title: Proximal bile duct tumors.
abstract: Modern radiologic diagnostic approaches that identify patients with high bile duct cancer can predict resectability and provide information for biliary-enteric bypass in the case of irresectability. Twenty percent to 40% of patients are resectable by local excision with or without hepatic resection, and this represents the only opportunity for cure. Operative mortality is now acceptable and resection is associated with a median survival of approximately 35 months. Numerous palliative operative and nonoperative approaches are available, including biliary-enteric bypass, transtumoral stenting, and percutaneous endoprostheses. The role of both intraluminal and external beam radiotherapy also is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kuvshinoff
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Blumgart
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000601:surgery; D001918:Brachytherapy; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000601:surgery; D010166:Palliative Care; D015607:Stents; D015996:Survival Rate