Also called: Cholangiocarcinoma
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Bile Duct Cancer
Your liver makes a digestive juice called bile. Your gallbladder stores it between meals. When you eat, your gallbladder pushes the bile into tubes called bile ducts. They carry the bile to your small intestine. The bile helps break down fat. It also helps the liver get rid of toxins and wastes.
Bile duct cancer is rare. It can happen in the parts of the bile ducts that are outside or inside the liver. Cancer of the bile duct outside of the liver is much more common. Risk factors include having inflammation of the bile duct, ulcerative colitis, and some liver diseases.
Symptoms can include:
- Jaundice
- Itchy skin
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
Tests to diagnose bile duct cancer may include a physical exam, imaging tests of the liver and bile ducts, blood tests, and a biopsy.
Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
It sits within Cancers and Digestive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Cancer Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Bile Duct Cancer
1,221 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- D07001 Softgel-Capsules and Capecitabine Combination Therapy in Patients With Advanced Biliary Tract CancerInnoPharmax Inc.
- Hepatic Artery Infusion of Carfilzomib in Participants With Liver Metastatic Disease Previously Treated With Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump TherapyNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Testing the Combination of the Anticancer Drug Durvalumab With Chemotherapy (Gemcitabine and Cisplatin) at Improving Outcomes for High-Risk Resectable Liver Cancer Before SurgeryNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Safety and Anti-Tumor Activity of TYRA-200 in Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma With Activating FGFR2 Gene AlterationsTyra Biosciences, Inc
- Precision Integrated Strategies and Efficacy Evaluation for Biliary Tract Cancers: An Umbrella Platform StudyZhejiang University
- A Study of Lirafugratinib in Non-CCA Solid Tumors With FGFR2 Fusion or RearrangementElevar Therapeutics
Research already completed
- Endoscopy and Radiology-guided Ablation for Inoperable CholangiocarcinomaClinical Hospital Colentina
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- What Is Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma)?National Cancer Institute
- What Is Bile Duct Cancer?American Cancer Society
Diagnosis and Tests
- Alkaline PhosphataseNational Library of Medicine
- Bile Duct Cancer DiagnosisNational Cancer Institute
- Bilirubin Blood TestNational Library of Medicine
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Tests for Bile Duct CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Treatments and Therapies
- Bile Duct Cancer TreatmentNational Cancer Institute
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP) - seriesMedical Encyclopedia
- Radiation Therapy for Bile Duct CancerAmerican Cancer Society
- Surgery for Bile Duct CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Bile Duct Cancer Causes and Risk FactorsNational Cancer Institute
Living With
- Living as a Bile Duct Cancer SurvivorAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Bile Duct Risk FactorsAmerican Cancer Society
- What Causes Bile Duct Cancer?American Cancer Society
Genetics
- Cholangiocarcinoma: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- Cancer Stat Facts: Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Key Statistics for Bile Duct CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Bile Duct NeoplasmsNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: CholangiocarcinomaNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Bile Duct Neoplasms. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Bile Duct Cancer, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.