title: The pathways of genetic transformation in cholangiocarcinogenesis.
abstract: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy that originates from the epithelial cells of the biliary duct system. Depending on the anatomical location, CCA can be considered extrahepatic (eCCA) or intrahepatic (iCCA) (1). Two thirds of CCAs involve the extrahepatic biliary system, whereas the rest are confined within the liver parenchyma, beyond the secondary biliary radicals (2). Due to its biological aggressiveness and difficulty in diagnosis, the majority of patients with CCA are unresectable at presentation and the overall 5-year survival is approximately five percent (4). This article focuses on the genetic and epigenetic alterations present in cholangiocarcinomas, their occasional relationship to external stimuli, and with an emphasis on those unanswered questions about cholangiocarcinogenesis and future directions in the comprehension of epigenetic DNA methylation in patients with CCA.
authors.affiliation: Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States; SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, United States. Electronic address: Francesco.serafini@nychhc.org.
authors.forename: Francesco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.affiliation: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Radvinsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014170:Transformation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Cholangiocarcinogenesis; cholangiocarcinoma; genetic alterations