Cholangiocarcinoma
Deep Organ Tumours
Treatment options in biliary tract tumours are limited and preserving the bile duct is critical. Electroporation-based approaches are being investigated in both percutaneous and endoluminal forms of delivery.
27total publications
10clinical studies
7preclinical studies
1reviews
2012–2026publication span
Evidence Status by Regime
Reversible electroporation (RE-ECT)
6publications
1clinical
2preclinical
Exploratory Evidence
2018–2025 · Early Research Stage
Irreversible electroporation (IRE-ECT)
21publications
9clinical
5preclinical
Early Clinical Evidence
2012–2026 · Near Clinical Adoption
Mechanisms Reported in This Area
Terms were detected by automatic matching over publication abstracts; the figure gives the number of publications containing the term.
Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation 20
Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death 20
Necrosis and Necroptosis 4
Electrode Geometry and Placement 3
Increased Intracellular Cisplatin Accumulation 2
Apoptosis Induction 2
Increased Intracellular Bleomycin Accumulation 1
Antivascular Effect and Vessel Disruption 1
Thermal Effect and Joule Heating 1
Preservation of Extracellular Matrix and Tissue Scaffold 1
Optimisation of Pulse Parameters 1
Electric Field Distribution and Modelling 1
Study Type Distribution
Bar length is scaled to the most common study type; the percentage gives the share of the whole area. Colour marks the evidence tier of the study type, the same scale as the evidence map.
| Study type | Publications | Share within this area |
|---|---|---|
| Prospective Clinical Study | 3 | 11% |
| Clinical Study | 5 | 19% |
| Retrospective Clinical Study | 1 | 4% |
| Case Series | 1 | 4% |
| Case Report | 6 | 22% |
| Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis | 1 | 4% |
| Animal Study | 7 | 26% |
| Conference Abstract | 2 | 7% |
| Editorial / Letter | 1 | 4% |
Literature Evidence Table
27 publications listed in order of evidence strength. Click a title to open the citation, mechanism and full abstract drawer.
| Regime | Publication | Year | Study type | Model | Mechanism | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irreversible | Belfiore et al · Med Oncol | 2020 | Prospective Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) accounts for about 3% of the gastrointestinal and 10-25% of all hepatobiliary malignancies. It arises from the epithelium of the bile duct and it can be classified in… |
| Reversible | Tarantino et al · Eur J Surg Oncol | 2018 | Prospective Clinical Study | Human | – | Aim: We evaluated feasibility, safety and efficacy of Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in a prospective series of patients with unresectable Perihilar-Cholangiocarcinoma (PHCCA). Patients and metho… |
| Irreversible | Papamichail et al · J BUON | 2017 | Prospective Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Purpose: We aimed to provide an overview of current understanding on the potential use of irreversible electroporation (IRE) in the field of hepatobiliary surgery with a focus on current res… |
| Irreversible | Franken et al · J Vasc Interv Radiol | 2022 | Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Purpose: To investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous or open irreversible electroporation (IRE) in a prospective cohort of patients with locally advanced, unresectable perihilar c… |
| Irreversible | Bäumler et al · Cancer Manag Res | 2020 | Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Purpose: To assess the incidence and evolution of biliary alterations adjacent to the ablation area in patients with hepatic malignancies during the first 3 months after percutaneous irrever… |
| Irreversible | Hsiao et al · Sci Rep | 2020 | Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a non-thermal ablation modality that has been shown to be safe and effective in its application to tumors that are close to risky areas. This study aims… |
| Irreversible | Martin et al · HPB (Oxford) | 2018 | Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Background: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has successfully been used for palliation of pancreatic and liver cancers due to its ability to ablate tumors without destroying nearby vital s… |
| Irreversible | Dollinger et al · J Vasc Interv Radiol | 2016 | Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Purpose: To evaluate biliary complications after irreversible electroporation (IRE) of hepatic malignancies. Materials and methods: In 24 patients (17 men; mean age, 59.3 y), bile ducts were… |
| Irreversible | Silk et al · J Vasc Interv Radiol | 2014 | Retrospective Clinical Study | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Purpose: To assess biliary complications after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of hepatic tumors located < 1 cm from major bile ducts. Materials and methods: A retrospective revi… |
| Irreversible | Thamtorawat et al · Int J Hyperthermia | 2022 | Case Series | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Objective: To evaluate the biliary complication rates and efficacy of peribiliary tumor ablation using irreversible electroporation (IRE) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Material and metho… |
| Reversible | Sallemi et al · Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol | 2025 | Case Report | Human | – | , Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with biliary invasion is an uncommon but highly challenging condition, often associated with obstructive jaundice, hepatic decompensation, and ineligibility … |
| Irreversible | Ong et al · Am Surg | 2025 | Case Report | Human | Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation, Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death | Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) is a rare, aggressive cancer often diagnosed at an unresectable stage. Patients commonly require systemic therapy and biliary stenting to manage symptoms and … |
