What is cancer of the bile duct, or cholangiocarcinoma, all about?

Consultant gastroenterologist Datin Dr Sharmila Sachithanandan points out the bile duct in a diagram of the digestive system in this filepic.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that develops from the bile ducts, which are slender tubes that carry the digestive fluid bile and connect the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine.

The tumour can occur anywhere along the biliary “tree” and is divided into three subtypes based on where it starts.