Systemic approaches in biliary tract cancers: a review in the era of multidirectional precision medicine

Introduction: Despite a rising incidence, biliary tract cancers (BTC) are still considered a rare tumor entity. The disease's subtle clinical presentation and lack of effective early detection strategies often lead to a diagnosis at an advanced or unresectable stage, where curative options are limited.

Areas covered: This review provides an overview of current systemic therapies and emerging novel approaches for BTC. For decades, the combination of gemcitabine with cisplatin (GemCis) has been the standard of care for palliative treatment. However, since 2020, the diagnostic and therapeutic landscape for BTC has evolved considerably, not only in the first-line setting but also beyond, driven by the development of clinical trials exploring immunotherapy and molecularly targeted agents. Due to the high frequency of targetable genetic alterations in BTC patients, there is a growing emphasis on obtaining tissue or liquid biopsy samples to identify markers like microsatellite instability and other actionable oncogenic driver genes.

Expert opinion: Early initiation of systemic therapies in combination with multimodal approaches is essential for maximizing survival outcomes in patients with BTC.