title: AKT and ERK1/2 signaling in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
abstract: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICC) are neoplasms that originate from cholangiocytes and can occur at any level of the biliary tree. Surgical resection is the current therapy of choice for this highly aggressive cancer. However, the 5-year survival still is poor, with high recurrence rates. Due to the intrahepatic growth a significant proportion of patients present with advanced disease and are not candidates for curative surgery or transplantation. The existing palliative options are of limited benefit and there is a great necessity for novel therapeutic options. In this article we review the role of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways in ICC and present new data on the prognostic value of these protein kinases. Finally, we discuss future upcoming therapeutic options based on targeting these signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital of Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wohlschlaeger
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Sotiropoulos
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Baba
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases