Preoperative Computed Tomography Features of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma for Predicting Lymph Node Metastasis and Overall Survival.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to compare the difference of computed tomography (CT) features between intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs) with and without lymph node metastasis (LNM) and to construct a nomogram to predict LNM and overall survival preoperatively.

METHODS

Clinicopathological and contrast-enhanced CT features of 63 patients with ICC were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to construct a nomogram to predict LNM preoperatively. Survival curves were drawn with the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival difference was compared.

RESULTS

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas with and without LNM differed significantly in clinical symptoms, tumor location, morphologic classification, arterial phase enhancement degree-mean, arterial phase enhancement degree-max, portal venous phase enhancement degree-max, equilibrium phase (EP) enhancement ratio, EP CT value-max, and EP CT value-max/liver. A nomogram based on morphologic classification, EP CT value-max, and EP enhancement ratio was constructed to predict LNM with an area under curve of 0.814 (P < 0.001). Patients with ICC with LNM risk of 0.20 or greater based on the nomogram showed a significantly poorer overall survival than those with LNM risk less than 0.20 (39.5 ± 5.2 vs 51.1 ± 4.7 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative CT features of ICCs differed significantly between those with and without LNM. Nomogram based on those features could predict LNM and overall survival even better than the N stage.