Bile Duct & Gallbladder Cancer

Bile duct cancer (also known as biliary cancer or cholangiocarcinoma) is cancer that occurs in the tubes that connect your liver, gallbladder and small intestine and which carry bile, a bodily fluid that helps our bodies digest food.

There are three main types of bile duct cancer:

• Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Sometimes categorized as a cancer of the liver, this type occurs in the portions of the bile ducts that are inside the liver.
• Hilar cholangiocarcinoma: Also called perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, this type involves cancer of the bile ducts that are near to the liver but still outside it.
• Distal cholangiocarcinoma: Also known as extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, this type of cancer occurs in the bile duct that’s nearest to the small intestine.

The symptoms of bile duct cancer can be different for every patient, and can be similar to symptoms of other, less-serious conditions.  Common symptoms can include:

• Unexplained fever, weight loss, fatigue, dark urine or night sweats
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Intense itching
• Pain in your abdomen just below your ribs on the right side
• Stools that appear white

There are a number of factors that are believed to increase your risk of developing bile duct cancers. These include:

• Primary sclerosing cholangitis: a condition that scars and hardens the bile ducts
• Congenital bile duct issues: These may include being born with irregular bile ducts, or a choledochal cyst.
• Chronic liver disease
• Being older, as most cases occur in people over age 50
• Smoking
• Diabetes

Ways to reduce your risk of developing bile duct cancer include:

• Take steps to avoid contracting diabetes, including maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise and eating less sugar
• Don’t smoke
• Doing what you can to avoid chronic liver disease, including drinking in moderation and being careful to avoid drugs that might harm your liver

Gallbladder cancer is cancer that begins in the gallbladder, which is a small, pear-shaped organ located behind the liver that stores and releases bile. Produced in the liver, bile is a fluid that helps your body digest fats from the food you eat as it passes through the small intestine.

According to the American Cancer Society, the vast majority of gallbladder cancers are adenocarcinomas that begin in the glandlike cells that line the surface of the gallbladder.

Other, rarer types of gallbladder cancer include:

• Adenosquamous carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Carcinosarcoma

Gallbladder cancer often presents no symptoms in its early stages. However, some known signs of gallbladder cancer can include:

• Pain in the abdomen, particularly in the upper-right part of the abdomen
• Unexplained, recurring nausea or vomiting
• Jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes. In gallbladder cancer cases, jaundice is usually caused by a blockage of the bile ducts that can cause a chemical called bilirubin to build up in the blood
• Lumps in the abdomen, which can be caused by swelling in the gallbladder or liver
• Loss of appetite
• Dark-colored urine
• Light-colored or greasy stools
• Unexplained weight loss
• A swollen abdomen
• Unexplained skin itching

There are a number of factors that are believed to increase your risk of developing gallbladder cancer. These include:

• A history of gallstones, which are small, stone-like structures that can develop in the gallbladder. Gallstones are common, and most people who have them will never develop gallbladder cancer. However, the American Cancer Society says that up to 4 out of 5 people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer have gallstones at the time of their diagnosis
• “Porcelain gallbladder,” which is a condition in which the walls of the gallbladder become covered in calcium.
• Obesity
• Family history of gallbladder cancer
• Smoking
• Being female, as gallbladder cancer is three to four times more common in women than men, according to the American Cancer Society
• Being older, as the disease is most often diagnosed in those over age 65. The average age of diagnosis with gallbladder cancer is 72 years old, according to the ACS
• Being of Mexican, Latin American or Native American heritage, as gallbladder cancer risk is highest for those groups
• Having choledochal cysts, which are cysts that occur on the common bile duct that transports bile from the gallbladder to the small intestine
• A history of gallbladder polyps, which are bulges that form in the gallbladder
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis, which is a scarring condition caused by inflammation of the bile ducts