Wise Candace, Pilanthananond Metaneeya, Perry Benjamin-F, Alpini Gianfranco, McNeal Michael, Glaser Shannon-S
Department of Medicine, Scott and White Hospital, Temple, Texas 76504, USA.
World J Gastroenterol. 2008 May 21;14(19):2986-9. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.2986.
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer originating from the neoplastic transformation of the epithelial cells (i.e. cholangiocytes) that line the biliary tract. The prognosis for patients with cholangiocarcinoma is grim due to lack of viable treatment options. The increase in world-wide incidence and mortality from cholangiocarcinoma highlights the importance of understanding the intracellular mechanisms that trigger the neoplastic transformation of cholangiocytes and the growth of biliary cancers. The purpose of the following review is to address what has been learned over the past decade concerning the molecular basis of cholangiocarcinogenesis. The material presented is divided into two sections: (1) mechanisms regulating neoplastic transformation of cholangiocytes; and (2) factors regulating cholangiocarcinoma growth. An understanding of the growth regulatory mechanisms of cholangiocarcinoma will lead to the identification of therapeutic targets for this devastating cancer.
胆管癌是一种起源于胆管内衬上皮细胞（即胆管细胞）肿瘤性转化的罕见癌症。由于缺乏可行的治疗方案，胆管癌患者的预后严峻。全球范围内胆管癌发病率和死亡率的上升凸显了了解触发胆管细胞肿瘤性转化及胆管癌生长的细胞内机制的重要性。以下综述的目的是阐述过去十年间在胆管癌发生的分子基础方面所学到的知识。所呈现的内容分为两个部分：（1）调控胆管细胞肿瘤性转化的机制；（2）调控胆管癌生长的因素。了解胆管癌的生长调控机制将有助于确定针对这种毁灭性癌症的治疗靶点。
