{"id":1285,"date":"2022-07-25T08:05:38","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T08:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/?p=1285"},"modified":"2022-10-20T11:34:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T11:34:51","slug":"what-is-cholangiocarcinoma-and-how-its-diagnosed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/what-is-cholangiocarcinoma-and-how-its-diagnosed\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Cholangiocarcinoma and How It&#8217;s Diagnosed?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma is a rare malignancy that forms in the bile ducts or the thin tubes responsible for delivering the fluid aiding digestion (bile) from the gallbladder and liver to the small intestine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most patients get diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in later stages when the malignancy has already managed to spread to other organs near the bile ducts. Unfortunately, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/surgical-oncology\/gist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bile duct cancer treatment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> may prove to be challenging, and bile duct cancer prognosis might not be the most optimistic, but still, thanks to the advancements in modern medicine, new clinical trials and the implementation of new, targeted therapies may significantly improve the chances of recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Overall, the malignancy is quite rare, with about 8,000 new cases developing in the US each year. Usually, the patients who receive a diagnosis are around the age of 70.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Cholangiocarcinoma Types<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Experts differentiate between three main bile duct cancer types:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Gallbladder cancer:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a type of malignancy that forms in the gallbladder.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Extrahepatic bile duct cancer:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This malignancy is the most common and usually originates from outside the liver, meaning that cancer may be present in either the area near the small intestine or near the liver. Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is a subset of this cancer type, which forms in the area where blood vessels and ducts connect with the liver, otherwise known as the hilum.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This disease starts inside the liver. Still, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and liver cancer aren\u2019t the same. The latter is called HCC, or hepatocellular carcinoma.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1287 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types.jpg\" alt=\"The Structure of Liver Gallbladder and Pancreas With the Name of the Organ and Cholangiocarcinoma That It Is Presenting in the Located of Bile Duct\" width=\"1000\" height=\"714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-600x428.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types-800x571.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Cholangiocarcinoma-Types.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Bile Duct Cancer Risks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several risk factors may help trigger cholangiocarcinoma, and the most prevalent are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Certain abnormalities in the area where the pancreatic and the bile duct meet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bile duct cysts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ulcerative colitis (chronic).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liver cirrhosis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clonorchiasis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hepatitis C and\/or Hepatitis B.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HIV.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IBD or inflammatory bowel disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Primary sclerosing cholangitis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additional bile duct cancer risk factors usually include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toxin exposure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obesity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consuming too much alcohol<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Cholangiocarcinoma Symptoms and Causes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As in the case of other malignancies, experts don\u2019t really understand the exact causes of bile duct cancer. Based on the established risk factors, professionals believe that conditions that result in the long-term inflammation of the ducts may play a crucial role in the development of the malignancy. The constant inflammation may cause changes in the DNA, affecting the growth and behavior of certain cells in the ducts. Experts also speculate that these changes may happen during the patient\u2019s lifetime, and they aren\u2019t hereditary like in the case of some other cancers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When assessing cholangiocarcinoma symptoms, doctors usually look for the following signs:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fever<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pain in the abdominal area<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dark urine<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Itchy skin<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A condition when the whites of the eyes and the skin turn yellow (Jaundice)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vomiting and nausea<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unintended weight loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Light-colored passing stool<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Diagnosing Bile Duct Cancer<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diagnosis usually starts when the healthcare provider evaluates the patient\u2019s symptoms, performs a physical exam, and thoroughly examines their medical history. If they suspect cholangiocarcinoma, they may advise the following tests:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Tumor marker tests:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Looking at specific substances and proteins in the blood and urine that might signal cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Testing liver functions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> These tests also look at certain signs which might indicate that the liver isn\u2019t working properly or if there are elevated liver enzymes or bile duct blockage problems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Abdominal ultrasound:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This type of imaging may be the first test a doctor recommends if they suspect bile duct cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>MRCP:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is an imaging test with the help of an MRI machine.