Bile Duct Cancer

Diagnosis

Diagnosis starts with a physical exam and lab tests, followed by one or more of these procedures. In tests that involve radiation, specialists carefully monitor doses to avoid the risk of radiation overexposure.

• Ultrasound. Sound waves can be used to form images of the organs in the abdomen to identify a tumor. Intraoperative ultrasound is used during surgery to help surgeons locate areas of cancerous tissue within the biliary tract (gallbladder and bile ducts that store and carry bile).
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan. CT scans generate detailed cross-sectional images of the body that reveal if cancer has invaded other tissues or organs.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI technology produces precisely detailed images of the bile ducts, liver and tumor, using magnetic field and radio waves.
• Fine-needle aspiration (FNA). During FNA, a doctor administers local anesthetic before carefully guiding a small needle through the skin and abdomen into the bile ducts. Ultrasound or CT scan are used to help pinpoint the tumor so a small sample can be removed and examined.
• Cholangiogram. A cholangiogram is an X-ray of the bile ducts. Dye is injected and X-rays are taken.
• Positron emission tomography (PET). A PET scan is a noninvasive 3-D imaging technique.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). ERCP uses a lighted tube inserted through your mouth, down through the esophagus, into the stomach and then the small intestine (duodenum) to see the bile ducts. Using this procedure, your doctor can collect samples from the bile duct to examine for cancer.
• Advanced cytologic techniques. Mayo Clinic pathologists have advanced cytologic techniques (studying cells under a microscope) to help diagnose bile duct cancer, such as using special methods to assess the DNA content of malignant cells.