How is CCC diagnosed?
Hepatic duct cancer may be diagnosed in one or more of the following ways. A CT scan prompted by complaints of gastrointestinal pain or discomfort may reveal duct tumors. A CT scan may also reveal a dilated bile duct. Or, as part of an endoscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract, a gastroenterologist may notice a tumor or a narrowing of a duct that could indicate the presence of a tumor. This examination is called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). If an ERCP exam produces evidence of a bile duct tumor, the gastroenterologist may take sample of tissue during the procedure. The sample will then undergo a biopsy. Once diagnosed, how is CCC evaluated? Once liver duct cancer is suspected or diagnosed, a patient may undergo additional evaluations – including cholangiography (in which a dye is injected and its movement analyzed), enhanced CT scans, an angiogram (which helps determine blood vessel involvement and blood flow to the tumor) and an MRI cholangiogram.
