What will happen if you have bile duct cancer?

Cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant tumor. Many patients seek medical treatment late, and the prognosis is poor after treatment. Therefore, many friends hope to understand what the reaction will be to having bile duct cancer, so that they can be discovered when abnormal symptoms appear in the body, seek medical treatment in time, and obtain better treatment results. Let’s take a look at the symptoms of bile duct cancer.

1. Jaundice. Patients with cholangiocarcinoma do not have very typical symptoms in the early stage. Most patients seek medical treatment due to jaundice. Jaundice is the earliest and most important clinical symptom of cholangiocarcinoma. About 90%-98% of cholangiocarcinoma patients have varying degrees of skin and sclera yellowing. The characteristic of jaundice is that it is progressive and deepens, and it is mostly painless. A small number of patients have fluctuating jaundice. Jaundice appears earlier in upper cholangiocarcinoma, while jaundice in middle and lower cholangiocarcinoma may appear later due to the buffering of the gallbladder.

2. Abdominal pain 50% of patients have symptoms such as right upper abdominal pain, distension or discomfort, weight loss, loss of appetite, etc. These symptoms are often regarded as early warning signs of bile duct cancer. At the beginning of abdominal pain, it is similar to cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. According to clinical inquiries, abdominal pain and jaundice can occur only 3 months after the onset of bile duct cancer.

3. Skin itching may occur before or after the onset of jaundice, and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as tachycardia, bleeding tendency, lack of energy, fatigue, steatorrhea, abdominal distension, etc. Skin itching is caused by increased bilirubin content in the blood, which affects the peripheral nerves of the skin.

4. Systemic symptoms are accompanied by jaundice, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, dark yellow urine, such as soy sauce or strong tea, light yellow or even clay stools, etc. In the late stage of tumor rupture, bile duct bleeding may occur, black stools, positive fecal occult blood test, and even anemia. When there is liver metastasis, there may be liver enlargement and cirrhosis.

The above are the early symptoms of bile duct cancer. As long as one of the above symptoms appears, you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment immediately. The earlier the cancer is discovered, the longer your life will be prolonged. Therefore, some symptoms must not be ignored. Seeking medical treatment early will make you healthier.