Prognosis of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinomas with HBV Infection is Better than Those with Hepatolithiasis After R0 Liver Resection: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels predict early recurrence and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after surgical resection

Introduction

Dysregulation in lipid metabolism contributes to the occurrence and development of various cancers. The connection between changes in lipid metabolism and the development of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma remains uncertain. Our objective was to investigate the significance of blood lipid levels in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who have undergone surgery.

Methods

Ninety-seven ICC patients who underwent surgery were retrospectively enrolled. After 92.2 months of follow-up, the Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard model were used to calculate overall survival and recurrence-free survival.

Results

The median age of this cohort was 56 years, and 79 (81.4 %) of them were male. Eighty-eight (90.7 %) patients presented with tumor recurrence and 73 (75.3 %) died. In multivariate analyses, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (<0.91 vs. ≥ 0.91 mmol/L, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.55; 95 % CI: 1.38-4.71), lymph node metastasis (Yes vs. No, HR = 2.58; 95 % CI: 1.28-5.19), etiology factor (chronic HBV infection vs. others, HR = 0.5; 95 % CI: 0.28-0.88) and multiple tumor lesions (Yes vs. No, HR = 1.85; 95 % CI: 1.01-3.39) were independent predictors of overall survival. However, only high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HR = 1.86; 95 % CI: 1.19-2.92) emerged as the independent factor for recurrence-free survival. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HR = 2.07; 95 % CI: 1.26-3.41), etiology factor (HR = 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.29-0.84), and multiple tumor lesions (HR = 2.00; 95 % CI: 1.14-3.51) were independent predictors of early recurrence. For patients who did not experience the spread of cancer to the lymph nodes, there was a significant correlation between the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and their overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and early recurrence. For patients with low pre-operation high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, high post-operation high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were associated with better prognosis.

Conclusions

Low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level might serve as a sign of poor clinical outcomes (overall survival and recurrence-free survival) and early recurrence among intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. Strengthening the monitoring and intervention of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients with poor prognosis might be critical for improving the prognosis.

MRI for Hepatitis B-Associated Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Multicenter Comparative Study

BACKGROUND

The diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is challenging in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients, due to the overlapping clinical manifestations and atypical imaging patterns compared to patients without HBV.

PURPOSE

To investigate the preoperative imaging characteristics of iCCA in patients with HBV in comparison to those without HBV.

STUDY TYPE

Retrospective.

SUBJECTS

431 patients with histopathologically confirmed iCCA (143 HBV-positive and 288 HBV-negative patients) were retrospectively enrolled from three institutes, and patients were allocated to the training (n = 302) and validation (n = 129) cohorts from different institutes or time period; 100 matching HBV-positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients were also enrolled.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

1.5-T and 3-T, including T1- and T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted and dynamic gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced imaging.

ASSESSMENT

Clinical and MRI features were analyzed and compared between HBV-positive and HBV-negative patients with iCCA, and between HBV-positive patients with iCCA and HCC.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with odds ratio (OR) to identify independent features for discriminating HBV-associated iCCA. Diagnostic model generation by incorporating independent features, and the performance for discrimination was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics with the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI). AUCs were compared by the DeLong's method. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Compared to patients without HBV, washout or degressive enhancement pattern (OR = 51.837), well-defined tumor margin (OR = 8.758) and no peritumoral bile duct dilation (OR = 4.651) were independent significant features for discriminating HBV-associated iCCAs. All these features were also the predominant MRI manifestations for HBV-associated HCC. The combined index showed an AUC of 0.798 (95% CI 0.748-0.842) in the training cohort and an AUC of 0.789 (95% CI 0.708-0.856) in the validation cohort for discrimination. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were all >70%, which was superior to each single feature alone in both cohorts. [Correction added after first online publication on 29 June 2023. The Field Strength/Sequence has been updated from 5-T to 1.5-T.] DATA CONCLUSION: Preoperative MRI may help to discriminate HBV-associated iCCA.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.

