What are the clinical manifestations of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma is a serious malignant disease. If it is not treated in time, it will directly endanger life. Most patients will experience pain after the disease, and some even have hematuria and bloody stools. If we understand some of the clinical manifestations of cholangiocarcinoma, we can seek medical treatment in time, which will help the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. So, what are the clinical manifestations of cholangiocarcinoma?

1. Clinical manifestations

The main clinical manifestations are progressive jaundice, loss of appetite, weight loss, itching, etc. accompanied by upper abdominal discomfort. If combined with gallstones and biliary infection, there may be chills, fever, etc., and paroxysmal abdominal pain and dull pain. If the hepatic duct cancer is located on one side, it is often asymptomatic at first. When it affects the opening of the contralateral hepatic duct, obstructive jaundice will appear. If the middle bile duct cancer is not accompanied by gallstones and infection, it is mostly painless progressive obstructive jaundice. Jaundice generally progresses rapidly and does not fluctuate. Examination shows that the liver is enlarged and hard, and the gallbladder is not enlarged. If it is the lower end of the common bile duct, an enlarged gallbladder can be palpated. If the tumor ruptures and bleeds, there may be symptoms such as black stools or positive fecal occult blood test, anemia, etc.

(1) Symptoms:

① Jaundice: It is the most common symptom, accounting for about 36.5%. Jaundice is the result of bile duct obstruction, which is often progressive and deepens. The degree of jaundice is related to the location and degree of obstruction. Jaundice is deeper when the extrahepatic bile duct is obstructed, and lighter when the intrahepatic bile duct branches are blocked. Jaundice is deeper when the bile duct is completely obstructed, and lighter when the bile duct is incompletely obstructed. Occasionally, inflammation, spasm of the bile duct, tumor shedding, and papillary tumor displacement can cause jaundice to fluctuate. Middle and lower bile duct cancer often presents as painless cholestatic jaundice. The patient's urine is dark yellow or tea-colored, and the stool becomes lighter or clay-colored.

② Abdominal pain: It may be mild discomfort in the upper abdomen after eating, or dull pain under the xiphoid process, or back pain, or right upper abdominal colic, which is a manifestation of nerve invasion. It may appear before or after jaundice.

③ Fever: It is mostly caused by inflammation in the obstructive bile duct and the incidence is relatively low.

④Others: There may be associated symptoms such as loss of appetite, aversion to oil, fatigue, weight loss, itching of the skin, nausea and vomiting, or non-specific symptoms of cancer. A few may have symptoms of portal hypertension, which is caused by cancer infiltration of the portal vein.

(2) Physical signs:

① Enlarged liver: More than 80% of patients have enlarged liver, which is mostly caused by intrahepatic bile stasis.

② Enlarged gallbladder: If the cancer occurs below the confluence of the three gallbladders, an enlarged gallbladder can be felt.

③ Ascites: In the late stage, due to peritoneal invasion or invasion of the portal vein, leading to portal hypertension, ascites may occur.

The above is an introduction to the clinical manifestations of cholangiocarcinoma. I hope it will be helpful to you.