title: Clinicopathological significance of growth factors and their receptors as potential therapeutic targets for biliary tract carcinoma.
abstract: Biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) has a poor prognosis. However, no standard chemotherapy regimens have been established for inoperable cases or cases of recurrence after surgical resection. Recent molecular biological analysis has shown that epidermal growth factor receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, c-Met and transforming growth factor-beta could be potential targets for therapy of BTC. It is considered that these molecules are involved in the carcinogenesis, invasion, and progression of BTC. Furthermore, immunohistochemical overexpression of these targets is associated with several clinicopathological factors. This article reviews the clinicopathological significance of these growth factors and their receptors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Pathology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan. hojima@ncc.go.jp
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ojima
mesh_terms: D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human