Crucial Facts About Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)

How Does it Form in the Body?

Cholangiocarcinoma is a tumor that grows from the epithelial tissue in the biliary tree. They can be squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas, but the latter is more common. The exact reason why normal tissue turns into cancer is difficult to ascertain. However, most patients have chronic infection, persisting inflammation, and underlying conditions like primary sclerosing cholangitis.

The aforementioned medical issues are likely to cause tissue hyperplasia. The tissue grows more rapidly than expected, and such accelerated growth becomes difficult to control. When a group of cells gets a mutation in the middle of the accelerated division, the tissue may develop tumors. This is called malignant transformation, and it is followed by infiltration of the malignant tissue in different tissue planes when not treated.