DR-055 The whole-genome landscape of advanced biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is malignancy of bile ducts (also called cholangiocarcinoma) and gallbladder. BTC is a rare malignancy in Western countries with a poor prognosis. Surgical resection in the only available treatment that potentially can cure patients with BTC, but most patients present with advanced BTC (including metastatic disease) that can not be completely removed by an operation. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for those patients with advanced BTC. Treatments with agents directed to DNA changes (targeted therapy) did not show better survival in different studies because of the heterogeneous nature of BTC. To improve the treatment of advanced BTC, a more comprehensive overview of the genomic changes in advanced BTC is required. If we can identify subgroups of patients with different prognosis based on genomic changes, new clinical studies could be initiated to study a specific treatment in one or more of these subgroup of patients.

Heinz-Josef Klümpen Amsterdam UMC the Netherlands