Dr Rachna T. Shroff Medical Oncologist, explains that there are a number of reasons patients are diagnosed at more advanced or later stages when it comes to bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). These include difficulty in terms of understanding the tissue and the pathology diagnosis, as well as the clinical and medical workup that often happens when patients present with relatively vague symptoms. Furthermore, biopsies that are obtained sometimes don't have enough tissue for the pathologist to determine cholangiocarcinoma. There is no gold standard test available.

When cells located in the bile duct system inside or outside the liver become cancerous, it is called bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma. Learn more about Bile Duct Cancer by watching the video by Dr. Sunyoung Lee, Medical Oncologist. Additional videos explain the different types of Bile Duct Cancer, its diagnosis, treatment and management.

Dr Kun-Hsing Yu  explains the basics of cancer pathology which can include a determination of the tumor cellular shape and histology. There is a potential future role for medical artificial intelligence or "AI" in improving health outcomes for cancer patients, including patients with bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma. AI in medicine has the potential to help reduce racial disparities in cancer care by democratizing diagnosis and providing additional diagnostic support in communities where next level genomic sequencing is not widely available. However AI also has its ethical challenges and is only accurate when it has access to a wide range of data, including lack of data on the health of black Americans, Hispanic Americans and other minority populations.

What are the Challenges for Indigenous People with Bile Duct CancerCancer? Dr. Rodney C. Haring PhD and Haudenosaunee Native American, discusses challenges to the health of indigenous people from cancer. He presents the Haudenosaunee perspective. Health of indigenous people needs to be understood in the context of changes in lifestyle as a result of historical relocation to Reservations and colonization. 

Dr. Shailesh Advani is a cancer research physician. He explains that almost 40% of patients diagnosed with bile duct cancer report some form of anxiety and suicide, although rare is twice the level of the general population. Physicians, and especially oncologists who treat these types of cancer are also at higher risk of depression than the general population.

Tanya Jennison is a Registered Nurse and has experienced bile duct cancer in its early stages. Tanya Jennison explains her situation, including a diagnosis with early stage 1A bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and the challenges she encountered with testing and surgery. However she found great support from the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. If there was one thing she wants other patients to know its to have an early conversation about Biomarker testing with your doctor or oncologist.

Donna Marie Martin is a Patient with a personal experience of Stage 4 Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma). Donna has unresectable bile duct cancer which implies she is not a candidate for surgery due to the fact that her tumor is inside the liver (intrahepatic) and the portion of her healthy liver is not large enough to grow back again after surgery. Learn more by watching her video:

Jomary Colon is a Spanish Patient Navigator that helps Hispanic cancer patients in their journey. Her group Esperanza y Vida provides Spanish speaking Patient Navigators to Cancer patients to support them with cancer education, patient transportation, cancer screening information, and Spanish interpretation. Learn more about the challenges for Hispanic American cancer patients.

Whitney Ann E. Henry is a Native American Patient Navigator that helps indigenous cancer patients in their journey. She shares her experience s from the Native American Indigenous community of the Eastern USA. Whitney discusses intergenerational challenges with health care.