Molecular mechanisms of cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma (CC), the malignant tumor of the epithelial cells lining the biliary ducts, has undergone a worldwide increase in incidence and mortality. The malignant transformation of the biliary cells originates from a multistep process evolving through chronic inflammation of the biliary tract to CC. In the last few years several advances have been towards understanding and clarifying the molecular mechanisms implicated in the cholangiocarcinogenesis process. However, many pathophysiologic aspects governing the growth of CC are still undefined. The poor prognosis of this tumor underlines the urgent need to codify the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the growth and progression of CC in order to design effective preventive measures and valid treatment regimens. This review reports on progresses made in the last few years in clarifying the molecular pathways involved in the process of cholangiocarcinogenesis.

Heterogeneity of liver cancer and personalized therapy

“…The inactivation of TP53 and the amplification of K-RAS also play crucial roles in altering the signaling transduction network and promoting ICC tumorigenesis [53,54]. In the aspect of epigenetics, the altered expression levels of miR-21, miR-141, miR-200b and miR-29b have been reported to contribute to tumor growth or decreased apoptosis in ICC [55,56].…”

Diagnostic and prognostic serum marker of cholangiocarcinoma (Review)

“…According to experimental evidence, CCA can be classified into three types, CCA cell lines, animal models, and human tissue, blood and bodily fluid. Currently, a large amount of CCA data, covering all fields of this disease, has been published and involves studies into genes ( 12 – 14 ), proteins ( 14 ), metabolic enzymes ( 15 ), signaling pathways ( 13 ) and specific cells ( 16 – 19 ).…”

The Clinicopathological and Prognostic Impact of 14-3-3 Protein Isoforms Expression in Human Cholangiocarcinoma by Immunohistochemistry

“…Though several risk factors for developing cholangiocarcinoma have been identified, the pathogenesis of the disease remains poorly understood. Among gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, CCA is the most difficult to detect and diagnose (Mosconi et al, 2009), patients often have advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis (Fava, 2010), leading to a poor clinical outcome (Tompkins et al, 1981;Tio et al, 1991;Miyakawa et al, 2009), the patient survival is usually measured in months, therefore it is of great importance to identify novel candidate markers and potential early indicators of this disease as well as molecules that may be potential therapeutic targets.…”