Extrahepatic bile duct resection in combination with liver resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma: A report of 42 cases

From September 1986 until December 2001, 42 patients (20 males and 22 females) underwent a combined extrahepatic bile duct resection (EHBDR) and liver resection (LR) for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC). The aim of this study was to analyze patient survival, morbidity, and mortality as well as to seek predictive factors. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year actuarial patient survival was 72%, 37%, and 22%, respectively. Median survival was 19 months. Hospital mortality, all due to septic complications, was 12%. Morbidity was observed in 32 patients (76%). Infections were the most dominant complication. Patients (n = 11) with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I or stage II tumors exhibited a superior survival compared with patients (n = 31) with stage III or IV tumors (p = 0.023). Patients with tumor-free lymph nodes (n = 26) indicated a greater survival compared with patients with tumor-positive lymph nodes (n = 16) (p = 0.004). Patients undergoing vascular reconstructions indicated a trend toward higher mortality and lower survival (p = 0.068). Over 20% of the patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma can survive more than 5 years after a combined EHBDR and LR at the cost of 12% perioperative mortality and a 76% morbidity. Results might improve with the prevention of infectious complications and improved selection of patients to avoid vascular reconstruction and to predict a negative nodal state.