Our precious life-threatening cancers are very diverse, and today we’re going to talk about biliary tract cancer, which is somewhat unfamiliar to the public. This cancer, also called bile duct cancer, is a cancer that occurs in the bile duct epithelial cells that surround the inside of our body’s gall bladder, and the bile duct here is like a passage for bile from the largest organ, the human. The primary reservoir of bile here is the gall bladder, and gall bladder cancer, including bile duct cancer, is collectively referred to as biliary cancer. The 5-year survival rate is less than 30%, and the prognosis is very poor, so it should be treated with early detection. Now that I’ve given you a basic explanation of the cancer, let’s find out the cause and symptoms in earnest.
Why does biliary tract cancer occur?
Although the cause of biliary tract cancer has not been revealed and the mechanism of occurrence is not known exactly, it is assumed that it is caused by a combination of environment and genetic factors, and there are several risk factors. First of all, there is a parasite called Gandhistoma, which is parasitic on the biliary tract, and the incidence of biliary cancer is relatively higher than that of not, which can act as the main cause. In addition, smoking, obesity, and hepatitis B all can act as causes of biliary tract cancer, so special care should be taken.
Symptoms of bile duct cancer
Symptoms usually occur when cancer occurs in the bile duct, but even if a malignant tumor occurs, if the common bile duct is not blocked, there may be no significant symptoms in the beginning. However, as time goes by, if the bile becomes gradually clogged or narrowed, the bile cannot flow and the bilirubin material flows back into the blood. At this time, as the bilirubin concentration rises, jaundice, which turns yellow in the eyes and skin, appears, and as this substance is discharged through urine, the urine color is darker than usual, and it is difficult to discharge with feces, so the color turns gray and itches the skin. However, biliary tract cancer symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, right upper abdomen, and solar plexus, which are not common, but sometimes accompanied by duodenum or colon obstruction.
How do you treat it?
Biliary tract cancer symptoms are best performed by surgery, but as I have already told you, there are cases where surgery cannot be performed even if it is detected because the discovery is often late and the metastasis to other organs is fast. Therefore, depending on the location of the cancer, lymph nodes, liver, pancreas, and even part of the duodenum may be resected. But the surgery is difficult In the case of judgment, anti-cancer or radiation therapy is also performed at the same time through palliative therapy or adjuvant therapy before and after surgery. And the blocked biliary tract extends the way for bile to flow by inserting a metal or plastic tube into the interior, and if this method is considered difficult, there is also a way to insert an external tube to release the bile.
How to take care of yourself
Currently, there is no definite prevention method for the cancer, but it is best to avoid dangerous factors in your daily life. First of all, in order to prevent hepatitis, which was considered one of the causes of biliary tract cancer, you should not eat uncooked freshwater fish raw, and if you are infected with liver fluke, you should take appropriate medicine to treat it. Today, we looked at information about biliary tract cancer. Since the cancer has a poor survival rate, it should be recognized that composure and positive mind are very important in treating it, and that risk factors need to be kept away as much as possible.