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Prognosis:
The
prognosis of a patient with either of these tumors depends on
the stage and resectability of the tumor.
Stage
I carcinoma of the gallbladder is associated with an excellent
prognosis. Survival rate declines with advancing stage – 25%
for stage II, 12% for stage III, and 1-2% for stage IV tumors.
Since most patients are diagnosed with late-stage disease,
less than 5% of all patients live longer than 5 years after
diagnosis.
Carcinoma
of the bile duct is also associated with poor survival. The
worst prognosis is for patients who can only tolerate
placement of a stent within the tumor, without undergoing
surgical resection, radiation, or chemotherapy. Patients who
undergo radiation and chemotherapy without surgical resection
may survive up to 7 to 17 months. Surgical resection plus
radiation and chemotherapy is associated with about a 17 to 28
month survival.
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