Bile Duct Cancer Research at City of Hope
November 22, 2024
This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Laleh Melstrom, M.D., M.S., associate professor of surgery and immuno-oncology, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte
Getting treated for bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma at City of Hope means you are steps away from labs where new treatments are being developed every day. That proximity means you will benefit from something unique in cancer care — “bench to bedside” treatment. Bench to bedside means exciting new research we are conducting in our labs is moved quickly to the bedside to treat our patients.
Bile Duct Cancer Research Projects
Some of our past and current research projects include:
Evaluating trametinib (Mekinist®), a targeted therapy drug that can stop tumor development by removing enzymes necessary for bile duct cancer cells to grow. City of Hope aims to determine whether this drug is more effective than combination therapy for patients with advanced or recurrent bile duct cancer.
Evaluating whether combining the cancer drug gemcitabine (Gemzar®) with radiation therapy is well tolerated in bile duct cancer patients and if so, determine the optimal dose for cancer-fighting effectiveness. In many cases, combining chemotherapy and radiation (chemoradiation) can be more effective than either therapy alone, but it can also lead to more severe side effects as well.
Investigating whether linking trastuzumab (Herceptin®) to imaging agent 64Cu-DOTA results in better visualization of tumors in a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Overexpression of the HER2 protein in some bile duct cancers can be exploited for imaging purposes, since they will take in more trastuzumab than normal tissues.
Bile Duct Cancer Clinical Trials
Through our clinical trials program — one of the most extensive in the nation — bile duct cancer patients can often access promising new anti-cancer drugs and technologies not available elsewhere. Browse through some of our clinical trials and research projects.