What harm does bile duct cancer do to the patient's body

The cure rate of bile duct cancer and the survival rate after radical surgery alone show how dangerous bile duct cancer is. For bile duct cancer patients, the issue they fear and care about most is probably whether they can prolong their survival and what kind of harm it may cause in the future. Let's take a closer look at the harm bile duct cancer can cause to the patient's body.

Cholangiocarcinoma refers to a malignant tumor of the extrahepatic bile duct that originates from the confluence of the left and right hepatic ducts to the lower end of the common bile duct, which is very harmful to patients. Without any surgery or drainage for cholangiocarcinoma, most patients will die within 3 months after diagnosis. According to statistics, the one-year survival rate of most cholangiocarcinoma patients who undergo internal and external bile duct drainage after diagnosis is less than 50%; the 5-year survival rate after radical resection is only 13.4% to 25.7%. Cholangiocarcinoma threatens the continuation of patients' lives.

Cholangiocarcinoma can cause bile duct obstruction in patients, leading to functional disorders of the bile duct system, and further to digestive system disorders. It can also cause anorexia and indigestion, leading to malnutrition, emaciation, weight loss, decreased resistance and immunity, and other problems.

Cholangiocarcinoma can easily lead to liver failure in patients, which is a very important reason why many bile duct cancer patients die from the disease.

Biliary duct cancer often causes bile fistula in patients. This is the most common and serious complication after bile duct cancer surgery. Because there are many openings in the intrahepatic bile duct, it is sometimes difficult to properly handle, making it easy for patients to develop bile fistula after surgery.

In the late stage of cholangiocarcinoma, metastasis may occur, which is a dynamic and continuous process. First, tumor cells invade and break through the tissue barrier to enter the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels to form cell emboli, which then fall off and run in the blood or lymphatic vessels. Then, they adhere to the endothelial cells of the microcirculation of distant organs, stay there, and pass through the microcirculation, multiply in the new tissue and organ substance, and grow into new metastatic tumors. In addition, during the metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma, cancer cells can also fall off directly into the body cavity. Implantation on the serosal surface forms implanted metastatic tumors.

In short, bile duct cancer is very dangerous, but not all bile duct cancers are incurable. Maintaining a good attitude, early treatment, good postoperative care, and focusing on developing good living habits to prevent recurrence or metastasis can prolong the patient's life.