Bile duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma)

Overview

Bile ducts are the slender tubes which carry digestive fluid. Formation of mutated cells in this region leads to tumours and is called Bile duct cancer. The occurrence of bile duct cancer is very rare with less than 100,000 cases each year in India but it is very aggressive in nature and survival rate depends on the stage of cancer and early detection is key.

Causes

The exact cause of this condition cannot be pinpointed.

Symptoms

In the early stage, there are hardly any symptoms but in the later stages, some patients tend to have

Risk factor

Studies show that some underlying conditions can exacerbate the chances of getting this disease. It causes the most risk when the following condition occurs in tandem.

Inflammation of the bile ducts
Persistent liver disease
Scarring in Bile ducts
Parasite infection in liver
Advanced age(people over 65 years are more susceptible)
Chain Smoking

Diagnosis

It is extremely difficult to diagnose this cancer at its early stages. At later stages the following tests help understand the extent of the disease and the treatment strategy.

Treatment

There are both surgical and non-surgical avenues of treatment which depend on the stage and spread of the cancerous cells.

Surgical Methods

Non Surgical Methods

Radiation Therapy which uses a machine to direct external radiation or by placing radioactive material near the site of cancer
Photodynamic therapy uses a light-sensitive chemical which is injected into the vein and kills the cancer cells.
Chemotherapy uses chemical injections to find and kill cancer cells