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| Bile duct cancers may arise in many locations in and around the liver. Incidence; Causes & Development; Risk Factors Bile duct cancers are quite rare, affecting some 16,600 people in the United States per year at the time of writing. The cause is unknown. People with chronic inflammatory processes such as ulcerative colitis or parasitic infections of the bile ducts, or with congenital abnormalities of the bile ducts are at higher risk for developing this cancer. Jaundice is caused by the accumulation in the skin of a component of bile (bilirubin) that normally empties into the intestines after traveling through the bile ducts. There are no signs or symptoms unique to bile duct cancer; even if the findings associated with bile duct cancer are present, other explanations - such as gallstones - are far more likely. Symptoms generally develop slowly and are often subtle. Treatment & Prevention Treatment may include surgery or chemotherapy. If the cancer cannot be entirely removed, the principal goals of therapy become the relief of symptoms caused by the accumulation of bile, and relief from pain. |
| Surgery |