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Radiotherapy as a component of multidisciplinary treatment of bile duct cancer: a surgeon's perspective
Author(s) -
Todoroki Takeshi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of hepato‐biliary‐pancreatic surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.63
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1868-6982
pISSN - 0944-1166
DOI - 10.1007/s005340170035
Subject(s) - brachytherapy , medicine , bile duct cancer , bile duct , radiation therapy , surgery , stent , general surgery
Surgery is the only curative treatment for bile duct cancer (BDC). However, because of frequent loco‐regional recurrence, radical surgery during advanced stages of the disease is often unsuccessful. Despite recent evidence of improvement in patient survival and quality of life, alternatives such as radiation therapy have not been fully developed and remain controversial. This article reviews current publications that deal with various irradiation procedures for the treatment of BDC, with particular attention to adjuvants to surgical resection, including liver transplantation, as a component of treatment of BDC. Specialized boost techniques, including conformal external beam irradiation (EBRT), brachytherapy via transhepatic catheters or a retrograde endoscopic stent, or intraoperative irradiation with electrons (IOERT), are summarized in relation to patient survival.