RECTAL CANCER AND OTHER GASTROINTESTINAL CANCERS
Biliary Tract Cancer
The most effective treatment for biliary cancer is surgery. Radiation therapy is sometimes given after surgery in the event of close margins or positive nodes. If the cancer is not resectable, radiation therapy may be given with a combination of external beam radiation followed by a boost dose from intracavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy, which gives a high dose of radiation therapy to the tumor from within the bile duct.
Before any treatment is started, the recommended treatment, the reasons it is recommended, the procedures to be carried out, the expected or possible side effects or complications, and the expected benefits are all explained to the patient and family. The patient must give permission for treatment, based on this knowledge ("informed consent"), before treatment is given.
Although the likelihood of cure with radiation therapy alone is relatively low, the probability of significant palliation is fairly high.
