Signs and Symptoms of Bile Duct Cancer

Bile duct cancer doesn’t usually cause signs or symptoms until later in the course of the disease, but sometimes symptoms can appear sooner and lead to an early diagnosis. If the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment may work better.

When bile duct cancer does cause symptoms, it's usually because a bile duct is blocked. Symptoms tend to depend on whether the cancer is in ducts inside the liver (intrahepatic) or in ducts outside the liver (extrahepatic).

Jaundice

Normally, bile is made by the liver and released into the intestine. Jaundice happens when the liver can’t get rid of bile. Bile contains a greenish-yellow chemical called bilirubin. When the liver can’t get rid of bile, bilirubin backs up into the bloodstream and settles in different parts of the body. Jaundice often looks like a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

Jaundice is the most common symptom of bile duct cancer, but most of the time, jaundice isn't caused by cancer. It's more often caused by hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) or a gallstone that has traveled to the bile duct. But if you have jaundice, you should always see a doctor right away.

Itching

Excess bilirubin in the skin can cause itching. Most people with bile duct cancer experience some degree of itching.

Light-colored/greasy stools

Bilirubin contributes to the brown color of stool. If bilirubin can’t move into your intestine because it is blocked by the cancer inside the bile ducts, the color of your stool might be lighter.

If the cancer blocks the release of bile and pancreatic juices into your intestine, you might not be able to digest fatty foods. The undigested fat can also cause your stools to be unusually pale, bulky, and greasy, and to float in the toilet.

Dark urine

When bilirubin levels in the blood get high, the bilirubin can also come out in the urine and turn the urine dark.

Abdominal (belly) pain

Early bile duct cancers seldom cause pain, but bigger tumors may cause belly pain, especially below the ribs on the right side.

Loss of appetite/weight loss

People with bile duct cancer may not feel hungry and may lose weight without trying to do so.

Fever

Some people with bile duct cancer develop fevers.

Keep in mind: Bile duct cancer is rare. These symptoms are far more likely to be caused by something other than bile duct cancer.

For example, people with gallstones have many of these same symptoms. There are far more common causes of belly pain than bile duct cancer. Also, hepatitis (an inflamed liver most often caused by infection with a virus) is a much more common cause of jaundice.

Still, if you have any of these problems, it’s important to see a doctor right away so the cause can be found and treated, if needed.