ABSTRACT
Objective: To estimate the preventive effect of mitomycin C (MMC) injection via great omentum vein during resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) against the recurrence of IHCC. Methods: The clinical data of 73 IHCC patients, who were treated in our hospital form Jan. 2000 to Jun. 2004, were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-eight patients were injected with 10 mg MMC via great omentum vein during operation; thirty-five patients who received no chemotherapeutic agents were taken as controls. The recurrence of the disease was followed up and was statistically analyzed. Results: Patients in the 2 groups were matchable in sex, age, viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, tumor diameter, tumor number, preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT), blood transfusion, portal vein or bile duct thrombus and postoperative TACE (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the recurrence was related to the number and diameter of the tumors, with the hazard ratios being 1.877 (P=0.001) and 1.391 (P=0.029 4), respectively; injection of MMC had no influence on the recurrence. There was no significant difference in the time of disease-free survival (DFS)between the 2 groups, with the median time of DFS of MMC injection group being 5 months and of control group being 3 months after the first operation(P=0.125 3). The recurrence rates in the MMC group and control group were 65. 79% vs 68.57% (P=0.800 4) 6 months after operation, 81.58% vs 94.29%(P=0.099 0)1 year after operation, 89.47% vs 97.14% (P=1.679 55) 2 years after operation and 92.11% vs 97.14% (P=0.344 7)3 years after operation. Conclusion: Injection of 10mg MMC via great omentum vein during resection of IHCC may have no definite effect on the recurrence of IHCC; however, perspective study is needed to verify this finding.