How is a Klatskin tumor treated?
Unresectable Klatskin tumors are treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Gemcitabine combined with cisplatin therapy has been recognized as a standard treatment for unresectable biliary tract cancers including Klatskin tumors.
How long can you live with Klatskin tumors?
The median survival of patients with non-resectable Klatskin tumors after palliative drainage is two to eight months. Complications include recurring bacterial cholangitis and/or liver failure (cirrhosis).
How do they remove a tumor from the bile duct?
Bile-duct removal with reconstruction for mid to high bile-duct tumors. In order to remove the whole tumor, the common bile duct will be removed. Your surgeon will attach a piece of your small intestine to your remaining bile duct. This allows the bile to flow directly from the liver into the small intestines.
What is a klatskin tumor?
Listen to pronunciation. (KLAT-skin TOO-mer) Cancer that develops in cells that line the bile ducts in the liver, where the right and left ducts meet. It is a type of cholangiocarcinoma.
How long can you live with cholangiocarcinoma?
Cholangiocarcinomas arise from the epithelial cells of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. They generally have a very poor prognosis. Many studies report a dismal median survival of approximately 6 months.
How aggressive is cholangiocarcinoma?
About bile duct cancer Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) is a rare but aggressive type of cancer. The bile duct system, or “biliary” system, is made up of a series of tubes that begin in the liver and end in the small intestine.
How serious is bile duct surgery?
Surgery for bile duct cancer is a major operation that might mean removing parts of other organs. This can have a major effect on a person’s recovery and health after the surgery. Serious problems soon after surgery can include bile leakage into the abdomen, infections, and liver failure.
Is klatskin tumor benign?
Up to 15% of patients resected for Klatskin tumours reveal benign proximal biliary obstruction on final histology [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. Currently, complete surgical resection represents the only curative treatment of Klatskin tumours.
Who is Klatskin?
A Klatskin tumor (or hilar cholangiocarcinoma) is a cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the biliary tree) occurring at the confluence of the right and left hepatic bile ducts. The disease was named after Gerald Klatskin, who in 1965 described 15 cases and found some characteristics for this type of cholangiocarcinoma.
Is klatskin tumor hereditary?
The cause of Klatskin tumors is unknown. Studies suggest that a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors (multifactorial) likely influence whether a person will develop cholangiocarcinoma. Because Klatskin tumors are often discovered after they have spread, they can be challenging to treat.
Is there a cure for the Klatskin tumor?
Surgical resection provides the only chance of cure for this disease but is technically challenging because of the complex, intimate and variable relationship between biliary and vascular structures at this location.
Can a liver transplant remove a Klatskin tumor?
Liver Transplant. Often Klatskin tumors affect both lobes of the liver, the blood vessels supplying the liver, or both the right and left hepatic ducts making curative resection almost impossible.
Where are the Klatskin tumors located in the body?
However cancer comprised of Klatskin tumors are located in the upper part of the bile duct system affecting either the right or left hepatic ducts, and sometimes both.
Can a preoperative biopsy of a Klatskin tumor be performed?
A preoperative histologic diagnosis of a Klatskin tumor can be extremely difficult to obtain. Although percutaneous biopsies and brushings for cytology are valuable if positive for malignancy, they are generally associated with a relatively low sensitivity (< 50%).