FAQs: Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma) | canceronco

 




Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma)



Bile duct cancer is a rare disease, accounting for 10 to 20 percent of all liver cancers. It may cause symptoms such as jaundice, itching, abdominal pain and weight loss. Light colored stool or dark urine may also occur. The vast majority of these cancers are known as cholangiocarcinomas.

This condition, also known as bile duct cancer, is an uncommon form of cancer that occurs mostly in people older than age 50, though it can occur at any age.

See your doctor if you have persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, or other signs and symptoms that bother you.

Q. Is Cholangiocarcinoma a Liver Cancer?

Ans. Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer that starts in the bile ducts — the tubes that connect the liver and the gallbladder to the small intestine.

Q. What is the Survival Rate of Bile Duct Cancer?

Ans. The 5-year survival rate for people with early-stage extrahepatic bile duct cancer is 30%. If the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 24%. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 2%.

Q. Can Cholangiocarcinoma be Cured?

Ans. Treatment for bile duct cancer usually aims to control the symptoms for as long as possible. But if it’s found early enough, there’s sometimes a chance it could be cured.

Q. What is the Life Expectancy With Cholangiocarcinoma?

Ans. They generally have a very poor prognosis. Many studies report a dismal median survival of approximately 6 months. A case reported in literature reported a patient diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma who has remarkably exceeded life expectancy to greater than 4 years with a fourth line agent Sorafenib.

Q. What are Signs and Symptoms of Cholangiocarcinoma ?

Ans. Signs and Symptoms of Cholangiocarcinoma Include:

  • Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
  • Intensely itchy skin
  • White-colored stools
  • Fatigue
  • Abdominal pain
  • Unintended weight loss

Q. What Risk Factors Associated ?

Ans. Factors that may increase your risk of cholangiocarcinoma include:

1. Primary sclerosing cholangitis.
2. Chronic liver disease.
3. Bile duct problems present at birth.
4. A liver parasite.
5. Older age.
6. Smoking.

Q. What Prevention Can be Taken?

Ans. There’s no way to prevent cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). But you may reduce your risk of the disease if you:

  • Stop smoking
  • Reduce your risk of liver disease

Q. How to Diagnose Cholangiocarcinoma?

Ans. A thorough and accurate bile duct cancer diagnosis is the first step in designing a bile duct cancer treatment plan.

Laboratory tests used for diagnosing bile duct cancer include:

  • Liver function tests (LFTs)
  • Blood tests for tumor markers: High blood levels of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 19-9 tumor markers may be found in people with bile duct cancer.

Endoscopic or laparoscopic ultrasound.

A variety of imaging tests may be used to diagnose bile duct cancer.

Q. How is Bile Duct Cancer Treated?

Ans. treatment offers a variety of techniques in the areas of surgery, radiation and gastroenterology procedures, as well as novel investigative approaches.

Surgery

Some gastrointestinal (GI) procedures for bile duct cancer include:

  • ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) allows a view of the bile ducts in order to remove samples for biopsy, relieve an obstruction of the bile duct or place a stent into a narrowed duct to keep it open.
  • Stent placements
  • Balloon dilation for obstruction
  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative treatment that uses light-activated drugs (or photosensitizing agents) and a light source to kill cancer cells.

Radiation therapy
Targeted therapy
Chemotherapy
Immunotherapy



 Dr. Sajjan Rajpurohit is an Oncologist and the director of the Medical Oncology department at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.

He is also the director and head of the Medical Oncology department at BLK Super Speciality Hospital, Rajendra place. With his motivation and best cancer treatment facilities, Dr.Sajjan Rajpurohit is named among the best oncologists in India.


His expertise is in immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy in solid tumours (Breast, Lung, GI, GU, Head & Neck, Sarcoma), bone marrow transplantation.


In addition to his degrees, Dr.Sajjan Rajpurohit has done their MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College New Delhi in 2002. He has done their MD from Maulana Azad Medical College in 2007. He has also done their DNB from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre(RGCI&RC) New Delhi in 2011.


Dr.Sajjan Rajpurohit is currently the director of medical oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. Dr Sajjan Rajpurohit is Consultant and Unit Head of Medical Oncology at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, New Delhi. He is Editor in Chief - Clinical Oncology, Textbook of Oncology, Theme publication, Germany

Earlier, he was a managing editor at the Asian Journal of Oncology (2015). He was a consultant at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre (RGCI & RC), New Delhi in 2011.

He was national faculty for postgraduate teaching at Dr. Bhatia Institute for MD/MS in 2008 & 2009. He was Medical Director at Mansaram Hospital in 2007





Comments

Post a Comment