cholangiocarcinoma
Also known as adult primary cholangiocellular carcinoma, cholangiosarcoma, bile duct cancer, cancer of the bile duct, adult primary Cholangiocarcinoma
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Medical condition.synonyms
- Bile duct cancer, cancer of the bile duct
- Medical condition.image
- Cholangiocarcinoma - very high mag.jpg
- Medical condition.caption
- Micrograph of an intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (right of image) adjacent to normal liver cells (left of image). H&E stain.
- Medical condition.field
- Oncology
- Medical condition.symptoms
- Abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, fever
- Medical condition.onset
- 70 years old
- Medical condition.types
- Intrahepatic, perihilar, distal
- Medical condition.risks
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis, ulcerative colitis, smoking, heavy alcohol use, infection with certain liver flukes, some congenital liver malformations
- Medical condition.diagnosis
- Confirmed by examination of the tumor under a microscope
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Risk factors
- Pathophysiology
- Diagnosis
- Blood tests
- Abdominal imaging
- Imaging of the biliary tree
- Surgery
- Pathology
- Staging
- Treatment
- Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Treatment of advanced disease
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- References
- External links
Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stool or dark urine may also occur. Other biliary tract cancers include gallbladder cancer and cancer of the ampulla of Vater.
Risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma include primary sclerosing cholangitis (an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts), ulcerative colitis, cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, infection with certain liver flukes, and some congenital liver malformations. Most people have no identifiable risk factors. The diagnosis is suspected based on a combination of blood tests, medical imaging, endoscopy, and sometimes surgical exploration. The disease is confirmed by examination of cells from the tumor under a microscope. It is typically an adenocarcinoma (a cancer that forms glands or secretes mucin).