Influence of aberrant right hepatic artery on survival after pancreatic resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head

The presence of an aberrant right hepatic artery (aRHA), arising from the superior mesenteric artery, is a common variant of the liver vascular anatomy. Considering that tumor spread occurs along vessels, the question arises, whether the presence of an aRHA influences the oncologic outcome after resection for cancer of the pancreatic head.

Patients with ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head, who underwent resection from 2011 to 2020 at the Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany, were analyzed retrospectively. Surgical records and computed tomography imaging were reviewed for the presence of aRHA. Overall and disease-free survival as well as hepatic recurrence were analyzed according to the presence of aRHA.

aRHA was detected in 21 out of 145 patients (14.5%). The median overall survival was 26 months (95%CI 20.8–34.4), median disease-free survival was 12.1 months (95%CI 8.1–17.3). There was no significant difference in overall survival (26.1 versus 21.4 months, adjusted hazard ratio 1.31, 95%CI 0.7–2.46, p = 0.401) or disease-free survival (14.5 months versus 12 months, adjusted hazard ratio 0.98, 95%CI 0.57–1.71, p = 0.957) without and with aRHA. The hepatic recurrence rate was 24.4.% with conventional anatomy versus 30.8% with aRHA (adjusted odds ratio 1.36, 95%CI 0.3–5.38, p = 0.669). In the multivariable analysis, only lymphatic vessel invasion was an independent prognostic factor for hepatic recurrence.

The presence of an aRHA does not seem to influence the long-term survival and hepatic recurrence after resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head.