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Tumors of the Bile Ducts and Gallbladder

By

Yedidya Saiman

, MD, PhD, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University

Reviewed/Revised Aug 2023
VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
Topic Resources

Tumors, both noncancerous and cancerous, within the bile ducts or gallbladder are rare.

  • Ultrasonography or MRI/MRCP can usually detect a tumor in the bile ducts or gallbladder.

  • These cancers are usually fatal, but symptoms can be treated.

Bile is a fluid that is produced by the liver and aids in digestion. Bile is transported through small tubes (bile ducts) that carry bile through the liver and then from the liver to the gallbladder and to the small intestine. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped sac located beneath the liver that stores bile and releases it when needed. (See also Overview of Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders Overview of Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders The liver produces bile, a greenish yellow, thick, sticky fluid. Bile aids digestion by making cholesterol, fats, and fat-soluble vitamins easier to absorb from the intestine. Bile also helps... read more Overview of Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders and figure .)

Cancer of the bile ducts (cholangiocarcinoma) is rare. It can originate anywhere in the bile ducts, particularly in the bile ducts located outside of the liver. Being older or having primary sclerosing cholangitis Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Primary sclerosing cholangitis is inflammation with progressive scarring and narrowing of the bile ducts in and outside the liver. Eventually, the ducts become blocked and then obliterated.... read more increases the risk of developing this cancer.

Cancer of the gallbladder is also rare. Nearly everyone with gallbladder cancer has gallstones Gallstones Gallstones are collections of solid material (predominantly crystals of cholesterol) in the gallbladder. The liver can secrete too much cholesterol, which is carried with bile to the gallbladder... read more . Many people live only a few months after this cancer develops. This cancer is more common among American Indians, people with large gallstones, and people with a extensive scarring of the gallbladder, which can occur in severe chronic cholecystitis Cholecystitis Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, usually resulting from a gallstone blocking the cystic duct. Typically, people have abdominal pain, fever, and nausea. Ultrasonography can usually... read more .

Overview of Gallbladder Cancer
VIDEO

Polyps, which are noncancerous (benign) outgrowths of tissue, may develop in the gallbladder. They rarely cause symptoms or require treatment. They are found in about 5% of people during ultrasonography. Surgery may be needed to remove larger polyps.

Sometimes cancers can block the flow of bile, but most blockages are caused by gallstones. Even less often, cancer can spread (metastasize) from elsewhere in the body to adjacent structures or nearby lymph nodes, causing blockage. Noncancerous tumors in bile ducts also cause blockages.

Symptoms of Bile Duct and Gallbladder Tumors

Early symptoms include the following:

Symptoms gradually worsen. Abdominal pain may become increasingly severe and constant. The pain is usually caused by blockage of the bile ducts. The stool may become pale. People feel tired and uncomfortable. They may feel a mass in their abdomen.

Most gallbladder polyps cause no symptoms.

Diagnosis of Bile Duct and Gallbladder Tumors

  • Ultrasonography, followed by other imaging tests

  • Sometimes endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or taking a tissue sample

Doctors suspect bile duct or gallbladder cancer when a bile duct is blocked and no other cause is identified. Bile duct cancer is suspected especially in people with primary sclerosing cholangitis Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Primary sclerosing cholangitis is inflammation with progressive scarring and narrowing of the bile ducts in and outside the liver. Eventually, the ducts become blocked and then obliterated.... read more (PSC). If people have PSC, blood tests to measure substances secreted by tumors (tumor markers) are done periodically to check for this cancer.

The diagnosis is confirmed by imaging tests Imaging Tests of the Liver and Gallbladder Imaging tests of the liver, gallbladder, and biliary tract include ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography... read more . Usually, ultrasonography is done first. Sometimes computed tomography (CT) is done, but results are often not conclusive. CT cholangiography (CT of the bile ducts done after a radiopaque contrast agent is injected into a vein) or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is usually necessary.

If results of imaging tests are unclear, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Imaging tests of the liver, gallbladder, and biliary tract include ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography... read more (ERCP) is done. In this procedure, a flexible viewing tube (endoscope) is inserted through the mouth and into the small intestine. A thin tube (catheter) is inserted through the endoscope, and a radiopaque contrast agent, which is visible on x-rays, is injected through the catheter into the bile ducts. Then x-rays are taken to detect any abnormalities. This procedure enables doctors to obtain images and a tissue sample for examination under a microscope (see figure ).

If these tests suggest a tumor but are not conclusive, doctors may take a tissue sample by inserting a thin needle through the skin into the area thought to be abnormal. Ultrasonography or CT is used to guide the needle.

To determine how extensive the cancer is, doctors may have to do surgery to directly examine the area (a procedure called a diagnostic laparoscopy or an open laparotomy).

Treatment of Bile Duct and Gallbladder Tumors

  • Insertion of stents into blocked bile ducts

  • Sometimes surgery to remove tumor

Most bile duct and gallbladder cancers are fatal, but treatment can help control symptoms.

Tubes (stents) inserted into a duct allow bile to flow past the blockage. This procedure helps control pain and relieves itchiness. Stents can be inserted during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Surgery to remove a cancerous tumor may be done, but usually the tumor cannot be completely removed. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cholangiocarcinoma may be used. If tumors have spread from other parts of the body (metastasized), chemotherapy may provide some symptom relief but does not dramatically improve survival.

Very early gallbladder cancer that is found during surgery for gallstones can often be cured by removing the gallbladder.

If bile duct cancer is limited to the bottom of the liver (where the bile ducts outside of the liver meet the bile ducts inside the liver), a liver transplant Liver Transplantation Liver transplantation is the surgical removal of a healthy liver or sometimes a part of a liver from a living person and then its transfer into a person whose liver no longer functions. (See... read more may be a curative option.

More Information

The following English-language resources may be useful. Please note that THE MANUAL is not responsible for the content of these resources.

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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