title: Carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tree: analysis of 15 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to analyze the epidemiology, prognosis and treatment of those diagnosed as having cholangiocarcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tree.
  
  
  METHODS
  a prospective study including all cases diagnosed over a period of 26 months. Fifteen patients with primary bile duct carcinoma were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the incidence rate was 3.23 cases/10(4). The tumor locations were: 40% proximal bile duct, 33% distal bile duct, and 27% mid-duct. The treatments used were: curative resection in 1 case (7%); palliative surgery in 3 cases (20%); internal drainage through a prosthetic biliary stent by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in 6 cases (40%) and by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography in 2 cases (13%); external bile drainage in case (7%), and in the remaining 2 patients (13%) no treatment was possible. The 1-month, 6-month and 10-month survival rates were 67%, 40% and 33% respectively. Factors associated with a worse survival in this study were age over 70 years and female sex. The worst prognostic location was the mid-duct compared to the distal and proximal thirds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the incidence of the primary bile duct carcinoma is high in our population. The commonest location is the proximal bile duct. Curative surgical resection is possible in only a few cases, and thus the overall prognosis is very bad.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology: "Rio Hortega" University Hospital, Vlladold, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velicia
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Valbuena
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caro-Patón
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Miranda
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellido
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D017734:Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis