Objective To investigate the influence of lymphadenectomy on efficacy of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) at different locations.

Methods The retro-spective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 123 patients with ICC who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from January 2015 to January 2022 were collected. There were 78 males and 45 females, aged 55(rage, 50‒60)years. All patients underwent radical resection. Observation indicators: (1) clinical characteristics of patients with ICC; (2) follow-up; (3) surgical situations in ICC patients with different number of lymph nodes dissected. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and compari-son between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis.

Results (1) Clinical characteristics of patients with ICC. Of the 123 patients, 81 cases had peripheral ICC and 42 cases had central ICC. The albumin-bilirubin grade (grade 1, grade 2‒3), preoperative lymph node metastasis risk assessment (low risk, high risk), the number of lymph nodes dissected (<6, ≥6), lymph node metastasis (positive, negative) were 57, 24, 51, 30, 49, 32, 15, 66 in patients with peripheral ICC, versus 19, 23, 17, 25, 14, 28, 16, 26 in patients with central ICC, showing significant differences in the above indicators between them (χ²=7.40, 5.66, 8.17, 5.62, P<0.05). (2) Follow-up. All the 123 patients were followed up for 28(range, 21‒38)months. The 3-year overall survival rate was 57.8% in the 81 patients with peripheral ICC, versus 32.3% in the 42 patients with central ICC, showing a significant difference between them (χ²=5.98, P<0.05). Of the 42 patients with central ICC, there were 25 cases with high risk of lymph node metastasis before surgery and 17 cases with low risk of lymph node metastasis before surgery. Of the 25 central ICC patients with high risk of lymph node metastasis before surgery, the 3-year overall survival rate was 28.9% in the 18 cases with the number of lymph nodes dissected ≥6, versus 14.3% in the 7 cases with the number of lymph nodes dissected <6, showing a significant difference between them (χ²=8.90, P<0.05). (3) Surgical situa-tions in patients with the different number of lymph nodes dissected. Of the 123 patients, cases with the number of lymph nodes dissected <6 and ≥6 were 63 and 60, and there was no significant difference in the operation time, intraoperative blood transfusion, postoperative complications, bile leakage, liver insufficiency, pulmonary infection, pleural effusion, abdominal effusion, or lymphatic leakage between them (P>0.05). One patient might have multiple complications.

Conclusions The prognosis of patients with peripheral ICC is better than that of patients with central ICC. For patients with central ICC who are at high risk of lymph node metastasis before surgery, adequate lymph node dissection may result in a better prognosis.