Prognostic impact of type of preoperative biliary drainage in patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract Background Surgical results of patients with resected distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) were evaluated to elucidate prognostic impact of the type of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD). Methods Eighty-eight patients with resected DCC were stratified into two groups according to the type of PBD: the percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) group (n = 25) and the endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) group (n = 63). Results Overall 5-year survival rate of the patients in the PTBD group was poorer than in the EBD group (24% vs. 52%, P  = 0.020). On univariate analysis, PTBD, pancreatic invasion, perineural invasion, and lymph node involvement were significant prognostic factors for poor overall survival. On multivariate analysis, PTBD was the only significantly independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival. The incidence of liver metastasis was significantly higher in the PTBD group than in the EBD group (32.0% vs. 13.3%, P  = 0.034). Conclusions PTBD should be avoided as much as possible in patients with DCC since the patients who underwent PTBD had poorer overall survival and higher incidence of liver metastasis than those who underwent EBD.