Emerging therapies for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a cancer arising from the epithelium of intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile ducts. Cholangiocarcinoma often has a poor prognosis due to late diagnosis and the incidence and mortality rate of intrahepatic CCA appear to be increasing. Current therapies include surgical resection, orthotopic liver transplantation, chemotherapy/ chemoradiation and palliative care. Depending on the location, the 5-year survival for CCA ranges from 27–60%. Emerging new therapies are currently being developed for treating CCA include immunotherapy, altering the tumor microenvironment, targeting growth factor gene mutations and signal pathways and that control tumor growth, and targeting gene therapy. The objective of this paper is to summarize the research that is currently ongoing for treating this challenging disease.