The Dominant Component and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Combined Hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma After Radical Resection

Combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) is a rare subtype of primary liver carcinoma, characterized by the unequivocal presence of both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). However, its clinicopathological characteristics have not yet been thoroughly elucidated. In particular, cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CLC) was classified as a subtype of cHCC-CCA according to the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) classification. However, according to the 2019 WHO classification, tumors displaying histological features consistent with CLC but lacking evidence of hepatocellular differentiation should be regarded as a distinct subtype of iCCA. Nevertheless, there may be notable differences in prognosis between CLC and iCCA, indicating the necessity for refining the classification when devising clinical treatment strategies. This study aimed to determine the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of cHCC-CCAs following radical resection.