A comparative study of clinicopathological and imaging features of HBV-negative and HBV-positive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients with different pathologic differentiation degrees

Hepatitis B is a risk factor for the development of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The prognosis of HBV-related ICC remains to be further investigated. To investigate the clinical, pathological and imaging features of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma of hepatitis B virus-positive and -negative patients. Data from January 31, 2012 to December 31, 2019 of 138 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into hepatitis B virus-positive group (group A[n = 66]) and virus-negative group (group B[n = 72]), and the patients were divided into groups according to pathological differentiation degree and tumor size. The differences in clinical, imaging characteristics and the progression-free survival between groups were analyzed. There were significant differences in gender, age, HBc antibody, CA125 and AFP, tumor distribution site, maximum diameter, plain scan density, inferior hepatic angle, peritumoral bile duct dilatation, vascular encasement invasion, intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and lymphadenopathy between the two groups (P < 0.05); There were statistical differences in signs of vascular encasement invasion between the two groups with well-to-moderately differentiated tumors (P < 0.05); there were statistical differences in tumor density uniformity, signs of vascular encasement invasion and lymphadenopathy between the two groups with poorly differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). Large groups A and B showed differences in tumor density uniformity, vascular encasement invasion, arterial phase, overall reinforcement pattern, peritumoral bile duct stones and biliary dilatation (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in postoperative PFS between the two groups (P > 0.05). The clinical and imaging features of ICC of hepatitis B virus-positive and -negative patients are different, and there is little difference in postoperative disease-free survival time.

Postoperative Prognosis of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-Associated Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: a Multi-center Propensity Score Matching Analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing gradually. The prognosis of NAFLD-ICC has not been well studied. We aim to investigate the prognosis of patients with NAFLD-ICC after curative-intent partial hepatectomy (PH).

METHODS

Multi-center data from January 2003 to January 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The prognosis of ICC was analyzed using PSM and compared with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related ICC.

RESULTS

A total of 898 patients with ICC were included in this study. Of them, 199 (22.2%) were NAFLD-ICC, and 699 (77.8%) were HBV-ICC. Multivariate analysis showed that CA19-9 ≥ 37 U/mL, microvascular invasion, tumor size > 5 cm, multiple tumors, and lymph node (LN) metastasis were independent risk factors for early recurrence (ER) in ICC patients. After a 1:1 PSM, NAFLD-ICC has worse 5-year overall survival (OS) (24.0% vs. 48.9%), 5-year recurrence (80.9% vs. 55.0%), and ER (58.5% vs. 30.0%) than that of HBV-ICC (all P < 0.01). Multivariable analysis showed NAFLD was an independent risk factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.26, 95% CI 1.63-3.13, P < 0.001), tumor recurrence (HR 2.24, 95%CI 1.61-3.10, P < 0.001) and ER (HR 2.23, 95%CI 1.60-3.09, P < 0.001) in patients with ICC after PH. The sensitivity analysis indicated that NAFLD-ICC patients were more likely to experience ER.

CONCLUSION

Compared with HBV-ICC, NAFLD-ICC has a worse prognosis and was more likely to relapse early. More frequent surveillance should be considered.

Hepatitis B virus-related intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma originates from hepatocytes

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common risk factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). However, there is no direct evidence of a causal relationship between HBV infection and ICC. In this study, we attempted to prove that ICC may originate from hepatocytes through a pathological study involving ICC tissue-derived organoids.

METHOD

The medical records and tumor tissue samples of 182 patients with ICC after hepatectomy were collected. The medical records of 182 patients with ICC were retrospectively analyzed to explore the prognostic factors. A microarray of 182 cases of ICC tumor tissue and 6 cases of normal liver tissue was made, and HBsAg was stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to explore the factors closely related to HBV infection. Fresh ICC tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues were collected to make paraffin sections and organoids. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining of factors including HBsAg, CK19, CK7, Hep-Par1 and Albumin (ALB) was performed on both fresh tissues and organoids. In addition, we collected adjacent nontumor tissues of 6 patients with HBV (+) ICC, from which biliary duct tissue and normal liver tissue were isolated and RNA was extracted respectively for quantitative PCR assay. In addition, the expression of HBV-DNA in organoid culture medium was detected by quantitative PCR and PCR electrophoresis.

RESULTS

A total of 74 of 182 ICC patients were HBsAg positive (40.66%, 74/182). The disease-free survival (DFS) rate of HBsAg (+) ICC patients was significantly lower than that of HBsAg (-) ICC patients (p = 0.0137). IF and IHC showed that HBsAg staining was only visible in HBV (+) ICC fresh tissues and organoids, HBsAg expression was negative in bile duct cells in the portal area. Quantitative PCR assay has shown that the expression of HBs antigen and HBx in normal hepatocytes were significantly higher than that in bile duct epithelial cells. Combined with the IF and IHC staining, it was confirmed that HBV does not infect normal bile duct epithelial cells. In addition, IF also showed that the staining of bile duct markers CK19 and CK7 were only visible in ICC fresh tissue and organoids, and the staining of hepatocyte markers Hep-Par1 and ALB was only visible in normal liver tissue fresh tissue. Real-time PCR and WB had the same results. High levels of HBV-DNA were detected in the culture medium of HBV (+) organoids but not in the culture medium of HBV (-) organoids.

