Surgical outcomes for 131 cases of carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract

Carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract is highly aggressive and has a poor prognosis even after curative resection. The purpose of this study was to collate and analyze published data to clarify the surgical outcome of carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract and the relationships between potential prognostic factors and survival after surgery. We surveyed worldwide literature from 1970 to 2012 and obtained clinicopathological data for 131 patients who had undergone surgical resection for carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract, including one patient from our clinic. The relationships between potential prognostic factors and survival rates were examined using the Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for patients with carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract after surgery were 44.0, 29.3, and 27.0 %, respectively. In univariate analyses, age and gender were not significant prognostic factors; however, advanced stage according to the classification of the Union for International Cancer Control in resected specimens was significantly associated with a shorter survival time after surgery. Although carcinosarcoma of the hepatobiliary tract remains a rare disease worldwide, its poor prognosis, even after curative resection, demands further epidemiological and pathological study that could lead to the development of new management strategies.