[Mode of spread of intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma].

To determine the area of surgical resection and the prognosis in patients with intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, we studied the mode of spread of this cancer, using 27 autopsy and 4 lobectomized cases. In hilar carcinoma, there was lymphatic invasion to the extrahepatic bile duct before invation to the hepatic lobules. Scirrhous cancer spread more distantly toward the peripheral areas of the liver than non-scirrhous cancer. The occurrence of extrahepatic metastasis might involve the following factors; depth of infiltration, extent of venous invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, size of the main tumor, and number of hepatic segments invaded by the cancer.