CONCLUSION

HBV-related ICC might be derived from hepatocytes. HBV (+) ICC patients had shorter DFS than HBV (-) ICC patients.

Long-term outcomes of anatomic vs. non-anatomic resection in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with hepatolithiasis: A multicenter retrospective study

Background

The benefits of anatomic resection (AR) vs. non-anatomic resection (NAR) in patients with primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with hepatolithiasis (HICC) are unclear. This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of AR vs. NAR in patients with HICC.

Methods

A total of 147 consecutive patients with HICC who underwent R0 hepatectomy were included. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) following AR vs. NARs were compared using a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. A subgroup analysis was also conducted according to whether there are lymph node metastases (LNM).

Results

In a multivariate analysis, CA 19-9 (>39 U/L), microvascular invasion, LNM, and NAR were independent risk factors for poor RFS and OS rates, whereas multiple tumors were independent risk factors for OS. AR had better 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS and OS rates than NAR (OS: 78.7, 58.9, and 28.5%, respectively, vs. 61.2, 25.4, and 8.8%, respectively; RFS: 59.5, 36.5, and 20.5%, respectively, vs. 38.2, 12.1, and 6.9%, respectively). After PSM, 100 patients were enrolled. The NAR group also had significantly poorer OS and RFS (OS: 0.016; RFS: p = 0.010) than the AR group. The subgroup analysis demonstrated that in HICC without LNM, OS and RFS were significantly poorer in the NAR group than the AR group, while no significant differences were observed in HICC with LNM before or after PSM.

Conclusion

Anatomic resection was associated with better long-term survival outcomes than NAR in patients with HICC, except for patients with LNM.

Liver Tumor Markers, HALP Score, and NLR: Simple, Cost-Effective, Easily Accessible Indexes for Predicting Prognosis in ICC Patients after Surgery

INTRODUCTION

To investigate the prognostic significance of liver tumor markers, the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), for predicting the specific site of recurrence or metastasis after surgery in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

METHODS

In total, 162 patients with pathologically proven ICC who underwent curative surgery at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between April 2016 and April 2020 were analyzed. Clinicopathological characteristics were collected retrospectively. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Significant clinical factors were examined by univariate analysis and multivariate analysis and analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS

The cutoff values for the HALP score, NLR, and PLR were determined to be 43.63, 3.73, and 76.51, respectively, using the surv_cutpoint function of survminer using RFS as the target variable. In multivariate analysis, vascular invasion, pathology nerve tract invasion, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels were independent prognostic factors of OS, whereas the tumor number, pathology microvascular invasion, pathology differentiation, CA19-9 levels, and NLR were independent prognostic factors of RFS. For the whole recurrence analysis, the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) index exhibited the largest ROC curve area of all (AUC = 0.590), and the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) index exhibited the smallest ROC curve area (AUC = 0.530). The HALP score exhibited the largest ROC curve area of all in predicting intrahepatic recurrence (AUC = 0.588), the NLR showed the best predictive value in predicting lymph node metastasis (AUC = 0.703), and the AUC of the CA19-9 index was the largest of all variables in predicting distant metastasis (AUC = 0.619).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that CA19-9, CEA, HALP score, and NLR are easily accessible, reliable, cost-effective indexes for predicting the specific site of recurrence or metastasis after surgery in ICC patients. Patients with high HALP scores and NLR have a higher risk of intrahepatic and lymph node metastasis recurrence.

Linoleic acid pathway disturbance contributing to potential cancerization of intrahepatic bile duct stones into intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary hepatic malignancy with poor prognosis. Intrahepatic bile duct stone (IBDS) is one of the key causes to ICC occurrence and can increase morbidity rate of ICC about forty times. However, the specific carcinogenesis of IBDS is still far from clarified. Insight into the metabolic phenotype difference between IBDS and ICC can provide potential mechanisms and therapeutic targets, which is expected to inhibit the carcinogenesis of IBDS and improve the prognosis of ICC.

Methods

A total of 34 participants including 25 ICC patients and 9 IBDS patients were recruited. Baseline information inclusive of liver function indicators, tumor biomarkers, surgery condition and constitution parameters etc. from patients were recorded. ICC and IBDS pathological tissues, as well as ICC para-carcinoma tissues, were collected for GC–MS based metabolomics experiments. Multivariate analysis was performed to find differentially expressed metabolites and differentially enriched metabolic pathways. Spearman correlation analysis was then used to construct correlation network between key metabolite and baseline information of patients.

