Why is bile duct cancer easily misdiagnosed?

What disease is bile duct cancer easily misdiagnosed as? Biliary duct cancer is a very serious disease. If it can be discovered and treated in time, it is very important to control the disease. However, bile duct cancer is very similar to some diseases and is easy to be misdiagnosed and affect treatment. So what disease is bile duct cancer easily misdiagnosed as?

1. Benign bile duct tumors: It is difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant bile duct tumors in medical history, physical examination and direct cholangiography, and generally relies on histological and cytological examinations. However, if metastatic lesions are found before surgery, they are definitely malignant.

2. Common bile duct stones: The patient has a long history of paroxysmal abdominal pain. Jaundice is also intermittent with obvious symptom relief periods. Pain attacks are often accompanied by varying degrees of cholangitis symptoms, such as fever, chills, increased blood count, and signs of localized peritonitis. In choledochography, translucent shadows and cup-shaped shadows of stones can be seen, and the bile duct wall is smooth, but it is difficult to distinguish from polyp-type cholangiocarcinoma. Choledochoscopy is helpful for diagnosis.

3. Mirrizzi syndrome: Cholangiography shows compression of the right side of the common hepatic duct with smooth edges. Ultrasound can show stones incarcerated in the gallbladder duct. If the diagnosis is uncertain during surgery, bile duct histology can be performed.

4. Benign bile duct stricture: It usually occurs after abdominal surgery, and a few occur after abdominal trauma. Biliary stricture can also be shown in choledochography, but its edges are smooth and symmetrical on both sides. If necessary, choledochoscopy can be used to obtain tissue specimens for identification.

5. Primary sclerosing cholangitis: It is more common in middle-aged people, more common in men than in women. Abdominal pain is mostly paroxysmal, rarely biliary colic. Jaundice is mostly intermittent and progressive, and laboratory tests show obstructive jaundice. Cholangiography often shows extensive chronic stenosis and stiffness of the bile duct, but there are also cases where the lesions are limited to part of the bile duct. This type is not easy to distinguish from bile duct cancer, and can only be confirmed by naked eye findings during laparotomy and histological examination.

If we identify bile duct cancer as a benign disease, we will definitely not take it very seriously, which will delay the treatment time. Therefore, we must first diagnose bile duct cancer and then receive treatment. We must not confuse bile duct cancer with these benign diseases.