Cholangiocarcinomas (bile duct cancer)

Bile duct cancer is curable if it is detected early and is suitable for surgical removal. In some cases, a liver transplant may be a potential option for curing CCA. However, this is uncommon as bile duct cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage, when it has already spread to other organs. At that point, surgery alone is no longer a curative option. 

The prognosis for CCA is generally poor. The 5-year survival rate for CCA cases that has not spread outside of the bile ducts ranges from 15 - 20%. If the cancer has spread beyond the bile ducts or is diagnosed at an advanced stage, the five-year survival rate drops to less than 5%. 

Despite the dismal prognosis, there are many new treatment options that are now available such as advancements in molecular profiling and targeted therapies. It is important to note that survival statistics are based on data from past years and may not reflect the improved outcomes associated with these newer treatment options. 

Patients should discuss prognosis and treatment choices with their healthcare provider or oncologist, taking into account the diagnosis, stage, type of CCA as well as molecular profiling. 

In the final stages of bile duct cancer, when chemotherapy is no longer effective or the patient is unfit for treatment, patients are usually quite frail and weak. Common symptoms associated at this stage include poor appetite, reduced mobility (patients are often bed-bound), jaundice due to liver failure, swelling in the abdomen and lower limbs, pruritus (itchy skin), recurrent fevers and other symptoms related to the spread of disease. Patients eventually decline from organ failure.