Results

The IBDS tissue and para-carcinoma tissue have blurred metabolic phenotypic differences, but both of them essentially distinguished from carcinoma tissue of ICC. Metabolic differences between IBDS and ICC were enriched in linoleic acid metabolism pathway, and the level of 9,12-octadecadienoic acid in IBDS tissues was almost two times higher than in ICC pathological tissues. The correlation between 9,12-octadecadienoic acid level and baseline information of patients demonstrated that 9,12-octadecadienoic acid level in pathological tissue was negative correlation with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level in peripheral blood. These two indicators were all cancerization marker for hepatic carcinoma and disease characteristic of IBDS.

Conclusion

Long-term monitoring of metabolites from linoleic acid metabolism pathway and protein indicators of liver function in IBDS patients has important guiding significance for the monitoring of IBDS carcinogenesis. Meanwhile, further insight into the causal relationship between linoleic acid pathway disturbance and changes in liver function can provide important therapeutic targets for both IBDS and ICC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02354-2.

Recurrence and prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients with different etiology after radical resection: a multi-institutional study

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the prognosis and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients with different etiology after radical resection.

Methods

A total of 448 patients with ICC who underwent radical resection between 2010 and 2018 at ten Chinese tertiary hospitals were analyzed in the study. These patients were divided into conventional ICC (Con-ICC, n = 261, 58.2%), hepatitis B virus ICC (HBV-ICC, n = 102, 22.8%) and hepatolithiasis (Stone-ICC, n = 85,19.0%) subtypes according to different etiology. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to mitigate the baseline differences between Con-ICC and HBV-ICC, Con-ICC and Stone-ICC, HBV-ICC and Stone-ICC subtypes.

Results

Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that different etiology was a prognostic factor for overall survival and relapse-free survival, and different etiology was an independent risk factor for overall survival in ICC patients, respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, there was a statistical difference for overall survival in early recurrence patients among the three etiological subtypes (P < 0.05). After PSM, the overall survival of patients with Stone-ICC was worse than those of Con-ICC and HBV-ICC subtypes (P < 0.05), while the relapse-free survival of patients with Stone-ICC was equivalent to patients with Con-ICC and HBV-ICC (P > 0.05). In Stone-ICC patients, the median overall survival was 16.0 months and 29.7 months, and the median relapse-free survival was 9.0 months and 20.0 months for non-ACT and ACT patients, respectively (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The prognosis of Stone-ICC patients was significantly worse than those of Con-ICC and HBV-ICC patients. Interestingly, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the prognosis of Stone-ICC patients effectively.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09448-w.

Double-Negative α-Fetoprotein and Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Predict a Good Prognosis in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) are routinely tested in patients with liver malignancies before surgery. However, few reports have explored the relevance of the expression pattern of these 2 tumor markers regarding the prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). We herein combined these 2 tumor markers to investigate the influence on ICC malignancy and patient prognosis.

METHODS

From March 2009 to December 2019, 519 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed ICC who underwent R0 resection were enrolled and followed. The relationships between clinicopathological parameters and these 2 tumor markers were analyzed. Propensity score matching was used to eliminate the baseline differences.

RESULTS

A lower proportion of patients with double-negative AFP and CA19-9 had advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage, larger tumor diameter, multiple tumors, lymph node metastasis, microvascular invasion, and perineural invasion. With propensity score matching, patients were divided into double-negative and non-double-negative groups, with 128 patients in each group, and the 5-year recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates were 33.8 vs 15.2 (P < 0.001) and 45.3 vs 19.0, respectively (P < 0.001). In the multivariate Cox analyses, double negativity for the 2 tumor markers was an independent factor for recurrence-free survival (hazard ratios, 0.578; 95% CI, 0.442-0.755, P < 0.001) and overall survival (hazard ratios, 0.567; 95% CI, 0.434-0.741, P < 0.001).

DISCUSSION

Double negativity for CA19-9 and AFP indicated less invasive tumor characteristics in patients with ICC. Patients with double-negative tumor markers achieved better outcomes than those with non-double-negative markers, which is meaningful for prognostic counseling and therapeutic triage.

A Nomogram in Predicting Risks of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma After Partial Hepatectomy for Hepatolithiasis

BACKGROUND

Hepatolithiasis is associated with the development of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). This study sought to investigate risk factors of ICC for hepatolithiasis after partial hepatectomy (PH) and to develop a model for predicting ICC risk.

METHODS

Data on consecutive patients who underwent PH for hepatolithiasis at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital between January 2009 and December 2011 were reviewed. Independent risk factors of ICC identified by Cox regression model were used to develop a nomogram in predicting ICC after PH for hepatolithiasis.

