What Is the Current State-of-the-Art Imaging for Detection and Staging of Cholangiocarcinoma?

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The Oncologist, Vol. 11, No. 8, 913-922, September

2006;

What

Is the Current State-of-the-Art Imaging for Detection and Staging of

Cholangiocarcinoma?

M. Slattery, Dushyant V. Sahani

Division of Abdominal Imaging

and Interventional Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Cholangiocarcinoma is an adenocarcinoma that

arises from the bile duct epithelium and is the second most common

primary hepatobiliary cancer, after hepatocellular cancer, with approximately 2,500 cases

annually in the U.S. However,

cholangiocarcinoma remains a relatively rare disease, accounting for

<2% of all human malignancies. Although the entire biliary tree

is potentially at risk, tumors involving the biliary confluence or

the right or left hepatic ducts (hilar

cholangiocarcinoma) are most common and account for 40%–60% of

all cases. Most patients present with advanced disease that is not

amenable to surgical treatment. The median survival time for

patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma without involvement of

the hilum varies among centers from 18–30 months.

The median survival time for patients with perihilar

cholangiocarcinoma is slightly less, varying from 12–24 months.

Despite the overall poor prognosis, survival after surgical treatment

of hilar cholangiocarcinoma has improved during the

past 10–15 years.

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