Bile Duct Cancer Diagnosis

Why is that important? A precise bile duct cancer diagnosis will help us determine which treatment options will work best on your specific cancer. Our hepatobiliary oncology team specializes in bile duct cancer diagnosis and staging, and we have the technology available to provide the most detailed information about your cancer. That means we’ll be better prepared to build a treatment plan to best work for you.

At Winship, we take a multistage approach to bile duct cancer diagnosis so we can determine exactly what’s driving your cancer and how best to stop it. We know you’re anxious to move forward with treatment but having a detailed and accurate cancer diagnosis is critical, and it won’t take long, we promise. In fact, many testing results are often available the same day or the next day.

Diagnostic imaging. Because most cancers in the liver are secondary, meaning they actually originated in a different part of the body and then spread (metastasize) to the liver, we’ll first use imaging to look for signs of cancer in other places. Cancer is most likely to metastasize to the liver from the colon, rectum, stomach, breast and lungs, so we’ll check those areas first. If cancer is detected in one of these areas, your physician will likely collect a tissue sample (biopsy) from the liver to be tested in the lab to confirm the exact cancer diagnosis.

At Winship, we use top-notch imaging, including the latest computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammogram technology. And because our radiologists are subspecialized to identify and treat cholangiocarcinoma, they are experts in diagnosing and staging bile duct and other gastrointestinal cancers.

Endoscopy. During this procedure, an interventional gastroenterologist inserts a long, flexible ultrasound probe into the stomach and to the bile ducts via the mouth. The physician then uses a tiny brush to collect tissue samples to be tested in the lab for the presence of cancer. Endoscopy for bile duct cancer diagnosis requires a level of expertise not typically available at community cancer centers. It’s important to receive this test at a center like Winship that performs a lot of these exams.

Molecular pathology. If your tumor is determined to be cancerous, our molecular pathologists will conduct genomic profiling to look at the DNA inside your tumor to identify any genetic mutations and biomarkers, or cell characteristics. Winship scientists, genomic and tumor sequencing experts will analyze what’s driving your particular bile duct cancer and then work with your oncologists to determine which types of treatment are most likely to stop it.