Bile Duct Cancer Treatment

In fact, research performed right here at Winship informed some bile duct cancer treatment guidelines. In other words, we offer all the latest bile duct cancer treatments plus the expertise to know when to use which therapies — so you can feel confident in your care plan.

The hepatobiliary cancer experts at Winship use the latest technology and advanced testing to analyze your bile duct cancer at every level. Your team of physicians — including your surgeon, pathologist, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist and more — will then meet to create a bile duct cancer treatment plan best suited to you and your disease. We’ll develop a plan to treat your cancer as aggressively as possible while keeping side effects to a minimum.

Once your personalized bile duct cancer treatment plan is created, your team will discuss it with you, and treatment at Winship will be scheduled right away. Often, that means enrolling you in a clinical trial so you have access to the latest bile duct cancer treatment options.

As Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winship researchers are pioneers in hepatobiliary oncology and lead dozens of clinical trials testing bile duct cancer treatment options each year. In fact, many of the drugs used to treat hepatobiliary cancer today came out of clinical trials performed at Winship, which means our patients were some of the first to benefit.

At Winship, we offer the most comprehensive array of bile duct cancer treatment options in Georgia, and the expertise to know which treatments work best for your individual cancer. Based on your unique cancer, your treatment plan may include:

Bile Duct Stenting

While not a treatment for bile duct cancer, most patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer outside the liver) will need to have a procedure to place a stent into the blocked bile duct to open it up before cancer treatment can begin. This procedure is used to treat jaundice, which is important for reducing toxicity of cancer treatment and improving the body’s ability to metabolize chemotherapy drugs.

Bile duct stenting requires the expertise of a highly skilled gastroenterologist or interventional radiologist to perform this intricate procedure. The team here at Winship are experts in bile duct stenting.

Surgery

About a third of patients with bile duct cancer are treated with surgery to remove the tumor. Bile duct cancer surgery is complex given the location of the bile ducts deep within the abdomen as well as the risk of further spreading the cancer during the procedure if not performed with skill and precision. At Winship, we have a team of surgical oncologists who are solely dedicated to the treatment of hepatobiliary cancers, meaning they are experts in their field. When it comes to cancer surgery, you want the most experienced physicians taking care of you, and Winship’s surgeons perform more bile duct tumor resections per year than any other center in Georgia.

Chemotherapy

This bile duct cancer treatment involves the use of medication taken orally or injected to attack cancer cells throughout the body. It’s often used in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma before or after surgery, or in combination with radiation therapy.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. It is most commonly used in combination with chemotherapy to treat nonmetastatic bile duct cancers that cannot be removed with surgery. It also may be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells, or used in combination with surgery.

Proton Therapy

Winship is the only cancer center in Georgia, and one of an elite group in the nation, to offer proton therapy. This powerful and precise form of radiation therapy is used to treat cholangiocarcinoma in some patients. Proton therapy delivers a high dose of radiation to a tumor while preventing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Immunotherapy

This type of cancer treatment uses drugs to help your body’s immune system recognize, and enhance its ability to attack, cancer cells. Winship is one of the centers pioneering the use of immunotherapies in bile duct cancer treatment.

Targeted Therapy

This type of drug therapy is different from chemotherapy in that it targets a cancer’s specific gene mutations, selectively targeting cancer cells while producing fewer side effects. Winship is currently collaborating in a large-scale clinical trial that monitors patients’ response to targeted therapy and, depending on how their genomic profile changes during the course of treatment, we can match patients whose cancer has mutated with additional therapies.

At Winship, we are committed to delivering the most effective bile duct cancer treatment with the fewest possible side effects. But coping with your disease and the side effects of treatment can be challenging. That’s why we want you to know that we’ll be with you every step of the way.

We have a supportive oncology team of specialized doctors and nurses on staff to help you with the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with bile duct cancer, including symptom management and depression. This team — with the help of counselors, nurse navigators, dietitians and social service professionals — will be with you every step of the way, supporting you throughout your experience.