Gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer are rare cancers of the biliary tract. Your gallbladder stores and your bile duct transports bile, a fluid produced by your liver that's essential to the digestive process.              Gallbladder cancer seldom produces symptoms in the early stages. In fact, early gallbladder cancer is often only discovered when the gallbladder is removed as a treatment for gallstones. Otherwise, gallbladder cancer is often quite advanced by the time it's diagnosed.                    When gallbladder cancer is caught early, removing your gallbladder or part of the bile duct may eliminate all the cancerous cells. In advanced cases, treatment won't cure gallbladder cancer but can help relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life.                     Symptoms               Signs and symptoms of bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)      Jaundice. A yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes, along with tea- or coffee-colored urine and light-colored stools, are common initial signs of bile duct cancer.              Enlarged gallbladder. A blocked bile duct can cause bile to accumulate in your gallbladder, making it larger than normal. Although your gallbladder is hidden behind other organs in your abdomen, your doctor can sometimes feel this enlargement during a physical exam or it may be detected on an ultrasound.                 Intense itching (pruritis). When the flow of bile is obstructed by a tumor, bile salts may be deposited in your skin, leading to intense itching. [ Back ]

Bile Duct & Gallbladder Cancer