Surgery for periductal infiltrating type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma without hilar invasion provides a better outcome than for mass-forming type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma without hilar invasion.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective of this study was to clarify the clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes in patients with periductal infiltrating type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma without hilar invasion.

METHODOLOGY: Nine patients with periductal infiltrating (PI) type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) without hilar invasion underwent curative surgery. The clinicopathological characteristics and surgical outcomes in these patients were compared with those of 49 patients with mass-forming (MF) type ICC without hilar invasion.

RESULTS

None of the patients in this investigation had jaundice. The tumor size for PI type ICC without hilar invasion was smaller than that of the MF type without hilar invasion. The rates of lymph node metastasis and recurrence in the patients with the PI type ICC without hilar invasion were lower than those of the patients with the MF type ICC without hilar invasion. The 5-year survival rates after surgery for the patients with the PI type ICC and the MF type ICC without hilar invasion were 85.7% and 41.2%, respectively (p = 0.032).

CONCLUSIONS

The patients with PI type ICC without hilar invasion therefore tend to have favorable surgical outcomes.