Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Cholangiocarcinoma

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Bile duct cancer


Symptoms
  • Chills
  • Clay-colored stools
  • Fever
  • Itching
  • Loss of appetite
  • Pain in the upper right abdomen that may radiate to the back
  • Weight loss
  • Yellowing of the skin (jaundice)

Signs and tests

Your health care provider will perform a physical exam. Tests will be done to check for a tumor or blockage in the bile duct. These may include:

  • Abdominal CT scan
  • Abdominal ultrasound
  • CT scan-directed biopsy
  • Cytology
  • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
  • Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
  • Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram (PTCA)

Blood tests that may be done include:

  • Liver function tests (especially alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin levels)

Review Date: 06/02/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)