Cholangiocarcinomas (Bile Duct Cancer)

Cholangiocarcinomas (bile duct cancer) - Treatments

After the CCA is found and staged, your specialist team will discuss your treatment options with you. In choosing a treatment plan, these are some factors to consider:

The location and extent of the cancer
Whether the cancer is resectable (removable by surgery)
The likely side effects of surgery and other alternative treatment
Your overall health and fitness for surgery
The chances of curing the disease, extending life, or relieving symptoms

The main types of treatment for bile duct cancer include:

Surgery
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Palliative therapy
Combination of various treatment options may be offered as well to optimise the treatment results

Surgery

Surgery is often the best treatment for CCA when it is at an early stage and has not spread to nearby blood vessels or distant organs. Other methods have not been shown to be as effective as surgery in treating CCA. However, due to its advanced stage at first presentation, surgery may not be possible for some patients.

As surgery is the only effective method for treating CCA, it is important that a person with suspected CCA has a proper assessment by a specialist team. The specialist team is led by a liver surgeon known as a Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) surgeon. When feasible, surgery is a safe and effective in treating CCA.

Depending on the location of the cancer, surgery for CCA includes cutting out the tumour (Liver resection) or Enbloc removal of the bile duct and its surrounding organs and lymph nodes (e.g. Pancreaticoduodenectomy or also known as a "Whipple" procedure or Radical bile duct resection).

Liver transplant

A select group of Intrahepatic CCA patients may be suitable for a liver transplantation.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials test new drugs, surgical techniques and strategies for advancing treatment and care. There may be suitable clinical trials available for selected patients. Please consult your doctor for advice.