Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Background: Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a possible pathogenetic factor for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), clinicopathologic features of ICC patients with HCV infection remain unclear. Patients and Methods: Of 50 patients with ICC treated, 19 were infected with HCV (HCV-positive group) and 38 underwent surgical treatment. Clinicopathologic features and postoperative outcome were compared between patients with and without HCV infection. Results: In 15 patients in the HCV-positive group, ICC was detected during follow-up for chronic hepatitis C. The proportion of patients who underwent curative resection was significantly higher in the HCV-positive than in the HCV-negative group, and tumors were significantly smaller in the HCV-positive than in the HCV-negative group. In the HCV-positive group, tumors were significantly smaller in patients who were followed up for chronic hepatitis C than in patients who were not followed up. Although cumulative survival rates did not differ significantly between groups, prognoses of patients with small ICC were significantly better than those with large ICC. Conclusion: Follow-up for patients with chronic hepatitis C by imaging series at regular intervals is important and provides the possibility to detect a small ICC as well as a hepatocellular carcinoma. Resection should be guided by liver function and the tumor stage in patients with HCV-associated ICC.

Relationship between pattern of tumor enhancement and clinicopathologic characteristics in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

“…Previous reports showed a relationship between ICC and hepatitis C viral infection [25,26]; furthermore, the carcinogenesis of ICC may be caused by hepatitis viral infection [27]. In such a situation, hepatocytes may alter a cholangiocarcinoma by stimulating chronic inflammation.…”

Viral hepatitis is associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with cholangiolar differentiation and N-cadherin expression

“…Recently, several reports have suggested that infection with hepatitis B or C virus is a possible etiological factor for cholangiocarcinoma. 8,9,[16][17][18] Viral hepatitis-associated cholangiocarcinomas have some clinical features in common with hepatocellular carcinoma. They tend to occur at an earlier age, affect men more frequently, are more likely to cause elevated serum a-fetoprotein levels, and less likely to cause elevated serum CA19-9 levels.…”

“…15 In addition, several studies from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan indicate that viral hepatitis B and C are statistically related to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. 8,9,[16][17][18] Compared with seronegative intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients, hepatitis B-related intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients tend to be younger and are more frequently male, have higher abnormal aminotransferase and a-fetoprotein levels, and lower abnormal serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels. 17 Taken together, these findings suggest that hepatitis virus-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma share common disease processes for carcinogenesis.…”

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: relationship between tumor imaging enhancement by measuring attenuation and clinicopathologic characteristics

“…The relationship between ICC and hepatitis viral infection closely related such a type of ICC, in which cancer cell origin or stem cells would be caused by chronic hepatitis [37][38][39][40]. Hepatocyte-originated tumors might be expected to show early enhancement, as seen in HCC [33,35].…”