Bile duct cancer is cancer that forms in the slender tubes (bile ducts) that carry the digestive fluid bile through your liver. Bile duct cancer is also called cholangiocarcinoma.

Bile duct cancer is a rare form of cancer that occurs mostly in people older than age 50. Bile duct cancer can cause signs and symptoms such as yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), intense itchiness of the skin, and white-colored stools.

Bile duct cancer is an aggressive form of cancer that progresses quickly and is difficult to treat

A variety of tests and procedures are used to diagnose bile duct cancer :

• Visually inspecting the bile ducts for signs of cancer.Doctors use a long, thin tube with a camera on the end (endoscope) to inspect your bile ducts for signs of cancer. An endoscope is passed down your throat, through your stomach and into the first portion of your small intestine, where your bile duct empties.Endoscopy can be combined with imaging tests, such as ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, to create pictures of the bile ducts and with biopsy procedures to collect tissue samples.
• Removing a sample of tissue for testing. Laboratory testing of suspicious tissue helps your doctor make a diagnosis. Information gathered during testing may help shape your treatment plan.A biopsy sample can be collected with a needle that is inserted through your skin. Or a sample can be removed during endoscopy.
• Imaging tests. Imaging tests give your doctor more clues about your bile duct cancer and can help determine the extent of your cancer. Imaging tests may include CT, MRI, positron emission tomography (PET) and bile duct X-ray (cholangiography).
• Exploratory surgery. Sometimes doctors use exploratory surgery to investigate a suspected cancer. This procedure can involve one large incision or several small incisions (minimally invasive surgery). Minimally invasive surgery involves special tools that are inserted through the incisions, along with a camera that allows your doctor to see inside your body.

Your treatment options for your bile duct cancer will depend on the specifics of your cancer, such as the size, location and extent, as well as your health and personal preferences. Your treatment team will work with you to find a treatment that meets your needs.

Treatments for bile duct cancer may include:

• When possible, doctors try to remove as much of the cancer as they can. For very small bile duct cancers, this involves removing part of the bile duct and joining the cut ends. For more-advanced bile duct cancers, nearby liver tissue, pancreas tissue or lymph nodes may be removed as well.
• Liver transplant. Surgery to remove your liver and replace it with one from a donor (liver transplant) may be an option for certain types of bile duct cancers. For many people, a liver transplant is a cure for bile duct cancer, but there is a risk that bile duct cancer will recur after a liver transplant.
• Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.Chemotherapy may be an option for people with advanced bile duct cancers to help slow the disease and relieve signs and symptoms.
• Radiation therapy. Radiation therapyuses high-energy sources, such as X-rays, to damage or destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy can involve a machine that directs radiation beams at your body (external beam radiation) or it can involve placing radioactive material inside your body near the site of your cancer (brachytherapy).
• Biliary drainage. Biliary drainage is a procedure to restore the flow of bile. Biliary drainage can involve bypass surgery to reroute the bile around the cancer or stents to hold open a bile duct being collapsed by cancer. Biliary drainage helps relieve signs and symptoms of bile duct cancer.