General Information About Bile Duct Cancer
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the process where cells lining the inner wall of the tube network (bile ducts) that carries the bile produced by the liver to the small intestine become cancerous, forming tumors that block the duct.
Advanced age, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) - a chronic inflammation of the bile ducts -, liver parasites, bile duct cysts, and chronic hepatitis infections are factors that significantly increase the risk.
Because the tumor blocks the bile duct, the bile cannot flow into the intestine and backs up, mixing into the bloodstream. High bilirubin in the blood turns the whites of the eyes and skin bright yellow, turns urine the color of tea, and lightens (whitens) the color of the stool.
In addition to jaundice, there is an unbearable overall body itch due to the accumulation of bile in the skin, upper right abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fever, and rapid weight loss.
Liver enzymes and the CA 19-9 tumor marker are elevated in blood tests. The exact location of the duct blockage is found using MRCP (MRI of the bile ducts). An endoscopic method called ERCP is used to enter the duct to both clear the blockage and take a biopsy (tissue sample).
Intervention is directed to wherever the tumor is located in the ducts. In the early stages, the cancerous bile duct (and sometimes a portion of the liver) is surgically excised and removed. In advanced stages, to relieve the patient's jaundice and itching, a 'Stent' (metal tube) is placed into the blocked duct via ERCP to allow bile flow, and chemotherapy is initiated.
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