Bile Duct Cancer Prevention

While researchers are still working to understand exactly what causes bile duct cancer and have yet to make specific recommendations regarding bile duct cancer prevention, they have identified some risk factors for the disease. It’s important to understand what bile duct cancer is and the different types of disease.

Cholangiocarcinoma, also called bile duct cancer, is a disease that affects the tubes that carry bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. There are two main types of bile duct cancer: intrahepatic and extrahepatic.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma develops in the tiny bile ducts inside the liver and is sometimes confused with hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, but requires a separate diagnosis and treatment.

Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is much more common, accounting for up to 70% of bile duct cancers. This type forms in the bile ducts outside of the liver. Cancer that affects the bile ducts closest to where they exit the liver are referred to as perihilar or simply hilar as they occur in the hilar region where the common bile duct enters the liver. Bile duct cancer that develops farther down the bile duct toward the pancreas and small intestine is called distal bile duct cancer.

It’s not entirely clear what causes bile duct cancer, although researchers are learning more about the cancer each day. As with other types of cancer, bile duct cancer develops when abnormal cells grow out of control and form a tumor. This is generally caused by changes to cell DNA, called genetic mutations. The genetic mutations that lead to cholangiocarcinoma do not appear to be inheritable, meaning they are not passed down from one generation to the next. The vast majority of patients who develop bile duct cancer have no family history of the disease.

While scientists have yet to pinpoint exactly what causes bile duct cancer, they have been able to identify certain bile duct cancer risk factors. The following risk factors can affect your chances of developing intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

• Age (most cholangiocarcinomas are diagnosed in patients 70 and older)
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis
• Bile duct stones
• Inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s disease
• Heavy alcohol use
• Obesity
• Smoking

Additionally, having a history of the following liver conditions can raise your risk of developing intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma:

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Liver fluke infections (more common in Asia)
• Liver cirrhosis
• Hepatitis B or C infection

While there’s no reliable way to prevent cholangiocarcinoma, the following bile duct cancer prevention recommendations may help you reduce your risk for developing the disease:

• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and take steps to prevent infection with hepatitis C
• Limit alcohol use
• Don’t smoke
• Maintain a body mass index below 25
• Be physically active every day
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and limit red and processed meat

At Winship, we're dedicated to curing cancer through our extensive research, which goes beyond developing novel treatments for cancer. We’re focused on improving how the world prevents, detects, diagnoses, treats and survives all types of cancer, including bile duct cancer.