[Treatment of cancer of the gallbladder and bile ducts]

Cancer of the gallbladder carries a grim prognosis, because the disease is usually too advanced and surgically incurable at the laparotomy. In our series, the curative resection rate is only 16.7%. However, palliative resection with postoperative irradiation have possible effects on the prolongation of survival periods. Cancer of the bile duct has better prognosis, than that of the gallbladder, because the early occurrence of obstructive jaundice often leads to curative resection. In our series, however, the curative resection rate is only 50.0%. More aggressive surgical therapy might improve the surgical figures. In addition, postoperative radiation therapy and immuno-chemotherapy may have possible effects as adjuvant therapy.