Systemic Treatment for Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancer: State of the Art and a Glimpse to the Future

Curr Oncol. 2022 Jan 27;29(2):551-564. doi: 10.3390/curroncol29020050.

Abstract

Recent years have seen some breakthroughs in the therapeutic landscape of advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). Firstly, a better understanding of the molecular background of BTC has led to important improvements in the management of these hepatobiliary malignancies, with the advent of targeted agents representing an unprecedented paradigm shift, as witnessed by the FDA approval of pemigatinib and infigratinib for FGFR2-rearranged and ivosidenib in IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma. In addition, several novel treatments are under assessment, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination chemotherapies. In the current review, we provide an overview of systemic treatment for metastatic BTC, summarizing recent clinical data on chemotherapy as well as the main results of targeted therapies and immunotherapy.

Keywords: FGFR2; IDH1; biliary tract cancer; chemotherapy; cholangiocarcinoma; immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bile Duct Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / pathology
  • Biliary Tract Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Cholangiocarcinoma* / drug therapy
  • Cholangiocarcinoma* / pathology
  • Humans
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy / methods