Non-surgical treatment of the biliary tract and gallbladder cancer

iliary tract cancers are rare, hence only a few high level of evidences related to their treatment are available. The successful treatment and the only chance for long-term survival are based on the radical surgical resection. After the fl uoropyrimidin based protocols chemotherapy regimens prefer gemcitabine combinations (cisplatin, oxaliplatin, capecitabine) or FOLFIRINOX, considering the patient performance status as well. There are no registered targeted therapy in this indication, the most experiences were acquired with erlotinib; nowadays the optimal treatment can be selected by the molecular genetic profi le of the tumour and not by the results of the clinical studies. The radiotherapy and the radiochemotherapy can be administered preoperatively, postoperatively and for palliation as well, in addition to the conventional percutaneous radiotherapy, brachytherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, intraoperative irradiation, radioembolization can also be administered depending on the technical equipments. Besides the photodynamic therapy and several ablation therapies, even interventional radiological procedures can play a signifi cant role.