Molecular and radiopathologic spectrum between HCC and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Primary liver cancers (LCs), including HCC and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), are derived from a common developmental lineage, conferring a molecular spectrum between them. To elucidate the molecular spectrum, we performed an integrative analysis of transcriptome profiles associated with patients' radiopathologic features. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We identified four LC subtypes (LC1-LC4) from RNA-sequencing profiles, revealing intermediate subtypes between HCC and iCCA. LC1 is a typical HCC characterized by active bile acid metabolism, telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations, and high uptake of gadoxetic acid in MRI. LC2 is an iCCA-like HCC characterized by expression of the progenitor cell-like trait, tumor protein p53 mutations, and rim arterial-phase hyperenhancement in MRI. LC3 is an HCC-like iCCA, mainly small duct (SD) type, associated with HCC-related etiologic factors. LC4 is further subclassified into LC4-SD and LC4-large duct iCCAs according to the pathological features, which exhibited distinct genetic variations (e.g., KRAS , isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 mutation, and FGF receptor 2 fusion), stromal type, and prognostic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our integrated view of the molecular spectrum of LCs can identify subtypes associated with transcriptomic, genomic, and radiopathologic features, providing mechanistic insights into heterogeneous LC progression.

Radiomics of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Peritumoral Tissue Predicts Postoperative Survival: Development of a CT-Based Clinical-Radiomic Model.

BACKGROUND: For many tumors, radiomics provided a relevant prognostic contribution. This study tested whether the computed tomography (CT)-based textural features of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and peritumoral tissue improve the prediction of survival after resection compared with the standard clinical indices. METHODS: All consecutive patients affected by ICC who underwent hepatectomy at six high-volume centers (2009-2019) were considered for the study. The arterial and portal phases of CT performed fewer than 60 days before surgery were analyzed. A manual segmentation of the tumor was performed (Tumor-VOI). A 5-mm volume expansion then was applied to identify the peritumoral tissue (Margin-VOI). RESULTS: The study enrolled 215 patients. After a median follow-up period of 28 months, the overall survival (OS) rate was 57.0%, and the progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 34.9% at 3 years. The clinical predictive model of OS had a C-index of 0.681. The addition of radiomic features led to a progressive improvement of performances (C-index of 0.71, including the portal Tumor-VOI, C-index of 0.752 including the portal Tumor- and Margin-VOI, C-index of 0.764, including all VOIs of the portal and arterial phases). The latter model combined clinical variables (CA19-9 and tumor pattern), tumor indices (density, homogeneity), margin data (kurtosis, compacity, shape), and GLRLM indices. The model had performance equivalent to that of the postoperative clinical model including the pathology data (C-index of 0.765). The same results were observed for PFS. CONCLUSIONS: The radiomics of ICC and peritumoral tissue extracted from preoperative CT improves the prediction of survival. Both the portal and arterial phases should be considered. Radiomic and clinical data are complementary and achieve a preoperative estimation of prognosis equivalent to that achieved in the postoperative setting.

Laparoscopic Tracer Technique for Liver Lymphatic Drainage by Injecting Indocyanine Green into the Glisson Pedicle.

BACKGROUND: Currently, an effective tracer technique for lymphatic drainage during laparoscopic surgery has not been established. This study aimed to elucidate a new fluorescence, imaging technique targeting the hepatic lymphatic drainage area, using indocyanine green (ICG). METHODS: A patient diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) located in segment 8 of the liver was injected with ICG into the connective tissue of the Glisson pedicle supplied by the lesion's liver segment, avoiding the bile duct, portal vein, and hepatic artery. This was performed under the guidance of laparoscopic ultrasonographic localization to trace the lymph nodes. RESULTS: The lymphatic drainage area traced intraoperatively by ICG was consistent with the definition of the right regional lymph nodes for ICC. The lymph nodes were dissected, followed by addition of a fluorescence tracer. CONCLUSIONS: Mastering intraoperative ultrasonic puncture technology can enable effective and accurate tracing of the lymph nodes of the liver segment where the lesion is located. However, the technical standards for this methodology need to be established through further studies.

