Evaluation of common risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma in patients referred to Firoozgar Hospital, Tehran, Iran: a cross-sectional study

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile duct epithelium that originates from the bile ducts inside or outside the liver. Although this tumor is not common, its mortality rate is high. This tumor accounts for about 3% of all gastrointestinal malignancies. Many patients are being detected when the disease has spread. Evaluating risk factors affecting the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma is very important to avoid exposure to them. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma in a population in Iran. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. It was performed on 276 patients with cholangiocarcinoma who had been referred to Firoozgar Hospital affiliated with the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran from March 2020 to February 2021. Demographic information, family and personal history, social history (tobacco or drug use) and blood group of patients were extracted from their files. SPSS version 16 was used for data analysis. A P-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean±SD age of patients was 65.97±13.07 years, of whom 65.6% were male and 34.4% were females. The most common site of cholangiocarcinoma was the distal part of the bile ducts and the most common blood group was O+. The main manifestations were jaundice and pruritus. Among the risk factors, the most common ones were smoking, high blood pressure, history of gallstones, opium use, history of cancer of other systems in the family, history of cholecystectomy and diabetes mellitus. While, the lowest prevalence of risk factors was related to heroin use, IBD, Gallbladder polyps, pancreatitis and alcohol consumption. None of the patients in our study had a history of viral hepatitis or PSC. Conclusion: This was a cross-sectional study and only in the group of cholangiocarcinoma patients, therefore, larger prospective studies are recommended to examine underlying mechanisms of malignant transformation in the biliary tree.