Temporal trends in liver-directed therapy of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in the United States: a population-based analysis

Abstract

Background and objectives: Data on outcomes after liver-directed therapy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are limited due to the rarity of the disease. We sought to define overall utilization and temporal trends of liver-directed therapy for ICC.

Methods: We identified 5,388 patients with ICC using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database between 1983 and 2010. Patients were characterized based on the type of liver-directed therapy received: surgical resection, ablation therapy, and radiation therapy.

Results: The majority of patients did not undergo liver-directed therapy (n = 4,156, 77.1%). Among those undergoing liver-directed therapy, surgical resection was most commonly performed (n = 672, 54.5%) and its utilization increased threefold over time (P = 0.001). The use of ablation therapy alone was used in 5.2% of patients and increased nearly sixfold over time (P = 0.39) whereas the use of radiation therapy alone decreased by nearly half (P < 0.001). Overall median survival was 10 months. Poor predictors of survival include tumor-based factors such as regional and distant disease, as well as poorly differentiated and large tumors (>5 cm).

Conclusion: There was a moderate improvement in overall survival in patients with ICC between 1983 and 2010. The majority of patients with ICC are not undergoing liver-directed therapy. Among those who do undergo liver-directed therapy, the use of ablation therapy and surgery are increasing with nearly three in five patients undergoing resection.

Keywords: cholangiocarcinoma; intrahepatic; liver-directed; outcome; population-based.