Biliary tract carcinoma

A series of 127 patients treated for cancer of the biliary tract during the period 1965-1974 was studied with a follow-up period of at least five years. The mean age was 66 years and the female:male ratio was 3:1. An early diagnosis of biliary tract carcinoma is difficult and the prognosis unfavourable although not hopeless. The surgical treatment given in the present series included a radical approach whenever possible. In the total series 56 patients died within a month, 24 lived for more than one year, 9 longer than three years and 5 longer than five years and 3 are still alive. A mean survival time of 25.6 months was reached when a radical operation was attempted while a palliative procedure gave a mean survival time of 5.5 months. These figures indicated that a careful selection of patients for an attempt of radical surgery should be done since removal of the tumour gives a more effective palliation, often a longer survival time, an improvement of quality of live and in a few patients cure.