Association of Preoperative Biliary Stenting With Increased Postoperative Infectious Complications in Proximal Cholangiocarcinoma

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Abstract
THERE ARE approximately 4500 new cases of cholangiocarcinoma per year in the United States.1 Proximal cholangiocarcinomas constitute 30% to 60% of these tumors. The prognosis is poor in these patients, with untreated patients having a median survival of 3 months.2 In almost all series, rates of resection are low at patient presentation; yet surgery remains the mainstay of treatment.3-6 Surgical options for proximal cholangiocarcinoma include curative resection or a palliative biliary-enteric bypass.