Clinicopathological Features of Surgically-resected Biliary Tract Cancer Following Chemo-radiation Therapy.

AIM: We retrospectively investigated surgery following chemo-radiation in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) treated at our Institution.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Among 339 patients, 44 patients underwent chemo-radiation prior to surgery. Chemo-radiation entailed 2-3 months of standardized chemotherapy and 50-60 Gy radiation at the main tumor and regional and para-aortic lymph nodes.

RESULTS

Thirty-one BTC cases were classified as initially resectable (IR) and 13 as initially un-resectable (UR). Eighty percent of the BTCs were diagnosed as extrahepatic bile duct cancers. Gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2)) and radiation was used to treat 59% of patients. Thirty percent of patients underwent hemi-hepatectomy, and 50% underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. The R0 resection rate was 90% among IR and 54% among UR, and 3-year survival rates were 82% for IR and 17% for UR, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This retrospective analysis suggests that surgery after chemoradiation may contribute to R0 resection rate and survival for initially resectable BTC.