Influence of age on surgical treatment of peripheral cholangiocarcinoma

Very Early Recurrence After Liver Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Considering Alternative Treatment Approaches

Importance

Although surgery offers the best chance of a potential cure for patients with localized, resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), prognosis of patients remains dismal largely because of a high incidence of recurrence.

Objective

To predict very early recurrence (VER) (ie, recurrence within 6 months after surgery) following resection for ICC in the pre- and postoperative setting.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Patients who underwent curative-intent resection for ICC between May 1990 and July 2016 were identified from an international multi-institutional database. The study was conducted at The Ohio State University in collaboration with all other participating institutions. The data were analyzed in December 2019.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Two logistic regression models were constructed to predict VER based on pre- and postoperative variables. The final models were used to develop an online calculator to predict VER and the tool was internally and externally validated.

Results

Among 880 patients (median age, 59 years [interquartile range, 51-68 years]; 388 women [44.1%]; 428 [50.2%] white; 377 [44.3%] Asian; 27 [3.2%] black]), 196 (22.3%) developed VER. The 5-year overall survival among patients with and without VER was 8.9% vs 49.8%, respectively (P < .001). A preoperative model was able to stratify patients relative to the risk for VER: low risk (6-month recurrence-free survival [RFS], 87.7%), intermediate risk (6-month RFS, 72.3%), and high risk (6-month RFS, 49.5%) (log-rank P < .001). The postoperative model similarly identified discrete cohorts of patients based on probability for VER: low risk (6-month RFS, 90.0%), intermediate risk (6-month RFS, 73.1%), and high risk (6-month RFS, 48.5%) (log-rank, P < .001). The calibration and predictive accuracy of the pre- and postoperative models were good in the training (C index: preoperative, 0.710; postoperative, 0.722) as well as the internal (C index: preoperative, 0.715; postoperative, 0.728; bootstrapping resamples, n = 5000) and external (C index: postoperative, 0.672) validation data sets.

Conclusion and Relevance

An easy-to-use online calculator was developed to help clinicians predict the chance of VER after curative-intent resection for ICC. The tool performed well on internal and external validation. This tool may help clinicians in the preoperative selection of patients for neoadjuvant therapy as well as during the postoperative period to inform surveillance strategies.

Systemic therapy in younger and elderly patients with advanced biliary cancer: sub-analysis of ABC-02 and twelve other prospective trials

Background

Outcomes in younger (<40 years) and elderly (≥70 years) patients with advanced biliary cancer (ABC) receiving palliative chemotherapy are unclear. This study assessed outcomes in those receiving monotherapy or combination therapy in thirteen prospective systemic-therapy trials.

Methods

Multivariable analysis explored the impact of therapy on progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in two separate age cohort groups: <70 years and ≥70 years, and <40 years and ≥40 years.

Results

Overall, 1163 patients were recruited (Jan 1997-Dec 2013). Median age of entire cohort: 63 years (range 23–85); 36 (3%) were <40, 260 (22%); ≥70. Combination therapy was platinum-based in nine studies. Among patients <40 and ≥70 years, 23 (64%) and 182 (70%) received combination therapy, respectively. Median follow-up was 42 months (95%-CI 37–51). Median PFS for patients <40 and ≥40 years was 3.5 and 5.9 months (P = 0.12), and OS was 10.8 and 9.7 months, respectively (P = 0.55). Median PFS for those <70 and ≥70 years was 6.0 and 5.0 months (P = 0.53), and OS was 10.2 and 8.8 months, respectively (P = 0.08). For the entire cohort, PFS and OS were significantly better in those receiving combination therapy: Hazard Ratio [HR]-0.66, 95%-CI 0.58–0.76, P < 0.0001 and HR-0.72, 95%-CI 0.63–0.82, P < 0.0001, respectively; and in patients ≥70 years: HR-0.54 (95%-CI 0.38–0.77, P = 0.001) and HR-0.60 (95%-CI 0.43–0.85, P = 0.004), respectively. There was no evidence of interaction between age and treatment for PFS (P = 0.58, P = 0.66) or OS (P = 0.18, P = 0.75).

Conclusions

In ABC, younger patients are rare, and survival in elderly patients in receipt of systemic therapy for advanced disease, whether monotherapy or combination therapy, is similar to that of non-elderly patients, therefore age alone should not influence decisions regarding treatment.

