OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinicopathologic factors influencing the outcome of surgically treated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and to explore the proper treatment choice of ICC.

METHODSThe clinicopathological data of 43 surgically treated ICC patients in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 43 patients, hepatic resection was performed in 40 patients, ethanol injection in 2, and laparoscopic exploration alone in 1. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model were used for the analysis of factors influencing survival after operation.

RESULTSThe accumulative 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 64.4%, 30.9%, 25.8% for the whole group, and 74.7%, 33.3%, 27.8% for the 40 patients with hepatic resection, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor size, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, lymph node involvement and TNM stage were factors significantly affecting the survival (P < 0.05). Cox multivariate analysis demonstrated that only tumor size and lymph node involvement were the independent factors significantly affecting the survival (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONOur results show that tumor size and lymph node involvement are independent factors affecting the survival. CEA level and TNM stage are important prognostic factors for surgical management. Radical resection is still the optimal treatment for patient with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.