BILIARY TRACT CANCER CAUSES |
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Biliary cancer typically occurs in
individuals aged 50–70 years old. Possible risk factors include
congenital abnormalities of the bile ducts called choledochal cysts,
gall stones (cholelithiasis) along with the resulting chronic
inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), and inflammatory
bowel disease. Patients with a history of ulcerative colitis are 10
times more likely to develop bile duct cancer than the general
population. Most prevalent in southeast Asia, this cancer is thought
to be associated with a parasitic infection of the liver contracted
by eating raw or pickled fish from this region.
By the time the initial symptom of jaundice is present, the disease
has often reached an advanced stage or spread to other organs. Other
symptoms include itching, weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea and
vomiting. There may be tenderness below the ribs, on the right side
of the abdomen. Patients with bile duct cancer almost always have an
enlarged liver. |
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| BILIARY TRACT CANCER RELATED ITEMS |
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