Please help me with Klatskin bile duct cancer???

 am trying to find out what my father has. He went to the hospital after becoming very jaundice about 2 weeks ago. The doctor's determined he had clogged bile ducts,and did a temporary surgery to put in stints. They found a mass in his duct and did a biopsy.  They are telling us he has a cancer called klatskin's cancer. The first biopsy came back negative for cancer and they said they wanted to do another biopsy. They had to do another surgery to put in longer stints and do a second biopsy. We have not been told the results of the second biopsy yet, but the doctor seems convinced we are dealing with Klatskin's bile cancer. I am so confused??? How do they assume that is what this is? How do we find out for sure, and where is the best place to be to handle this? If anyone can help me understand this better, I would love to hear from you. We are being told he has five months or five years to live. He is 65 and has been a drinker for many years. There is no cancer in our family. Is this hereditary? Thanks, Jemison5

Hi there, im alio. My farther has just passed away from bile duct cancer,but yours could be different, you must ask the question has it spread anywhere else if not you could be offered a whipple procedure. As long as it isnt near the portal vein you have a gud chance of fighting and gaining extra time, you and your family must stay positive and boost him as much as possible, he will need all the love and energy you have. good luck and god bless.......alio

Hello Jemison5, This is Leonard from Alamo California. The doctor's are correct, when jaundice appears, it is a clogged bile duct. A stent is needed to drain the bile from the liver. A Klatshin Tumor is usually located in the in the left and right Hepatic Ducts...it looks like a Y just below the liver. A wipple procedure will not be the answer. If surgery is done, and by the way surgery is the only solution to survive the cancer...the doctor will do a procedure called a Roux-en-Y- procedure.

You dad is dealing with a very serious illness. They are not assuming, they will know when they get the results of scans and/or biopsy. They know something if they are using the term Klatskin.

Question: Where id your dad being treated? My wife was told she had 6 weeks, that was in July 2003. Karen is here with me, not perfect but here. keep in mind what I said about surgery...chemo and radiation are not the means to handle this illness. Also, don't lean towards drinking, Karen did drink at all...maybe a glass of wine, maybe.

Also, has you dad been in Southeast Asia or the Pacific Islands in the past 20 years? And yes this illness can be tied to hereditary. They really can not put their finger on the causes. Very little money is spent on bile duct cancer research...all the money is going to breast cancer...and they still can't figure that one out.

Help this helped a little. By the way, I know Alio...she lives in the UK...after hearing Alio's story I hope you don't live there also.

Take care...Leonard from Alamo, CA