Preoperative factors predicting outcomes in patients with suspected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma referred for curative resection- a single-center 10-year experience

PURPOSE: Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is a rare malignancy requiring resection of extrahepatic bile ducts with or without hepatectomy. Prognostic models for post-operative outcomes in pCCA are unusable in pre-operative decision-making as most are based on post-operative variables. Additionally, no pre-operative models include futile laparotomy or benign hilar stenosis (BHS) as possible outcomes. We investigated pre-operative predictive factors for non-resectability, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS), in patients referred for resection of suspected pCCA.

METHODS: Patients with suspected pCCA evaluated at multidisciplinary team (MDT) conference and referred for curative resection at Rigshospitalet, from 2013-2023. Outcomes were preoperative factors related to OS, DFS and non-resectability.

RESULTS: Ninety-three patients with suspected pCCA were considered resectable at MDT, of which 84 (90.3 %) were confirmed pCCA. Nineteen (20.4 %) with pCCA were non-resectable. Patients with non-resectable pCCA had higher pre-operative p-bilirubin and ECOG-performance status (ECOG-PS) compared to resected pCCA and BHS (p=0.02 and 0.01). Portal vein embolization (PVE), higher ECOG-PS and elevated p-bilirubin were associated with worse OS in patients with pCCA undergoing surgical exploration [(HR 2.45 (95% CI 1.32-4.56), p=0.004), (HR 2.32 (95% CI 1.30-4.09), p=0.004) and (HR 2.03 (95% CI 1.17-3.51), p=0.01), respectively]. PVE and larger tumor size were associated with poorer DFS [HR 3.29 (95 % CI 1.64- 6.60), p=0.001) and (HR 1.02 (95% CI 1.00-1.04), p=0.003) respectively].

CONCLUSION: Poor ECOG-PS, PVE, elevated p-bilirubin and larger tumor size were associated with adverse survival in patients with pCCA undergoing surgical exploration. Non-resectable pCCA were associated with higher rates of elevated p-bilirubin and larger tumor size.