenced their overall survival rate. The univariate analysis revealed that curative resection (P = 0.0018), UICC pT factor (P = 0.0445), pN factor (P = 0.0029), pM factor (P = 0.0022), and histological type (P = 0.0030) were significant risk factors for survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that noncurative resection, lymph node metastasis, and less differentiated histological type were significant risk factors for poor outcome. All 6 of the 37 patients who survived more than 5 years had undergone curative resection, all of their tumors were well differentiated, and none had lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Curative surgical resection remains the only effective approach to the treatment of ICC. Extensive resection is not indicated if lymph node metastasis can be identified preoperatively or intraoperatively. Current adjuvant therapy is ineffective, and it will be necessary to assess the efficacy of new adjuvant therapy strategies or the addition of new agents in terms of the outcome of ICC.