Dilated Bile Duct Pancreatic Cancer

Jaundice usually occurs without abdominal pain.

Dilated bile duct pancreatic cancer.

This condition also known as bile duct cancer is an uncommon form of cancer that occurs mostly in people older than age 50 though it can occur at any age. A tumor at the head of the pancreas can also lead to enlargement of the. A dilated bile duct or one that is enlarged typically occurs when there is an obstruction blocking the flow of bile when the bile cannot pass through a particular duct it builds up and the structure becomes distended. The resulting tumors may block a bile duct.

These are not common symptoms of bile duct cancer but they may occur in people who develop an infection cholangitis as a result of bile duct blockage. Most commonly the obstruction is caused by a gallstone but. A small amount of contrast dye is injected through the catheter. Malignant cancer of the bile duct is called cholangiocarcinoma and grows slowly.

Cholangiocarcinoma is cancer that forms in the slender tubes bile ducts that carry the digestive fluid bile. Signs include yellow skin and eyes dark colored urine and pale colored stools. Additional symptoms of ipmns include stomach pain vomiting and queasiness. Your doctor may recommend that a plastic or metal tube stent be placed inside the bile duct to hold it open.

Bile duct cancer refers to all cancers that develop within the biliary system. The dye helps outline the bile ducts and pancreatic duct as x rays are taken. Johns hopkins university explains that a dilated pancreatic duct may also indicate an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm also referred to as an ipmn. Pancreatic cancers can cause a bile duct obstruction if the tumor enters.

Some people with bile duct cancer develop fevers. It eventually spreads throughout the liver. A small catheter tube is passed out of the end of the endoscope and into the common bile duct. Pancreatic cancer that blocks the liver s bile duct can cause jaundice.

The bile ducts are tubes that transport bile from a person s liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. People with bile duct cancer may not feel hungry and may lose weight without trying to do so. The images can show narrowing or blockage of these ducts.