Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)
Overview and Facts about Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, is a rare form of cancer that affects the bile ducts located either inside or outside the liver. Bile duct cancer outside of the liver is more common.
Your bile duct plays a major role in your digestive health as it is responsible for transporting bile, a digestive fluid, from your liver and gallbladder to your small intestine, helping you digest the food you eat. Specifically, bile helps you break down fat and remove toxins and waste from your body. Bile is stored in your gallbladder in between your meals and released while you are eating. Bile duct cancer often blocks or obstructs the flow of bile through the bile ducts.
Symptoms and Signs of Cholangiocarcinoma
A common symptom of bile duct cancer is an obstructed or blocked flow of bile to the small intestine, which often causes additional symptoms of jaundice. Jaundice is the yellowing of skin and the whites of the eyes caused by high levels of a substance called bilirubin in the bloodstream. Jaundice symptoms are also seen in the urine and stool; jaundiced individuals often release very dark urine and pale-colored stool.
Other signs and symptoms of bile duct cancer include:
- Abdominal pain, particularly if the cancer has grown/enlarged or spread
- Itching
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
Causes and Risk Factors of Cholangiocarcinoma
Individuals with bile duct inflammation, bile duct disease or irritation, inflammation and ulcers in their colons (ulcerative colitis), and certain liver diseases like liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) are at risk of developing bile duct cancer.
Older adults are more likely to develop bile duct cancer than younger adults and children.
Lifestyle features, such as heavy alcohol drinking and travel to places where liver flukes (liver parasites) are common, can also increase your risk of bile duct cancer.
Exposure to certain chemicals, such as thorium dioxide, dioxins, nitrosamines, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), also place individuals at risk of developing bile duct cancer.
