Background and aim: Combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) is a rare but aggressive primary liver cancer with dismal prognosis. We aim to develop a new scoring method for personalized prognostic prediction in patients with cHCC-CCA undergoing surgical resection.
Methods: Between January 1993 and December 2015, a total of 296 Allen type C cHCC-CCA patients who had received surgical resection in Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital were retrospectively enrolled. A novel prognostic scoring method for cHCC-CCA (PSM-CHCC model) was established and validated. The predictive value of the new model was compared with current prognostic staging systems.
Results: The scoring model was developed based on the independent prognostic variables identified by Cox regression model. Based on the PSM-CHCC model, patients were stratified into three prognostic subgroups according to their individual score: A (scoring 0-2), B (scoring 3-5), and C (scoring > 5). The prediction performance of the PSM-CHCC model outperformed the widely accepted TNM staging system and other staging systems in both training and validation cohorts. Subgroup analysis also verified the discrimination efficacy of the PSM-CHCC model.
Conclusions: The newly established PSM-CHCC model may facilitate prognostic stratification and clinical decision-making in patients with cHCC-CCA.
Keywords: Combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma; Overall survival; Prognosis; Recurrence-free survival.