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Review
. 2021 May 27;10(11):2368.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10112368.

Management of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Sudha Kodali  1   2 , Akshay Shetty  1   2 , Soumya Shekhar  3 , David W Victor  1   2 , Rafik M Ghobrial  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Management of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Sudha Kodali et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma is a tumor that arises as a result of differentiation of the cholangiocytes and can develop from anywhere in the biliary tree. Subtypes of cholangiocarcinoma are differentiated based on their location in the biliary tree. If diagnosed early these can be resected, but most cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma present late in the disease course where surgical resection is not an option. In these patients who are poor candidates for resection, a combination of chemotherapy, locoregional therapies like ablation, transarterial chemo and radioembolization, and in very advanced and metastatic disease, external radiation are the available options. These modalities can improve overall disease-free and progression-free survival chances. In this review, we will discuss the risk factors and clinical presentation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, diagnosis, available therapeutic options, and future directions for management options.

Keywords: brachytherapy; chemotherapy; cholangiocarcinoma; intrahepatic; proton beam therapy; resection; short-beam external radiation; transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), Yttrium-90 (Y90), chemotherapy; transplantation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of cholangiocarcinoma by anatomic location.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Approach to the management of cholangiocarcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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