Biliary tract cancer symptoms and causes. Let’s know and prevent!

The biliary tract is a tube that carries bile produced in the liver to the gallbladder and duodenum. It runs from the liver through the pancreas to the duodenum.  The cancer that occurs here is biliary tract cancer, but biliary tract cancer is not high, ranking 8th among all cancers in Korea.  However, the prognosis is so poor that the 5-year survival rate is only about 30%.  Therefore, it is important to detect and treat it as early as possible.  Let's learn about the causes and symptoms of bile duct cancer based on an article in Korea's Health Chosun on November 1, 2023.

Biliary tract cancer symptoms and causes. Let’s know and prevent!

Biliary tract cancer causes

• The most clearly identified cause of biliary tract cancer is liver fluke.  WHO (World Health Organization) also recognizes liver fluke as the number one cause of biliary tract cancer.
• Liver flukes are abundant in fresh water.  After entering the body through freshwater fish, etc., it travels to the biliary tract and lives for a long time without dying, causing inflammation.  Prolonged inflammation can cause cancer
• Biliary tract cancer occurs more often in Asia, where there is a food culture that consumes freshwater fish, such as Korea, Thailand, and China.
• Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and hepatitis C also have a high risk of biliary tract cancer.

Biliary tract cancer symptoms

• The bile duct, which looks like a water pipe, gradually becomes thicker.  Eventually, the bile duct becomes blocked and bile cannot be excreted, resulting in jaundice.
• If you have jaundice due to bile duct cancer, the cancer has already progressed significantly.
• There are almost no symptoms before jaundice occurs, making early detection difficult.
• Surgery is difficult because 80% of patients are discovered in an advanced stage of cancer.
• When jaundice occurs, the face and eyes turn yellow and urine becomes red.
• Jaundice may cause skin itching.
• Other symptoms of biliary tract cancer include nausea, weight loss, and indigestion.

Biliary tract cancer occurs most often in people around 70 years of age.  If you are older, you should suspect bile duct cancer when symptoms such as jaundice appear.

To prevent biliary tract cancer, you must prevent liver fluke infection, which is the biggest cause of biliary tract cancer.  You should avoid eating raw freshwater fish, and it is safe to cook water parsley and other fish grown in freshwater thoroughly.  Please be aware of the causes and symptoms of biliary tract cancer and take good care of your health.