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>ERCP: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is an imaging test that uses a catheter and endoscope to help professionals establish whether the disease is present or not.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>PTC: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography is used to create X-ray images of the ducts, but with the help of a needle that\u2019s directly inserted into the liver and ducts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Suppose any of these tests indicate bile duct cancer. In that case, doctors may opt for performing a biopsy or taking a tissue sample of the suspicious area to examine the tissue for cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the biopsy test comes back positive for cholangiocarcinoma, experts usually continue trying to evaluate the stage of the disease. In the case of bile duct cancer, they look at the tumor\u2019s size and whether it has spread outside the ducts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The disease may spread to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The nearby blood vessels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The nearby lymph nodes and vessels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The liver and the gallbladder<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Distant organs, like bones, lungs, or the abdominal cavity<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Bile Duct Cancer Treatment<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The course of action regarding treatment will mostly depend on where the malignancy is located and its stage. Early cholangiocarcinoma may be treated with surgery, but if cancer has spread, experts may recommend a combination of different treatments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Surgery<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In terms of surgery, there are several actions doctors may recommend:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Bile duct removal:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> removing the affected part of the duct.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Whipple procedure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> removes the bile duct, gallbladder, part of the pancreas, part of the small intestine, and stomach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Partial hepatectomy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an operation that removes parts of the liver and bile duct.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Liver transplant<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Palliative surgery<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is for easing cholangiocarcinoma symptoms, as the surgery helps with removing bile duct blockages.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Radiation Therapy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This might be recommended following surgery, as the radiation beams can help kill remaining cancer cells in the body. Experts may also recommend it before surgery to help shrink the tumors.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Chemotherapy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chemotherapy drugs can also destroy cancer cells or can shrink tumors to make surgery easier or possible. It may also help reduce some of the symptoms of the disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The drugs may sometimes be delivered directly into the bile duct. These methods are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>TACE or Transarterial chemoembolization:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A catheter is used to implant tiny beads in the tumor-supplying blood vessels blocking blood supply and releasing chemo drugs to shrink the tumor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>HAI or Hepatic artery infusion:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A pump is surgically implanted to pump chemo drugs to the main artery that pumps blood to the liver.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Targeted Therapy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These methods target specific cancer cell parts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Immunotherapy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These strategies help the immune system fight malignancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Prevention<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unfortunately, there\u2019s no guaranteed way to eliminate the risk of bile duct cancer completely, but people can reduce their chances by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maintaining a healthy body weight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Limit their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/about-cancer\/causes-prevention\/risk\/alcohol\/alcohol-fact-sheet#:~:text=However%2C%20evidence%20is%20accumulating%20that,%2C%2020)%20in%20multiple%20studies.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">alcohol intake<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Avoid hepatitis B and C, and HIV<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Avoid smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1288 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention.jpg\" alt=\"Stop Alcohol Concept. Person Refuse to Drink Alcohol.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Prevention.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Getting Professional Help<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As mentioned earlier, the bile duct cancer prognosis may be frightening. Still, those patients who report any suspicious symptoms early on to their doctors have a significantly better chance of making a full recovery. On the other hand, modern medicine has also made tremendous advancements in cancer treatment overall, improving outlooks and outcomes tremendously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While receiving a bile duct malignancy prognosis or even suspecting the disease may be intimidating, patients should still know that with the help of the right professionals and state-of-the-art treatment methods, they can get through these difficult times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As such, feel free to reach out to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/omar-rashid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dr. Omar Rashid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to learn more about the disease and potential treatment options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma is a rare malignancy that forms in the bile ducts or the thin tubes responsible<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[89,92,88,91,90],"class_list":["post-1285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cholangiocarcinoma","tag-bile-duct-cancer","tag-bile-duct-cancer-prognosis","tag-cholangiocarcinoma","tag-cholangiocarcinoma-symptoms","tag-intrahepatic-cholangiocarcinoma"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}