Liver Transplantation for Cholangiocarcinoma

The treatment of intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas remains a medical challenge. Due to the poor efficacy of conventional chemotherapy, surgical treatment modalities represent the only chance of attaining long-term survival and cure. The introduction of new procedures, in particular extended liver resections – which were enabled by increasing surgical expertise and the implementation of multimodal treatment protocols – led to an increasing number of curatively treated patients and significant improvements in long-term results after curative resection. However, numerous patients are not suitable for radical resection because of local tumour growth, intrahepatic metastases, infiltration of main vascular and biliary structures or insufficient remnant liver function. In unresectable tumours, liver transplantation is a curative treatment option for many patients and represents the only chance to achieve long-term survival and cure. Yet, cholangiocarcinomas are not currently a standard indication for liver transplantation, because of the organ shortage and the resulting necessity to allocate available organs to patients with the best prognosis. In recent years, the results of liver transplantation for the different types of cholangiocarcinoma have improved following the application of new treatment protocols. The most promising long-term results were achieved in hilar cholangiocarcinoma by using neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy prior to transplantation. Long-term survival rates were not inferior to those seen in patients receiving a transplantation for benign liver diseases or early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. The improved long-term outcomes of transplantation for intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas have led to a renewed interest for liver transplantation as a treatment for these tumour entities.