Current omics-based biomarkers for cholangiocarcinoma

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy of the biliary tract. CCA generally has a low incidence worldwide but incidence is typically high in Southeast Asian countries, particularly in northeastern Thailand, where small liver-fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) infection is endemic. CCA has a poor prognosis as most CCA patients present with advanced stages. Poor prognosis and worse outcomes are due to the lack of specific and early-stage CCA biomarkers.

Areas covered: In this review, we discuss the use of CCA tissues, serum and bile samples as sources of diagnostic and prognostic markers by using -omics approaches, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. The current state of the discovery of molecular candidates and their potential to be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for CCA are summarized and discussed.

Expert opinion: Various potential molecules have been discovered, some of which have been verified as diagnostic biomarkers for CCA. However, most identified molecules require much further evaluation to help us find markers with high specificity, low cost and ease-of-use in routine diagnostic laboratories.

KEYWORDS:

• Cholangiocarcinoma
• -omics approaches
• biomarkers
• diagnosis
• prognosis

Article Highlights

• Cholangiocarcinoma is a deleterious bile duct cancer and has been found worldwide especially in liver fluke endemic areas. The CCA patients usually have poor prognosis and short survival rate due to the lack of early and specific diagnosis procedures/biomarkers.

• The advances in omics technologies lead to the discovery of several potential molecules that could be further developed as biomarker for CCA.

• We summarized the possible potential biomarkers for CCA discovered by omics approaches including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics.

• Further studies are required to expedite the use of discovered potential biomarkers in clinical setting.

• Apart from diagnostic biomarkers, some of genetic abnormalities i.e. ERBB genes amplification and IDH1/2 mutation have been exploited as therapeutic targets for CCA patients.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Prof. David Blair for editing the manuscript via publication clinic, Khon Kaen University.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer Disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Thailand Research Fund and Medical Research Council (MRC) UK via TRF-MRC Joint Health Research (grant number DBG5980004) and Khon Kaen University Research Fund (grant number KKU61004405). KI thanks the scholarship under the Post-Doctoral Training Program from Research Affairs and Graduate School, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. (Grant number 60163).