RESULTS

Of 2056 patients, 168 developed ICC at a median follow-up of 7.2 years. The cumulative incidences of ICC at 3, 5, and 8 years after PH for hepatolithiasis were 3.0%, 6.5%, and 12.9%, respectively. Independent risk factors of ICC were identified to be a long duration of hepatolithiasis-related symptoms (hazard ratio, 1.088 [95% confidence interval, 1.057-1.120]), metabolic syndrome (2.036 [1.210-3.425]), a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (1.250 [1.009-2.816] for 3-5 vs ≤3; 1.538 [1.048-2.069] for ≥5 vs ≤3), hepatic atrophy (1.711 [1.189-2.462]), segmental intensity differences (1.513 [1.052-2.176]), persistent biliary strictures (2.825 [1.480-5.391]), and residual stone disease (2.293 [1.511-3.481]). By incorporating these factors, a constructed nomogram showed a concordance index of 0.721 to predict ICC. The calibration plots demonstrated good agreement between observed and predicted morbidities. The optimal cutoff point for the nomogram was 48 in differentiating between high and low-risk of ICC.

CONCLUSIONS

A nomogram for predicting ICC after PH for hepatolithiasis was constructed based on risk factors of developing ICC. Patients with a nomogram point of ≥48 were predicted to have a high risk of ICC.

Update on the association of hepatitis B with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Is there new evidence?

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a subgroup of cholangiocarcinoma that accounts for about 10%-20% of the total cases. Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most important predisposing factors leading to the formation of iCCA. It has been recently estimated based on abundant epidemiological data that the association between HBV infection and iCCA is strong with an odds ratio of about 4.5. The HBV-associated mechanisms that lead to iCCA are under intense investigation. The diagnosis of iCCA in the context of chronic liver disease is challenging and often requires histological confirmation to distinguish from hepatocellular carcinoma. It is currently unclear whether antiviral treatment for HBV can decrease the incidence of iCCA. In terms of management, surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment. There is a need for effective treatment modalities beyond resection in both first- and second-line treatment. In this review, we summarize the epidemiological evidence that links the two entities, discuss the pathogenesis of HBV-associated iCCA, and present the available data on the diagnosis and management of this cancer.

Liver Imaging and Data System (LI-RADS) Version 2018 and Other Imaging Features in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in Chinese Adults with vs. without Chronic Hepatitis B Viral Infection

PURPOSE

To describe liver imaging reporting and data system (LI-RADS) version 2018 and other MRI imaging features in intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) in Chinese adults with vs. without chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 89 patients with pathologically proven iCCA after multiphase imaging performed between 2004 and 2017 at a tertiary medical center in southern China. Based on whether patients had chronic HBV, iCCA was divided into two subgroups: HBV-positive (n = 50 patients, including 9 with cirrhosis) vs. HBV-negative (n = 39 patients, including 14 with hepatolithiasis and 25 with no identifiable risk factor for iCCA; none had cirrhosis). Two independent abdominal radiologists in consensus reviewed the largest mass in each patient to assign LI-RADS v2018 features; they also scored each observation's shape and location. Imaging features were compared using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTS

Most iCCAs in HBV-positive (88% (44/50)) and HBV-negative (97% (38/39)) patients had at least one LR-M feature. Compared to iCCAs in HBV-negative patients, iCCAs in HBV-positive patients were more likely to have at least one major feature of HCC (46% (23/50) vs. 8% (3/39), P < 0.001) and more likely to be smooth (42% (21/50) vs. 10% (4/39), P = 0.001). Six of 50 (12%) iCCAs in HBV-positive patients and 1/39 (3%) iCCAs in HBV-negative patients had at least one major feature of HCC without any LR-M feature.

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective single-center study in Chinese adults, iCCAs in HBV-positive patients were more likely to resemble HCCs than iCCAs in HBV-negative patients.

High serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase concentration associates with poor postoperative prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become prominent. Prospectively stratifying postoperative risk factors is a challenging task.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed the relationship between serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) concentration and postoperative outcomes in 107 subjects with HBV-associated ICC. Cox proportionate hazard models and subgroup analyses were used to test the hypothesis with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

Serum GGT concentration was negatively correlated with postoperative outcomes. For a 1-standard deviation (per-SD) (117 µ/L) increase of serum GGT concentration, the relative risk (RR) for overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR) were 1.72 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37 to 2.16] and 1.53 (95% CI, 1.22 to 1.91), respectively. In addition, the RRs of middle and top tertiles of GGT for death were 1.81 (95% CI, 0.98 to 3.32) and 3.56 (95% CI, 1.97 to 6.42), respectively (P for trend <0.001). Similarly, the RRs for recurrence of the corresponding tertiles were 1.70 (95% CI, 0.93 to 3.10) and 3.27 (95% CI, 1.77 to 6.06), respectively (P for trend =0.002). In our study, the negative correlation between serum GGT levels and OS did not differ significantly between groups stratified by age, sex, HBV DNA level, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level and liver resection type (all P for interaction >0.05); however, there was a significant interactive effect of serum GGT and adjuvant chemotherapy on OS (RR =0.64 vs. 1.77, P for interaction =0.04).

Conclusions

High serum GGT concentration is associated with an increased risk of postoperative death and tumor recurrence in patients with HBV-associated ICC. However, this relationship became less significant with the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Surgical Approach to Recurrent Cholangiocarcinoma

Background

For recurrent cholangiocarcinoma, systemic chemotherapy is the standard of care. Repeated resection is a potential curative treatment, but data are scarce and outcomes are not well defined so far.

Summary

In the last decade there has been an increasing number of reports suggesting a survival benefit and even cure after repeated surgery. This is particularly true for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, where repeated resections offer similar or even better results than the first resection. In selected cases even a third liver resection is possible. In contrast, in perihilar and distal cholangiocarcinoma, repeated resection is only rarely possible. Although the improved outcome might be attributed to a careful patient selection and a favorable tumor biology, repeated surgical treatment should be attempted whenever possible. This necessitates a structured follow-up after resection.

Key Message

Surgical resection offers the chance for prolonged survival and even for cure in recurrent cholangiocarcinoma. Hence, it is of the utmost importance to better understand the routes of metastases and to define factors qualifying for resection. Whether different patterns of recurrence reflect biological heterogeneity requires further investigation.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Differentiating Combined Hepatocellular Cholangiocarcinoma From Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Objectives

To establish a nomogram based on preoperative laboratory study variables using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression for differentiating combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA).

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of iCCA and cHCC patients who underwent liver resection. Blood signatures were established using LASSO regression, and then, the clinical risk factors based on the multivariate logistic regression and blood signatures were combined to establish a nomogram for a differential preoperative diagnosis between iCCA and cHCC. The differential accuracy ability of the nomogram was determined by Harrell’s index (C-index) and decision curve analysis, and the results were validated using a validation set. Furthermore, patients were categorized into two groups according to the optimal cut-off values of the nomogram-based scores, and their survival differences were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves.

Results

A total of 587 patients who underwent curative liver resection for iCCA or cHCC between January 2008 and December 2017 at West China Hospital were enrolled in this study. The cHCC score was based on the personalized levels of the seven laboratory study variables. On multivariate logistic analysis, the independent factors for distinguishing cHCC were age, sex, biliary duct stones, and portal hypertension, all of which were incorporated into the nomogram combined with the cHCC-score. The nomogram had a good discriminating capability, with a C-index of 0.796 (95% CI, 0.752–0.840). The calibration plot for distinguishing cHCC from iCCA showed optimal agreement between the nomogram prediction and actual observation in the training and validation sets. The decision curves indicated significant clinical usefulness.

Conclusion

The nomogram showed good accuracy for the differential diagnosis between iCCA and cHCC preoperatively, and therapeutic decisions would improve if it was applied in clinical practice.

Transarterial chemoembolization versus percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for recurrent unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Development of a prognostic nomogram

BACKGROUND

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) are commonly used to treat intrahepatic recurrent liver cancers. However, there is no information regarding their effectiveness in patients with recurrent intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after resection.

METHODS

A total of 275 patients with localized recurrent ICC who received either TACE (n = 183) or PMCT (n = 92) were studied. A propensity score matching analysis was performed to compare prognostic impact of TACE and PMCT. Prognostic factors for TACE and PMCT were identified respectively. Predictive nomograms for each TACE and PMCT were developed using the Cox independent prognostic factors and were validated in independent patient groups by receiver operating characteristic curves and area under curve values.

RESULTS

Both TACE and PMCT provided curativeness in partial patients (5-year overall survival: 21.4% and 6.1%, respectively), but TACE provided better survival benefit in both overall patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.97; P = 0.034) and propensity score matching analysis (HR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.47-0.98; P = 0.041). Independent prognostic factors for TACE were tumor size >5 cm, poor differentiation, and major resection, whereas poor differentiation, hepatitis B virus infection, cholelithiasis, and lymph node metastasis were identified for PMCT. Both predictive nomograms for TACE and PMCT were validated to be effective with area under curve values of 0.77 and 0.70, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

TACE provided better survival benefits compared to PMCT. However, there was a disparity in prognostic factors, suggesting evaluation of the two nomograms may be supportive in modality selection. Further prospective validation studies are required for the results to be applied in clinical medicine.

Coming of a precision era of the staging systems for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma?

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer. Appropriate treatment of this aggressive and heterogeneous cancer requires accurate staging and prognostic stratification, as does patient selection for clinical trials. Over the past two decades, several staging systems and prognostic models for ICC have been developed. Most include independent prognostic factors such as tumor extent, clinical parameters and histopathological features and are inaccurate. Accumulating findings offer new insights into the genetic and molecular basis of ICC progression. Hence, staging systems and prognostic models that incorporate in clinicalpathological factors, molecular and genomic information, and tumor biomarkers, and hence more accurately estimate prognosis, will become a reality. This review summarizes the current staging systems and prognostic models for ICC and highlights the need to establish more precise and personalized systems and models that incorporate tumor biologic factors.

Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis - an independent poor prognostic indicator for resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A propensity score matched analysis

BACKGROUND

Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis (RPC) is a known risk factor for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), whether it represents a poor prognostic factor remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the post-hepatectomy oncological outcomes of patients with ICC and coexisting RPC.

METHOD

A retrospective analysis with propensity score matching (PSM) was performed for comparison between ICC patient with and without RPC.

RESULTS

There were 143 patients with ICC with a median follow-up of 21 months. RPC was diagnosed in 18% of patients. The time from RPC diagnosis to ICC diagnosis was 137(47-481) months. The 3-year disease-free (DFS) and overall survival for the whole population was 34% and 43% respectively. Preoperative child score, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen, presence of microvascular invasion, multiple tumours, presence of postoperative complications and RPC were independent factors for DFS and OS. After PSM, 60 ICC patients who did not have RPC were compared with 20 ICC patients with RPC. Patients with RPC had significantly worse median DFS (10 vs 23 months, P = 0.020) and OS (15 vs 45 months, P = 0.004) when compared to the patients without RPC.

CONCLUSION

RPC represents a poor prognostic factor affecting outcomes after hepatectomy for patients with ICC.

Implications of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Etiology on Recurrence and Prognosis after Curative-Intent Resection: a Multi-Institutional Study

BACKGROUND

We sought to investigate the prognosis of patients following curative-intent surgery for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) stratified by hepatitis B (HBV-ICC), hepatolithiasis (Stone-ICC), and no identifiable cause (conventional ICC) etiologic subtype.

METHODS

986 patients with HBV-ICC (n = 201), stone-ICC (n = 103), and conventional ICC (n = 682) who underwent curative-intent resection were identified from a multi-institutional database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to mitigate residual bias.

RESULTS

HBV-ICC patients more often had cirrhosis, earlier stage tumors, a mass-forming lesion, well-to-moderate tumor differentiation, and an R0 resection versus stone-ICC or conventional ICC patients. Five-year recurrence-free survival among HBV-ICC and conventional ICC patients was 23.9 and 17.8%, respectively, versus a recurrence-free of only 8.3% among patients with stone-ICC. Similarly, 5-year overall survival among patients with stone-ICC was only 18.3% compared with 48.9 and 38.0% for patients with HBV-ICC and conventional ICC, respectively. On PSM, patients with stone-ICC group had equivalent long-term outcomes as HBV-ICC patients. In contrast, on PSM, stone-ICC patients had a median overall survival of only 18.0 months versus 44.0 months for patients with conventional ICC. Median overall survival after intrahepatic-only recurrence among patients who had stone-ICC (6.0 months) was worse than OS among HBV-ICC (13.0 months) or conventional ICC (12.0 months) (p = 0.006 and p = 0.082, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

While HBV-ICC had a better prognosis on unadjusted analyses, these differences were mitigated on PSM suggesting no stage-for-stage differences in outcomes compared with stone-ICC or conventional ICC. In contrast, patients with stone-ICC had worse long-term outcomes. These data highlight the relative importance of ICC etiology relative to established clinicopathological factors in the prognosis of patients with ICC.

