Patients from 105+ countries have trusted us
Join hundreds of happy patients who choose the right treatment and care.
Get A Quote
Cholangiocarcinoma is a type of malignancy that arises in the bile ducts; the latter are thin tubing which connect both the liver and gall bladder to the small intestine. Their principal role is to transport bile fluid from both of these locations into the small intestine with the end goal of aiding in fat digestion. Unfortunately, cholangiocarcinoma tends to be diagnosed at an advanced stage of development, thus making treatment options very difficult; however, when it is discovered at an earlier stage, there is generally a high probability of success from surgical resection.
What Is Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)?
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer found in the bile ducts. Bile ducts are tubes that transport bile from the liver and/or gall bladder into your small intestine, which aids in fat digestion.
Cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive form of cancer, so it tends to metastasise rapidly. Most patients with cholangiocarcinoma are diagnosed once the disease has already metastasised from the bile duct, making it very difficult to treat at this point. Generally speaking, the prognosis (likelihood of recovery) for patients diagnosed with advanced-stage cholangiocarcinoma is poor.
Bile duct cancer can be grouped into several categories based on where in the bile duct system it originates.
Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
This rare type of bile duct cancer is often misclassified as a type of liver cancer because it develops in the intrahepatic bile ducts and is often incorrectly categorised that way.
Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma
This type of bile duct cancer is found in the hilum region of the bile duct, which is the area where the intrahepatic bile ducts connect to the common bile duct and the cystic duct.
Distal Cholangiocarcinoma
This type of bile duct cancer is found between the common bile duct and the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine).
Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer
Extrahepatic bile duct cancer develops in the extrahepatic bile ducts (the common bile duct and the cystic duct) outside the liver.
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in situ): There are aberrant cells, but they are not invasive.
Stage I: Bile duct-limited cancer.
Stage II: Extended to adjacent tissues.
Stage III: Extended to major blood vessels or adjacent lymph nodes.
Stage IV: Spreads widely to other organs, including the bones and lungs.
Bile Duct Cancer Surgery
Bile duct cancer can be treated through various types of surgery:
Removal of the bile duct
The bile duct can be partially removed if an early-stage tumor is small enough to allow for such a procedure. Lymph nodes located near the bile duct can also be surgically removed, and the tissue is examined under the microscope to determine if cancer is present.
Partial Hepatectomy
In a separate surgical procedure, a portion of the liver can be removed where there is evidence of cancer. The surgeon removes the affected area of the liver along with some surrounding tissue to help prevent the further spread of cancer.
Whipple procedure
The Whipple procedure involves the surgical removal of the gallbladder, the head of the pancreas, the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), part of the stomach, and a segment of the bile duct. The resection preserves sufficient remaining structures to allow for normal digestive function.
Liver transplant
A procedure that involves removing the contaminated liver and replacing it with a donated liver. A liver transplant is one treatment option for perihilar bile duct carcinoma. However, there is an increased chance of cancer recurrence following a liver transplant.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy tackles cancer by blasting it with high-energy waves that kill cancer cells. There are two main ways doctors use this treatment.
External Radiation
One approach—external radiation—uses a machine outside your body to target the cancer with radiation.
Internal Radiation
The other method is internal radiation. Here, doctors put tiny radioactive sources, like needles or wires, straight into the tumor so the radiation attacks the cancer from the inside out.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs and chemicals to destroy or stop the growth of cancer cells. The actual chemotherapy treatment is when drugs are delivered into a vein or muscle (e.g., by intravenous (IV) infusion), which allows the drugs to enter the entire body through the bloodstream, ultimately allowing them to reach the cancer cells. Advanced bile duct cancer patients may use chemotherapy to slow down or relieve symptoms caused by cancer cell growth.
Targeted drug therapy
Targeted therapies concentrate on the variation in each type of tumour's cancerous cells. Targeting each kind of abnormal cell directly through the drug that specifically identifies and destroys the targeted cancer's cells (and therefore causing them to die) occurs when there is an established level of completion once the surgical procedure has been performed by means of either radiation therapy or chemotherapy; at which point, any residual or remaining malignant tissue can then be destroyed effectively eliminating all forms of additional malignancies within your body and thusly also reducing any chance of developing any new tumours in the future.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy harnesses the power of your own body's immune response to fight cancer. The cancer cells that your immune system has been designed to attack have created a method to disguise themselves from your immune cells by producing proteins. Immunotherapy works by disrupting this process. If you have advanced cholangiocarcinoma that has not responded to other treatment options, there may be a role for immunotherapy.
Heating cancer cells
An electric current is used in Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to destroy cancer cells through heat. A doctor delivers one or more tiny needles through small incisions in your abdomen to the location of the cancer (using a testing procedure such as an ultrasound). Once the needles are in place, they deliver an electrical current which produces heat that destroys the cancer cells.
Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy is a treatment used to help relieve symptoms of your cancer, as well as to slow its progression. A light-sensitive substance will be injected into your bloodstream and accumulate in cancerous (fast-growing) cells. When your cancer is then treated with laser light, the chemical reaction that occurs will cause your cancerous cells to die. You usually require several sessions of treatment. After your treatment, it is very important that you avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
Biliary drainage
Biliary drainage restores the flow of bile through either inserting a small pipe into a bile duct to drain bile or other approaches, such as surgically bypassing the bile around a tumour. Some patients may also require stents to hold a bile duct open that is closing from the tumour process. Biliary drainage will help relieve some of the physical and symptomatic problems associated with cholangiocarcinoma.
The cost of treating bile duct cancer in India might vary from $4,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on the stage and type of treatment. The cost of the treatment may also be affected by a number of other factors. The expenses of the various bile duct cancer treatments are listed below:
|
Treatment Type |
Approx Cost in USD |
|
Surgery (tumor removal/bile duct excision) |
$4,000 – $8,000 |
|
Chemotherapy (per cycle) |
$1,000 – $1,200 |
|
Radiation Therapy (full course) |
$3,000 – $6,000 |
|
Targeted Therapy (monthly) |
$4,000 – $8,000 |
|
Liver Transplant |
$25,000 – $30,000 |
Bile duct cancer typically presents itself in the form of abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin (jaundice). If you experience any of these signs, you should see your physician:
Join hundreds of happy patients who choose the right treatment and care.
Get A Quote