Cholangiocarcinoma may arise in the small bile ducts within the liver or in the large ducts in the hilum or the extrahepatic biliary tree. Curative surgical excision is being increasingly attempted for tumours at all sites and the best results are achieved with cancer at the lower end of the common bile duct. Palliative bypass surgery to drain the biliary tree gives good symptomatic relief and may provide prolonged survival because these tumours are often slow growing. Radiotherapy deserves more extensive trials since about 50 per cent of patients derive benefit. The results of treatment with cytotoxic drugs are so far disappointing.
胆管癌可发生于肝内小胆管，或肝门区的大胆管，亦或是肝外胆管树。目前，针对各个部位的肿瘤，越来越多地尝试进行根治性手术切除，而胆总管下端癌的手术效果最佳。姑息性旁路手术以引流胆管树，可有效缓解症状，并可能延长生存期，因为这些肿瘤通常生长缓慢。放疗值得进行更广泛的试验，因为约50%的患者可从中获益。迄今为止，细胞毒性药物的治疗效果令人失望。
