Onkológia 1/2010

Current options and perspectives of both adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma belongs among relatively rare diseases. The belated diagnostics often in the inoperable stage, resistance on systemic therapy and poor prognosis are typical for the bile duct cancer. The most important prognostic factor for the patients´ overall survival is the radical surgical approach. Moreover, 5-year survival rates are higher than 30 % when radical surgical resection is followed by adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. It seems that adjuvant treatment with gemcitabine could also mean a contribution to the cholangiocarcinoma therapy. Neoadjuvant treatment is still considered to be an experimental approach. Monoclonal antibodies and multi kinase inhibitors are promising for the future. Their contribution to the treatment in patients with metastatic or locally advanced disease could broaden the options of adjuvant therapy later.

Keywords: cholangiocarcinoma, adjuvant therapy, neoadjuvant therapy, gemcitabine, erlotinib, lapatinib