Cholangiocarcinoma

What it means

Cholangiocarcinoma is a primary cancer originating in the biliary epithelium i.e., the cholangiocytes, of the extrahepatic and intrahepatic biliary ducts. It is extremely invasive, develops rapidly, often metastasizes, and has a very poor prognosis. They are slow growing tumors which spread longitudinally along the bile ducts with neural, perineural and subepithelial extension.

In everyday care

Most people with this sign do not have a rare disease — it appears in common conditions far more often. These general reference pages cover the same topic:

Rare diseases that can present with this7

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category