| Reversible | Tarantino et al · Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci | 2020 | Case Report | Human | Increased Intracellular Cisplatin Accumulation | Objective: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary hepatic malignancy after hepatocellular carcinoma. The current standard palliative treatment, chemotherapy regimen with … |
| Reversible | Tarantino et al · Digestive and Liver Disease | 2019 | Case Report | Human | Increased Intracellular Cisplatin Accumulation | – OBJECTIVE: Cholangiocarcino- ma (CCA) is the second most common primary hepatic malignancy after hepatocellular carcinoma. The current standard palliative treatment, chemotherapy regimen w… |
| Irreversible | DeOliveira et al · HPB | 2016 | Case Report | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | ABLATION MODALITY M. L. DeOliveira, M. Glenck, H. Petrowski, T. Pfammatter, L. Castrezana and P. A. Clavien University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland Aims: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) i… |
| Irreversible | Kasivisvanathan et al · Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol | 2012 | Case Report | Human | Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation, Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death | Patients with chemotherapy-refractory liver metastases who are not candidates for surgery may be treated with focal ablation techniques with established survival benefits. Irreversible elect… |
| Irreversible | Scrofani et al · Br J Radiol | 2024 | Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Objectives The prognosis of patients with perihilar-cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) is poor, with the majority presenting with unresectable disease at diagnosis. Palliative chemotherapy (CHT) is th… |
| Reversible | Izzo et al · Cancers (Basel) | 2020 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Necrosis and Necroptosis, Electrode Geometry and Placement | The aim of the study is to evaluate the usability aspects of new deployable, expandable, electrode prototypes, in terms of suitability solutions for laparoscopic applications on the liver, e… |
| Irreversible | Lv et al · Phys Med Biol | 2020 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a minimally invasive tumor therapy using pulsed electric field with high intensity while the important tissues such as blood vessel, bile duct, and nerv… |
| Reversible | Zmuc et al · Sci Rep | 2019 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Increased Intracellular Bleomycin Accumulation | The first clinical studies on the use of electrochemotherapy to treat liver tumours that were not amenable to surgery or thermal ablation techniques have recently been published. However, th… |
| Irreversible | Ueshima et al · Gastrointest Endosc | 2018 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Background and aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and early safety of catheter-directed irreversible electroporation (IRE) of the normal common bile duct (CBD) in sw… |
| Irreversible | Lin et al · Ultrasound Med Biol | 2016 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | The objective of this study was to describe the performance of ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) within 2 h after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of porcine… |
| Irreversible | Zeng et al · Radiol Oncol | 2016 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Necrosis and Necroptosis | Background: The ablation of liver tumors located close to the gallbladder is likely to lead to complications. The aim of this article is to compare the safety and efficacy of irreversible el… |
| Irreversible | Chen et al · Sci Rep | 2015 | Animal Study | Animal (In Vivo) | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Irreversible electroporation (IRE) with microsecond-pulsed electric fields (μsPEFs) can effectively ablate hepatocellular carcinomas in animal models. This preclinical study evaluates the fe… |
| Irreversible | Binen et al · 2026 8th International Congress on Human-Computer Interaction, Optimization and Robotic Applications (ICHORA) | 2026 | Conference Abstract | Cell Culture | Electric Field Distribution and Modelling | The use of electroporation in various medical treatments is becoming popular. In oncology applications, electroporation-based treatment is an effective method for cancer treatment and tumor … |
| Irreversible | Tomihama et al · Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology | 2015 | Conference Abstract | – | Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation, Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death | No. 264 Use of cone beam CT for complex biliary interventions J. Lopera, G. Kroma, A. Garza-Berlanga, R. Suri, M. wholey; Radiology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX Abstract No. 26… |
| Irreversible | Pompili et al · J Ultrasound | 2019 | Editorial / Letter | Human | Irreversible Pore Formation and Cell Death, Reversible Membrane Permeabilisation | Maurizio Pompili1 · Giampiero Francica2 Received: 12 December 2018 / Accepted: 21 February 2019 / Published online: 6 March 2019 © Società Italiana di Ultrasonologia in Medicina e Biologia (… |
Limitations
The counts on this page are bounded by the scope of the source PDF archive and are not a systematic review of the area's literature. Study type and mechanism labels are derived automatically; for critical decisions consult the full texts of the publications listed. The evidence level reflects the number of publications, not their methodological quality.