BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of the hepatic duct confluence is the most common site of bile duct malignancies. Although hilar cholangiocarcinoma has been characterized as a slow-growing and late metastasizing tumor, post-therapeutic prognosis has remained poor. The study was undertaken to analyze factors influencing the surgical curative effect of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
METHODS: A retrospective clinical analysis was made of 198 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who had been surgically treated at our hospital from 1997 to 2002. Jaundice (94.5%, 187 patients), pruritus (56.6%, 112) and abdominal pain (33.8%, 67) were the main symptoms. According to the Bismuth-Corlette classification, there were 14 type I patients, 19 type II patients, 12 type IIIa patients, 15 type IIIb patients, 112 type IV patients, and 26 unclassified patients. 144 patiens received laparotomy, and 120 tumor resection including radical resection  (59 patients) and palliative resection (61). Fifty-four patients were treated by endoscopic surgery and 16 patients by postoperative adjuvant radiation.
RESULTS: Occupation, preoperative level of total serum bilirubin, operative procedure and postoperative adjuvant radiation affected postoperative survival of the patients. The postoperative suvivals of endoscopic nose-biliary drainage (ENBD) group, endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) or endoscopic metal biliary endoprosthesis (EMBE) group, biliary exploration and drainage group, palliative resection group and radical resection group differed (χ2=87.0489, P<0.01).
CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and radical resection are important to improve the prognosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.