Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct

Abstract

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a variant of bile duct carcinoma that is characterized by intraductal growth and better outcomes compared with common cholangiocarcinoma. IPNBs are mainly found in patients from Far Eastern areas, where hepatolithiasis and clonorchiasis are endemic. According to the immunohistochemical profiles of the mucin core proteins, IPNBs are classified into four types: pancreaticobiliary, intestinal, gastric, and oncocytic. Approximately 40%-80% of IPNBs contain a component of invasive carcinoma or tubular or mucinous adenocarcinoma, suggesting that IPNB is a disease with high potential for malignancy. It is difficult to make an accurate preoperative diagnosis because of IPNB's low incidence and the lack of specificity in its clinical manifestation. The most common abnormal preoperative imaging findings of IPNB are intraductal masses and the involvement of bile duct dilation. Simultaneous proximal and distal bile duct dilation can be detected in some cases, which has diagnostic significance. Cholangiography and cholangioscopy are needed to confirm the pathology and demonstrate the extent of the lesions. However, pathologic diagnosis by biopsy cannot reflect the actual stage in many cases because different foci may be of different stages and because mixed pathologic findings may exist in the same lesion. Surgical resection is the major treatment. Systematic cholangioscopy with staged biopsies and frozen sections is recommended during resection to ensure that no minor tumors are left and that curative resection is achieved. Staging, histologic subtype, curative resection and lymph node metastasis are factors affecting long-term survival.

Keywords: Biliary papillomatosis; Intraductal neoplasm; Mucinous; Papillary cholangiocarcinoma; Prognosis.

Figure 1

A representative case of intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct with macroscopically visible mucin secretion. Within a single tumor (A), the coexistence of adenoma (B), borderline lesion (C), and adenocarcinoma (D) was found (hematoxylin and eosin stain, × 200 ).

Figure 2

Schematic drawings of intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct showing the five imaging patterns. A: Type 1: Diffuse duct ectasia with a grossly visible papillary mass; B: Type 2: Diffuse duct ectasia without a visible mass; C: Type 3: An intraductal polypoid mass within localized duct dilation; D: Type 4: Intraductal cast-like lesions; E: Type 5: A focal stricture-like lesion with mild proximal ductal dilation.

Figure 3

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showing an amorphous filling defect, suggesting the presence of mucobilia.

Figure 4

Kaplan-Meier survival estimates of overall survival (A) and disease-specific survival (B) according to the depth of extraductal invasion (none, < 5 mm, and ≥ 5 mm) and resection type (R0 vs R1). P < 0.05 was considered significant.