Surgery for cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment for patients with cholangiocarcinoma. For both perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), 5‐year overall survival of about 30% has been reported in large series. This review addresses several challenges in surgical management of cholangiocarcinoma. The first challenge is diagnosis: a biopsy is typically avoided because of the risk of seeding metastases and the low yield of a brush of the bile duct. However, about 15% of patients with suspected pCCA are found to have a benign diagnosis after resection. The second challenge is staging; even with the best preoperative imaging, a substantial percentage of patients has occult metastatic disease detected at staging laparoscopy or early recurrence after resection. The third challenge is an adequate volume and function of the future liver remnant, which may require preoperative biliary drainage and portal vein embolization. The fourth challenge is a complete resection: a positive bile duct margin is not uncommon because the microscopic biliary extent of disease may be more extensive than perceived on imaging. The fifth challenge is the high post‐operative mortality that has decreased in very high volume Asian centres, but remains about 10% in many Western referral centres. The sixth challenge is that even after a complete resection most patients develop recurrent disease. Recent randomized controlled trials found conflicting results regarding the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. The final challenge is to determine which patients with cholangiocarcinoma should undergo liver transplantation rather than resection.

Effect of structured use of preoperative portal vein embolization on outcomes after liver resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

“…Radical resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) is the only treatment that offers a chance of long‐term survival. Extended procedures, consisting of combined liver and extrahepatic bile duct resection, are often required, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.…”

Cystic duct dysplasia after cholecystectomy: a systematic review of the literature

“…An improved overall survival can only be achieved through a complete surgical resection with tumour-free margins but, unfortunately, these surgical results are difficult to achieve as frequently an advanced disease is diagnosed. 19,20 Mizumoto et al reported a 5-year survival rate for early bile duct cancer of 100%. 21 Kurosaki et al reported a 5-year survival rate for 7 patients with pT1 bile duct cancer of 86%.…”

MiR-30a-5p promotes cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation through targeting SOCS3

“…CCA is the second most frequent primary hepatobiliary malignancy and its incidence and mortality gradually increase in the last three decades [1,2]. Surgical resection is the only possible curative treatment for CCA patients, however, the rates of resectability and the long-term outcome after these therapies are less than satisfactory because of the high post-surgical recurrence [3]. Therefore, elucidating the molecular mechanisms of CCA development and progression are urgently necessary to develop more efficient therapies for CCA.…”