Effectiveness of surgery for recurrent cholangiocarcinoma: A single center experience and brief literature review

Abstract

Background: In this study, we reviewed our experiences and previous studies on surgery for recurrent cholangiocarcinoma (CCA).

Methods: We analyzed outcomes of 117 patients with recurrent CCA between 2000 and 2015. Twenty-one patients (17.9%) underwent surgical resection for recurrence, and the remaining 96 patients (82.1%) did not undergo resection. We evaluated patients' clinicopathological features and prognoses between the two groups.

Results: Patients who underwent surgery were significantly associated with better overall survival after recurrence (HR = 0.22, P < 0.0001). In patients with recurrent CCA, surgery for recurrence was an independent better prognostic factor after recurrence (HR = 0.27, P = 0.0002), and in patients who underwent surgery for recurrent CCA, the presence of lymph node metastasis of primary cancer was an independent worse prognostic factor (HR = 9.45, P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Surgery for recurrent CCA may provide good survival impact in selected patients. Patients with lymph node metastasis of primary CCA should not undergo surgery for recurrent CCA.

Keywords: Cholangiocarcinoma; Lymph node metastasis; Review; Surgery for recurrence.