Clinicopathological features of long-term survivors for advanced biliary tract cancer and impact of the number of lymph nodes involved

Background & aim: To investigate the characteristics of long-term survivors after surgery for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), especially those with local invasion and/or lymph node involvement. Methods: We analyzed the features of long-term survivors using a prospectively collected database and verified the results using recent patients' data which have been well-described, especially in relation to lymph node dissection and metastasis. We used classification by the Japanese Society of Biliary Surgery (JSBS). Results: Among 170 patients with advanced BTC (Stage III or IV in JSBS), 25 (10 bile duct cancer, 9 gall bladder cancer, and 6 cancer of the papilla of Vater) survived for more than 5 years. Twenty-four patients had undergone fCurA/B (R0) surgery in these 25 patients. In comparison with the patients who did not survive for 5 years, the long-term survivors had fewer metastatic lymph nodes, that is, up to three (p = 0.0028). In regard to the impact of lymph node metastasis, the prognostic factor was the number of lymph nodes (3-year overall survival, 0 or 1: 68.1% vs >2: 40.0%, p = 0.0304). Conclusion: For obtaining long-term survival, curative resection would be necessary in patients with no more than one lymph node metastasis. Synopsis: In patients with biliary tract cancer, curative resection is necessary for long-term survival in patients with no more than one lymph node metastasis.