Treatment and Prognosis for Patients With Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Data on outcomes following surgical management of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are limited. The incidence of ICC is increasing and it has a poor prognosis. No consensus has been reached regarding the optimal treatment modalities.

To systematically review and synthesize the available evidence regarding treatment and prognosis in patients with ICC. DATA SOURCES: The PubMed database was searched for relevant articles published between January 1, 2000, and April 1, 2013. STUDY SELECTION: Only studies assessing predictors of survival or recurrence in patients undergoing curative-intent surgical treatment of ICC were included. Small series, studies reporting on mixed types of cholangiocarcinoma, or exclusively on hepatolithiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma, and those published in a language other than English, French, German, Italian, or Greek, were excluded. Fifty-seven of 960 articles were therefore analyzed. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were extracted by 3 independent reviewers. Multiple studies reporting on the same population were excluded. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We hypothesized that preoperative variables and tumor characteristics affect patient survival. The outcomes of the study were overall survival and recurrence-free survival. The hypothesis was formulated before data collection.