Clinical Benefits of Lymph Node Dissection in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Retrospective Single-institution Study

Abstract

Background/aim: The prognostic effect of lymph node dissection (LND) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to reveal the clinical benefits of LND in patients with ICC after curative hepatic resections.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 64 patients with ICC who underwent primary curative resections between June 2002 and February 2016 and evaluated the survival benefits of LND.

Results: We performed LND on patients suspected to have LN metastasis before operation (23/64 cases; 35.9%). There was no significant difference in prognosis between the LND(+) group (n=22) and the LND(-) group (n=41); relapse-free survival (RFS): p=0.635 and overall survival (OS): p=0.347. Among the groups, pN0 (n=17), pN1 (n=7) and pNX (without LND or LN sampling; n=39), the survival curves of pN0 and pNX groups were similar (p=0.568).

Conclusion: Special attention should be given to the indication of LND and the practice of secure operation.

Keywords: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; lymph node dissection; prognosis.