Objective: To summarize the experience of surgical resection of 103 hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
Methods: One hundred and three consecutive cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection at our hospital over the past ten years were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical data and long-term outcome were analyzed.
Results: Out of 103 cases, 43 patients underwent radical resection (41.7%), and 60 patients underwent palliative resection. There were 34 patients developed postoperative complications and 8 patients died in hospital. For the radical resection group, the median survival time was 29.9 months and 1-year, 3-year, 5-year survival rate was 69.6%, 42.0%, 20.9%, respectively, which was significant greater than 34.1%, 10.2%, 0 of the palliative resection group (P < 0.05). Over the past five years, 42 cases underwent pre-operative drainage of bile and the rate of combined liver resection reached 53.8%. The tumor radical resection rate has increased to 45.7%, the median survival time have reached 24.7 months (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Improvement of pre-operative management, intraoperative pathology for resection margin, and combined liver resection may help in increasing the radical resection rate. Radical resection can improve postoperative survival, and produce a satisfactory outcome for patient with hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma.