Bile Duct Cancer Surgical Treatment Options

Introduction

If you are more than sixty and have a history of inflammatory bowel disease, you have a higher chance of developing bile duct cancer. The bile ducts are tubes that carry bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine to facilitate the digestion of fats. According to a bile duct cancer doctor in Kolkata, bile duct cancer is rare and can develop anywhere in the bile ducts. 

Bile duct cancer Symptoms

Bile duct cancer symptoms include – 

• Jaundice

• The upper right portion of the stomach aches

• Itchy skin

• Dark brown urine

• Light, clay-coloured stools

• Fever or chills

• Bloating

• Loss of appetite

• Weight loss

Surgery is the primary Bile Duct Cancer Treatment

Treatment for bile duct cancer depends on its extent. However, whenever possible, surgery is employed as the primary bile duct cancer treatment and it offers the only realistic chance for a cure.

Various surgical procedures can be employed to cure bile duct cancer. These include– 

• Bile duct removal - A surgeon may perform this surgery if you have a small perihilar bile duct tumour that occurs where the branches of the bile ducts first leave the liver. A surgeon removes the common bile duct and connects the remaining bile duct with the small intestine, allowing bile to flow again. If cancer has extended to nearby tissues, the surgeon may remove the concerned tissues and nearby lymph nodes for testing.

• Partial hepatectomy (liver resection) – The procedure removes the liver area where the intrahepatic bile duct cancer is found. Surrounding healthy tissues may also be removed to test and ensure that the cancer is gone.

• Whipple procedure – If bile duct cancer develops close to the pancreas, a surgeon removes the bile duct, gallbladder, part of the pancreas, stomach and the first part of the small intestine.

• Surgical biliary bypass - If the extension of bile duct cancer makes it difficult for a surgeon to remove the bile duct cancer completely, a bypass helps lessen the symptoms. The procedure involves the connection of the bile duct to a piece of the small intestine, creating a new pathway bypassing the tumour to allow the bile to flow to the intestine. The surgery does not cure cancer.

• Stent placement - If cancer blocks the flow of bile into the intestine, a doctor may place a stent into the bile duct. A stent is a thin tube that helps keep the duct open and drains bile that builds up in the area. Stent placement prevents symptoms such as pain or jaundice.