Background: The clinicopathologic characteristics and the expression of apomucin (MUC) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with respect to gross morphology have not been comprehensively examined.
Study design: We reviewed the clinical data of 98 patients with ICC who underwent resection at Seoul National University Hospital from 1980 to 1998. We also examined the expression profiles of MUC1 and MUC2 in 30 ICC tissues by immunohistochemistry using mouse monoclonal antibodies.
Results: Of 98 cases, 42 were of the mass-forming type of ICC, 22 were of the periductal-infiltrating type, 21 were of the intraductal-growth (IG) type, and 13 were of the mixed type, and the overall 5-year cumulative survival rate was 23.3% in the mass-forming type, 0% in the periductal-infiltrating type, and 76.2% in the IG type. MUC1 was expressed in all types (mass-forming type 75.0%, periductal-infiltrating type 100%, and IG type 73.3%), but significantly, MUC2 was expressed only in the IG type (80.0%), which had better prognosis than the other types.
Conclusions: It is apparent that the IG type of ICC should be distinguished from the other types of ICC because a favorable prognosis can be expected after complete surgical resection.