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Cholangiocarcinoma imaging: from diagnosis to response assessment

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Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a highly aggressive primary liver cancer arising from the bile duct epithelium, represents a substantial proportion of hepatobiliary malignancies, posing formidable challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Notably, the global incidence of intrahepatic CCA has seen a rise, necessitating a critical examination of diagnostic and management strategies, especially due to presence of close imaging mimics such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and combined hepatocellular carcinoma–cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC–CCA). Hence, it is imperative to understand the role of various imaging modalities such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), elucidating their strengths, and limitations in diagnostic precision and staging accuracy. Beyond conventional approaches, there is emerging significance of functional imaging tools including positron emission tomography (PET)–CT and diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI, providing pivotal insights into diagnosis, therapeutic assessment, and prognostic evaluation. This comprehensive review explores the risk factors, classification, clinical features, and role of imaging in the holistic spectrum of diagnosis, staging, management, and restaging for CCA, hence serving as a valuable resource for radiologists evaluating CCA.

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Fig. 1

Courtesy: Susanne Loomis, BS, BFA, BS, MS, FBCA, Production Supervisor, Medical and Scientific Communications, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

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Abbreviations

ADC:

Apparent diffusion coefficient

AJCC:

American Joint Committee on Cancer

CBD:

Common bile duct

CCA:

Cholangiocarcinoma

iCCA:

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

pCCA:

Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

dCCA:

Distal or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

CEA:

Carcinoembryonic antigen

CE-US:

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound

CT:

Computed tomography

DWI:

Diffusion-weighted imaging

EASL:

European Association for the Study of the Liver

EBRT:

External beam radiotherapy

ERCP:

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

FF:

Fat fraction

18F-FDG:

18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose

FLR:

Future liver remnant

Gd-EOB-DTPA:

Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

ID:

Iodine density

LI-RADS:

Liver imaging reporting and data system

LVD:

Liver venous deprivation

MDCT:

Multidetector CT

MRA:

Magnetic resonance angiography

MRCP:

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MTV:

Metabolic tumor volume

NIU:

Normalized iodine uptake

PET:

Positron emission tomography

PLC:

Primary liver cancer

PSC:

Primary sclerosing cholangitis

PVE:

Portal vein embolization

RECIST:

Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors

SBRT:

Stereotactic body radiation therapy

SUV:

Standardized uptake values

99mTc-GSA:

99mTc-labeled galactosyl human serum albumin

TLG:

Total lesion glycolysis

T1WI :

T1-weighted image

T2WI :

T2-weighted image

TUE images:

True unenhanced images

UICC:

Union for International Cancer Control

VUE image:

Virtual unenhanced image

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  1. Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, White 270, Boston, MA, 02114-2696, USA

    Jinjin Cao, Shravya Srinivas-Rao, Nayla Mroueh, Roshni Anand, Sasiprang Kongboonvijit, Madeleine Sertic, Anuradha S. Shenoy-Bhangle & Avinash Kambadakone

  2. Department of Radiology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Sasiprang Kongboonvijit

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Cao, J., Srinivas-Rao, S., Mroueh, N. et al. Cholangiocarcinoma imaging: from diagnosis to response assessment. Abdom Radiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-024-04267-y

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