Aim: The aim of this research was to assess the impact of an intensive follow-up program on BTC patients who had received surgery with curative intent at a tertiary referral hospital.
Methods: BTC patients were followed-up every three months during the first two years after their first surgery and every six months from the third to the fifth post-operative year.
Results: A total of 278 BTC patients who received R0/R1 surgery were included. A total of 17.7% of patients underwent a second surgery following disease relapse, and none of these patients experienced additional disease relapse.
Conclusions: An intensive follow-up after surgical resection may help in the early identification of disease relapse, leading to early treatment and prolonged survival in selected cases.
Keywords: biliary tract cancer; cholangiocarcinoma; follow-up; recurrence; surveillance.