Bile duct cancer treatment

Bile duct cancer is a rare but serious disease. You may receive a number of suggestions about how to treat it.

Treatment options for bile duct tumors

Since bile duct cancer is so rare, it’s hard to do large-scale research about how to treat it. At Advocate, you’ll have access to any available clinical trials, which may connect you to the latest treatments.

Any of the following treatments may be recommended for you either separately or as part of a treatment plan depending on your health and the size and stage of your cancer. They each have their own possible side effects.

Surgery

Surgery for bile duct cancer is used on a small portion of cancers because it’s often not diagnosed until the cancer has grown too much to be removed. Your doctors will recommend surgery when they believe they’ll be able to get the whole tumor and a margin of healthy tissue from around it.

Sometimes surgery is suggested as palliative care for bile duct cancer to lessen symptoms caused by the tumor blocking a bile duct or pressing on other tissues and organs in the area.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy may be recommended for these purposes:

• Before surgery to shrink tumors
• After surgery to remove any remaining cancer
• As therapy to relieve symptoms for cancers that are causing pain

Medical therapies

Chemotherapy is often recommended for some of the same reasons as radiation therapy.

Newer medical therapies like immunotherapy or targeted therapy may be recommended. Immunotherapy uses the patient's own immune system to interfere with the growth and spread of cancer cells. Targeted therapy uses advanced medical science to make medications seek and find specific proteins on the cancer cells to slow or stop their growth.

Palliative care

Palliative care is used to help you feel better, not to treat the cancer. It can treat side effects caused by other treatments. It’s also used to treat symptoms of cancer:

• While other treatments are underway
• When other treatments are discontinued because they aren’t working

Multidisciplinary team

When you choose Advocate, you’ll benefit from the collaboration of many specialists who have expertise in a broad range of areas. We’re dedicated to providing the best solutions to diagnose and treat cancers of the digestive system. We work collaboratively to consider all perspectives before recommending a treatment plan tailored to your situation. Your team may include:

• Gastroenterologists
• Gastroenterology surgeons
• Medical oncologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Pathologists
• Oncology nurses