Essentials of precision medicine in practice of surgical oncology for hepatobiliary tumors

Abstract

Precision, minimal invasiveness, digitalization, information technology and integrative medicine were considered as the future driving force of hepatobiliary surgery progress in the era of precision medicine, especially in the comprehensive management for patients with hepatobiliary (HB) tumors. Given the encouraging outcomes in the genomic technology-based precision treatment of cancers, we believe that a paradigm shift is emerging in the surgical management for HB tumors with cumulative practice in precision medicine. The current practice would be changed in: (1) the precision neoadjuvant therapy for unresectable HB tumors would come into practice to improve the long-term survival or increase the resec-tability; (2)precision management may become a first-line strategy to prevent the postoperative disease recurrence; (3)patients with recurrent intractable HB tumors could be conversed to the chronic status of surviving with tumor. Given the large population of HB tumors and current status of precision, the precision-based paradigm shift is inevitable in the surgical management for HB tumors. It’s therefore mandatory for the new generation of hepatobiliary surgeons to comprehend the concept and technology of precesion medicine into the current practice. We compose this article to emphasize the role of precision medicine in practice of surgical oncology for HB tumors Key words: Liver neoplasms; Cholangiocarcinoma; Surgical procedures, operative; Precision medicine