Biliary Tract Cancer Quiz

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Fatigued

Yellow eyes

Upper right abdominal pain

Loss of appetite

Stomachache

Itchy

Unintentional weight loss of more than 5% in one month

Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!

What is Biliary Tract Cancer?

Cancer of the bile ducts is also known as "cholangiocarcinoma." It is a cancer that arises in the bile ducts inside the liver or in the ducts that connect the liver to the gall bladder and intestines. Risk factors include genetic conditions, a condition called primary sclerosing cholangitis, chronic liver disease, infection with liver worms (flukes), smoking, diabetes, and age >50. Patients often come to their physicians with abdominal pain, jaundice (yellow skin and eyeballs), itchiness, and weight loss.

Typical Symptoms of Biliary Tract Cancer

Diagnostic Questions for Biliary Tract Cancer

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:

  • Have you noticed any changes in your stool color?
  • Have you noticed any yellowing of your eyes or skin?
  • Do you feel pain in your upper right abdomen?
  • Do you have itchy skin?
  • Are your stools white or clay-colored?

Treatment of Biliary Tract Cancer

This cancer is treated by a team of of oncologists including surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. A biopsy is usually performed to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment choices depend on stage, location, and other factors which are revealed by ultrasounds, CT scans, special scans and procedures, and MRIs. Treatments may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and various kinds of radiation therapy. Surgery is used less often. If larger bile ducts are blocked by tumor, temporary or permanent stents (tubes) may be inserted to bypass the blockage.

Reviewed By:

Robin Schoenthaler, MD

Robin Schoenthaler, MD (Oncology)

Board certified radiation oncologist with over 30 years experience treating cancer patients. Senior physician advisor for expert medical options in adult oncology. Published award-winning essayist on medical and health issues and more.

Aiko Yoshioka, MD

Aiko Yoshioka, MD (Gastroenterology)

Dr. Yoshioka graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine. He worked as a gastroenterologist at Saiseikai Niigata Hospital and Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital before serving as the Deputy Chief of Gastroenterology at Tsubame Rosai Hospital and Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital. Dr. Yoshioka joined Saitama Saiseikai Kawaguchi General Hospital as Chief of Gastroenterology in April 2018.

From our team of 50+ doctors

Content updated on Mar 31, 2024

Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy

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How Ubie Can Help You

With a free 3-min Biliary Tract Cancer quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.

This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:

  • Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.

  • Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.

  • History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.

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Symptoms Related to Biliary Tract Cancer

Diseases Related to Biliary Tract Cancer

FAQs

Q.

Is it Cholangiocarcinoma? The reality and medically approved next steps.

A.

There are several factors to consider: cholangiocarcinoma is rare but serious, and symptoms like jaundice, dark urine, pale stools, itching, right upper abdominal pain, weight loss, or fever often come from noncancer causes. A confirmed diagnosis usually needs a stepwise workup with blood tests, imaging like ultrasound, CT, or MRCP, and often tissue sampling via ERCP, EUS, or biopsy. Medically approved next steps are to see a primary care clinician or gastroenterologist promptly, seek urgent care for high fever with chills or rapidly worsening jaundice, and ask about referral to a hepatobiliary specialist, with more important details below that can change your plan based on risk factors, scan results, and available treatments.

References:

* Banales JM, Marin JJG, Lamarca A, Rodrigues PM, O'Rourke CJ, Shapiro M, Cardinale V, Carpino G, Coker R, Strazzabosco M, Gradilone SA, Larghi A, Nakanuma Y, Bril F, Bruce A, Chua T, Coilly A, Cadamuro R, Macias RIR, Gatto M, Goeppert B, Hlady RA, Komuta M, Lauss M, Lehwalder D, Lemaigre FP, Lenggenhager D, Lleo A, Marinova M, Meggiato T, Mello T, Menon V, Miyaaki H, Montironi R, Nakanuma S, O'Connor M, Pastore M, Percario M, Peverelli M, Pikarsky E, Pompella L, Raynaud P, Razumilava N, Sapisochin G, Schineller S, Schmitz S, Sepulveda AR, Shah T, Sahoo RK, Spreafico M, Terracciano LM, Vilarinho S, Vincenzi B, Wree A, Zaytseva YY, Paiva C, Gines P, Franchi-Abella S, Prieto J, Bujanda L, Perugorria MJ, Izquierdo C, Miquilena-Jerez M, Satoh S, Kamiya S, Kasai Y, Kimura F, Sakabe H, Komatsu H, Ohuchi N, Ikeda H, Ogawa M, Nakanuma Y, Kage M, Oda Y, Sasaki M, Nakashima O, Takeishi M, Ueno T, Nakanuma S, Shiota G, Komuta M, Van Cutsem E, Koga Y, Sasaki H, Ikeda H, Sasaki M. Cholangiocarcinoma: Diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Aug;17(8):527-542. PMID: 32514192.

* Bekaii-Saab TS, Bridgewater J, Valle JW, Porter D, Borbath I, Braconi C, Buettner S, Cabarello M, Cives M, Crooks A, Fassan M, Folprecht G, Geller MA, Govaert PP, Guz B, He X, Ikeda M, Jung K, Kim RD, Konda B, Krell D, Liau JY, Llovet JM, Maione P, Meyer T, O'Connor K, Oh DY, Omarini C, Papis B, Park JO, Park J, Puangthong W, Puertolas T, Regine CA, Salem A, Schmidt S, Shanbhag S, Shin Y, Si-Ahmed S, Siegel AB, Strecker-Taube E, Sun W, Takigawa N, Troiani T, Varadhachary GR, Vasileios K, Wasan H, Wolpin BM, Yu J, Zhao Y, Zayachkivska O, Zaychikov K, Zych K. Biliary tract cancers: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2021 Nov;32(11):1348-1361. PMID: 34390886.

* Sáez-López E, Carda C, Ferrer-Guillén R, Roda-Navarro P, Montoro-Ferrer S, Vilar-Bergua S, Gómez-Abril S, Pellín-Ferrer R, Martorell-Molina M. Molecular profiling of cholangiocarcinoma: a new era of precision medicine. Ann Transl Med. 2023 Jan 30

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Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Emergency Medicine

Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha Wisconsin, USA

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Internal Medicine

Signify Health

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Neurology, Clinical Informatics

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Psychiatry

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dale Mueller, MD

Dale Mueller, MD

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Associates

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Obstetrics and gynecology

Penn State Health

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Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.

Link to full study:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1

References