Your bile ducts are tiny tubes near your liver that emit secretions that help your body digest food. At MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, our doctors are experienced in treating this type of cancer.
Our doctors use the most advanced diagnostic tools and the latest bile duct cancer treatment regimens. Our supportive care services will make sure you and your family have the support you need during your care.
Why Choose MD Anderson at Cooper for Bile Duct Cancer Care?
As a partner of MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s top cancer hospital, we offer the same promising treatments available on MD Anderson’s Houston campus. Patients benefit from our:
- Advanced diagnosis and treatment: Bile duct cancer can be challenging to detect. Our gastroenterologists are experts in endoscopic diagnostic techniques, such as Spyglass, that enable doctors to see the bile duct clearly. This allows doctors to give you the most accurate diagnosis and plan the most effective treatment.
- Experience: Because we treat a large number of bile duct cancers, our doctors know which treatments are more likely to offer you the best result. This experience means our surgeons have the specialized skill set to perform highly complex surgeries with fewer complications and more successful outcomes.
- Team approach to treatment: Our specialists meet weekly to coordinate your care, from the very first time we see you. This constant communication is especially important for bile duct cancer treatment, since this cancer type can be more difficult to treat than other cancers.
- Access to clinical trials: Our cancer care research efforts mean you have access to promising ongoing clinical trials as part of your treatment options.
- Enhanced recovery protocols: If you need surgery for bile duct cancer as part of your treatment, you’ll benefit from our special pre- and post-surgery protocols that help you feel better, faster. That translates to less time fasting before surgery and more options to manage your bed afterward.
- Dedicated nurse navigators: Our gastrointestinal cancer nurse navigators have one priority: doing what’s necessary to make your life easier during cancer treatment. They’ll help you schedule appointments and explain what you need to know about your diagnosis and treatment.
- Full range of support services: We offer many supportive care resources. Financial and nutrition counseling, as well as other resources, are small ways we try to ease the challenges of cancer treatment. Explore the benefits of our cancer care support services.
Bile Duct Cancer Symptoms
It’s common for someone with bile duct cancer to have no symptoms. Because bile duct cancer is most treatable when it’s found early, you should seek evaluation for any issues that don’t seem to go away or get worse over time.
Someone with bile duct cancer may notice one or more of these common symptoms:
- Jaundice, or yellowing of your skin or eyes
- Dark urine, another tell-tale sign of jaundice
- A nagging itching feeling
- Bowel changes, such as greasy stools
- Weight loss that’s unintended or loss of appetite
- Belly pain
- Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, nausea, or vomiting
Bile Duct Cancer Treatment
Treatment for bile duct cancer depends on multiple factors, including:
- How many tumors doctors detect
- The size and location of tumors
- Whether the cancer has spread to your liver or other organs
- Your overall physical health
- Your preferences or concerns about treatment side effects
After discussing all of these factors with doctors of various specialties, your care team will recommend a treatment plan that’s best for you. If bile duct cancer is found at an early stage, you may only require one treatment type. Other times, your doctor may recommend a combination of treatments, sometimes in a specific order that can increase their effectiveness.
At MD Anderson at Cooper, we offer a wide range of treatment options for bile duct cancer, including:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapies that treat specific cancer types
Contact Us
To learn more about the bile duct cancer services available at MD Anderson at Cooper or to schedule an appointment, please call 855.MDA.COOPER.
Refer a Patient
If you are a doctor who wants to refer a bile duct cancer patient to MD Anderson at Cooper, please call 855.MDA.COOPER.