Extrahepatic bile duct cancer

The bile duct is a tube in the body that collects bile from the liver. It combines with the gallbladder to form the common bile duct, which carries the bile into the small intestine to help breakdown food from the stomach. Extrahepatic bile duct cancer is a rare cancer found in the part of the bile duct that is outside the liver. Symptoms include jaundice (yellow skin or yellow in the whites of the eyes), abdomenal pain, fever, and itchy skin. Certain liver diseases, colitis (swelling in the large intestine), choledochal cysts (a birth defect), and infection from a Chinese liver fluke parasite are all risk factors. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer, whether the tumor is in the upper or lower part of the duct, and whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has come back. Treatment options include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or possible clinical trials.