Purpose: To evaluate the role of adjuvant radiotherapy after narrow-margin (<1.0 cm) resection in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) adherent to major vessels.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study included 70 ICC patients. Forty-nine patients received narrow-margin (<1.0 cm) hepatectomy and 21 patients underwent wide-margin (≥1.0 cm) hepatectomy (Group C). Twenty-six of 49 were treated with postoperative radiotherapy (Group A), while the remaining 23 did not receive radiotherapy (Group B). Clinical outcomes were compared in the 3 groups. Toxicities of radiotherapy were evaluated.
Results: With a median follow-up time of 42 months, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival rates were 55% and 44% for Group A, 20% and 10% for Group B, and 65% and 33% for Group C, respectively. The OS and disease-free survival in Groups A and C were comparable and improved compared to Group B (Group A vs B, P =0.011 and P =0.031; and Group C vs B, P =0.031 and P =0.105). Multivariate analysis showed that receiving narrow-margin resection only (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.36–10.25; P =0.001) was a significant poor prognostic risk factor of OS. Group B experienced more intrahepatic recurrence and extrahepatic recurrence than Groups A and C. For Groups A and B, the 3-year intrahepatic recurrence rates were 36% vs 67% (P =0.133) and extrahepatic recurrence rates were 43% vs 65% (P =0.007). Only 2 patients in Group A suffered from grade 3 toxicities. No patient developed classic or nonclassic radiation-induced liver disease.
Conclusion: Postoperative radiotherapy following narrow-margin hepatectomy seems to be efficacious and well-tolerated in patients with ICC adjacent to major vessels.
Keywords: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, surgical margin, hepatectomy, surgery, postoperative radiotherapy, prognosis