The Impact of Intraoperative Frozen Section on Resection Margin Status and Survival of Patients Underwent Pancreatoduodenectomy for Distal Cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative frozen section (FS) is broadly used during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) to ensure a negative margin status, but its survival benefits on obtaining a secondary R0 resection for distal cholangiocarcinoma (dCCA) is controversial and unclear. METHODS: Clinical data of 107 patients who underwent PD for dCCA was retrospectively collected and divided into different groups based on use of FS (FS and non-FS groups) and status of resection margin (pR0, sR0 and R1 groups), and clinical parameters and survival of patients were compared and analyzed accordingly. RESULTS: There were 50 patients in FS group with a median survival of 28 months, 57 patients in non-FS group with a median survival of 27 months. There was no statistical difference between the two groups with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (P = 0.347). There were 98 patients in R0 group (88 in pR0 and 10 in sR0) and nine patients in R1 group, with a median survival of 29 months and 22 months respectively, which showed a better survival in R0 group than in R1 group (P = 0.006). Survival analyses between subgroups revealed difference between pR0 and R1 group (P = 0.005), while no statistical difference concerning pR0 vs. sR0 (P = 0.211) and sR0 vs. R1 groups (P = 0.262). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed resection margin status, pre-operative biliary drainage and lymph node invasion to be independent prognostic factors for dCCA patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative FS should be recommended as it significantly increased the rate of R0 resection, which was positively related to a better survival. A primary R0 resection should also be encouraged and if not, a secondary R0 could be considered at the discretion of surgeons as it showed similar survival with primary R0 resection.