Current Research

Research for bile duct cancer is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your doctor.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT). After the doctor administers an inactive form of a drug, he or she uses a special light that is directed at the area of the tumor in the bile duct through an endoscope in a procedure similar to ERCP (see Diagnosis). This causes a chemical change in the drug, activating it to kill the tumor cells in the area where the light is directed. PDT is currently used to relieve pain and symptoms, not to cure bile duct cancer. Doctors are also investigating whether PDT can reduce the risk of a stent becoming blocked by reducing the ability of the tumor to grow into it.

Genetics. Scientists are also researching the genetic progression of bile duct cancer, which is the process of how one genetic change turns into many genetic changes that cause a cell to become cancerous.

Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy (also called biologic therapy) is designed to boost the body’s natural defenses to fight the cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to bolster, target, or restore immune system function.