Description

This volume discusses new developments in the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma induced by the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini. Although cholangiocarcinoma is rare in the Western world, it has a very high incidence in continental Southeast Asian countries, where it is linked to infection with O. viverrini. In Southeast Asia this cancer causes thousands of deaths every year and places a severe socioeconomic burden on the affected families. Diagnosis is usually at a late disease stage, and in the past palliative surgery and care have been the major therapeutic options. Recently, however, techniques have become available for early-stage diagnosis that offer the possibility of curative surgery, and novel chemotherapeutic options are also under development. In Thailand alone, more than 2 million individuals have now been registered for screening for this cancer. The aim of this book is to highlight the latest research in the field and to explain how the newly available techniques can be applied to reduce the risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma and increase the likelihood of survival.