Bile Duct Cancer

This type of bile duct cancer is found outside the liver.

This cancer is found inside the liver.

This type of cancer is found in the bile ducts that lead out of the liver and join the gallbladder.

Doctors can use advanced imaging such as abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance image (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans to detect signs of disease and see whether cancer has spread to other areas of the body, such as the lymph nodes.

During a biopsy, a doctor removes a small sample of tissue at the tumor site to analyze in a lab. Biopsy results help oncologists plan the best treatment for you. There are several different biopsy types, including image-guided biopsy, and biopsy using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The biopsy type can be a core or fine needle aspiration.

Doctors use a blood test called a complete blood count to measure the number of different types of blood cells in your body.

This is a blood sample that doctors use to examine liver function. We collect a blood sample and measure the amounts of certain substances released into your blood by your liver. Sometimes, a higher-than-normal amount of a substance can be a sign of liver cancer.

Doctors use a physical exam to look for signs of something going on in your body, such as the presence of a tumor. These can include skin color changes, enlargement of an organ, or lumps in your lymph nodes.

Doctors perform this procedure to collect a blood sample and measure the amounts of certain substances released into the blood by organs, tissues, or tumor cells (called tumor markers). An increased level of tumor markers, like CA19-9 in the blood, may be a sign of bile duct in the blood cancer. Other cancers and certain noncancerous conditions, including cirrhosis and hepatitis, may also have increased CA19-9 levels. Some other tumor markers that could be measured are CEA and AFP.

Medical oncology includes chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy. Our doctors use the latest in anti-cancer medicine to destroy cancer cells. We also use medicines to slow cancer growth and shrink tumors before surgery. Sometimes, we use medication alongside other treatments such as radiation or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that might remain. Anti-cancer medications that could be used include chemotherapy, immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

We use radiotherapy treatments to target, destroy, and shrink many types of cancers. Our radiation oncologists may use this type of therapy before or after surgery. Radiation oncologists use external beam radiation therapy, 3D conformal radiotherapy, image-guided radiation therapy, stereotactic radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and brachytherapy.

Surgery is used to diagnose, stage, and treat many tumors. Surgical options for bile duct cancer include a biliary bypass, stent placement, and partial hepatectomy where surgeons remove the part of the liver where cancer is found. Our surgeons have expertise removing these cancers with minimally invasive approaches.