Klackin's tumor is a cancer of the proximal bile duct. A tumor of this kind is formed in the upper bile duct, where they are divided between the lobes of the liver. Klatskin tumors can form in both ducts or in one of them, as well as at the exit of the liver. As the disease progresses, the tumor can spread to the hepatic blood vessels.
General information about the disease
Despite the fact that modern medicine has acquired a lot of useful tools through which it is possible to identify and promptly diagnose a disease, oncological diseases of the liver and pancreas are poorly understood. In particular, this state of affairs concerns the extrahepatic segment of the digestive system. Most at risk are Klackin's tumors. The first is children under 5 years of age who do not suffer from pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. The second - people who have crossed the 60-year milestone, who have significant disorders of the functioning of the biliary tract.
Oncological diseases can occur for a variety of reasons, but modern medicine determines the following: toxic wastes released into the atmosphere in large quantities; stress and other nervous disorders; environmental pollution; bad habits. In addition, the cause of the formation of a Klatskin tumor can also be malnutrition:
- the use of genetically modified foods;
- alcohol abuse
- the consumption of a large number of preservatives and food additives.
The disease appears due to a complex of problems that cause somatic diseases. They ultimately form neoplasms of a different nature. If you do not pay attention to the symptoms and start the disease, it progresses rapidly and causes significant discomfort.
Classification of tumors of the bile duct
- Benign: papillomas, lipomas, adenomas.
- Malignant: cholangiocellular cancer, gall bladder cancer, bile duct cancer .
- Klatskin's tumor.
Classification by area of localization
- The affecting bile ducts along with the liver fork.
- The defeat of one of the ducts.
- Damage to both ducts.
Patient Complaints
Such a disease is diagnosed by doctors very rarely. Successful treatment depends on many factors, but the most significant is the time the patient goes to the doctor. If a person turned to a specialist on time, treatment in most cases is successful, but if the disease is started, successful results are most likely to be expected. Typically, a Klatskin tumor is diagnosed during the examination due to other acute or chronic disorders of the digestive tract.
In other cases, patients come to the doctor's gastroenterologist for help with just such a problem. The most common complaints of patients in this case:
- heaviness on the side;
- general weakness of the body and fatigue;
- vague and unpleasant taste in the mouth;
- malaise.
Oncology itself is not so easily diagnosed. The fact is that the Klatskin tumor - obstructive jaundice, as it is also called - has signs similar to various diseases, such as liver parenchyma or biliary tract.
Symptoms
In terms of symptoms, the disease has the following features:
- significant weight loss in a short time;
- urine acquires a dark shade, feces brighten;
- with the active course of the disease, itching of the skin, skin rashes;
- a growing tumor causes pain in different areas of the abdomen, which appear at later stages of the disease.
The etiological factors for the development of malignant tumors in the extrahepatic bile ducts are almost unknown. But as predisposing to the development of the disease, the following can be considered:
- very often in people over 60, a Klackin's tumor occurs in conjunction with gallstone disease;
- genetic predisposition is also of great importance, especially for people of mature, but not elderly age;
- among the precursor diseases, primary sclerosing cholangitis can be considered;
- hepatitis B and C viruses may be the least common catalyst for the disease.
How is a disease detected?
Several methods can be used to identify a Klatskin tumor:
- Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography - with this procedure, doctors receive a full radiograph of the bile ducts. For the procedure, the patient is forbidden to eat and drink 6 hours before it begins, at the same time he is given sedatives. The procedure begins with the introduction of a local anesthetic into the right abdomen, then a thin needle is passed through the skin into the bile ducts, through which a dye is injected. An x-ray is then performed, which shows whether there are any abnormalities in the functioning of the biliary tract. The whole procedure for controlling the accuracy of the needle is performed using an ultrasound machine. Before and after percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, the patient is prescribed antibiotics to prevent the possibility of infection.
- Angiography. This type of diagnosis is prescribed if the duct is located near the main blood vessels of the liver. Using angiography to determine whether the vessels are affected by a leaking tumor. It is performed as follows: a thin tube is inserted into the inguinal artery through which a specialized dye is passed, which then passes into the arteries.
- Endoscopic retrograde pancreatocholangiography is also used when this cancer occurs, it is applicable for tumor obstruction. It is performed to more accurately determine the duration of pathological processes after performing percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography.
- Magnetic resonance therapy is one of the most optimal methods for examining a tumor. It allows you to determine the exact location and visualizes the structure of the vessels of the liver.
- Biopsy is the most effective method. Only it allows you to accurately determine the presence of a tumor, its structure and nature of tissues. For this purpose, a puncture is taken from the damaged area, which is then examined by microbiological analysis. This procedure is performed in conjunction with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography.
Disease treatment
As already mentioned, it is very difficult to recognize a Klatskin tumor. Treatment of cholangitis is the implementation of a set of measures to get rid of the disease. If treatment is not started on time, the patient will inevitably die within 4-6 months. Cancer is a difficult to treat disease, and the Klatskin tumor has the same characteristic. The treatment for this disease most often consists in the removal of affected tissue. At the same time, it must be complete, that is, the affected tissue is removed with clean tissue. This is done so that no malignant cells remain in the affected area, sometimes one of the lobes of the liver is removed. If the Klatskin tumor, the prognosis of which is very difficult to develop, cannot be removed due to damage to the circulatory system of the entire organ, radiation and chemotherapy are used, but, as a rule, it is ineffective.
Where to look for help
Despite the fact that the disease in question has long been known and there are ways to combat it through tissue removal, there is still no unified approach to the question of how to treat Klatskin's tumor. Treatment of purulent cholangitis is very successfully carried out in Israel in specialized oncology clinics. They have long had everything necessary to treat liver damage of this nature. It is no secret that Israel is a place of concentration of the strongest specialists in the field of medicine, therefore it is clear why Klackin’s tumor is successfully treated there. Testimonials from patients treated there indicate that the service in Israeli cancer clinics is at the highest level.