Diagnostic of Cholangiocarcinoma (Klatskin Tumor)
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Department of General, Abdominal Surgery and Surgical Oncology
The Department of General, Abdominal Surgery and Surgical Oncology offers the full range of services in these medical fields. Whenever possible, operations are performed using minimally invasive techniques, which are the gold standard of modern surgery. The outstanding quality of medical care is confirmed by numerous prestigious certificates, including certificates from the German Cancer Society, the German Hernia Society, etc. In addition, the department provides innovative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which is available only in the most progressive clinics in Europe.
Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hernia Surgery and Bariatric Surgery
The Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hernia Surgery and Bariatric Surgery provides the full range of surgical treatment in its field of competence. The department's highly qualified surgeons annually perform about 2,000 surgical interventions. Extensive clinical experience allows the specialists to perform even particularly complex operations. The department’s advanced operating rooms serve for surgery to treat gastrointestinal diseases, liver, gallbladder, bile duct, pancreatic, rectal, anal and colon pathologies. The medical facility also successfully performs operations to treat hernias: inguinal, umbilical, and anterior abdominal wall hernias. In addition, the department's doctors deal with the surgical treatment of morbid obesity. Minor traumatic laparoscopic interventions are considered the gold standard, which guarantee a patient minimal risks and rapid postoperative restoration. Surgeons tell the patient in detail about their upcoming treatment and, in every possible way, support them in their recovery.
Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Endocrine Surgery and Hernia Surgery
The Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Endocrine Surgery and Hernia Surgery offers the full range of modern surgical interventions in the areas of its specialization. Every year, the medical facility performs more than 2,500 surgical interventions on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The department has vast clinical experience in the field of minimally invasive surgery, which allows the patient to avoid severe pain and prolonged hospitalization. In addition, the department offers robotic surgery using the most modern models of the da Vinci surgical system. The medical facility has the status of the Reference Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Hernia Surgery. Surgical treatment of cancer is one of the department's clinical priority focuses. A large number of da Vinci robot-assisted interventions are performed here for gastrointestinal cancers. The department holds a leading position in the use of the da Vinci surgical system in the treatment of rectal and sigmoid cancer patients. The operating rooms of the medical facility are equipped with the very latest technology, while hygiene and safety standards are at the highest level as well. Prior to surgery, the patient undergoes a comprehensive examination. Doctors also assess the risks of the upcoming operation and its expected results. With appropriate clinical indications, preference is always given to minimally invasive surgery.
Cholangiocarcinoma is a dangerous disease with a poor prognosis. The causes of cancer of the bile duct are not known. The disease often develops due to pathologies of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas. The risk factors include alcohol, fatty foods and obesity.
The disease is extremely dangerous. Even in case of early diagnostics, treatment is not always successful. A five-year survival rate in case of detection of pathology at the stage of localized cancer reaches only 13-24% (depending on the location of the primary tumor). Even in developed countries, the overall five-year survival rate is only 8-10%. To get good treatment results, a patient with cancer of the bile duct needs the help of the best doctors in the world.
Is it possible to undergo early diagnostics?
Unfortunately, there are no methods that help detect the early stage of cholangiocarcinoma in a clinically healthy person. In most cases, the disease can be detected only after the onset of symptoms of cancer of the bile duct. This is one of the factors that make it difficult to treat cholangiocarcinoma.
The bile ducts are located deep inside the human body. A tumor sometimes begins to grow directly inside the liver. Due to its small size, the imaging tests cannot recognize this neoplasm. There are also no tumor markers that could be detected in the blood and signal the onset of tumor growth.
Symptoms
In most cases, only the symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma become the reason for the patient's visit to the doctor. The chances of finding a tumor in an asymptomatic stage are extremely low.
The first clinical manifestation is jaundice. It develops as a result of blockage of the bile duct by a tumor. Bile cannot enter the small intestine. Due to this, the feces become white, while the skin becomes yellow, because bile goes into the bloodstream. The patient develops itchy skin and his urine becomes dark because metabolites of bilirubin entering the blood come out with it.
Other symptoms manifest themselves later:
- abdominal pain;
- loss of appetite;
- fever;
- weight loss due to impaired digestion of fats;
- nausea, vomiting.
All symptoms are nonspecific. It is impossible to recognize cancer by them. In addition, cholangiocarcinoma is very rare. In most cases, obstructive jaundice and other clinical signs are caused by other pathological processes (these are mostly caused by gallstone disease).
Diagnostic methods
All patients with jaundice are subject to a thorough diagnostics aimed at the determination of its origin. The tumor can be detected using the following diagnostic methods:
- Ultrasound can be used both as transabdominal ultrasound examination and as more informative endoscopic (with the placement of the sensor in the small intestine) or laparoscopic (placement of the sensor into the abdominal cavity) ultrasound.
- CT, MRI, including with angiography, cholangiography (contrast-enhanced examination of the vessels, biliary tract).
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography involves the introduction of the instrument through the duodenum, contrast-enhanced examination of the biliary tract and X-ray.
- Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography is an invasive procedure with the injection of a contrast agent into the bile duct using a needle. The next step is X-ray.
- Cholangiography involves the introduction of a tube with a camera in a retrograde manner through the duodenum.
- Laparoscopy involves the introduction of the camera into the abdominal cavity through a small incision in the abdomen.
To confirm a diagnosis, a tumor biopsy is required. It can be done with a needle during cholangiography or cholangioscopy. Sometimes doctors can also perform ultrasound or CT-guided percutaneous biopsy.
Arrangement of diagnostics and treatment
The best hospitals in the world can provide you with highly accurate diagnostics and modern treatment of cholangiocarcinoma using surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other methods. The foreign specialists perform modern surgical procedures. The Cancer Centers in developed countries have at their disposal high-quality equipment for the diagnostics and treatment of cancer of the bile duct.
The Booking Health company will help you organize your treatment in the best hospitals in the world. There you can undergo an examination, if necessary, receive surgical care or undergo chemotherapy. Our services and benefits:
- Selection of the best hospital, which specialists have achieved the best success in the fight against hepatobiliary malignancies.
- Reduced cost of examination and treatment due to the absence of extra charges and coefficients for foreign patients.
- Preparation of the program taking into account previously performed examinations.
- Appointment with a doctor on dates convenient for you.
- Communication with an attending physician.
- Control of all stages of the program, namely examination, treatment by means of surgery or chemotherapy, rehabilitation.
- Control of invoices and return of unspent funds.
- Communication with the specialists of the Cancer Center after the completion of the program.
- Buying and forwarding of medicines.
- Organization of additional examination, treatment, surgery or rehabilitation abroad.
The company's specialists will provide you with top-class services: booking of the hotel and airline tickets, transfer from the hospital to the airport and back.