Impact of EUS in liver transplantation workup for patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: For a highly selected group of patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA), liver transplantation (LT) is a treatment option. The Dutch screening protocol comprises nonregional lymph node (LN) assessment by EUS, and whenever LN metastases are identified, further LT screening is precluded. The aim of this study is to investigate the yield of EUS in patients with pCCA who are potentially eligible for LT. METHODS: In this retrospective, nationwide cohort study, all consecutive patients with suspected unresectable pCCA who underwent EUS in the screening protocol for LT were included from 2011 to 2021. During EUS, sampling of a "suspicious" nonregional LN was performed based on the endoscopist's discretion. The primary outcome was the added value of EUS, defined as the number of patients who were precluded from further screening because of malignant LNs. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were included in whom 84 EUS procedures were performed, with EUS-guided tissue acquisition confirming malignancy in LNs in 3 of 75 (4%) patients. In the 43 who underwent surgical staging according to the protocol, nonregional LNs with malignancy were identified in 6 (14%) patients. Positive regional LNs were found in 7 patients in post-LT-resected specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Our current EUS screening for the detection of malignant LNs in patients with pCCA eligible for LT shows a limited but clinically important yield. EUS with systematic screening of all LN stations, both regional and nonregional, and the sampling of suspicious lymph nodes according to defined and set criteria could potentially increase this yield.

Selective internal radiation therapy using yttrium-90 microspheres for treatment of localized and locally advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate safety and effectiveness of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) using yttrium-90 for localized and locally advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of patients with localized iCCA treated with SIRT at a single institution. Overall survival (OS), local tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicity were collected. Stratified analysis was performed based on surgical resection. Predictor analysis of OS was performed using the Fine-Grey regression analysis model with patients bridged to surgery regarded as competing events. RESULTS: A total of 28 consecutive patients with localized iCCA were treated with a total of 38 sessions of SIRT (17 segmental, 13 lobar, and 8 combined deliveries) and a mean dominant target dose per session of 238.4 ± 130.0 Gy. The cumulative radiologic response rate was 16/28 (57.1%) with a median PFS of 265 days. Median survival time (MST) was 22.9 months for the entire cohort with 1-year and 3-year survival of 78.4% and 45.1%, respectively. Ten patients (34.5%) were downstaged to surgical intervention (7 resection, 3 transplant) and showed longer OS (p = 0.027). The 1-year and 3-year OS for patients who received surgery were 100% and 62.5% (95% CI: 14.2-89.3%), respectively. Age (p = 0.028), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (p = 0.030), and objective radiologic response (p=0.014) are associated with OS. Two ≥grade 3 hyperbilirubinemia, anemia, and one pleuro-biliary fistula occurred post-SIRT. CONCLUSIONS: SIRT for localized iCCA is safe and effective in achieving radiological response, downstaging to surgery and transplant, and resulting in pathologic necrosis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Selective internal radiation therapy should be considered for patients with localized and locally advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. KEY POINTS: • The effectiveness of radioembolization for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) can be underestimated given the inclusion of extrahepatic disease. • Radioembolization is safe and effective for local and locally advanced iCCA. Age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and radiologic response are associated with survival. • Radioembolization should be considered for patients with localized and locally advanced iCCA.

A multi-center diagnostic system for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma based on preoperative MRI and clinical features.

