BACKGROUND: The outcome of patients with cholangiocarcinoma is poor. To evaluate the experience in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, we investigated the status quo of diagnosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in China.
METHOD: The clinical data of 680 patients with cholangiocarcinoma treated at 8 hospitals from 1995 to 2001 were retrospectively analyzed with SPSS software package.
RESULTS: The incidence of the tumor was the highest in the age group of 60-65 years. Meanwhile, the incidence was higher in aged men than in aged women, with a male to female ratio of 1.39:1. Proximal cholangiocarcinoma was the commonest (41.6%)and distant cholangiocarcinoma the second (28.7%) in the 680 patients. B-mode ultrasonography for cholangiocarcinoma was performed in 80.3% of the patients.Non-traumatic examinations such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance image (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) were more widely used than that of traumatic examinations such as percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The low- and middle-differentiation cancer of the proximal bile duct accounted for about 50%. Most of the patients suffered from late-stage cholangiocarcinoma. The resection rate of the tumor was low, and the rate of radical operation was only 21.6%（147/680）.
CONCLUSIONS: Cholangiocarcinoma is common in the aged men. Its diagnosis and treatment have been improved, but little. Most patients are diagnosed as having late-stage cholangiocarcinoma at the time of outpatient clinic, and the rate of radical operation is low. Thereforce, it is necessary to reinforce the early diagnosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma to improve the outcome after operation.