Table 1. Baseline characteristics and treatment details of included patients.

Characteristic	All patients [N=382]	Long-term responders [N=123]	Controls [N=259]	P value
Median age [range]	62 [23-86]	61 [27-80]	62 [23-86]	0.15
Sex N, [%]				0.12
Female	173 [45]	63 [51]	110 [42]
Male	209 [55]	60 [49]	149 [58]
Year of diagnosis N, [%]				0.25
1987–2005	133 [35]	48 [39]	85 [33]
2006–2015	249 [65]	75 [61]	174 [67]
Site of Cancer N, [%]				0.024
Distal bile duct	71 [19]	13 [11]	58 [22]
Gallbladder	104 [27]	31 [25]	73 [28]
Intrahepatic bile duct	130 [34]	47 [38]	83 [32]
Hilar	64 [17]	27 [22]	37 [14]
Bile duct NOS	13 [3]	5 [4]	8 [3]
Tumor grade†				0.33
Grade 1	49 [19]	18 [22]	31 [18]
Grade 2	126 [50]	35 [43]	91 [53]
Grade 3/4	77 [31]	28 [35]	49 [29]
Missing	130	42	88
ECOG performance status N, [%]				0.11
0–1	355 [94]	119 [97]	236 [92]
2–3	24 [6]	4 [3]	20 [8]
Missing	3	0	3
Symptoms at diagnosis N, [%]
Pain	197 [52]	64 [52]	133 [52]	0.99
Weight loss	153 [40]	47 [38]	106 [41]	0.66
Jaundice	179 [47]	56 [46]	123 [47]	0.74
Nausea/vomiting	43 [11]	6 [5]	37 [14]	0.006
Biliary stent insertion N, [%]	192 [50]	62 [50]	130 [50]	0.99
Definitive surgery N, [%]	110 [29]	26 [21]	84 [32]	0.029
Adjuvant chemotherapy* N, [%]	34 [31]	5 [19]	29 [35]	0.16
Median time to recurrence				0.60
Months, [range]	10.7 [1-110]	14.9 [1-100]	9.7 [1-110]
Disease status at palliative chemotherapy				0.042
Locally advanced unresectable	50 [13]	21 [17]	29 [11]
Metastatic	222 [58]	76 [62]	146 [56]
Recurrence after prior surgery	110 [29]	26 [21]	84 [32]

*, in patients with definitive surgery; ^†, tumor grade as per WHO criteria. ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.