OBJECTIVES: To establish a non-invasive diagnostic system for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) via decision tree analysis. METHODS: Totally 1008 patients with 504 pathologically confirmed IMCCs and proportional hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinomas (cHCC-CC) from multi-centers were retrospectively included (internal cohort n = 700, external cohort n = 308). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate the independent clinical and MRI predictors for IMCC, and the selected features were used to develop a decision tree-based diagnostic system. Diagnostic efficacy of the established system was calculated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in the internal training-testing and external validation cohorts, and also in small lesions ≤ 3 cm. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that female, no chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, elevated carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level, normal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, lobulated tumor shape, progressive or persistent enhancement pattern, no enhancing tumor capsule, targetoid appearance, and liver surface retraction were independent characteristics favoring the diagnosis of IMCC over HCC or cHCC-CC (odds ratio = 3.273-25.00, p < 0.001 to p = 0.021). Among which enhancement pattern had the highest weight of 0.816. The diagnostic system incorporating significant characteristics above showed excellent performance in the internal training (area under the curve (AUC) 0.971), internal testing (AUC 0.956), and external validation (AUC 0.945) cohorts, as well as in small lesions ≤ 3 cm (AUC 0.956). CONCLUSIONS: In consideration of the great generalizability and clinical efficacy in multi-centers, the proposed diagnostic system may serve as a non-invasive, reliable, and easy-to-operate tool in IMCC diagnosis, providing an efficient approach to discriminate IMCC from other HCC-containing primary liver cancers. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This study established a non-invasive, easy-to-operate, and explainable decision tree-based diagnostic system for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma, which may provide essential information for clinical decision-making. KEY POINTS: • Distinguishing intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) from other primary liver cancers is important for both treatment planning and outcome prediction. • The MRI-based diagnostic system showed great performance with satisfying generalization ability in the diagnosis and discrimination of IMCC. • The diagnostic system may serve as a non-invasive, easy-to-operate, and explainable tool in the diagnosis and risk stratification for IMCC.

Systemic Chemotherapy with or without Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma with Extrahepatic Oligometastasis: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) plus systemic chemotherapy (SYS) with that of SYS alone in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with extrahepatic oligometastasis in terms of overall survival (OS) and mortality related to liver failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed with ICC with extrahepatic oligometastasis who received either HAIC plus SYS or SYS alone between January 2019 and January 2021 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to address potential confounding factors. OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and intrahepatic progression-free survival (IPFS) were analyzed. The occurrence of death due to liver failure was also assessed. RESULTS: The study included a total of 179 patients, with 96 receiving SYS alone and 83 receiving HAIC plus SYS. After PSM, 83 pairs were included for further analysis. The median OS and IPFS were significantly longer in the HAIC plus SYS group compared to the SYS alone group (OS: 15.8 months vs 12.7 months; P = .023; IPFS: 9.7 vs 6.1 months; P < .001). No difference was found in PFS between the 2 groups. The HAIC plus SYS group had a significantly lower rate of mortality due to liver failure compared to the SYS alone group (42% vs 72%; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: HAIC plus SYS is a promising treatment approach for patients with ICC and extrahepatic oligometastasis with improved OS, IPFS, and freedom from liver failure mortality compared with SYS alone.

Modified Radiation Lobectomy Strategy of Radioembolization for Right-Sided Unresectable Primary Liver Tumors.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of using modified radiation lobectomy (mRL) to treat primary hepatic tumors located in the right hepatic lobe (Segments V-VIII) and to determine future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed at a single institution to include 19 consecutive patients (7 females, 12 males) who underwent single-session mRL for right-sided primary hepatic tumors: 15 received segmentectomy plus lobectomy (segmental dose of >190 Gy and lobar dose of >80 Gy); 4 were treated with the double-segmental approach (dominant segments of >190 Gy and nondominant segments of >80 Gy). Treated tumors included 13 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 4 cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and 2 mixed-type HCC-CCA with a median dominant tumor size of 5.3 cm (interquartile range [IQR], 3.7-7.3 cm). FLR of the left hepatic lobe was measured at baseline, T1 (4-8 weeks), T2 (2-4 months), T3 (4-6 months), and T4 (9-12 months). RESULTS: Objective tumor response and tumor control were achieved in 17 of the 19 (89.5%) and 18 of the 19 (94.7%) patients, respectively. FLR hypertrophy was observed at T1 (median, 47.8%; P = .025), T2 (median, 48.4%; P = .012), T3 (median, 50.4%; P = .015), and T4 (median, 59.1%; P < .001). Patients without cirrhosis demonstrated greater hypertrophy by 6 months (median, 55.8% vs 47.2%; P = .031). One patient developed a Grade 3 adverse event (ascites requiring paracentesis) at 1-month follow-up. Grade ≥2 serum toxicities were associated with worse baseline Child-Pugh Score, serum albumin, and total bilirubin (P < .05). Among 7 patients who underwent neoadjuvant mRL, 2 underwent resection and 1 received liver transplant. CONCLUSIONS: mRL appears safe and effective for treatment of right-sided primary hepatic tumors with the benefit of promoting FLR hypertrophy.

