Abstract
We present here six cases (five men and one woman, 72-89 years of age) of biliary tract cancer following EST. Initial EST was performed for removal of common bile duct stones in five patients and for postoperative bile leak in one case. Subsequent cholecystectomy was performed in three of five cases with gallstones. During the period of 26 to 78 months after EST, these six patients were diagnosed with biliary tract cancer, which included three patients with gallbladder cancer, two with bile duct cancer and one with multiple cancers (ampullary and bile duct cancers). Although surgical resection was performed in three cases, the remaining three were judged inoperable due to tumor extension and concomitant diseases. During the follow-up period, there was recurrence of bile duct stone in one patient, cholangitis without recurrent stone in three cases and obstruction of cystic duct in one patient. When cholangitis without recurrent stone occur after EST, special attention should be paid to the potential risk of biliary tract cancer and examinations should be performed more closely.
