Extrahepatic bile duct malignancies

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Biliary tract malignancies are aggressive gastrointestinal cancers.
• Late diagnosis often precludes radical surgical treatment.
• Surgical resection is the only curative option for these tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the experience of our department in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract tumors.
• To evaluate treatment outcomes for biliary tract malignancies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients diagnosed and treated between 2005 and 2021.
• Analysis of treatment modalities including radical resection, symptomatic management, biliary stenting, and external-internal drainage.
• Assessment of adjuvant oncological treatment in operated and non-operated patients.

Main Results:

• Radical (R0) resection was performed in 28.4% of patients.
• Biliary stenting and drainage were definitive procedures in 43.2% of patients.
• Median overall survival and progression-free survival in operated patients were 19.9 and 15.7 months, respectively, with significantly better overall survival (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Surgical resection, when feasible, significantly improves survival outcomes for biliary tract cancer patients.
• Multidisciplinary management including palliative procedures and adjuvant therapy is crucial for non-resectable cases.
• Further research is needed to optimize treatment strategies for these challenging malignancies.