General considerations

Abstract

Both, gallbladder cancer and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are rare cancers with poor prognoses. Five-year survival historically ranges from 5% to 20%. In recent years, improved survival rates have resulted from more radical operations, namely, major liver resections and extended lymph node dissections. Despite the trend favoring radical conventional operations, minimally invasive therapy retains a role in diagnosis and palliation of both, gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. A therapeutic approach using minimal invasive surgery remains still controversial. This chapter eludes some controversial points in gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma knowing that both cancers carry a ..