Bile Duct Cancer
Bile ducts are located near the major blood vessels that feed the liver, making tumor removal by surgery quite challenging. Therefore, it is essential to seek out a specialized cancer center for such complex surgery.
Our surgeons are experts in the intricate procedures for treating bile duct cancer. And our world-class staff can answer your questions, address your concerns and deliver a personalized treatment plan with the most innovative, leading-edge therapies available anywhere.
Bile is a fluid secreted by the liver to help digest food, and bile ducts are the tiny tubes in and around the liver that carry this fluid to the small intestine. Cancer of the bile ducts occurs when cells in these tubes become abnormal and grow uncontrollably.
The bile ducts are located deep within the body, making it difficult to detect early tumors during a standard physical. In addition, there are no reliable screening options for bile duct cancer, so it tends to be diagnosed at later stages when cancer has grown and spread.
Every patient is different, with different needs. Our entire team works together to bring you precise, state-of-the-art surgical, radiation, drug and other therapy options that will deliver the best outcome for you. Those options may include surgery, drug therapy, radiation therapy or clinical trials.
Through our clinical trials program — one of the most extensive in the nation — bile duct cancer patients can often access promising new anti-cancer drugs and technologies not available elsewhere.
When you come to City of Hope, you automatically gain access to an unparalleled array of support services to help you and your family cope with each challenge in your bile duct cancer diagnosis and treatment.
With our specialized therapy protocols and an extensive program of clinical trials, newly diagnosed or relapsed bile duct patients can find a treatment regimen tailored to their needs and give them the best chance for survival.
Our Program Highlights:
- State-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and mapping tools
- Renowned surgeons with specialized bile duct cancer expertise
- Robotically assisted surgery using the da Vinci system
- Minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures
- Ultraprecise radiation therapy including helical TomoTherapy and brachytherapy
- Chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy
- Pioneering drug research and clinical trials
City of Hope is one of the few facilities designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
Our developments in the areas of breakthrough cancer drugs, bone marrow transplants and CAR T cell therapy are recognized internationally.
Our leadership in research and innovation continually enhances our ability to provide novel and differentiated approaches to cancer care.
Gagandeep Brar, M.D., is board certified in medical oncology, practicing at City of Hope's Mission Hills, California.
Dani Castillo,M.D. is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research.
Yi-Jen Chen, M.D., Ph.D., is a radiation oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers, gynecological cancers and esophageal cancers.
Vincent Chung, M.D., is a medical oncologist specializing in pancreatic cancer and gastrointestinal cancers.
Marwan G. Fakih, M.D., is a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers.
Yuman Fong, M.D., is an internationally recognized expert in cancer of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts. He has led the research effort to employ genetically modified viruses to destroy cancer cells.
Daneng Li, M.D., is a medical oncologist specializing in geriatric oncology and treating gastrointestinal cancers.
Laleh G. Melstrom, M.D., M.S., specializes in melanoma and pancreatic cancers.
Mustafa Raoof, M.D., M.S., is a surgical oncologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery and in the Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics.
Gagandeep Singh, M.D., is an internationally recognized liver and pancreas surgeon. He is the surgical director of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program.
