# SWOG S0809: A Phase II Intergroup Trial of Adjuvant Capecitabine and Gemcitabine Followed by Radiotherapy and Concurrent Capecitabine in Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Gallbladder Carcinoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-swog-s0809-adjuvant-chemoradiation-jco-2015/  
OnCo record `paper-swog-s0809-adjuvant-chemoradiation-jco-2015` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

In the only prospective trial of chemotherapy then radiotherapy after surgery for gallbladder or bile duct cancer, two in three patients were alive at two years, including those whose cancer had reached the cut edge, but there was no comparison group.

## Summary

S0809 enrolled patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or gallbladder carcinoma after radical resection with pT2 to 4, node-positive or margin-positive disease. Four cycles of gemcitabine and capecitabine were followed by capecitabine with radiotherapy (45 Gy to regional lymphatics, 54 to 59.4 Gy to the tumour bed). Of 79 eligible patients (68 percent cholangiocarcinoma, 32 percent gallbladder; 54 R0, 25 R1), 86 percent completed treatment. Two-year survival was 65 percent (95 percent CI 53 to 74): 67 percent after R0 and 60 percent after R1. Median overall survival was 35 months. Relapse was local in 14, distant in 24 and both in 9 patients. Grade 3 and 4 adverse effects occurred in 52 and 11 percent; one patient died of gastrointestinal haemorrhage.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Tags: gallbladder-evidence
- Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Year: 2015
- DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2014.60.2219
- Authors: Ben-Josef E, Guthrie KA, El-Khoueiry AB, et al.
- Findings: Two-year overall survival 65 percent (95 percent CI 53 to 74); 67 percent after R0 and 60 percent after R1 resection.; Median overall survival 35 months (R0 34, R1 35).; Grade 3 adverse effects 52 percent, grade 4 11 percent; one treatment-related death.
- What it means: This single-arm trial is why NCCN lists chemoradiation after a positive margin or involved nodes. The near-identical survival after R0 and R1 resection is suggestive but unproven; no randomised trial has followed, and the UK does not routinely offer it.
- Caveats: Single-arm phase 2 with a historical benchmark, not a randomised comparison.; Only 25 gallbladder cancer patients.

## Sources

- J Clin Oncol 2015: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2014.60.2219
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25964250/
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00789958: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00789958

## Connected records

- cancers: [Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (perihilar and distal)](https://onco.cc/cancers/extrahepatic-cholangiocarcinoma/), [Gallbladder cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/gallbladder/)
- drugs: [Capecitabine](https://onco.cc/drugs/capecitabine/), [Gemcitabine](https://onco.cc/drugs/gemcitabine/)
- institutions: [SWOG Cancer Research Network](https://onco.cc/institutions/swog/)
- terms: [Chemoradiation (chemoradiotherapy, CRT)](https://onco.cc/terms/chemoradiation/), [Radiotherapy](https://onco.cc/terms/radiotherapy/)
- trials: [SWOG S0809](https://onco.cc/trials/swog-s0809/)
- bottlenecks: [Surgery and radiotherapy cure most, get least](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-surgery-radiation-innovation/)
- journals: [Journal of Clinical Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/jco/)
- key papers: [Nomogram for predicting the benefit of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for resected gallbladder cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-wang-adjuvant-chemoradiotherapy-nomogram-gallbladder-cancer-jco-2011/)
- roadmaps: [Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/gallbladder-cancer-roadmap/)
- ideas: [A randomised trial of adjuvant chemoradiation after margin-positive or node-positive gallbladder cancer resection](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-gbc-randomised-adjuvant-chemoradiation-r1-node-positive/)

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