Beyond futility: The history and potential of liver transplantation in cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare type of cancer which arises from the bile duct epithelium and carries a poor prognosis. One of the main risk factors in the Western world is primary sclerosing cholangitis. Surgical resection has traditionally been the only curative treatment but can only be offered to patients with early disease, excluding those with locally advanced disease. Despite initial poor outcomes, liver transplantation (LT) has evolved as a viable treatment for a select group of patients with CCAs that are deemed unresectable. This review aims to explore the evolution of the role of LT in patients with CCA.