Overview
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a type of biliary tract cancer (BTC), is an aggressive and often fatal malignancy 1. Early symptom recognition, comprehensive diagnostic workup, and precise classification are crucial for effective management 1.Diagnosis
Early recognition of symptoms and proper diagnostic workup are essential 1.
Diagnostic workup should allow for precise histopathological and molecular classification 1.
Accurate evaluation of the extent of disease is a key component of diagnosis 1.Management
Surgery is the only potentially curative therapy for localized stages 1.
Adjuvant chemotherapy may improve survival following surgery 1.
Upfront systemic chemotherapy with immunotherapy is the treatment of choice for unresectable locally-advanced and metastatic disease 1.
New therapeutic targets are being identified based on understanding of molecular biology, showing encouraging results 1.Key Recommendations
Surgery is the only potentially curative therapy in localized stages of biliary tract cancer 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)
Adjuvant chemotherapy appears to improve survival in patients treated with surgery 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)
Upfront systemic chemotherapy with immunotherapy is the treatment of choice for unresectable locally-advanced and metastatic disease 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)References
1 Macarulla T, Adeva J, Cano Osuna MT, Ruiz Casado A, Jiménez Gordo AM, Lamarca A et al.. SEOM-GEMCAD-TTD clinical guidelines for biliary tract cancer (2025). Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico 2025. link