460
Views
38
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Liver and biliary tract

Liver transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma: Selection is essential for acceptable results

, , , , , , , & show all
Pages 370-375 | Received 01 Oct 2010, Accepted 13 Oct 2010, Published online: 15 Nov 2010
 

Abstract

Background and aims. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is considered a contraindication for liver transplantation by most liver transplant centers. The aim of this study has been to report our results as well as to explore factors that influence patient survival after liver transplantation for CCA. Patients. All transplant patients with CCA in Norway, Sweden and Finland during 1984–2005 were included (n = 53). Thirty-three patients (62%) had intrahepatic CCA. Twenty-one patients (40%) had a more advanced tumor (>TNM stage 2). Thirty-four of the 53 recipients (64%) had primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Results. Patients with TNM stage ≤2 transplanted after 1995 had a 5-year survival rate of 48%. The overall 5-year patient survival rate was 25%. There was no difference in survival between patients with extrahepatic and intrahepatic CCA. The 5-year survival rate among patients with TNM stage ≤2 was 36%. Patients with TNM stage >2 had a 10% 5-year survival rate; the difference was significant at p < 0.01. Patients transplanted after 1995 had a significantly better 5-year survival rate than pre-1995 patients (38% vs. 0%, p < 0.01). Patients transplanted after 1995 with TNM ≤2 and CA 19-9 ≤100 had the 5-year survival of 58%. Conclusion. By selecting CCA patients with TNM stage ≤2 and a CA 19-9 ≤100 a reasonable 5-year survival rate is possible. We think that CCA in selected cases can be an acceptable indication for liver transplantation.

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by Sahlgrenska Academy ALF. TS Axel Friman and MS Gustav Friman are acknowledged for excellent help with data collection.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 336.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.