Appraisal of the current guidelines for management of cholangiocarcinoma—using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) Instrument

Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is the second most common primary liver tumour. High-quality guidelines are essential for effective patient stratification and individualised treatment. This study aimed to appraise the methodological quality of existing guidelines for the resection of CC using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument. A systematic search of the literature in Cochrane, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase was performed. Assessment of the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and consensuses was performed using the AGREE II instrument by four clinicians experienced in surgical practice and the AGREE II appraisal method. Literature searches identified 13 guidelines of highly variable quality according to the AGREE II criteria. The guidelines scored well in certain domains such as scope & purpose (median score across all guidelines; 65%), clarity of presentation (76%), and editorial independence (56%). However, they scored poorly for applicability (13%), rigour of development (30%), and stakeholder involvement (39%). None of the 13 guidelines was recommended universally for use without modification. Overall, the methodological quality of guidelines on the surgical management of CC is poor. Future updates should address and modify shortcomings detected by the AGREE II instrument, thereby facilitating better patient stratification and individualised treatment strategies.