Loading
Biliary tract cancers arise in the bile ducts inside or outside the liver, the gallbladder or the ampulla where the duct meets the bowel. They share short survival and the same first-line chemotherapy with immunotherapy, but differ in causes and in the targetable mutations they carry. Each has its own page.
Biliary tract cancers are adenocarcinomas of the bile duct system. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma arises within the liver, perihilar and distal cholangiocarcinoma along the main ducts, gallbladder cancer in the gallbladder and ampullary cancer at the junction with the duodenum. Causes include liver fluke infection, primary sclerosing cholangitis, gallstones and, in Chile and India, a high background rate of gallbladder cancer. Surgery is the only cure and is possible in a minority; gemcitabine-cisplatin with durvalumab or pembrolizumab is the first-line treatment for advanced disease, and intrahepatic tumours often carry FGFR2 fusions or IDH1 mutations with approved targeted drugs. The subtype pages carry the detail.
Averages across everyone diagnosed, often years ago. A median is the middle of a group: half the people counted lived longer than the figure shown, and some lived far longer. Your stage, subtype, age, fitness and the treatment you receive matter more than the average, and the numbers are improving quickly.
Most pancreatic cancers arise in the head next to the bile duct, which is why jaundice is the presenting sign; bile duct cancers are named by where along the tree they sit.
Same organ: Glucagonoma, VIPoma, Somatostatinoma, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (perihilar and distal), Neuroendocrine tumours, Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, Grade 3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour, Extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma, Gallbladder cancer, Gallbladder adenocarcinoma, Papillary carcinoma of the gallbladder, Mucinous carcinoma of the gallbladder, Adenosquamous and squamous carcinoma of the gallbladder, Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder, Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Carcinoma in situ and dysplasia of the gallbladder, Cystic duct carcinoma, Ampullary cancer (ampulla of Vater), Resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, KRAS G12C-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, KRAS wild-type pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, BRCA or PALB2-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Mismatch repair deficient (MSI-high) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma, Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and other pancreatic cystic precursors, Pancreatoblastoma, Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas, Colloid (mucinous non-cystic) carcinoma of the pancreas, Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells, Invasive carcinoma arising in an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN-associated carcinoma), Mucinous cystic neoplasm of the pancreas with associated invasive carcinoma (MCN-associated carcinoma), Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas
Nothing recorded yet.
Also on OnCo: Symptoms and red flags · Early detection roadmap.
Gemcitabine-cisplatin with durvalumab (TOPAZ-1) or pembrolizumab; targeted therapy for FGFR2 and IDH1 alterations on progression.
Pemigatinib or futibatinib for FGFR2 fusions, ivosidenib for IDH1 mutations, FOLFOX otherwise.
Trials recruiting now, the landmark trials, the trials held by this cancer's subtypes, the key papers and what they mean, the latest literature, and the milestones year by year.
The targets of this cancer's medicines and the ones linked to it directly.
Cases by country, the UK and NHS pathway and other country lenses, the expert centres with trials on record, and the centres named on this cancer's subtypes.
One section per setting: the options named, what each is for, the trials behind them, the recorded trade-offs and the questions to ask.
Bleeding that does not stop by itself, bleeding from more than one site, or new bruising in several places or one large area.
Fainting, near-fainting, or an irregular or racing heartbeat; several kinase inhibitors prolong the QT interval and the labels require ECG and electrolyte monitoring.
Fever, cough or breathlessness, rapid weight gain or swelling, bone pain, low blood pressure or reduced urine; the labels say to start steroids and monitor at the first suspicion, and the syndrome has been fatal.
Persistent headache with extreme tiredness, nausea, dizziness on standing or low blood pressure. Vomiting, severe weakness or collapse is adrenal crisis.
Cold-triggered acute neuropathy: avoid cold drinks and air for days after infusion.
Known QT prolongation. Avoid other QT-prolonging drugs where possible; check ECG and correct potassium and magnesium before and during treatment.
See all on the product pages:CapecitabineCisplatinDurvalumabFutibatinibGemcitabineIvosidenibOxaliplatinPemigatinib·Printable cards in the navigator
Newly diagnosed? Read the first 60 days with Biliary tract cancer, then print the one-page appointment sheet with room for the answers.
Print this page for your appointment (your browser's print command). These prompts are for discussion; your clinical team knows your case.
Everything in development, the medicines held by this cancer's subtypes, the open problems and what is being done about them, the roadmaps, and what changed on this record.
Every connected record, the notes, the JSON, Markdown and RDF twins, and where the record came from and when it was checked.