Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma
The prognosis for patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is dismal, with an overall 5-year-mortality rate of 80%. Therapeutic approaches for this cancer are very limited and the only curative treatment is total surgical resection despite recent advancements in CCA research. However, only a...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1598552/full |
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| author | Agata Montagner Agata Montagner Laura Lemberger-Viehmann Nadine Reitberger Milena Schmidt Julia Scheruebl Eric Pion Benedikt J. Wagner Christian Pilarsky Robert Grützmann Thiha Aung Thiha Aung Christina Hackl Silke Haerteis |
| author_facet | Agata Montagner Agata Montagner Laura Lemberger-Viehmann Nadine Reitberger Milena Schmidt Julia Scheruebl Eric Pion Benedikt J. Wagner Christian Pilarsky Robert Grützmann Thiha Aung Thiha Aung Christina Hackl Silke Haerteis |
| author_sort | Agata Montagner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The prognosis for patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is dismal, with an overall 5-year-mortality rate of 80%. Therapeutic approaches for this cancer are very limited and the only curative treatment is total surgical resection despite recent advancements in CCA research. However, only a minority of patients are eligible for surgery due to late-stage diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to gain a deeper understanding of CCA and to discover new treatments, which can be achieved by utilization and optimization of 3D tumor models. Traditional 2D cell culture is still undeniably important in cancer research, especially for the discovery of biomarkers and drug screening. However, classical 2D tumor models do not represent the tumor biology in its full complexity as they lack the vital interactions between cancer cells, angiogenesis, and tumor microenvironment. In recent years, 3D models, including spheroids, 3D co-culture systems, organoids, tumors-on-a-chip, and the in vivo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model, have been used for CCA research. These models enable the study of the tumor microenvironment, investigation of metastases, drug development and testing, cholangiocarcinogenesis and personalized therapy. This review summarizes the applications of the different 3D tumor models that have been used for the investigation of CCA. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of the different 3D tumor models are discussed, and suggestions for future research possibilities are described. By optimizing 3D models, the gap between basic research findings and clinical applications can be bridged, enabling the discovery of more effective therapies for CCA and other cancers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d24488e856f449269ca55ae016e30cfc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2234-943X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d24488e856f449269ca55ae016e30cfc2025-08-20T02:46:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2025-07-011510.3389/fonc.2025.15985521598552Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinomaAgata Montagner0Agata Montagner1Laura Lemberger-Viehmann2Nadine Reitberger3Milena Schmidt4Julia Scheruebl5Eric Pion6Benedikt J. Wagner7Christian Pilarsky8Robert Grützmann9Thiha Aung10Thiha Aung11Christina Hackl12Silke Haerteis13Institute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyFaculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, GermanyFaculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, GermanyFaculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, GermanyInstitute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyFaculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, GermanyInstitute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyDepartment of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyDivision of Surgical Research, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, GermanyInstitute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyFaculty of Applied Healthcare Science, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Deggendorf, GermanyDepartment of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyInstitute for Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyThe prognosis for patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is dismal, with an overall 5-year-mortality rate of 80%. Therapeutic approaches for this cancer are very limited and the only curative treatment is total surgical resection despite recent advancements in CCA research. However, only a minority of patients are eligible for surgery due to late-stage diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to gain a deeper understanding of CCA and to discover new treatments, which can be achieved by utilization and optimization of 3D tumor models. Traditional 2D cell culture is still undeniably important in cancer research, especially for the discovery of biomarkers and drug screening. However, classical 2D tumor models do not represent the tumor biology in its full complexity as they lack the vital interactions between cancer cells, angiogenesis, and tumor microenvironment. In recent years, 3D models, including spheroids, 3D co-culture systems, organoids, tumors-on-a-chip, and the in vivo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model, have been used for CCA research. These models enable the study of the tumor microenvironment, investigation of metastases, drug development and testing, cholangiocarcinogenesis and personalized therapy. This review summarizes the applications of the different 3D tumor models that have been used for the investigation of CCA. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of the different 3D tumor models are discussed, and suggestions for future research possibilities are described. By optimizing 3D models, the gap between basic research findings and clinical applications can be bridged, enabling the discovery of more effective therapies for CCA and other cancers.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1598552/fullcancercholangiocarcinomain vitro cancer models3D (three-dimensional) modelsorganoidstumor spheres |
| spellingShingle | Agata Montagner Agata Montagner Laura Lemberger-Viehmann Nadine Reitberger Milena Schmidt Julia Scheruebl Eric Pion Benedikt J. Wagner Christian Pilarsky Robert Grützmann Thiha Aung Thiha Aung Christina Hackl Silke Haerteis Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma Frontiers in Oncology cancer cholangiocarcinoma in vitro cancer models 3D (three-dimensional) models organoids tumor spheres |
| title | Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| title_full | Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| title_fullStr | Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| title_short | Applications of 3D models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| title_sort | applications of 3d models in cholangiocarcinoma |
| topic | cancer cholangiocarcinoma in vitro cancer models 3D (three-dimensional) models organoids tumor spheres |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1598552/full |
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