Bile Duct Tumor in India: Symptoms and Treatment options

Bile duct tumor surgery in India is provided at state-of-the-art cancer hospitals offering the latest cancer treatments, world-class technologies and supportive therapies all under one roof. Comprehensive treatment plans are created to meet patient's personal needs as well as address the circumstances of his specific condition. Bile duct tumor surgery in India is provided at cancer treatment centers of India by teams of board certified doctors and friendly healthcare staff work actively to bring compassionate care.

What is Bile Duct Tumor?

Bile duct Tumor is a malignant growth in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine. Cancer of the bile duct is rare and is most prevalent in people ages 50 to 70. The tumor sometimes blocks the bile ducts, which can cause jaundice, clay-colored stools, itching, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, chills or abdominal and back pain. These tumors usually grow slowly and spread gradually. In many cases, bile duct cancer tumors are diagnosed in the advanced stages.



Hilar or Klatskin tumors are the most common bile duct cancers. These tumors are located where the right and left hepatic bile ducts meet. There is another form of this disease, the intrahepatic bile duct tumor, which does not block the main bile ducts. Bile duct cancer develops in a significant number of patients with diseases of the biliary tree, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, intraductal gallstones, biliary tree strictures and choledochal cysts.

Symptoms of Bile Duct Tumor

Patients with Bile duct tumor most often become symptomatic when the cancer obstructs (blocks) the drainage of bile. Because bile cannot be excreted into the bowel, the bilirubin pigments accumulate in the blood, causing jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes) in 90% of patients. The jaundice is usually associated with itching of the skin (also called "pruritus"). The body compensates partially and excretes some of this bilirubin via the urine, so patients may have dark (cola colored) urine. Because bile cannot reach the intestine, the patient's stools become white (clay colored).

• Diarrhea, anorexia, and weight loss are the other presenting symptoms.

• Jaundice is the usual presenting symptom, followed by pruritus, which is a distinguishing feature from biliary cirrhosis. Jaundice is delayed if only 1 main hepatic duct is involved, because the unaffected lobe of the liver can compensate.

• One third of patients present with mild epigastric pain.

Treatment Options for Bile Duct Tumor

Treatments for bile duct cancer vary with the size of the tumor and how far it has advanced. Among treatments are surgery, liver transplantation, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy and biliary drainage. Where the cancer cannot be completely removed but has not spread outside the liver, liver transplantation may be an option.

Surgery

For very small bile duct tumor, surgical removal (resection) of part of the bile duct is usually the best choice. Sometimes this can be done using minimally-invasive surgery techniques. If the cancer is caught early, removing part of the bile duct may eliminate all the cancerous cells. If bile duct tumor is more advanced, nearby liver tissue and lymph nodes may be removed as well as the tumor.

Liver Transplantation

Liver transplantation may be an option for people whose bile duct tumor have not spread outside of the liver, but cannot be completely removed. India has one of the few institutions in the world that offers transplantation for bile duct cancer. Patients are treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy before liver transplantation. Tumors can recur after transplantation. In some cases, liver transplantation has been curative.

Chemotherapy

Current chemotherapy regimens for bile duct tumor do not result in cures but typically slow disease progression. Survival depends on the sensitivity of the tumor to the drugs used and the general condition of the patient. Prolonged tumor regression is unusual, and chemotherapy benefits usually last only weeks to months. Mayo Clinic oncologists actively conduct clinical trials of drugs, as part of an ongoing commitment to find new and better therapies for patients with metastatic bile cancer.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may also be delivered internally using radioactive sources placed temporarily inside the bile duct. Radiation therapy is usually delivered in conjunction with chemotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy may be used in addition to bile duct tumor surgery or transplant. Patients with localized disease who are not candidates for surgery may be treated with radiation and chemotherapy.



Why India?



Bile duct tumor surgery in India is provided by best treatment team, bringing you the most advance treatment options in some of the best cancer hospitals of India. Medical tourism in India makes continuous efforts to help foreign patients receive world-class medical treatments at almost zero waiting periods. Medical tourism in India is stimulated by well-educated medical staff at par with the developed countries. Medication combined with tourism has become a natural choice for foreign patients coming to India. To get more info on Bile duct tumor surgery in India visit us at www.forerunnershealthcare.com or mail your queries at enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com or call us at: +91-9371136499, +91- 9860755000 (International) / + 1-415-599-2537 (USA) / +44-20-8133-2571 (UK)