Cholangiocarcinoma

Biliary tract cancer accounts for <1% of all cancers and affects chiefly an elderly population, with predominance in men. We distinguish cholangiocarcinoma (intrahepatic, hilar and distal) and gallbladder cancer, with different pathogenesis and prognosis. The treatment is based on surgery (whenever possible), radiotherapy in selected cases, and chemotherapy. The standard cytotoxic treatment for advanced/metastatic disease is represented by the combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin, whereas fluoropyrimidines are generally administered in second line setting. At the present time, no biologic drug demonstrated a clear efficacy in this cancer, although the molecular characterisation could provide a promising basis for experimental treatments. A good supportive care and an early palliative care are warranted in most patients and should be delivered as a part of a global approach.

Outcomes following resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this analysis was to examine prognostic features and outcomes in patients undergoing resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed in all patients who underwent R0 or R1 resection for primary ICC between 1995 and 2011. Clinical data were abstracted and statistical analyses were conducted in the standard fashion.

RESULTS

A total of 82 patients underwent curative hepatectomy for primary ICC; 51 patients in this cohort developed recurrence. The median follow-up of survivors was 27 months (range: 1-116 months). Recurrences were intrahepatic (65%), associated with multiple tumours (54%) and occurred during the first 2 years after hepatectomy (86%). The main factor associated with recurrence after resection was the presence of satellite lesions. Overall 5-year disease-free survival after primary resection was 16%. Factors associated with poor survival were transfusion and perineural invasion. Treatment of recurrence was undertaken in 89% of patients and repeat surgical resection was performed in 15 patients. The 3-year survival rate after recurrence was 25%. Prolonged survival after recurrence was associated with a solitary tumour recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite curative resection of ICC, recurrence can be expected to occur in 79% of patients at 5 years. Predictors of survival and recurrence after resection vary in the literature. In patients with recurrence, selection of the optimal treatment remains challenging.

Impact of aging on morbidity and mortality after liver resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Surgery involving elderly patients is becoming increasingly common due to the rapid aging of societies all over the world. The objective of this study was to elucidate the prognostic differences between elderly and young patients who undergo liver resection. A systematic review based on the PRISMA flow diagram was conducted. Ovid Medline and PubMed were used to search for relevant literature published between January 2000 and March 2013, and the modified MINORS score was used to assess the methodological quality. In cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and miscellaneous liver tumors, the morbidity and mortality rate did not differ significantly between the elderly and young patients. For patients with colorectal metastatic liver cancer, the mortality of the young patients was 2.7 times lower than that of elderly patients. Our review of high-quality retrospective studies was able to elucidate the clinical risks of age on the outcomes after liver surgery in specific patient populations.

Allogeneic blood transfusion does not affect outcome after curative resection for advanced cholangiocarcinoma

PURPOSE

To assess the impact of perioperative blood transfusion on overall and disease-free survival in patients undergoing curative resection for cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS

In a single-center study, 128 patients undergoing curative resection for cholangiocarcinoma between 2001 and 2010 were assessed. The median follow-up period was 19 months. Transfused and nontransfused patients were compared by Cox regression and propensity score analyses.

RESULTS

Overall, 38 patients (29.7 %) received blood transfusions. The patient characteristics were highly biased with respect to receiving transfusions (propensity score 0.69 ± 0.22 vs. 0.11 ± 0.16, p < 0.001). In the unadjusted analysis, blood transfusion was associated with a 105 % increased risk of mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.05, 95 % CI 1.19-3.51, p = 0.010]. In the multivariate (HR 1.14, 95 % CI 0.52-2.48, p = 0.745) and the propensity score-adjusted Cox regression (HR 1.02, 95 % CI 0.39-2.62, p = 0.974), blood transfusion had no influence on overall survival. Similarly, in the propensity score-adjusted Cox regression (HR 0.62, 95 % CI 0.24-1.58, p = 0.295), no relevant effect of blood transfusion on disease-free survival was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first propensity score-based analysis providing compelling evidence that the worse oncological outcome after curative resection for advanced cholangiocarcinoma in patients receiving perioperative blood transfusions is caused by the clinical circumstances requiring the transfusions, not by the blood transfusions themselves.

