Selected patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) derive long-term benefits from liver transplantation. Between 1993-2019, our group at Mayo Clinic performed 237 transplants for pCCA. With this experience, we note that two distinct patient populations comprise this group of pCCA patients: those with underlying primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and those without identifiable risk factors termed sporadic or de novo pCCA. Long-term survival after transplant is better in PSC patients (74% five-year survival) than in those with de novo pCCA (58% five-year survival). Herein, we review the likely clinical factors contributing to the divergence in outcomes for these two patient populations. We also offer our insights on how further advances may improve patient selection and survival, focusing on the de novo pCCA patient population.
Keywords: chemoradiation; organ allocation; primary sclerosing cholangitis.