HEPATO-GASTROENTEROLOGY, cilt.51, sa.55, ss.43-50, 2004 (SCI-Expanded)
First described by Maximilian deStoll in 1777, cholangiocarcinoma remains to be a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma is of 2000-3000 cases a year in the US but much higher in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Sclerosing cholangitis, ulcerative colitis, liver fluke infestations, hepatolithiasis, thorotrast exposure, choledochal cysts are associated with an increased risk. Recently, substantial progress has been achieved in the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms playing a role in biliary carcinogenesis including oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.