Curative resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma in a 25-year-old woman: report of a case

A 25-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with persistent upper abdominal pain. Preoperative imaging studies revealed a hilar bile duct stricture with portal venous encasement, and the patient underwent curative resection involving extended left hepatectomy and segmental portal vein resection. The pathological findings demonstrated a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma of the bile duct with regional lymph node metastasis (stage IIIB according to the UICC TNM classification), as well as the overexpression of p53 proteins and the K-ras gene mutation in tumor cells. The patient has shown no evidence of recurrence in the 10 months since the operation. Although there are several reports of relatively young adults with cholangiocarcinoma, the majority of such patients demonstrate either an anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct system or primary sclerosing cholangitis. The absence of any morphological abnormalities in this patient's biliary system implicates de novo carcinogenesis as the most likely cause of the cholangiocarcinoma.

Older adults with biliary tract cancer: treatment and prognosis

OBJECTIVES

To compare survival in older (≥65) and younger (<65) individuals with biliary tract cancer (BTC) and to determine whether treatment efficacy varies according to age.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study and nested case-control study.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center in Korea.

PARTICIPANTS

Five hundred thirty-one individuals diagnosed with BTC from 2003 to 2011.

MEASUREMENTS

Demographic and clinical characteristics of 326 older (≥65) and 205 younger (<65) individuals with BTC were compared. Differences in survival were also assessed after matching according to propensity score.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in sex, symptoms and signs, tumor histology, stage, or surgery between the two groups, but older participants had more comorbidities and poorer performance status and underwent less chemotherapy and radiotherapy (P < .05). Survival of the two groups was compared. After adjustment for baseline characteristics using the propensity score method, survival was still comparable (P = .72). When survival of older participants in the treatment group (TG, those who underwent surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy) was compared with that of those in the supportive care group (SCG, those who received only supportive care), those in the TG had a longer survival time than those in the SCG (P < .001). This result was confirmed in the propensity analysis (including individuals undergoing surgery, P < .001; excluding individuals undergoing surgery, P < .001). In the multivariable Cox analysis, surgical resection and chemotherapy were significantly associated with longer survival, and advanced tumor stage, lower baseline serum albumin level, and greater comorbidity were found to significantly predict poor survival. Age was not associated with survival in individuals with BTC (P = .33).

CONCLUSION

Older age was not associated with poor survival in BTC, and treated individuals had longer survival in the older BTC population. Therefore, treatment should not be restricted on the basis of age.

Immunohistochemical Examination of a Resected Advanced Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Arising in a 29-Year-Old Male without Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

A 29-year-old man with advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma was successfully treated with an extended right lobectomy. The carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level was elevated to 939 IU/l, and the pathological findings revealed moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma which involved almost the entire thickness of the hepatic duct and the adjacent liver tissue (T3) and which was associated with lymph node metastasis (N1). It was a stage IIB (T3N1M0) tubular adenocarcinoma according to UICC pathological staging. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that Ki-67, cyclin D1, and MMP-7 were positive, and 14-3-3σ and p27 were negative. The pathological and immunohistochemical findings indicated high malignant potential indicating poor prognosis. We administrated the postoperative adjunct gemcitabine combined with S-1 chemotherapy. The patient is alive without recurrence and doing well two years after surgery. We also review other reports of cholangiocarcinoma patients aged less than 30 years.

Survival analysis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after resection

BACKGROUND

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary hepatic malignancy, but the studies for the outcome after resection of ICC are rare. The aim of this study was to elucidate outcomes and prognostic factors of ICC in patients undergoing hepatic resection.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted with a total of 63 patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent for ICC. We performed the survival analysis with preoperative and postoperative clinicopathologic factors according to the clinical outcome.

RESULTS

The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 68.2, 50.5, and 31.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that patient's old age, high preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level, major vessel invasion, T classification, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, and narrow resection margin were statistically significant. By multivariate analysis, patient's old age, high preoperative CA19-9 level, lymphatic invasion, and narrow resection margin were independent dismal prognostic factors. The preoperative CA19-9 level shows a significant correlation with some histopathologic factors including major vessel invasion, bile duct invasion, and perineural invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative CA19-9 level was a valuable clinical factor for predicting histopathologic invasiveness as well as clinical outcome. An adequate resection margin was the only modifiable factor by a surgeon during hepatic resection for ICC.

The prognosis and survival outcome of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma following surgical resection: association of lymph node metastasis and lymph node dissection with survival

BACKGROUND

Surgical resection has been shown to improve long-term survival for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). The benefit of lymph node dissection is still controversial. The aims of this study were to investigate the prognostic factors of ICC and to examine the impact of lymph node metastasis and extent of lymph node dissection on survival.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 64 patients with ICC were operated on with curative intent and resultant macroscopic curative resection (R0 and R1). The patients were classified according to the extent of the lymph node dissection. Clinicopathological characteristics and survival were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All patients underwent anatomical resection. The 5-year survival rates were 39.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis (hazard ratio: 3.317) was an independent prognostic factors on survival. Recurrence occurred in 41 patients. Median disease-free survival time was 12.3 months. Tumor differentiation was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazard ratio: 3.158). The extent of lymph node dissection did not affect the occurrence of complication. Regional+alpha lymph node dissection group demonstrated similar survival to those of lymph node sampling group, although significant high incidence of lymph node metastases was observed in the regional+alpha lymph node dissection group. The extent of lymph node dissection did not affect the survival in the patients without lymph node involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

The regional+alpha lymph node dissection enhanced the survival in the ICC patients with lymph node metastasis, and the exact nodal status could be confirmed by lymph node dissection in the pericholedochal lymph nodes.

Prognostic factors in gallbladder and biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Cancers of the gallbladder and bile ducts are uncommon neoplasms with poor survival. Prognostic factors are not well defined because of the scant number of patients reported through series of cases.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of patients with cancer of the bile ducts and gallbladder between the years 1979 and 1998, and analyzed their characteristics according to location (gallbladder, extrahepatic biliary tract, intrahepatic biliary tract, and Klatskin tumors).

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-eight patients were included; the mean follow-up time was 238 +/- 54 d. The tumor found at more advanced stages was the biliary tract tumor. Overall survival time was 254 +/- 40 d. Location did not influence survival. The factors significantly associated to increased survival were age at diagnosis less than 50 yr (p = 0.0065), surgical treatment (p < 0.001), adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0072, respectively), surgical treatment with curative purpose (p < 0.001), stage of the disease (p < 0.0001), absence of jaundice (p = 0.0425), and absence of weight loss (p = 0.0446). In the multivariate analysis the significant variables were age, surgical treatment, adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery with curative purpose, stage of the disease, and absence of jaundice.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancers of the bile ducts are neoplasms known to have a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy was an independent survival factor despite the context, there is need of future studies to define its role on this disease.

Hepatectomy for Peripheral Cholangiocarcinoma in Elderly Patients

BACKGROUND

Peripheral cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) is less common than hepatocellular carcinoma. Little is known about CCC patients older than 70 years who have undergone hepatectomy.

METHODS

Between 1977 and 2004, the clinical features of 33 elderly CCC patients (>70 years old) undergoing hepatectomy were reviewed, and 185 CCC patients younger than 70 years (younger CCC) were used for comparison.

RESULTS

A total of 218 CCC patients undergoing hepatectomy were investigated with ages ranging from 28 to 93 years (median, 59.0 years). The elderly and younger CCC groups had a similar sex ratio and a similar positive rate of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA19-9. A similar rate of hepatolithiasis, mucobilia, papillary pattern, stage distribution, curative hepatectomy, surgical morbidity, and mortality for CCC were also observed between the two groups. During a follow-up duration ranging from 1.1 to 145.0 months (median, 11.7 months), elderly CCC and younger CCC patients had similar prognoses after hepatectomy (P = .827). Elderly CCC patients with a low CEA level, an intraductal papillary growth pattern, curative hepatectomy, and postoperative chemotherapy tended to have favorable survival. However, elderly CCC patients with a low CEA level independently showed favorable survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatectomy is feasible for selected elderly CCC patients. Elderly CCC patients undergoing hepatectomy had clinicopathologic features and prognoses similar to those of patients younger than 70 years undergoing hepatectomy. Elderly CCC patients with a low CEA level, intraductal papillary growth pattern, curative hepatectomy, and postoperative chemotherapy tended to have favorable survival. However, elderly CCC patients with low CEA level independently showed favorable survival.