Liver Transplantation for Cholangiocarcinoma: Charting a Path With Lessons Learned From Center Experience

Abstract

Background. While liver transplantation (LT) with neoadjuvant chemoradiation is increasingly utilized for the management of unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), data on post-LT survival are limited. Methods. We identified 844 patients who underwent LT (2002–2019) for nonincidental (CCA listing) or incidental (CCA on explant, not at listing) CCA in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Kaplan–Meier and multivariable proportional hazards regression methods evaluated the effects of patient characteristics, donor type, transplant era (before/after 2010), and center volume (center-level CCALTs/active year) on the risk of graft failure and patient mortality. Results. One center performed >12 CCALTs/y, and the rest performed ≤4. Five-year graft survival was 50.6%. Multivariable models demonstrated laboratory model of end-stage liver disease ≥40 versus 1 to ≤2, and >2 to ≤4 CCALTs/y compared to >12 were associated with increased risk of graft failure and mortality (all P ≤ 0.002). Extra vessel use was associated with center volume. Among all recipients, extra vessel use occurred in 55.4% of CCALTs performed at the highest volume center and in 14.0% of cases at centers having ≤4 CCAs/y (P < 0.05). Conclusions. Center volume-related differences in outcomes and extra vessel use highlight the importance of establishing a unified, effective treatment protocol and the potential utility of regionalization of LT for CCA.