Initiatives to map the situation of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in Europe help improve patient outcomes-ScienceDaily

In 2015, the European Network for Bile Duct Cancer Research (ENSCCA) was established with the aim of establishing a pan-European interdisciplinary cooperation network to address CCA issues at the basic, translation, and clinical levels. It is said that. Its first initiative details the natural history of CCA in Europe, determines potential risk factors, improves the current classification system, and is an early, non-invasive and accurate tumor biomarker for diagnosis. Was the creation of the 2016 clinical ENSCCA registry to investigate and estimate. Compare prognosis, efficacy of treatment, and select patients for clinical trials.

“CCA is a rare cancer, but its incidence is increasing worldwide and we need to stop treating it as an orphan disease,” said Ikerbasque, a professor at Biodonostia at the University of Navarra and CIBERehd in Spain. Dr. Jesus M. Banales explained. “CCA is a major challenge for clinicians, scientists, the national health system, and society, but there is a lack of coordinated interdisciplinary pan-European studies, so we use the ENSCCA registry to gather important information. did.”

In the most comprehensive international observational study to date, researchers have found that CCA was diagnosed between 2010 and 2019 and histologically proven in more than 2,200 patients whose details are contained in the ENSCCA registry. I evaluated the natural history. Data were provided by 26 referral hospitals in 11 European countries. At the time of diagnosis, 42.2% of patients had local disease, 29.4% had locally progressive disease, and 28.4% had metastatic disease. They are based on the latest World Health Organization classification by general and tumor type specific characteristics at diagnosis, risk factors, biomarker accuracy, and anatomical origin (intrahepatic, peri-hilar, or distal) 3 We compared the similarities and differences between the two CCA subtypes), and a comparison of patient management and outcomes.

The results suggest that the location of CCA tumors along the biliary tree is associated with various risk factors and tumor characteristics. Blood tests for tumor biomarkers show low sensitivity in the early stages, so diagnosis requires invasive confirmation by biopsy or cytopathology. Surgical resection remains the only potential curative treatment, but it is unlikely that it will be cured with the involvement of resection margins or lymph node infiltration. Researchers noted that chemotherapy increased the life expectancy of patients compared to those receiving the best supportive care. They also noted that worsening patient performance status (ECOG), the presence of metastases, and elevated levels of the tumor marker CA19-9 independently affected outcomes.

A comparative analysis of three different location risk factors for CCA tumors revealed potential lifestyle-related risk factors such as overalcohol, smoking, overweight / obesity, and diabetes. These are very prevalent in Europe and can predispose to individuals at risk. For CCA development.

“In conclusion, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic aspects of the complex CCA landscape,” commented Dr. Banales. “The results showed that CCA was mostly diagnosed at an advanced stage, and a significant proportion of patients did not receive cancer-specific treatment and had a poor prognosis. Treatment options are therefore limited. Awareness Campaigns and Educational Programs Aiming to Prevent Lifestyles Related risk factors and new technologies for early detection of CCA in high-risk populations are urgently needed to reduce cancer-related mortality Needed. Trial. “

CCA is a highly heterogeneous and aggressive malignancy that accounts for about 2% of all cancer-related deaths worldwide each year. It is often diagnosed as already progressing and successful treatment is difficult. It currently accounts for about 15% of all primary liver cancers and 3% of all gastrointestinal cancers worldwide.

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