To explore the morbidity change of extrahepatic biliary carcinoma and choices of surgical approach, and to analyze the file error rate of ICD-10 code.

Clinical data of 1 430 patients with extrahepatic biliary carcinoma treated in a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou from 1950 to 2010 with ICD-10 code were analyzed. Among them, 417 patients had gallbladder carcinomas, and 1 430 cholangiocarcinomas.

The extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma consisted 3.73% of bile duct diseases of the same period, while the incidence rate raised 87.03% during 10 years. Gallbladder carcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas accounted for 29.2% and 70.8% of extrahepatic bile duct carcinomas, while both mean ages were 47.3 years old, respectively. The sex ratio (male ∶ female) was 1∶1.12 and 1.56∶1. The operation rate and resection rate were 63.5% and 55.5% in gallbladder carcinoma while 76.0% and 45.1% in cholangiocarcinoma. The ICD-10 code error rate of extrahepatic biliary carcinoma reached 37.8% (391/1 035).

Both the incidence rate and resection rate of extrahepatic biliary carcinoma are elevated gradually. The error rate of ICD-10 code needs to be optimized.