Cholangiocarcinoma

ABSTRACT

Cholangiocarcinoma represents the second most common primary liver cancer after hepatocellular carcinoma and accounts for 15% of primary liver malignancies. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in Asia is 50 times higher than Europe. Most patients report in advanced stage of cholangiocarcinoma at the time of presentation. However, it is classified by the location of tumor in biliary tree as intrahepatic [70%] and extrahepatic lesions [30%]. Cholangiocarcinoma is usually fatal because of the difficulty in its early diagnosis and lack of availability of effective therapy. The major identified risk factor for the development of cholangiocarcinoma is primary sclerosing cholangitis [PSC]. Liver transplantation is a viable therapeutic option for selected patients with early-stage cholangiocarcinoma. Use of pre-operative radiation and chemotherapy and ensuring the absence of metastases optimizes the outcome by an exploratory laparotomy