Operations for extrahepatic bile duct cancers: are the results really improving?

• Published in: The European journal of surgery Vol. 166; no. 7; pp. 535 - 539
• Main Authors: Lindell, Gert, Hansson, Lars, Dawiskiba, Sigmund, Andersson, Roland, Axelson, Jan, Ihse, Ingemar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: UK Taylor & Francis, Ltd 01.07.2000; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bile Duct Neoplasms - mortality; Bile Duct Neoplasms - surgery; Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Survival Analysis; Survival Rate; Sweden - epidemiology; Tumors; Sweden; Human; Carcinoma; Prognosis; Extrahepathic bile duct; Hepatic disease; Malignant tumor; Long term; Survival; Retrospective; Improvement; Treatment; Digestive diseases; Application method; Comparative study
• ISSN: 1102-4151; 1741-9271
• DOI: 10.1080/110241500750008592

Objective: To find out if our results for the treatment of extrahepatic bile duct cancer have improved we reviewed our latest patients as a comparison to a previously reported series from this department. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral centre, Sweden. Subjects: 102 patients who presented with extrahepatic bile duct cancer 1979–1995. Main outcome measures: Morbidy, mortality, and short and long term survival. Results: 16 patients had various types of resection, which were radical in 14 according to the surgeon and in 10 according to the pathologist. One patient (6%) died in hospital, and 11 (44%) developed complications. 13 patients had other operations that did not involve resection, 23 had laparotomy alone, 61 had biliary drainage either by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) or endoscopy, and 10 had no active treatment. One patient of the 16 (6%) who had resections has survived for more than five years and another one is still alive after 40 months. Conclusion: Long term survival has not improved for patients with extrahepatic bile duct cancer in our hospital during the last decades. Copyright © 2000 Taylor and Francis Ltd.