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Current Treatment Options in Oncology
Published in: Current Treatment Options in Oncology 10/2015

Open Access 01-10-2015 | Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers (L Rajdev, Section Editor)

Targeted Therapy in Biliary Tract Cancers

Authors: Amartej Merla, MD, Kenneth G. Liu, MD, Lakshmi Rajdev, MD

Published in: Current Treatment Options in Oncology | Issue 10/2015

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Opinion statement

A paradigm shift towards molecular-based, personalized cancer therapeutics has occurred in recent years and a number of targeted drugs have emerged. Various targeted therapies like erlotinib, trastuzumab, and cetuximab have been approved in lung, breast, and colon cancers, respectively. Numerous clinical trials involving targeted drugs in biliary tract cancers are currently in progress, though none have been approved for this disease. Biliary tract cancers are divided into separate entities both anatomically and in terms of pathogenesis but are grouped together in most trials given their rarity. Combination chemotherapy involving cisplatin and gemcitabine is the current standard of care in the metastatic setting. In this review, we will discuss the various molecular pathways implicated in biliary tract cancers and potential therapeutic targets.
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Metadata
Title
Targeted Therapy in Biliary Tract Cancers
Authors
Amartej Merla, MD
Kenneth G. Liu, MD
Lakshmi Rajdev, MD
Publication date
01-10-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Treatment Options in Oncology / Issue 10/2015
Print ISSN: 1527-2729
Electronic ISSN: 1534-6277
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-015-0366-0

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