Current management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

The goal in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma is the relief of biliary obstruction with the quality survival. The choice of therapy for an individual patient requires complete preoperative staging to determine the resectability. This is best accomplished in a multidisciplinary setting with radiologists, gastroenterologists and surgeons participating in the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Operative removal of the tumor can be performed with low mortality and, when possible, provides the longest palliation and offers potential for cure. For tumors found at operation to be unresectable, biliary enteric bypass provides a durable method of palliation. The relative merits of the newer methods of radiologic stenting are encouraging, but further study will require prospective trials in comparison to operative biliary enteric bypass.