Laparoscopic staging for hepatobiliary carcinoma

Abstract

For gallbladder carcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, staging laparoscopy is high yield and should be performed routinely. For HCC and metastatic colon cancer, a more selective approach is warranted, reserving staging laparoscopy for patients in whom unresectable disease is more likely to be identified.The exact role of LUS in these patients is not yet determined but likely extends the advantages of staging laparoscopy.Staging laparoscopy spares patients with unresectable disease from nontherapeutic laparotomy, decreasing their recovery time and, it is hoped, allowing earlier initiation of nonsurgical therapy.