Background: The surgical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma is extremely challenging because the tumor is closely related with the complicated hilar structures. We investigated to identify the outcomes for patients who underwent surgical resection and to identify the parameters that influenced radical resection.
Methods: From January 2000 to December 2009, 105 patients underwent surgical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The clinicopathological parameters and surgical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: There were 15 operative mortalities (14.3%). Seventy-four patients underwent curative resection (70.5%). The median overall survival time for R0, R1, and R2 were 58, 28, and 19 months, respectively. Caudate lobectomy (p = 0.044; odds ratio [OR], 4.386) and perineural invasion (p = 0.01; OR, 0.062) were correlated with curative resection. Total bilirubin levels of more than 3 g/dl just before the operation (p = 0.042; hazard ratio [HR], 2.109) and extent of resection (R1 and 2 vs R0; p = 0.05; HR, 2.309) were selected as significantly negative factors affecting overall survival on the multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: Caudate lobectomy and neurectomy may be thought of as adjustable territories by the surgeon's efforts to achieve curative resection. R0 resection achieved through those efforts and liver optimization using preoperative biliary drainage may offer the patients a chance of cure.