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Besides gallstones, cancers are the most common causes of bile ducts obstructions. Most cancers form in the pancreas head, which the common blue duct runs through. Less often, cancer originates in the biliary tract itself at the common bile ducts junction, and the pancreatic ducts, in the liver, gallbladder, or pancreatic duct. Much less often, the bile duct can be obstructed by metastasized cancers, or the bile duct can be compressed by lymph nodes affected with lymphomas. Benign (noncancerous) tumors in the bile duct also result in obstruction. Bile duct symptom obstruction includes itching, jaundice, weight loss, loss of appetite, and abdominal discomfort. The tumor diagnosis as the cause of the bile duct obstruction is performed using direct cholangiography (x-rays taken after radiopque contrast substance is injected), CT (computed tomography), or ultrasound scan. To confirm diagnosis, a physician takes a biopsy. Bile duct tumor treatment is based on circumstances and causes. Surgery is the best way to be sure that bile may flow around the obstruction, determine the tumor type, and decide if the tumor may be removed. Most frequently, the bile duct cancers may not be completely removed, and most of such cancers do not respond well to radiation therapies. Chemotherapy can relief certain symptoms. Some individuals who have bile duct obstructions caused by cancer, have itching, pain, and pus buildup, result from bacterial infections. If these individuals do not have surgery then a surgeon can place a bypass tube (stent) through a flexible endoscope to allow the pus and bile to flow around the cancers. Such procedure relieves pus or bile buildup, subsides itching, and helps control pain.
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