What does the bile duct do?
The bile ducts act as the drainage system of the liver. Bile Duct Cancer Cholangiocarcinoma is a primary cancer of the bile ducts. These cancers are often hard to detect until the patient becomes jaundice (yellow). Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer associated with certain immunologic disorders including ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Patients with these related disorders should be monitored by their gastoenterologists. Detection of early cancers is only done through endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP). During this procedure the gastroenterologist passes a catheter through the bile duct from the first portion of the intestine (duodenum). Then, scrapings of the bile duct can be examined for cancer cells or a new micro camera can be passed through the bile duct to visualize the presence of a tumor. Diagnostic Procedures There are various ways of screening for pancreatic cancer, available at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare facilities.
