Controversy and progress in surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) is a common biliary tract malignancy; however, its postoperative prognosis remains suboptimal. Recent advancements in surgical management include preoperative biliary drainage, selection of hepatic resection approaches, innovations in bilioenteric anastomosis techniques, and perioperative chemotherapy. This review summarizes the current literature on these developments and highlighting their clinical implications, unresolved challenges, and prospected the future research direction.