Gastroenterology & Hepatology International Journal (GHIJ)
ISSN: 2574-8009
Mini Review
Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Biliary Tract Cancer: The Future?
Abstract
Biliary tract cancer is known for its dismal prognosis, both due to late diagnosis as well as to the short width span of therapeutic options available. Although much more common in Asian countries, the number of patients with these tumours has been rising in European and American countries, mainly due to the increased rates of chronic hepatic diseases. Currently the only curative treatment revolves around surgical resection, although only possible in roughly 10-15% of patients. First line systemic therapies include chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin, unfortunately with also poor results with a 5-year survival rate of only 10-20%. With this in mind, the need for other therapeutic options has been proved, with the rising popularity of immunotherapy leading to several studies analysing the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of patients with biliary tract cancer.
Keywords: Gemcitabine and Cisplatin; Cholangiopancreatography; Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma; Extrahepatic
Cholangiocarcinoma; Sclerosing Cholangitis; Hepatolithiasis; Gallbladder Polyps; Cirrhosis; Neoantigens
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