Endoscopic diagnosis and management of cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a cancer of the biliary tract. Although it is an uncommon disease, it frequently presents at an advanced stage, which precludes surgical resection and carries a poor prognosis. This emphasizes the need for accurate diagnostic techniques and beneficial palliative therapy. This article reviews several endoscopic diagnostic techniques relevant to CCA including brush cytology, transpapillary forceps biopsy, endoscopic ultrasound, cholangioscopy, probebased confocal laser endomicroscopy and optical coherence tomography. Additionally, this article discusses biliary stenting, endoscopic biliary radiofrequency ablation and photodynamic therapy.