Bile duct cancer is a type of liver cancer, in which malignant (cancerous) tumours grow in the bile ducts. It is also known as cholangiocarcinoma and is rare in the UK, only accounting for approximately 1% of cancers in the

The bile ducts transfer bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. Bile is a greenish-yellow digestive fluid produced by the liver that breaks down the fat in the food we eat. Together the gallbladder and bile ducts are called the biliary system. Cancer of the bile ducts may prevent bile flowing from the liver to the intestine.

Bile duct cancer that starts inside the liver is known as intrahepatic and is usually treated the same way as liver cancer. Growths that begin outside the liver are called extrahepatic.

Extrahepatic bile duct cancer, a rare cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the extrahepatic bile duct. The bile duct is a tube that connects the liver and the gallbladder to the small intestine. The part of the bile duct that is outside the liver is called the extrahepatic bile duct. A fluid called bile, which is made by the liver and breaks down fats during digestion, is stored in the gallbladder. When food is being broken down in the intestines, bile is released from the gallbladder through the bile duct to the first part of the small intestine.

Biliary tract carcinomas are also often separated by location into carcinoma of the gallbladder and carcinoma of the extrahepatic (outside the liver) and intrahepatic (inside the liver) bile ducts. The term “cholangiocarcinoma” is sometimes used to refer to any primary cancer of the biliary system; however, its use is often restricted to intrahepatic tumors and, therefore, it is not included in this overview. Adenocarcinomas are the most common type of extrahepatic bile duct cancers.

Carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct is slightly more common in males, and most often occurs in between the ages of 50 and 60.

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