Prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) after surgical treatment

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) is rarely seen in clinical practice, and its treatment strategies and prognosis are still a subject of debate. To ascertain the characteristics of and prognosis for HCC with BDTT, 49 patients with HCC with BDTT were studied out of 763 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent surgical treatment from July 2004 to May 2018. The clinical characteristics of and prognosis for those 49 patients were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. Of the 49 patients, 25 underwent radical resection, 7 underwent thrombectomy through a choledochotomy, and 17 underwent palliative internal and external bile duct drainage. Results indicated that patients who underwent a radical resection had a better prognosis than patients in the other two groups, with a median survival of 19 months vs. 8 months and 3 months (p < 0.001). Moreover, the preoperative bilirubin level (p = 0.025), intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.006), tumor size (p = 0.005), and the presence of portal and hepatic vein tumor thrombi (p = 0.021) were significant prognostic factors associated with long-term survival for patients who underwent radical resection in this study. Radical resection should be performed with adequate preoperative preparation for patients with HCC with BDTT in whom surgery is not contraindicated.