Learn About Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare cancerous (malignant) growth in one of the ducts that carries bile from the liver to the small intestine.
Bile duct cancer
The exact cause of CCA isn't known. However, many of these tumors are already quite advanced by the time they are found.
CCA may start anywhere along the bile ducts. These tumors block off the bile ducts.
Both men and women are affected. Most people are older than 65.
People with the following health problems may have a higher chance of developing CCA:
- Bile duct (choledochal) cysts
- Chronic biliary and liver inflammation
- History of infection with parasitic worms, liver flukes
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Ulcerative colitis
Symptoms of CCA may include any of the following:
- Fever and chills
- Clay-colored stools and dark urine
- Itching
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the upper right abdomen that may radiate to the back
- Weight loss
- Yellowing of the skin (jaundice)
The goal is to treat the cancer and the blockage it causes. When possible, surgery to remove the tumor is the treatment of choice and may result in a cure. Often the cancer has already spread locally or to another area of the body by the time it is diagnosed. As a result, surgery to cure the cancer is not possible.
Chemotherapy or radiation may be given after surgery to decrease the risk of the cancer returning.
In select cases, a liver transplant can be tried.
Endoscopic therapy with stent placement can temporarily relieve blockages in the biliary ducts. This may also relieve jaundice when the tumor cannot be removed.
University Of Virginia Physicians Group
Todd Bauer is a Surgical Oncologist in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Bauer is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer). His top areas of expertise are Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer), Pancreatic Cancer, Neuroendocrine Tumor, Hepatectomy, and Pancreaticoduodenectomy. Dr. Bauer is currently accepting new patients.
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Perry Shen is a General Surgeon and a Surgical Oncologist in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Shen is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer). His top areas of expertise are Gallbladder Cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer), Gallbladder Disease, Pancreatectomy, and Hepatectomy. Dr. Shen is currently accepting new patients.
University Professional Services
Flavio Rocha is a Surgical Oncologist and a General Surgeon in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Rocha is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer). His top areas of expertise are Pancreatic Cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer), Pancreatic Islet Cell Tumor, Pancreaticoduodenectomy, and Pancreatectomy. Dr. Rocha is currently accepting new patients.
Completely removing the tumor allows some people to survive with the possibility of complete cure.
The survival time varies greatly from several months to several years. Outlook depends on:
- The location of CCA
- The cell type of CCA
- The stage of the tumor
- The person's age and general health
- Whether surgery is an option
- The person's response to treatment
If the tumor cannot be completely removed, a cure is generally not possible. With treatment, about one half of affected people live a year, and about one half live longer, but rarely beyond 5 years. You and your family may want to start thinking about end-of-life planning, such as:
- Palliative care
- Hospice care
- Advance care directives
- Health care agents
Complications of CCA include:
- Infection
- Liver failure
- Spread (metastasis) of tumor to other organs
Contact your provider if you have jaundice or other symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma.
Background: One way to treat liver cancer is to deliver chemotherapy drugs only to the liver (and not to the whole body). Researchers want to see if adding the drug PDS01ADC can improve the treatment. The drug triggers the immune system to fight cancer.\
Background: Fibroblast-activation protein (FAP) is an enzyme that appears in high numbers in cancer-associated fibroblasts of certain cancer types. \[18F\]FAPI-74 is a new PET (positron emission tomography) tracer, a substance that is injected into a person s body before an imaging scan. Researchers believe that \[18F\]FAPI-74 PET imaging may be able to visualize cancer more effectively than the approved trac...
Published Date: June 17, 2024
Published By: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Gibson RN, Sutherland TR. The biliary system. In: Adam A, Dixon AK, Gillard JH, Schaefer-Prokop CM, eds. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 24.
Koea JB. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. In: Jarnagin WR, ed. Blumgart's Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 50.
National Cancer Institute website. Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) treatment (PDQ) -- health professional version. www.cancer.gov/types/liver/hp/bile-duct-treatment-pdq. Updated March 28, 2024. Accessed December 2, 2024.
Rizvi SH, Gores GJ. Tumors of the bile ducts, gallbladder, and ampulla. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 69.