"Very early" intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (≤ 2.0 cm): MRI manifestation and prognostic potential.

AIMS: To explore the MRI characteristics and clinical outcome of the "very early" intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) ≤2.0cm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally 213 pathologically confirmed iCCAs (44 ≤ 2.0cm and 169 of 2.0-5.0cm) from two institutes were included. Forty-four matching non-iCCA malignancies ≤2.0cm were also enrolled. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated and compared between iCCAs ≤2.0cm and 2.0-5.0cm. MRI features were analyzed and compared between iCCAs ≤2.0cm and 2.0-5.0cm, as well as between iCCAs ≤2.0cm and non-iCCAs ≤2.0cm. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify independent imaging features for discrimination. An MRI-based diagnostic model for iCCA ≤2.0cm was constructed by incorporating the independent imaging features. RESULTS: ICCAs ≤2.0cm had a significantly longer RFS than those of 2.0-5.0cm (log rank P=0.014). Imaging features of homogeneous signal (odds ratio (OR) = 6.677, P<0.001) and lack of vessel invasion (OR=7.56, P<0.001) were more frequently displayed in iCCAs ≤2.0cm compared to iCCAs of 2.0-5.0cm independently. In the small lesions ≤2.0cm, imaging features of progressive or persistent enhancement pattern (OR=27.78, P=0.002) and rim diffusion restriction (OR=5.70, P=0.027) were independent imaging features suggestive of iCCA over non-iCCA malignancy; their combination yielded an area under the curve value of 0.824, with a sensitivity of 97.73%. CONCLUSION: The "very early" iCCA ≤2.0cm was associated with a favorable outcome after surgery, it displayed different and relatively atypical imaging manifestations compared with those of 2.0-5.0cm. Furthermore, in the small lesions ≤ 2.0cm, MRI can be served as a useful non-invasive diagnostic tool for iCCA in clinical screening with high sensitivity.

A machine-learning model based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for preoperative differentiation between hepatocellular carcinoma and combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma.

AIM: To establish a machine-learning model based on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical and MRI data of 194 patients with histopathologically diagnosed cHCC-CC (n=52) or HCC (n=142) were analysed retrospectively. ITK-SNAP software was used to delineate three-dimensional (3D) lesions and extract high-throughput features. Feature selection was carried out based on Pearson's correlation coefficient and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. A radiomics model (radiomics features), a clinical model (i.e., clinical-image features), and a fusion model (i.e., radiomics features + clinical-image features) were established using six machine-learning classifiers. The performance of each model in distinguishing between cHCC-CC and HCC was evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: Significant differences in liver cirrhosis, tumour number, shape, edge, peritumoural enhancement in the arterial phase, and lipid were identified between cHCC-CC and HCC patients (p<0.05). The AUC of the fusion model based on logistic regression was 0.878 (95% CI: 0.766-0.949) in the arterial phase in the test set, and the sensitivity/specificity was 0.844/0.714; however, the AUC of the clinical and radiomics models was 0.759 (95% CI: 0.663-0.861) and 0.838 (95% CI: 0.719-0.921) in the test set, respectively. CONCLUSION: The fusion model based on DCE-MRI in the arterial phase can significantly improve the diagnostic rate of cHCC-CC and HCC as compared with conventional approaches.

