The association between non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A hospital based case-control study

Background This study aimed to investigate the association between non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods This was a case control study of patients who underwent surgical resection either for ICC or for a metastatic liver tumor (the control group). We assessed their clinical characteristics, pathological findings, and the prevalence of known ICC risk factors. For patients without known risk factors, we compared other factors including the prevalence of NASH. Results In the patients without known risk factors, 15 of 34 patients in the ICC group and 13 of 69 patients in the control group were diagnosed with NASH. Univariate analysis showed significantly higher values in the ICC group for age (P = 0.0478), prevalence of obesity (P = 0.0365) and NASH (P = 0.0078), and serum levels of albumin (P = 0.0051), and gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (γ‐GTP) (P = 0.0006) compared with the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that age and serum levels of γ‐GTP and NASH were independent risk factors for ICC. In patients with NASH, the proportion of patients with hepatic fibrosis was significantly higher in the ICC group than in the control group (P = 0.0014). Conclusion NASH is a possible risk factor for ICC development. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:779–783. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.