Published online Apr 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i14.4121
Peer-review started: November 30, 2014
First decision: December 26, 2014
Revised: January 13, 2015
Accepted: February 13, 2015
Article in press: February 13, 2015
Published online: April 14, 2015
Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are highly fatal malignancies, which are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and have relatively poor prognosis. The treatment of patients with advanced BTC is systemic, based on chemotherapy or best supportive care, depending on their performance status. Despite clinical trials studying many chemotherapeutic regimens and targeted therapies for the treatment of BTC, the standard of care for advanced BTC remains the combination of gemcitabine with cisplatin. Many new molecules targeting proliferation and survival pathways, the immune response and angiogenesis are currently undergoing phase I and II trials for the treatment of advanced BTC with promising results.
Core tip: This paper is a recent study outlining the most recent updates on the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancers. After a brief review of the different treatments used for advanced biliary tract cancers, current treatment options, novel therapies and future approaches are discussed.