Utilization of Radiomics Features Extracted From Preoperative Medical Images to Detect Metastatic Lymph Nodes in Cholangiocarcinoma and Gallbladder Cancer Patients: A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the methodological quality and evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiomics features in detecting lymph node metastasis on preoperative images in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. METHODS: Publications between January 2005 and October 2022 were considered for inclusion. Databases such as Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies. The quality of the methodology of the manuscripts was determined using the Radiomics Quality Score and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. Pooled results with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the DerSimonian-Liard method (random-effect model). Forest plots were used to visually represent the diagnostic profile of radiomics signature in each of the data sets pertaining to each study. Fagan plot was used to determine clinical applicability. RESULTS: Overall sensitivity was 0.748 (95% CI, 0.703-0.789). Overall specificity was 0.795 (95% CI, 0.742-0.839). The combined negative likelihood ratio was 0.299 (95% CI, 0.266-0.350), and the positive likelihood ratio was 3.545 (95% CI, 2.850-4.409). The combined odds ratio of the studies was 12.184 (95% CI, 8.477-17.514). The overall summary receiver operating characteristics area under the curve was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.80-0.86). Three studies applied nomograms to 8 data sets and achieved a higher pooled sensitivity and specificity (0.85 [0.80-0.89] and 0.85 [0.71-0.93], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The pooled analysis showed that predictive models fed with radiomics features achieve good sensitivity and specificity in detecting lymph node metastasis in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging images. Supplementation of the models with biological correlates increased sensitivity and specificity in all data sets.

Survival analysis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a nomogram for clinical and MRI features.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish a predictive model to estimate the postoperative prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) based on preoperative clinical and MRI features. METHODS: A total of 104 patients with ECC confirmed by surgery and pathology were enrolled from January 2013 to July 2021, whose preoperative clinical, laboratory, and MRI data were retrospectively collected and examined, and the effects of clinical and imaging characteristics on overall survival (OS) were analyzed by constructing Cox proportional hazard regression models. A nomogram was constructed to predict OS, and calibration curves and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to assess OS accuracy. RESULTS: Multivariate regression analyses revealed that gender, DBIL, ALT, GGT, tumor size, lesion's position, the signal intensity ratio of liver to paraspinal muscle (SIRLiver/Muscle), and the signal intensity ratio of spleen to paraspinal muscle (SIRSpleen/Muscle) on T2WI sequences were significantly associated with OS, and these variables were included in a nomogram. The concordance index of nomogram for predicting OS was 0.766, and the AUC values of the nomogram predicting 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 0.838 and 0.863, respectively. The calibration curve demonstrated good agreement between predicted and observed OS. 5-fold and 10-fold cross-validation show good stability of nomogram predictions. CONCLUSIONS: Our nomogram based on clinical, laboratory, and MRI features well predicted OS of ECC patients, and could be considered as a convenient and personalized prediction tool for clinicians to make decisions.

Cholangiocarcinoma identified in perforated choledochal cyst in a 3-year-old boy.

Cholangiocarcinoma in patients with Choledochal cysts is rare in childhood; however, it seriously affects the prognosis of the disease. The key to addressing this situation lies in completely removing the extrahepatic cyst. We herein present a case report of a 3-year-old boy with cholangiocarcinoma associated with a choledochal cyst (CDC). Preoperative 3D simulation, based on CT data, played an important role in the treatment of this patient.

Preoperative Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Hepaticogastrostomy for Definite Biliary Drainage in Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Laparoscopic Resection: A Hybrid Minimal-Invasive Technique.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Laparoscopic approach of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) is still challenging. We report the original use of a endoscopic hepaticogastrostomy (EHG) for definite biliary drainage in order to avoid biliary reconstruction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 70-year-old man presenting with jaundice was referred for resection of a Bismuth type IIIa PHC. Repeated endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography failed to drain the future liver remnant, enabling only right anterior liver section drainage. EHG was performed three weeks before surgery. A hepatogastric anastomosis was created, placing a half-coated self-expanding endoprosthesis between biliary duct of segment 2 and the lesser gastric curvature. RESULTS: A laparoscopic right hepatectomy extended to segment 1, common bile duct, and hepatic pedicle lymphadenectomy was performed. The left hepatic duct was sectioned and ligated downstream to the biliary confluence of segment 2-3 and 4 allowing exclusive biliary flow through the EHG. The patient was disease free at 12 months, postoperative outcomes were uneventful except three readmissions for acute cholangitis due to prosthesis obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: EHG may be used as definite biliary drainage technique in laparoscopic PHC resection, at the expense of prosthesis obstruction and cholangitis.

