[Management of biliary tract carcinomas]

Abstract

Biliary tract carcinomas are rare tumours, counting for less than 5% of cancer. Biliary tract carcinomas comprise gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, which arise from the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile ducts. These tumours have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of 6 months for advanced disease. Surgical resection is the only potentially curative therapy. Adjuvant treatement by chemotherapy, radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy might be an option after surgery, however no standard therapy is define. For advanced disease, despite progress of palliative chemotherapy, there is no standard therapy.