An age old preference for eating uncooked fish dishes like koi-pla puts people in SE Asia at risk of ingesting trematodes that can cause a type of liver cancer called cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts), say researchers in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Banchob Sripa (Khon Kaen University) and colleagues discuss the mechanisms by which the food-borne trematode Opisthorchis viverrini (the SE Asian liver fluke) causes cholangiocarcinoma. The fluke is endemic to Thailand, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In Thailand alone, 6 million people are thought to be infected with the fluke.
http://www.plos.org
Cholangiocarcinoma
Alternative names
Bile duct cancer
Definition
http://www.adam.com">Cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant (cancerous) growth in one of the ducts that carries bile from the liver to the small intestine.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Malignant tumors of the bile ducts are usually slow-growing and late to spread (metastasize). Nonetheless, by the time a diagnosis is made, many of these tumors are too advanced to be removed surgically.
A cholangiocarcinoma may arise anywhere along the liver secretion (biliary) ducts. These tumors produce symptoms by blocking the bile ducts. They affect both sexes, and a majority of cases are found in patients above the age of 65.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis, choledochal (bile duct) cysts, and chronic biliary irritation are all associated with increased risk for this condition. Cholangiocarcinoma is rare, occurring in approximately 2 out of 100,000 people.
Symptoms
- Stools, clay colored
- Progressive jaundice
- Itching
- Right upper abdominal pain that may radiate to the back
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Chills
Signs and tests
Tests that show tumor or obstruction in the bile duct:
- ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
- PTCA (percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram)
- Abdominal CT scan
- Abdominal ultrasound
- CT scan-directed biopsy
- Cytology
Blood tests that reveal abnormal function:
- Liver function tests
- Bilirubin
Treatment