Epigenetic regulation in the carcinogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy arising from the epithelial cells lining the biliary tract. Despite the existence of variation in incidence and etiology worldwide, its incidence is increasing globally in the past few decades. Surgery is the only curative treatment option for a minority of patients presented with early disease; while moderate effective chemotherapy remains the standard care for patients with locally advanced or metastatic diseases. In this article, we briefly review the molecular alterations that have been described in CCAs focusing on the role of epigenetic modification, including promoter methylation inactivation, histone modification and microRNA, in the carcinogenesis and progression of CCAs. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Epigenetics dynamics in development and disease.