Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma)

Bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma, is a rare disease in which cancer cells form in the bile ducts.

your quick guide to this page

what is bild duct cancer?: Learn what defines bile duct cancer and what its general consequences are.
fast facts: Get a quick overview of bile duct cancer through statistics and bite-sized facts.
symptoms: Learn about the symptoms of bile duct cancer, how to recognize them, and what to do if you experience them.
lifestyle impacts: Find out how bile duct cancer impacts your lifestyle.
what can I do?: Discover management and treatment strategies for bile duct cancer?
additional resources: Find useful links, education, articles, recipes and more that can help with bile duct cancer.

what is bild duct cancer?

The liver is responsible for the production and delivery of bile (a fluid responsible for breaking down food in digestion). Bile ducts are small tubes that connect the liver, gallbladder and intestines to aid in the transfer of bile. Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) occurs when malignant cancerous tumors form in these bile ducts.

Bile duct cancers are categorized into two types depending on their location in the digestive system. If the bile duct cancer is inside the liver it is called intrahepatic bile duct cancer and if it is outside the liver it is called extrahepatic bile duct cancer.

lifestyle impacts

The side effects of cancer can cause nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss. People with bile duct cancer specifically may find it difficult to digest food. These patients should try to eat smaller meals and snacks along with nutritional supplements to try and stay energized.

what can I do?

prevention

Pre-existing conditions such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), bile duct cysts, and chronic ulcerative colitis are risk factors for bile duct cancer and usually cannot be prevented. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise may help prevent cancer.

diagnosis

There are many tests that can be used to detect and diagnosis bile duct cancer. These tests include:

Physical exam: Your physician will perform a general check up to assess your overall health and determine if you are predisposed to bile duct cancer.
Blood Tests: Used to determine if there are elevated amounts of bilirubin, AST, or ALT which could be signs of liver damage.
Laboratory tests: These medical tests use samples of tissue, blood, urine, or other substances in the body in order to help diagnose a disease or monitor the disease over time.
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 19-9tumor marker test: Tumor markers are released into the blood by organs, tissues, or tumor cells in the body. Increased levels of CEA and CA 19-9 may be a sign of bile duct cancer.
Imaging tests: Ultrasound exam, CT scan (CAT scan), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography) are non-invasive tests that can show signs of bile duct cancer.
Biopsy: Cells from your liver and bile ducts are removed to be examined for signs of cancer.

treatment

The location of the cancer, the stage, and whether it has spread to other organs are factors that influence the type of treatment available to those with bile duct cancer.

These treatment options include

Surgery: Surgery is the primary treatment for individuals with bile duct cancer to remove the cancer from the body.
Systemic therapy: Therapy used to target the whole body such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy. If surgery is not possible due to the cancer being spread to other sites or other health factors, systematic therapy would be the recommended treatment.
Liver Transplant: Removal of the liver and bile ducts from the body and replaced through a liver transplant.