Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma) - Diagnosis & Treatment

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How is bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) diagnosed?

To diagnose cholangiocarcinoma, your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your overall health, family history, lifestyle and symptoms.

To confirm the diagnosis, some tests may be recommended, which include:

Abdominal ultrasound, computerised tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to look for tumours inside your abdomen
Biopsy to extract a sample of bile duct cells which are checked for cancer cells
Blood tests to check your liver function and bilirubin levels, or to look for tumour markers
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), in which a dye is injected into the bile duct, to create a clearer X-ray result
Endoscopy to view the inside of the lower intestine
Laparoscopy to view the bile duct, gallbladder, liver and surrounding tissues

How is bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) treated?

Treatment for bile duct cancer will depend on whether the cancer can be completely removed with surgery (resectable) or not (unresectable). Your overall health and type or location of the tumour may also influence your treatment options, which may include both surgical and non-surgical treatments.

Surgical options include:

Removal of the bile duct and lymph nodes
Partial hepatectomy
Whipple procedure
Liver transplant

Other surgical procedures include those that drain blocked bile ducts, such as:

Biliary bypass to create a path around blocked bile ducts to relieve the build-up of bile in the liver
Endoscopic stent to clear blocked bile ducts, allowing bile to drain into the small intestine or into a bag
Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in which dye is injected into the liver or bile ducts to create a clearer X-ray image and check for blockage

Non-surgical options include:

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