Predictive performance of Blumgart T staging for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma in a Japanese center

The Blumgart system has been used for local tumor assessment in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma to predict resectability and survival, and T3 tumors are considered unresectable disease. The aim was to validate the predictive performance of this system using a Japanese cohort.

Medical records of consecutive patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Resectability, surgical procedure, R0 resection rate, and survival were compared among T stages.

Among 729 study patients, 191 patients had T1 tumors, 94 patients had T2 tumors, and 444 (60.9%) patients had T3 tumors according to the Blumgart T stage. Resection was performed in 513 (70.4%) patients; resectability rate decreased with the progression of T stage: 89.0% in T1, 79.8% in T2, and 60.4% in T3 tumors (P < 0.001). The incidences of left hepatic trisectionectomy and portal vein resection were 44.0% and 54.1%, respectively, in patients with T3 tumors, which were significantly greater than those of T1/2 tumors (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001). R0 resection reduced with advanced T stage: 92.4% in T1, 81.3% in T2, and 70.9% in T3 tumors (P < 0.001). The 5-year survival rate was 53.4%, 38.4%, and 19.7% in T1, T2, and T3 tumors, respectively (P < 0.001); that was 59.6%, 48.6%, and 30.7%, respectively, in the resected cohort (P < 0.001).

Blumgart T stage was closely associated with the resectability rate, surgical procedures, R0 resection rate, and survival time, suggesting that the T stage works as well as a presurgical staging system. However, the unresectable classification of T3 tumors should be revised.