DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My mother has been experiencing unusual and persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, and jaundice. After undergoing a CT scan, her doctor diagnosed her with cholangiocarcinoma. What is this type of cancer? And what treatment options are available?
ANSWER: Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that develops from the bile ducts, which are slender tubes that carry the digestive fluid bile and connect the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine.
The tumor can occur anywhere along the biliary "tree" and is divided into three subtypes based on where it starts. The intrahepatic subtype starts in the bile duct inside the liver and typically appears as a mass in the liver, which may affect the organ's function. The second subtype, called perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, occurs just outside of the liver, where the bile ducts come together and exit the liver. Patients diagnosed with this form of cholangiocarcinoma typically present with jaundice. Distal cholangiocarcinoma is the third subtype. It occurs in the portion of the bile duct that is outside of the liver and nearest to the intestine. This subtype also typically presents with jaundice.
