Adjuvant therapy significantly improves survival after distal cholangiocarcinoma surgery

Adjuvant therapy markedly enhances overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients post-pancreaticoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma. A meta-analysis of 22 studies involving 7,078 patients revealed an OS hazard ratio of 0.80 and a DFS hazard ratio of 0.84 for adjuvant therapy compared to follow-up alone. Notably, combined chemo-radiotherapy yielded the best outcomes, though high heterogeneity in study results warrants caution in interpretation.