The oncologist
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The use of gemcitabine as an adjuvant modality for cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is increasing, but limited data are available on predictive biomarkers of response. Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT-1) is the major transporter involved in gemcitabine intracellular uptake. This study investigated the putative predictive role of hENT-1 localization in tumor cells of CC patients undergoing treatment with adjuvant gemcitabine. ⋯ Gemcitabine is becoming an increasingly used adjuvant modality in cholangiocarcinoma (CC), but limited data are available on predictive biomarkers of response. In this study, patients receiving more than four cycles of adjuvant gemcitabine and harboring Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT-1, the major transporter involved in gemcitabine intracellular uptake) on tumor cell membrane had a longer disease-free survival compared with patients negative or positive for hENT-1 only in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. Overall these results may lay the basis for further prospective randomized trials based on a larger population of patients and may prove useful for tailoring appropriate gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for CC patients in the adjuvant setting.