Liver Transplantation for the Treatment of Early Stages of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in Cirrhotics

Diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is increasingly common in patients with liver cirrhosis. iCCA is not an indication for Liver transplantation (LT) at most transplant centres given the historically poor rates of survival and high rates of disease recurrence. A recent retrospective study shows that patients found to have very early iCCA on explant after undergoing LT for another indication, had a 5 year survival of 65% and recurrence rate of 13%.This suggests that LT can be a curative treatment if applied selectively and that it is time to reevaluate LT as a treatment option for those with very early iCCA. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of LT as a treatment for very early iCCA diagnosed in cirrhotic patients. Diagnosis of iCCA will be based upon biopsy results of a new tumor which does not present radiologically as an HCC. Patients fulfilling the strict study selection criteria will undergo a full transplant assessment and must be deemed otherwise "suitable" for liver transplant as per their centre's criteria. Patients will be treated with bridging therapies while they are on the transplant waiting list according to each center's policy. Patients with disease progression (tumor >3cm or development of extrahepatic disease) at any time prior to transplantation will be excluded. Participants will be followed for 5 years from the time of transplant with patient survival and disease recurrence as outcome measures.