Which treatment is best for you will depend on the location and extent of your hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Treatment typically involves surgery, liver transplant or supportive treatments to reduce your pain and other symptoms.
Surgery
Surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma involves removing:
- The cancer
- Surrounding bile ducts
- Portions of the liver
- Nearby lymph nodes
The surgeon then connects the remaining bile ducts to the small intestine so that bile can still reach your digestive tract and help digest food.
Liver transplant
Some people with early-stage hilar cholangiocarcinoma may consider liver transplant. Chemotherapy and radiation are typically used before the liver transplant to kill as many cancer cells as possible before surgery.
This treatment typically involves:
- Intravenous chemotherapy with a medicine that makes your cells more vulnerable to radiation
- External beam radiation therapy
- Internal radiation (brachytherapy) using small wires that are placed near the cancer and slowly release radiation
- Chemotherapy in pill form until transplant surgery
- Minimally invasive surgery to look for signs that cancer has spread
- Liver transplant with a donor liver if one becomes available
You may undergo routine tests to evaluate your health while waiting for a liver transplant to make sure you're healthy enough for the surgery.
Chemotherapy
People with advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma who aren't able to undergo surgery or liver transplant may receive chemotherapy to slow the growth of the cancer.