The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) opens its 13th Annual Conference on Friday, May 1, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, bringing together researchers, clinicians, patients, caregivers, and advocates from around the world to advance the fight against bile duct cancer.
The three-day event, running under the theme “Strength in Community: Every Patient Counts,” also marks the foundation’s 20th anniversary and will be available both in-person and virtually.
The CCF was established after a family in Salt Lake City received a devastating cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis in 2005 and resolved to build a resource and community that did not yet exist. Foundation Founder and Chief Executive Officer Stacie C. Lindsey said the transformation in those two decades has been profound.
“Twenty years ago, there were no treatment options, no cholangiocarcinoma specialists, the institutions were not working together, and there was no funding for cholangiocarcinoma research,” Lindsey said. “Today, there are more treatment options, seven Food and Drug Administration approvals, two standards of care, and more in the pipeline.”
The 2025 edition of the conference brought together scientists, academic researchers, advocates, industry partners, patients, and caregivers to identify top research priorities, and the 2026 gathering builds on that foundation.
This year’s keynote sessions will feature leading researchers Nabeel El-Bardeesy, Tak Mak, and Gregory Gores. The programme also includes a presentation from patient Keaton Herzer, who navigated the process of securing insurance approval for targeted therapy and a liver transplant.
Underscoring the urgency of the work, a study published in JAMA Network Open projects that by 2040, liver and bile duct cancer will be the third deadliest cancer in the United States.
The conference offers educational sessions, networking opportunities, poster sessions, and chances for researchers to receive direct feedback from patients and caregivers. Media representatives may contact the foundation for a registration code to attend virtually at no cost.