Prognostic implications of hepatitis B virus infection in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated with first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin

PURPOSE:

Hepatitis B virus infection is a well-known risk factor for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. However, its prognostic impact has rarely been investigated in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS:

Between April 2010 and May 2015, 296 patients with unresectable or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who received gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis) were categorized into a hepatitis B virus group (n=62; 21%) and a non-hepatitis B virus group (n=234; 79%). Clinicopathological features and survival outcomes were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS:

The median age of patients was 59 years (range, 27-78). The median overall survival with first-line GemCis was 9.4 months (95% CI 8.4, 10.4). Compared to the non-hepatitis B virus group, the hepatitis B virus group was younger (median age, 57 vs. 61 years, P = 0.001), mainly male (74% vs. 57%, P = 0.02), and had lower frequency of elevated cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 (34% vs. 59%, P = 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (43% vs. 61%, P = 0.01). In a univariate analysis, the hepatitis B virus infection showed a marginal relationship with poor overall survival compared to the non-hepatitis B virus infection (median, 8.3 vs. 10.0 months; P=0.13). A multivariate analysis of potential prognostic factors revealed a significant association with poor overall survival in the hepatitis B virus group (hazard ratio (HR) =1.50, P = 0.02). Initial metastatic disease (vs. recurrent/unresectable disease; HR=1.50), metastatic sites ⩾ 2 (vs. 0-1; HR=1.51), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ⩾ 2 (vs. 0-1; HR=1.93), elevated total bilirubin (vs. normal; HR=1.83), and low albumin (vs. normal; HR=1.52) were significantly related to an unfavorable overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study suggests that the hepatitis B virus infection may be associated with distinctive clinicopathological characteristics and poor outcome in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated with GemCis.

Transarterial Chemoembolization: A Favorable Postoperative Management to Improve Prognosis of Hepatitis B Virus-associated Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma after Surgical Resection

Background: There is no information regarding transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as a postoperative management after hepatic resection for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Methods: Forty-two patients with pathological confirmation of HBV-associated ICC were enrolled. Prognostic impact of the clinicopathological factors as well as postoperative TACE were evaluated. Computed tomography findings of HBV-associated ICC were assessed.

Results: Tumor size of larger than 5 cm (hazard ratio [HR], 5.654; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.175 to 27.204; P = 0.031), postoperative TACE (HR, 0.123; 95% CI, 0.023 to 0.643; P = 0.013), and lymph node metastasis (HR, 3.284; 95% CI, 1.236 to 8.724; P = 0.017) revealed to be independently associated with survival outcomes of patients with HBV-associated ICC. Application of TACE, as a postoperative management to control early local recurrence on the basis of hepatic arterial phase enhancement, significantly prolonged survival outcomes (1-yr, 88.9%; 3-yr, 77.8%; 5-yr, 66.7%), compared to the patients who did not receive TACE (1-yr, 63.6%; 3-yr, 30.8%; 5-yr, 13.0%). When analyzed according to the status of hepatic arterial phase, arterial phase enhancement demonstrated a favorable trend on prognosis of patients with HBV-associated ICC without statistical significance (HR, 0.435; 95% CI, 0.140 to 1.359; P = 0.141), and TACE independently improved overall survival of patients with arterial phase enhancement (HR, 0.105; 95% CI, 0.014 to 0.774; P = 0.027).

Conclusions: Put together, our results indicate that postoperative TACE effectively improves prognosis of HBV-associated ICC with arterial phase enhancement in CT scans. Large-sized trials are required for our results to be applied in clinical medicine.

Risk stratification system to predict recurrence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after hepatic resection

Background

Previous nomograms for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) were conducted to predict overall survival, which could be influenced by various factors. Herein, we conducted our nomogram to predict recurrence of the tumor only after hepatic resection.

Methods

The nomogram was established with prognostic factors for the relapse-free survival (RFS) analyzed from our single center cohort and was evaluated by comparing with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for the predictive accuracy.

Results

Seropositivity of hepatitis B surface antigen (hazard ratio [HR], 0.505; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.279 to 0.914; P = 0.024), tumor size of larger than 5 cm (HR, 1.947; 95% CI, 1.177 to 3.219; P = 0.009), Child-Pugh score of B (HR, 3.067; 95% CI, 1.293 to 7.275; P = 0.011), and lymph node metastasis (HR, 2.790; 95% CI, 1.628 to 4.781; P < 0.001) were found to be independent prognostic factors that significantly affected RFS. The calibration curve for the prediction revealed excellent agreement between estimation by our stratification system and actual RFS. The concordance C index of the nomogram (0.71; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.77) revealed to be significantly higher than the AJCC staging system (0.66; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.72). In the validation cohort, our risk stratification system (C-index 0.65; 95% CI, 0.59 to 0.71) also revealed more precise prediction than the AJCC staging system (C-index, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.64).

Conclusions

Our nomogram could more accurately predict recurrence of ICC after hepatic resection than the AJCC staging system.