Prognostic Impact of Visceral Adipose Tissue Imaging Parameters in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma after Surgical Resection.

Visceral adiposity is known to be related to poor prognosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma; however, the prognostic significance of the qualitative features of adipose tissue in cholangiocarcinoma has yet to be well defined. This study investigated the prognostic impact of adipose tissue imaging parameters reflecting the quantity and qualitative characteristics of subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in 94 patients undergoing resection of cholangiocarcinoma. The area, mean computed tomography (CT) attenuation, and mean 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake of SAT and VAT on positron emission tomography (PET)/CT for staging work-up were measured, and the relationship of these adipose tissue imaging parameters with clinicopathological factors and survival was assessed. TNM stage, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, and the size of cholangiocarcinoma showed positive correlations with adipose tissue imaging parameters. Multivariate survival analysis demonstrated that the visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR) (p = 0.024; hazard ratio, 1.718) and mean FDG uptake of VAT (p = 0.033; hazard ratio, 9.781) were significant predictors for RFS, but all of the adipose tissue imaging parameters failed to show statistical significance for predicting OS. In addition to visceral adiposity, FDG uptake of VAT might be a promising prognostic parameter for predicting RFS in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.

Utility of modified pancreaticoduodenectomy (Hi-cut PD) for middle-third cholangiocarcinoma: an alternative to hepatopancreaticoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: The standard procedure for middle-third cholangiocarcinoma (MCC) is pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD); hepatopancreaticoduodenectomy (HPD) is often performed despite its high risk. There is no clear selection guidance for these procedures. METHODS: Patients with MCC who underwent HPD or PD were retrospectively evaluated. The conventional PD was modified (mPD) to transect the bile duct beyond or close to the cranial level of the portal bifurcation. RESULTS: The mPD group (n = 55) was characterized by older age, shorter operation time, less blood loss, and less frequent complications than were observed in the HPD group (n = 34). The median grossly tumor-free margin of the proximal bile duct (GM) was 13 mm vs 20 mm (P = 0.006). Overall survival did not differ significantly between groups (48% vs 53% at 5 years, P = 0.399). Multivariate analysis identified positive surgical margin as a sole independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 1.89; P = 0.043), which was statistically associated with GM length. Five-year survival for mPD patients with GM ≥15 mm was significantly better than that for those who had GM <15 mm (69% vs 33%, P = 0.011) and comparable to that of HPD patients (53%, P = 0.450). CONCLUSION: The mPD may be recommended in patients with MCC, provided that GM ≥15 mm is expected from the preoperative radiological imaging. Otherwise, HPD should be considered.

Predictive score for identifying intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients without lymph node metastasis: a basis for omitting lymph node dissection.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a predictive score for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in patients without lymph node metastasis (LNM) using preoperative factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 113 ICC patients who underwent liver resection with systemic lymph node dissection between 2002 and 2021 was conducted. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used as a predictive scoring system for node-negative patients based on the ß coefficients of preoperatively available factors. RESULTS: LNM was observed in 36 patients (31.9%). Four factors were associated with LNM: suspicion of LNM on MDCT (odds ratio [OR] 13.40, p < 0.001), low-vascularity tumor (OR 6.28, p = 0.005), CA19-9 ≥500 U/mL (OR 5.90, p = 0.010), and tumor location in the left lobe (OR 3.67, p = 0.057). The predictive scoring system was created using these factors (assigning 3 points for suspected LNM on MDCT, 2 points for CA19-9 ≥500 U/mL, 2 points for low vascularity tumor, and 1 point for tumor location in the left lobe). A score cutoff value of 4 resulted in 0.861 sensitivity and a negative predictive value of 0.922 for detecting LNM. Notably, no patients with peripheral tumors and a score of ≤3 had LNM. CONCLUSION: The developed scoring system may effectively help identify ICC patients without LNM.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct: review of updated clinicopathological and imaging characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a relatively rare disease and is known as one of the premalignant lesions in the biliary tract. The concept of IPNB has changed through numerous studies and is still evolving. As a lesser studied clinical entity compared with its pancreatic counterpart, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, IPNB has been described in many similar terms, including biliary papillomatosis, biliary intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm, and papillary cholangiocarcinoma. This is based on the diversity of histopathological spectrum of IPNB. METHODS: This review investigated previous studies including original articles, case studies, and expert opinions. Recently, two types of IPNB (types 1 and 2) have been proposed and validated based on the content first established in the WHO 2010 criteria. RESULTS: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, summarizing the clinical, radiological, morphological, and pathological characteristics of IPNB. CONCLUSION: Given the ongoing ambiguity and controversies surrounding IPNB, future research, including large population-based studies and molecular investigations, is essential to enhance understanding of this disease.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a rare condition that might cause bile duct cancer. It has not been studied as much as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, a similar disease of the pancreas. The aim of this article was to look at past studies and sum up what we know about IPNB, such as how it shows up in tests and what it looks like. The authors studied earlier research to learn about IPNB, including its two main kinds, called type 1 and type 2, based on a 2010 list from the WHO. The authors found and listed the main features of IPNB by looking at past research. We still do not know a lot about IPNB, and sometimes experts disagree. More research with lots of people and detailed studies will help us understand this condition better.

Machine learning radiomics to predict the early recurrence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after curative resection: A multicentre cohort study.

PURPOSE: Postoperative early recurrence (ER) leads to a poor prognosis for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). We aimed to develop machine learning (ML) radiomics models to predict ER in ICC after curative resection. METHODS: Patients with ICC undergoing curative surgery from three institutions were retrospectively recruited and assigned to training and external validation cohorts. Preoperative arterial and venous phase contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) images were acquired and segmented. Radiomics features were extracted and ranked through their importance. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify clinical characteristics. Various ML algorithms were used to construct radiomics-based models, and the predictive performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: 127 patients were included for analysis: 90 patients in the training set and 37 patients in the validation set. Ninety-two patients (72.4%) experienced recurrence, including 71 patients exhibiting ER. Male sex, microvascular invasion, TNM stage, and serum CA19-9 were identified as independent risk factors for ER, with the corresponding clinical model having a poor predictive performance (AUC of 0.685). Fifty-seven differential radiomics features were identified, and the 10 most important features were utilized for modelling. Seven ML radiomics models were developed with a mean AUC of 0.87 ± 0.02, higher than the clinical model. Furthermore, the clinical-radiomics models showed similar predictive performance to the radiomics models (AUC of 0.87 ± 0.03). CONCLUSION: ML radiomics models based on CECT are valuable in predicting ER in ICC.

MRI-based automatic identification and segmentation of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using deep learning network.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) from an image is challenging because of the small size and complex background structure. Therefore, considering the limitation of manual delineation, it's necessary to develop automated identification and segmentation methods for ECC. The aim of this study was to develop a deep learning approach for automatic identification and segmentation of ECC using MRI. METHODS: We recruited 137 ECC patients from our hospital as the main dataset (C1) and an additional 40 patients from other hospitals as the external validation set (C2). All patients underwent axial T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Manual delineations were performed and served as the ground truth. Next, we used 3D VB-Net to establish single-mode automatic identification and segmentation models based on T1WI (model 1), T2WI (model 2), and DWI (model 3) in the training cohort (80% of C1), and compared them with the combined model (model 4). Subsequently, the generalization capability of the best models was evaluated using the testing set (20% of C1) and the external validation set (C2). Finally, the performance of the developed models was further evaluated. RESULTS: Model 3 showed the best identification performance in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts with success rates of 0.980, 0.786, and 0.725, respectively. Furthermore, model 3 yielded an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.922, 0.495, and 0.466 to segment ECC automatically in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The DWI-based model performed better in automatically identifying and segmenting ECC compared to T1WI and T2WI, which may guide clinical decisions and help determine prognosis.