Cholangiocarcinoma as an Indication for Liver Transplantation in the Era of Transplant Oncology

Enrico Gringeri; Martina Gambato; Gonzalo Sapisochin; Tommy Ivanics; Erica Nicola Lynch; Claudia Mescoli; Patrizia Burra; Umberto Cillo; Francesco Paolo Russo

doi:10.3390/jcm9051353

Cholangiocarcinoma as an Indication for Liver Transplantation in the Era of Transplant Oncology

J Clin Med. 2020 May 5;9(5):1353. doi: 10.3390/jcm9051353.

Authors

Enrico Gringeri¹, Martina Gambato², Gonzalo Sapisochin³, Tommy Ivanics³, Erica Nicola Lynch², Claudia Mescoli⁴, Patrizia Burra², Umberto Cillo¹, Francesco Paolo Russo²

Affiliations

¹ Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Padua University Hospital, 35100 Padua, Italy.
² Multivisceral Transplant Unit and Gastroenterology, Padua University Hospital, 35100 Padua, Italy.
³ Multi-Organ Transplant and HPB Surgical Oncology, Division of General Surgery, University Health Network, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2N2, Canada.
⁴ Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, Department of Medicine, Padua University Hospital, 35100 Padua, Italy.

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) arises from the biliary tract epithelium and accounts for 10-15% of all hepatobiliary malignancies. Depending on anatomic location, CCA is classified as intrahepatic (iCCA), perihilar (pCCA) and distal (dCCA). The best treatment option for pCCA is liver resection and when a radical oncological surgery is obtained, 5-year survival rate are around 20-40%. In unresectable patients, following a specific protocol, liver transplantation (LT) for pCCA showed excellent long-term disease-free survival rates. Fewer data are available for iCCA in LT setting. Nevertheless, patients with very early unresectable iCCA appear to achieve excellent outcomes after LT. This review aims to evaluate existing evidence to define the current role of LT in the management of patients with CCA.

Keywords: cholangiocarcinoma; liver transplantation; surgery.

Publication types

Review