Biliary Tract Cancer
Biliary tract cancer is a general term for malignant tumors including cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and ampullary cancer. It often has few subjective symptoms in the early stages, but may be discovered incidentally due to jaundice or cholangitis. Hilar cholangiocarcinoma, in particular, is one of the intractable diseases that requires advanced specialized knowledge and surgical techniques.
Biliary Tract Cancer Treatment in Our Department
The most important curative treatment for biliary tract cancer is surgical resection. In our department, we perform specialized surgical treatments for malignant biliary tract tumors such as hilar cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, distal cholangiocarcinoma, and ampullary cancer, including advanced hepatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy. We also work closely with the Department of Gastroenterology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, and Department of Radiation Oncology to provide optimal multidisciplinary treatment for each patient.
Features of Our Department
Our department actively performs multidisciplinary treatment combining neoadjuvant chemotherapy and biliary drainage to improve the rate of curative resection. We also consider the possibility of treatment after thorough preoperative evaluation for cases that have been deemed unresectable by other hospitals. For cases where tumor shrinkage is achieved through chemotherapy, we also actively perform conversion surgery.
Treatment Results
The Yokohama City University Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery Group has continuously performed resection surgeries for biliary tract cancer since 1992, with a cumulative total of over 1,000 cases. In 2025, we performed 46 resection surgeries for malignant biliary tract tumors, including hilar cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, distal cholangiocarcinoma, and ampullary cancer. We actively tackle high-difficulty cases, including hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and maintain favorable treatment outcomes.
Our Department's Initiatives
- Multidisciplinary Collaboration with Gastroenterology and Radiology
- Active Introduction of Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Chemotherapy
- Conversion Surgery (Unresectable at Initial Consultation)
- Safe Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Surgery Using 3D Imaging