Systemic therapy for locally advanced and metastatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma, the typical bile duct epithelium neoplasm, is most commonly reported in the Northeast of Thailand. Surgical intervention is the only possible curative treatment in the early stage of disease. Unfortunately, most patients are advanced at the time of diagnosis and not appropriate for curative surgical treatment. The prognosis of advanced CCA is extremely poor and chemotherapy is the only approved treatment for this stage of disease. This article reviews the state-of-art chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma.