Abstract

This study was carried out to clarify the influence of incomplete bile duct obstruction (IBDO) on the occurrence and proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma and to evaluate the effect of release of IBDO at an early stage, using 175 Syrian golden hamsters. These hamsters received 500mg/kg body weight of diisopropanolnitrosamine (DIPN) once weekly for 10 weeks, and then were divided into 3 groups, consisting of the simple laparotomy group (SL group), the IBDO group and 2 week IBDO group, in which IBDO was released after 2 weeks. The occurrence rates of cholangiocarcinoma at 20 weeks were 42% in the SL group, 76% in the IBDO group and 30% in the 2 week IBDO group. The mean numbers of tumors per hamster in the IBDO group were significantly greater than those in other groups (p < 0.05). Both occurrence rates and numbers of tumors in the 2 week IBDO group were similar to those in the SL group. The proliferation of bile ductules and isolation of bacteria from bile in the IBDO group had higher rates at 15, 20 weeks than those found in the other groups. These results suggest that IBDO has an influence, as promoter, on the occurrence of cholangiocarcinoma induced by DIPN, and the disappearance of its promoting effect is caused by release of the obstruction.